Gig Watch - Jedi Mind Tricks, Don't Flop, Red IQ

So Jedi Mind Tricks are coming to Manchester on Wednesday 15th February! They are supported by an eight man Don't Flop freestyle battle tournament, Red IQ who are a Hip Hop group from Manchester including D'Lyfa Reilly, Bo'Nidle, C Aye Monk and this time they are companied by Broke N £nglish's Konny Kon on the decks. The final support slot is The Natural Curriculum, a Manchester political Hip Hop group. The event will be held at Manchester Club Academy and tickets are £15. Its

You can buy tickets here:
 http://www.seetickets.com/Event/JEDI-MIND-TRICKS/Club-Academy/609271
Or here:
https://www.ticketline.co.uk/order/tickets/13265594/jedi-mind-tricks-manchester-club-academy-2012-02-15-19-30-00

Chris Leese - Every Body Hates Chris

Chris Leese is a long time hip hop Mc as well as Don't Flop Norths first battle rapper, he comes from Macc Town, he combines a mixture of strong lyrics with a comic style,  this is his debut album and what an album it is.The album is 16 tracks long and it features other MCs such as Louis Logic, Red Eye & Assa. Mixed in with all of the "Piss Hop," as Chris calls it,   are some strong emotional tracks that can really relate to. One of the most heartfelt tracks on the album is a song called The Pain which is a tale about a heroin user and his struggle in life, Chris's lyrical word play really stood out on this song. The title track is possible Chris's best track on the album, perhaps his carer, it perfectly combines comic lyrics with intellectual thinking creating a classic tune which can be appreciated across the hip hop community. Other stand out tracks include (Still) Better than You, a sequel track to Better than you, Class in Session, a crazy track where Chris takes the role of a school teacher and Writing My Wrongs. Overall this album finds a nice way to dance between comedy and serious Hip Hop, like all debut albums this has a few weak tracks but most of the tracks are superb, any underground Hip Hop fan should definitely own this album!

8/10

You can buy the album here:
http://chrisleese.co.uk/

You can watch the video to Every Body Hates Chris here:

Spider Jaroo - Writing for Commission

This is the latest E.P. from Northern Structure Records, it is by a Blackpool artist who goes by the name Spider Jaroo aka veteran Don't Flop battle rapper Disciple. It is eight tracks long and clocks in at around twenty six minutes long, the E.P. also features fellow Northern Structure Records rapper Amos. The main vibe of the E.P. is one of politics, hip hop revival and Spider Jaroo's personal struggle within the hip hop scene.  tracks of note include the opening track Solar Flare, an old school Brooklyn style, No Doubt, which has a chilling instrumental and an almost a mild horrorcore feel to it, Who's that?, an evil hip hop track and the title track Writing for Commission, an insightful look into Jaroo's thought process. For me through, the personal highlight was the beast Machetes, a classic hip hop anthem which can be appreciated across the genre due to its anthem like feel and large hook. Overall this is a solid hip hop E.P. and well worth a listen, especially as its free to download.

7/10

You can download the album for free here:
http://northernstructure.bandcamp.com/album/writing-for-commision

You can here more music from Northern Structure Records here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/NorthernStructureRec

You can follow Spider Jaroo @Spiderjaroo

You can watch the music video to Who's That? here: