Style 43

When I first heard the Triple Darkness collective I was sure that it was going to be the start of a very lucrative time for UK hip hop, but I didn’t realise just how prolific these cats were going to be. First we had “Anathema“ the single, which was followed closely by the LP, then they turned up to support Redman and Method Man AND Immortal Technique at their London shows, as well as regularly rocking the mic at Speakers Corner/End of the Weak. And now we move on to their individual efforts.

M9 is the latest emcee to offer up his own personal take on the art with his single, “Strange Fruit”, is set to drop at the beginning of October and if you dug Triple Darkness’ other material, this will not disappoint. First up is the title track, “Strange Fruit”, which is produced by another Style43 favourite, the mighty Jon Phonics. As you’ve come to expect from Mr P, the beat is blessed with a blasé quality, in stark contrast to the lyrics, which give a gritty view of the urban decay that is rife in so many UK cities right now.

Up next is the B-side, “Paintbrush”, featuring Melanin9’s partner in crime, Cyrus Malachi, along with Masikah. This time the sound-smith is Chemo and yes, it’s a very murky track. A lot of theological mental imagery is conjured up from the three emcees and this adds to the sinister feel already provided by Chemo’s trademark style.

This is a taster for M9’s full length album, “144,000”, which also drops in October and I’d urge you folks to cop both releases as soon as you can.

http://www.myspace.com/m9ine

Review by Fyshh