Next Performance: The MC live at The Moustache Bar Dalston July 5th

I'll be bringing a Hip Hop set to The Moustache Bar Dalston July 5th. Roll through and mek we start supm. Grab your Presold at The MC's tickets link 

 

The MC - New Day (Visualizer)

 

New Day for your listening pleasure courtesy of The MC

New Day (Radio Edit) on Apple Music

The MC - Frequency/ Nothing is a Loss (Visualizer)

 

Frequency/ Nothing is A Loss for your listening pleasure Courtesy of The MC 

The MC and Friends DJ Kinbana Elliott Herrington Oxford Street 110924

The MC and Friends DJ Kinbana, Elliott Herington Oxford Street 

Brothers - AG Dolla, The MC (Behind The Scenes with Sector One media)

 

Checkout some BTS footage from Brothers - AG Dolla ft. The MC video shoot. All courtesy of Sector One Media   

The MC - LOVING AND LIVING/ MINI VLOG: How's the music going/ Quick recap

 

When people ask how’s the music going and my first impulse is to say: “Why don’t you tell me?”. My second is to say: “It’s going” and finally I say: “Oh#LovingandLiving at the moment…” Fam, this what I mean…

Life is short, make it sweet. The future is in our imagination and the past in our memories. Let’s live in the moment. That’s the message.

Share or join.

As the adventure goes, you’re helping me live out my dreams right now already. So I thank you,
Apprecilove

The MC Covers Bob Marley Three Little Birds

 

The MC Covers Bill Withers Lovely Day

 

Prediction: A lovely day is ahead. Ahh...I've finally got the setup set up 

Live Up and be Merry

https://shaqthemc.tumblr.com/post/671489510421495808/live-up-and-be-merry

https://shaqthemc.tumblr.com/post/671489485718044672

A toast to my ancestors

A lot of transitioning has been happening lately.


I am sensing an energy shift on a macro and micro scale; the entire Earth, it’s inhabitants, systems of control, cultural icons passing, people closest to me, changes within.


Since the start of the year Iv lost 3 close relatives in close succession. My uncle, my Grandmother and my aunt. I imagine posting this helps me to compute, but I doubt it does.


As I am dressed here I have attended two of three funerals from my apartment flat, hysterical through every range of emotions. Disconnected and frustrated by it. Through the difficult moments however I feel selfish as I know the tears are for memories Iv had with them and memories I can’t, and that’s for me, not them. For them I imagine and embrace happiness and relief as I know though death was sudden, it was when they were not living in their greatest power. Now they are...


Connected in what feels like very crucial timing, purposeful, powerful and in preparation for what is ahead. A toast to my ancestors

 

The MC - Where I'm From (Virtual Performance)

 

Hopped back in my time machine for a virtual performance of this one

Where I'm From 

Produced by Adrian Locke, Truckback Records  

The MC - Step Up (Virtual Performance)

 

Stepped into my time machine for a virtual performance of this one

Step Up 

Produced by Kabir Bonner Grillaras Production

The MC covers Musiq Soulchild Just Friends (Sunny)

This November marks the 20th anniversary of the debut album Aijuswanaseing from Musiq Soulchild. 

Wow 20 years ago... really? Around that time I would’ve been taking a huge leap of faith with my craft, career and heart. Finally I was compiling actual songs from all the poetry, prose and verses inked in the back of schoolbooks, and beat-boxes and melodies hummed into tons of mini cassette tapes. Love was new and I'd been attracted to her long enough now to pursue with my offerings.

Just Friends (Sunny) written by Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, Bobby Hebb, Taalib Johnson, produced by Ivan "Orthodox" Barias, Carvin "Ransum" Haggins. 

 With Musiq's range being so very close to mine this is my favourite song to cover. Early encounters with love (or building from the friend zone). This song flows very much like a conversation as does the entire album, as often do I, ready to break into my rap... gimme a beat-box.

The MC Lookin Freestyle - Watch The Hype

 

Often, the status quo and accepted paradigm of truth is rooted in falsehood. Otherwise, too far from the entire truth or only truth to be considered absolute. 

Don't watch the hype ...Watch the hype 

Pandemic virus lock-down and vaccine a wha this man the end is near 

But its like the more them a promote the more we a come out di shackles bondage and fear 

Babylon a go collapse...kiss teeth ... trust me just watch

heads a go roll the truth a unfold aint nothing they can do about that 

Living in a world where words like news, fake news, propaganda, programming, advertising and promotion are interchangeable depending on ones discernment is very troubling. We are constantly being promoted to. The beauty of knowing this however is knowing this. Now to exercise such a gift.    

One must know when and how to watch the hype to identify the truth. One must know when not to watch the hype so as not to be swept away in distractions and lies. One should also know when to watch ones own hype lest one mislead, or be mislead from truth and purpose, to their own detriment.

Watch the hype my friend, you and I know theres so much going on.

The MC Luchini Freestyle - Just Me

Luchini (This Is It) by Camp Lo from the 97 album Uptown Saturday Night. Produced by Ski and uses a sample of Dynastys 1980 song "Adventures in the Land of Music"

A foolish dream but I still wish much... fame for my music and not me 

Good luck, lets just, work hard play harder live it up and try no thump down no paparazzi 

Every time I examine and shape my vision there's a certain amount of attention and success that becomes more imminent as I put the work in. Also there's a knowing that much of what I envision is on the other side of any comfort, fear or anxiety. For me, that means I get to be a better version of myself every level up of the way. For some that may mean I become unrecognizable. However, I believe no-one should grow and look the same, we all change. Still I'm Just Me

So don't get it twisted, kid changed to stay on point its the best way to avoid getting exploited 

Cos when these vampires come for your blood your sweat tears and export it you the one that come up shorted 

So I wrote this affirmation and grounding years ago. I recall these lyrics now just as poignant. One more revolution. Grateful.  

The MC Incarcerated Scarfaces Freestyle - Ring the Alarm

Incarcerated Scarfaces by Raekwon from the 1995 album Only built for Cuban Linx produced by RZA contains Dialogue sampled from John Woo, Chow Yun Fat movie The Killer, Sound effects from Wang Dang Doodle by Koko Taylor, beat break sampled from "You're getting a little too smart" by Detroit Emeralds. One of the most sampled beat breaks in the game, over 180 times, you can find this sweet thing on songs like: Monicas "Don't take it personal", Keith "Murrays Most Beautifullest thing in the World", Commons "The Light", Kendrick Lamars "You aint Gotta Lie", Jill Scotts "Fools Gold", and many others. There's something infectious about that snare to open hat relationship that just gets me going no matter what. 

"When music hits you feel no pain, so I wont refrain from saying... Ring the Alarm!" 

Undoubtedly a classic album, very pivotal to hip hop and a significant song to me.  By 1995 I was heavily invested in all things Wu. Any project that came out with a Wu-Tang member or affiliate I had to have it. I think I wanted to be an honorary member when I grew up, and while Wu Wear wasn't available to purchase in Jamaica I'd print the different member logos on plain T's and rock em. It was actually this album that formally introduced me to Nas. 

I'd listen to Incarcerated Scarfaces until my neck hurt. Rza knew how to cook em up and Chef served on this one. This beat is playful, to the point and hard hitting. An emcees dream. So simple it gives me lots of space to be tonally diverse.

Checkout Raekwon looks back on 'Only Built for Cuban Linx' 25 years later, in Variety magazine 

"So I check check a microphone for verbal abuse, sharpen my super powers and prepare to use em ...'scuse me!"

War, Genocide & Famine

Systemic Racism & Slavery

Paedophilia & Adrenochrome

Organ Harvesting & Animal Cruelty

Injustice and Inequality

Viruses and Vaccines  

Pollution & misuse of earths resources

Food, Drug, Air and water poisoning?

...Ring The Alarm

The MC Vieux Carre Freestyle - 3 Steps Forward 2 Steps Back

 

I don't usually pick em so green. I like to ripen my lyrics over time, that when offered fall easy into your overstanding and digest sweetly, but this piece of music Vieux Carre by Trombone Shorty (featuring production from Raphael Saadiq) is such a perfect blend of my favourite things I had to share it now in my freestyle challenge. Its had me in a creative sweet spot for a long time. Plus its from two producers on the list of musicians I see myself working with (well this better help more than hurts).

"3 steps forward 2 steps back, that's just the dance there aint no setbacks", 

...an idea I started that has become a mantra of mine whenever I play it, I thought would fit perfectly in this series. So I wrapped up the idea with no further delay. 

