| Influences |
After much anticipation Ottomanelf Music brings you one of the biggest UK Hip Hop collaboration album’s you’ll hear this year . The UK’s finest producer Evil Ed teams up with one of the country’s most respected MC’s, Conspicuous (The Colony) to bring you their new album “The Get Together”. They say great minds think alike and the combined talent, quality control and vision of these two Hip Hop heavyweights, along with their love of the artform has resulted in a musical experience that will be hard to rival. Not only does “The Get Together” showcase the skills of Ed’s hard hitting, yet soulful, original beats and Cons’ diversity as an emcee showing both depth, social commentary and humor, but they also brought a whole heap of guests along for the ride.
“The Get Together” features a stellar line-up of guest MC’s including Jehst, Dubbledge, Shabaam Sahdeeq (NY legend from the days of Rawkus Records), Suave Sevah (Stronghold NY), Broke N English, Doc Brown, Seanie T, Konny Kon, Ric Branson, T Bear, Kobane, Grimlok, Sir Smurf Lil (YNR), Shameless, Willo Wispa, Mudmowth and Apollo plus new comers Iceman and Yungblud. Cuts are provided by Eddie Skratch (The Ill Out), K-Delight (BBQ) and Ed himself (Big Headed). The idea was to combine Ed’s trademark ‘posse cuts’ with Conspicuous at the helm and also a number of solo joints with just Cons’ by himself, more than showing that he can hold it down sparring with the finest as well as on his own. But, Ed and Cons really have nothing to prove and this album is for the people, something that holds no pretence or attitude, other than to connect with the listener, engage and entertain them.
For those that don’t yet know, Evil Ed has been a veteran of the UK Hip Hop scene for the last 15 years. Originally growing up in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire (where he used to hang out as a kid with a then unsigned Silver Bullet) and moving nomadically all over the UK to Manchester, Leeds then Huddersfield in the 90’s he helped start the YNR label alongside Jehst in 1999 and has worked with many UK Hip Hop legends including Yungun, Taskforce, Kyza, Microdisiacs, Aspects, Ricochet (Ric Branson) & Universal Soldiers, also remixing for the likes of Quantic. Finally settling on the South Coast in 2001, Ed released his critically acclaimed debut LP “The Enthusiast” on the Janomi label in 2004 (LP of the issue across all genres in DJ Mag). He has also run his own label HID Productions and has had a string of successful tracks including his club anthem “Nico Suave” featuring Yungun which got play from Zane Lowe (BBC Radio One). The track “Ophelia” joint produced by Ed and Jehst was recently featured on E4’s hit TV show “Skins”.
Hailing from Seven Kings, South London, Conspicuous (The Coroner) has been making major moves for the last half a decade, as one fourth of UK heavyweight crew The Colony and running his own Ottomanelf Music label. Cons has already released two classic solo albums, “Backgammon” and last years “The Family Photo Album” on the much loved Sit Tight label. Known for his soulful beats as well as well as his vocals, Cons has the knack of saying things in his rhymes that people can relate to, whether real life experiences, family issues or his deeper thoughts on life he has appealed to many listeners with his rhymes delivered in a versatile style that shows confidence, clarity and charisma.
Back in 2002 Conspicuous rang Evil Ed out of the blue to see if he could send him the debut Colony 12” “Do It!” (single of the month in HHC) and if he’d be up for working with them at some point. Ed was impressed with the Colony tracks, that reminded him of the raw, uncut Hip Hop he liked that was lacking at the time, and he admired Cons’ persistence for them to work together. After meeting Cons’ and the rest of the Colony as Cons’ studio a year or so later Ed was amazed at what the crew were doing, their level of output and quality control, the style of music they were making and their attitude to Hip Hop music. Ed contributed beats to early releases by the Colony and also featured them on “The Enthusiast” on the underground smash “Branded”. Ed went on to contribute beats for Cons’ solo albums, including “Focussed” featuring UK soul legend Shaun Escoffery, and “Write A Song For Me” featuring Shameless (which got single of the month in DJ Mag) and during this time the foundations for “The Get Together were laid.
Originally intended to be a shorter LP, made with unused beats from “The Enthusiast” as well a few new ones the duo decided to make “The Get Together” a bigger project, taking more time to get it right, relacing some of the original tracks with new heat, always keeping the quality and overall sound in mind. We’re sure you’ll agree that “The Get Together” is the sound of two artists in love with music and with a passion to bring their sound to whole world and that the beats and rhymes, from Cons’ and the guest MC’s, are of an international standard and provide a great listen throughout. There should be something for everyone on “The Get Together”, from jazzy grooves (The Ill Out, You & Me), soulful vibes and reggae flavours (Don’t Worry, BBQ, Can’t Forgive, Can’t Forget) to harder, more uncompromising slabs of raw Hip Hop (Marvelous, Sinister, The Night). With rhymes to make you laugh, cry or just say ‘damn, that’s good!’, “The Get Together” is a melting pot of talent that we hope you enjoy diving into!
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