Converse Block Party: The Final MC Clash (TONIGHT)
The good folks at JD Sports are pulling out all the stops for the highly anticipated Converse Block Party - coming to the Old Vic Tunnels on April 29th. With an impressive grime scene line-up including the likes of Wiley, Skepta and P Money, JD know that London’s music scene is heavily influenced by culture but more importantly footwear; so they are hosting the FREE underground live music festival to mark the launch of their new Converse Star Player footwear range. This highlight of this event is finale of The MC Clash; a MC battle where young hopefuls drop verses over a 32 bar beat, the chance is ripe for the picking to perform alongside some of the UK’s biggest names and win a chance to record a track with famous grime label No Hats No Hoods Records. Tickets are now available (absolutely free) on the JD Sports website, so don’t miss the opportunity to see this unforgettable showdown!
After three knockout rounds in Glasgow, Manchester and London, one entrant from each heat has been selected to represent their city at the Block Party from the hearts of JD stores nationwide. Judged by representatives from JD, Converse, SBTV, Grime Daily and Urban Nerds, London winner Row D was selected to battle it out in a four-way contest with Manchester’s victor Bugzy and Glasgow’s champion Skolz along with the People’s Choice who get to vote for the fourth MC to make it to the much anticipated event!
Nurturing new talent for the future is all the hype when it comes to grime music. Even the most underrated underground artist can exchange punch-lines with some of the big industry names as lyricism, flow, delivery and comedy are all that matter in the ring with an emcee. Thankfully, 2012 marks the start of a new era of grime with ones to watch Clement Marfo & The Frontline, Benny Banks, Scrufizzer and more, paving the way in the footsteps of the grime scene’s greatest. The line-up also includes tenacious female MC’s Mz Bratt (part of Wiley’s collective The A-List) and Lady Leshurr (recently made the list for BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Hot 20 of 2012) who will definitely be ones to watch with their fiery lyrics and lethal delivery.
Perhaps the most exciting name on the list is Clement Marfo; whose genre-splitting track “Mayhem” (featuring Kano) is the UK’s response to Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s ground-breaking collaboration “Collision Course”. The solo MC’s hip-hop core was soon to be joined the six-strong band including Dion (drummer), Kojo (vocalist), Stacey (keyboard and vocals) who make up the remainder of The Frontline.
“They’re called The Frontline because they’re like an army and we’re ready to attack,” states Clement.
The one thing almost all of these upcoming acts have in common is an appearance on SBTV, the UK’s biggest Youtube channel for promoting urban music. Whether it be dropping freestyles, live performances or interviews, SBTV is usually the first place these promising artists get noticed with the popular “F64 Bars” video series gaining a lot of attention for upcoming stars.
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