On September the 11th and 12th, the Indig02 will see the DJ event of the year shake its very foundations. As it's the 25th Anniversary the stakes are higher than ever for the winners of this momentous year and DMC are pulling out all the stops to make sure this is not just a competition, but a party to remember. With competitors from over 30 countries spanning the globe, the truly international DMC is bigger than ever.
To kick start the weekend off correctly, Friday's proceedings see the exhilarating Battle For Supremacy take place, with last years World Champion, DJ Switch, defending his title against the planets very best Supremacy title holders, including this years UK winner DJ Rasp. The Team Battles also take place on the day, determining who will follow in the footsteps of the competitions greats of previous years - France's C2C, The Scratch Perverts and the Allies.
In between the battles, DJ Yoda will present a special live AV performance detailing the 25 Years of DMC, in his own ingenious way. DJ I-Dee will also be showcasing the brand new, Numark NS7, on the night, using state-of-the-art Serato Itch software in a world first. Plus Jehst and Micall Parknsun follow up their storming UK Final set, returning with an energetic, unbeatable performance that you cannot miss.
The rumour mill has been running on full power for the past few weeks, since Rhymesayers started dropping hints about a third instalment in the Felt series. Following in the hallowed footsteps of Slug and MURS' first two releases - "Felt: A Tribute to Christina Ricci" and "Felt 2: A Tribue to Lisa Bonet" - the third project was to be kept shrouded in secrecy, with only a few teasers being dropped here and there.
The mystery wasn't just surrounding which random starlet the album would be dedicated to, but also who would do the production. The previous producers on 1 and 2 were The Grouch and Ant, respectively, giving each album a pretty unique sound.
You might have noticed in the most recent issue of Ride that there was a complete bike review on a new complete bike that 24Seven is offering to the market. You may have also noticed the line "24Seven are making a very serious entry into the BMX world" [Ride issue 131 page 48]
So more free music has emerged on Myspace and this time it's from one of my own personal heroes, Gift of Gab. First time I heard Blackalicious, I was hooked. Gab's ridiculous wordplay on tracks like "Alphabet Aerobics" and his storytelling skills on joints like "Deception", kept me captivated and got me into thinking about how lyrics were structured and how words could be manipulated for rhymes.
Admittedly Blackalicious' last release, "The Craft", was weak by comparison to their earlier material but the body of solo work that Gab has built up over the years has been near faultless - check his 2006 "Supreme Lyricism" mixtape if you doubt it - and his recent Def Jux venture, "The Mighty Underdogs", has gone from strength to strength. 
Ahh, the good shit... That's my reaction whenever I hear a Jon Phonics ... 
Waddup, world. It's been all quiet on the review front here for a while now, so we figured we'd better find some new sounds before we all forget how to write and stuff. First up is the new single from the musical cluster bomb that is Tactical Thinking.
If you don't have the time, or stomach, for crossovers then divert your gaze now cos what we have here is an electro-synth-hip-hop audible amalgamation, that I think will either be loved or hated.
Myself, I can dig it. At first I was a bit unsure about the beat on "Superstars" - easily the most heavily synthed of the lot - but after a couple more listens, I was shamelessly bopping round Sainsburys, laughing to myself at the punchlines delivered by featured emcees - Deadline, Jim Raygun, Mr Dick and Derogatory. Punchlines inspired by a world in which celebrity obsession is the driving force. 
Some of you might look at that title and think, "aren't we all?", but don't worry this isn't some sort of social commentary on the lost generation of weedheads, this is in fact the start of something immensely dope. Fans and followers of the Triple Darkness collective will probably already be aware of this new project and some of you may have seen the name being banded about in hip hop chatrooms for a few months. 
Following much antipication, rumours and media tomfoolery, details of the new Jay Z album 'Blueprint 3' have finally been revealed. We're very excited.
Brooklyn's finest has been working with the likes of Alicia Keyes, Young Jeezy, Pharrell, Luke Steele from Empire Of The Sun, and of course Rhianna and Kanye West who feature on the upcoming single 'Run This Town' which is released on August 31st. Read on for the full album track listing.
No doubt we'll have some more tunes to follow soon, but for now you can have a sneaky peak at the single 'Run This Town' down below.
