Pop chart favourite Estelle will be heading up to Manchester on June 5th to help select an up-and-coming talent as part of the Hugo Urban Rules event. The winner will get the benefit of professional production and release help, as well as performing on stage with her for a televised MTV show. “I feel that the UK scene needs the support,” she says of the initiative.
Click here for more info and to check how to grab free tickets.
Sad news reached HHC over the weekend that Camu Tao (pictured above with his SA Smash partner Metro) had passed away, one month shy of his 31st birthday. HHC has fond memories of a summer night on New York’s Lower East Side spent drinking with him and the whole Def Jux posse, but El-P puts it best in his tribute - click here to read.
Out now, the soundtrack to GTA IV and the Green Lantern-helmed ‘Liberty City Invasion’ set are available for download exclusively through iTunes. While the former features hip-hop acts like Busta, Mobb Deep (well, the confusingly credited ‘Mobb Deep featuring Havoc and Prodigy’), Nas and sample-source David Axelrod, Green Lantern’s project opens it up to underground soldiers like Joell Ortiz, Maino, Tru Life, Red Cafe and the most definitely mentalist Uncle Murda.
One of the most fiery characters in the hip-hop underground, Immortal Technique is hitting London on June 4th for a gig in support of his new album, ‘The 3rd World’, out later that month. Taking place at The Coronet in London, HHC has five pairs of tickets to give away - just email your name and address by clicking here to be in with a shout of grabbing a pair.
Oh, and even better, one of the lucky winners will also be invited to a question and answer session with Immortal Technique hosted by DJ 279. Bring it on.
Some live dates for this week’s diary, courtesy of the Ninja Tune stable: Cadence Weapon plays the Old Blue Last on Thursday, while this Friday sees the album launch of Daedelus’s ‘Love To Make Music To’ at Corsica Studios - with gratis Absinthe for the high-liquor-tolerance set.
A new Ghostface and Raekwon joint has been buzzing around the internet, though its title ‘Necro’ has had some people speculating whether hip-hop’s cinematic goremaster is behind the beat. Then answer? Yep, according to Necro himself, though the track’s official name is either ‘Jihad’ or ‘G-Hard’.
Out in a couple of weeks, DPF’s wonderfully-titled ‘It’ll Never Catch On’ is shaping up to be a gem of a UK album. “Nimble flow, clever wit and at times savage put-downs,” is how we’ve described it in the current issue of HHC, but check him out for yourself at a couple of upcoming shows (23rd May: Scratch Hotel at 333; 20th June: Breakin’ Bread at the Jazz Cafe).
One for next month’s calendar: on June 6th the Alize Remixed tour hits Leeds, with Tim Westwood and Shortee Blitz holding down deck duties at the Gatecrasher Discotheque.
Click here for more info on the night, plus a full breakdown of details on how to show and prove with your mixing skills and win a place on a tour with Jazzy Jeff and Grandmaster Flash.