March 20, 2000
Word Lab
British hip-hop, rejecting pale imitations of the Yank template in favour of its own, unique voice. Ditch your preconceptions...
7 / 10
You're suspicious of British hip-hop; understandably, what with every other Anglo-rapper exhorting you to support homegrown talent with all the questionable zeal of a 'Buy British!' campaign. But as the deserved success of Roots Manuva has proved, Brit-hop doesn't need your charity; it's strong enough to succeed on its own.
An offshoot of dance label Source, Wordplay is a new imprint chronicling the burgeoning UK scene (indeed, the compilation's sleevenotes neatly sum up UK hip-hop's turbulent history - in graffiti script, natch). Their first release, this primer does a pretty good job as a rough snapshot of a sound in transition, bar some glaring omissions (whither New Flesh For Old or 57th Dynasty?). Pioneers and stalwarts like Blade and Blak Twang (whose terminally parochial 'Masterchef Sandwich' shows why Brit-rap has remained underground for so long) sit easily alongside nu-skool faces like Creators or UK Kartel.
Perhaps predictably, the finest track here comes from Roots Manuva, the rare original cut of 'Baptism', its shattering electro-dub still as fresh and alien as some new language. But gems lie among the lesser-known names too, not least the inner-city ennui of Braintax's 'Plastic Chat', or Brum kru MSI & Asylum donating the immaculately stoned lope of their 'Animals'. From such disparate elements, 'Word Lab' pieces together an eclectic but coherent picture of British hip-hop, rejecting pale imitations of the Yank template in favour of its own, unique voice. Ditch your preconceptions.
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