Philly Moves To The Roots

In the past few weeks magnanimous urban-soul rappers The Roots returned home to Philadelphia for the third annual Let's move it Philly, held in The Sigma Sound Club.
This rambunctious night of free styling was in aid of Grassroots Foundation established by the groups front man and main MC of the night, Tariq Trotter, better known to me and you as Black Thought.
The charity, which Tariq co-founded, works towards the aid of disprivileged minorities within the slums of the cities' vast districts. This year's particular focus however was on the health of young women living in said conditions.
Aside from the impressive benevolence associated with both the event and the group(who coincidentally are the house band on Late Nite with Jimmy Fallon) The Roots produced a night of awe inspiring freestyle raps to the beat of many infamous track, both past and present.
Rack City, F**kin Problems (off Asap Rocky's latest album) and that Jay-Z-Kanye West collaboration that has saturated speakers worldwide (and shall remain nameless) were nourished with the utmost eloquence and prestigious lyrics from Black Thought, STS and Truck North, who also made the trip for the event.
A few weeks ago I discussed how rap can "Resurrect" morals to a certain extent and this came to mind whilst watching the gig in aid of Tariq Trotter's foundation.
A group which formed in the eighties and still continues to enjoy success within a hectic schedule of touring, still finds the time to return something to society through the only means they know best.
The gig was refreshing not only from a moral point of view but also thanks to the opportunity to re-acquaint oneself with past talents and arrive at the blatantly obvious conclusion that they "still got it!"
Clips of the night can be found on www.rapradar.com.

Riley: Hit 'Em Up



People should never forget who they are. As trite as the age old saying is the words thoroughly rang through when this week I got the chance to speak with young aspiring U.K rapper, Riley.

The recent launch of his debut track Hit it Off  was met with huge success in the U.K via Soundcloud. It became apparent as to why when  Riley told me of his grassroots in the rap game.

A mixed love for rap and poetry (fundamental to any lyricist) almalgamated from an early age as Riley dicovered his aptitude for freestyling.
"I started rapping when I was 11, began to take it serious when I was 14 and was in the studio by 16."

His aforementioned track, which is being layed by Riley as a precursor to his up and coming mixed tape, truely resonates as a rugged rescue remedy for a U.K rap scene still thirsting for recognition on a worldwide scale.

Like most of us he has grown up with all too familiar hip hop giants such as Nas and Pun, yet his uncanning ability to incorporate what he has heard into his own unique style has given him solid ground to work upon.
"I never tried to be something I'm not, says Riley."
"My father always told me to be me, because that's the only impression you'd ever do truly well."

There is something endearing behind the honesty of his motivation and inspiration. To compliment this idea Riley does seem to possess catatonic prowess both technically and lyrically as his debut track shows. It is also an area which the young man allows himself a well deserved pat on the back:
"I think my technicality and personality is what seperates me from other rappers."

The track Hit it Off is available on his twitter page- TheOfficialRiley and the mixed tape is due to be launched in the next few months. If his debut drop is anything to go by, one can certainly expect to hear his name more often in the near future.