I love this piece of music for primarily exactly that reason. It's music and not a beat; an organic arrangement of musicians playing together, my favourite way to perform and vibe. I am  especially keen on how it playfully walks a line between jazz, funk, Hip Hop, rock and Pop, and allows me to be versatile. I'm also a big fan of that big band new Orleans sound. This compels me to use my voice as more of an instrument in the band where I will find melodies that compliment or harmonise with the others. So much to work with.

"I been high and I been low, One thing you need to know is... I'm just getting started"

So to my fellow MC's, how do you choose a beat?

The MC Ready Or Not Freestyle - No Ready

 

Kicking off a Freestyle Fridays vibe in the heat with something classic for those that know

Ready Or Not, taken from The Fugees second album The Score

Contains a sample of "Boadicea" by Enya and its chorus is based on "Ready Or Not Here I Come (Cant Hide from Love)" by The Delfonics. . 

Somewhere around 96 I had this album stuck in my disc man, only to be interchanged with the likes of maybe Nas - It Was Written or Mary J. Blige - My Life. To this day it remains one of my all time favourites. Classic

Captivated by the culture crossing vernacular, and blended singing and rapping vocals over infectious multi genre neck snapping beats, I was hooked. As a group of socially conscious intellectuals The Fugees had a voice, sound and story that felt closer to mine  than any hip hop I'd listened, to that date.  

I love this beat for its sheer simplicity; literally a moody synth bed of Enya for some phat hip hop drums to sit on top, and that's it. An emcees dream. Id freestyle to this for hours. Eventually I wrote No Ready which celebrated the Reggae/Danehall/Hip Hop lifestyle lived in Jamaica while making commentary on how my immediate environment ironically just wasn't ready for me to bring such music to the wider world.

Still you know... I just wanna sing my song  

Listen to the original recording of Nuh Ready here...

Justice and Equality: Black lives do matter though

Started the year with a lot of gratitude as I witnessed much of last years hard work, spelling and prayer being answered and manifesting.

Then Covid19 brought the apocalypse to everyone’s door. It took me a minute to break away from the media conditioned fear and woe mindset, but now I get UP everyday with new routines. All what I wished I had more time for, exercise reading writing singing research documentaries and catching up with people. There’s a gift in this time. I’m even more grateful.  

Meanwhile  people are dying and livelihoods are being destroyed. Still it’s difficult to convince the masses that this pandemic is as much as it is reported to be, or that the response to it is fitting. The more conversations I hear, engage or avoid, the harder it is to shake the feeling (or the evidence) that it’s a part of a sophisticated manipulation. #Event201 #BillGates #ID2020 #5G #JudyMikovits #Faucci Wuhan whistleblowers, tampered test kits, manipulated covid statistics, and talk of vaccines yet the lack of dialogue on simple immune boosting, does not help. 

I resent having to use words like narrative so often, but I appreciate the acceptance that you can never rely on a single perspective and there rarely is a single story. 

There’s a shift in the consciousness and it wants the truth. Mainstream media and even history at best has always been a narrative. Some of us have always known this. I remember how I felt when I first understood what it meant for almost every news piece to have Reuter’s or AP attached, by which time I scoffed less at conspiracy theory and scrutinised more conspiracy facts. 

So then In the midst of all this lockdown, video footage of #AhmaudArbery ‘s midday lynching goes viral and shortly after #GeorgeFloyd ‘s execution by cop the same, and its pandemonium in these covid streets. In these covid streets, where so many want peaceful protest I’m seeing anger, frustration and helplessness, doused with tear gas and chased with cows milk. (What could be worse for the sinuses). What could be worse for the current experience: looting, shooting, anti protesters, police sabotaging supplies, complementary bricks put out to encourage vandalism, undercover agents, more brutality, and all these negative affirmations trying to drown the cause or bait a race war. 

I feel the pull on the emotions of the group consciousness, and I can feel force feeding and engineering in the midst of it all. Every day I witness some other atrocity and I feel the pull on my own emotions, forcing me to disconnect from social media. 

but I can’t quiet and I can’t mute.

I am affected but I am not distracted

So last week I post dem likkle black square, and Iv never used the tag #blacklivesmatter before because I’ve seen how quick its gaslit and pounded with all lives matter rhetoric. Not to mention the movement further connected to #GeorgeSoros .However, our lives do matter. There are those among us who care about equal rights and justice, giving momentum to the truth... and we will find each other 

Stay sharp fam their cards do show