Jamaican Independence Day 2012
30 Jul 2012
We at Mixtape Madness love any excuse for a party, and this year with the Queen’s Jubilee, Euro 2012, the tennis (okay, not as exciting) and now the Olympics, we’ve had tooooo many excuses to rave it up. Not that we’re complaining.
The UK is finally drought free (how much rain did that take?!) and the sun is out. Summer seems to have started at last – a month or two late it may be, but it couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time, as on Monday 6th August, it will be the 50th anniversary of the day Jamaica achieved full independence from the UK. So it must be time for another celebration! And at long last, it will (with any luck) be a sun drenched one at that.
To commemorate such an event, we have compiled a list of our favourite mixtapes from some of the UK’s finest artists of Jamaican heritage.
Take a look at what we’ll be playing to observe the occasion in a week’s time, and let us know what you’ll be blasting through your speakers (or subtly bopping along to on the bus via your iPod earphones)…
GENESIS ELIJAH – I AIN’T EVEN CHARGING BRUV
One of the finest underground MCs on the scene right now, Gen delivers pure, unprocessed hip-hop in this excellent contribution to mixtape culture. Not to be missed by any true hip-hop fan.
WRETCH 32 – LEARN FROM MY MIXTAPE
An oldie but a goodie, this is one of Wretch’s earliest releases. One of the most successful urban artists to storm the charts in the past couple of years, we’re sure Wretch has many reasons to celebrate come August 6th.
One of the most underrated MCs in the UK, Durrty Goodz can turn any beat, be it gritty grime to energetic bashment, into a first class banger with his original lyrics and flawless flow.
With far too many classic tapes to pick from, we had to go old-school for Kano’s unsurprising contribution. We love Beats and Bars for its rawness and passion. 24 tracks of pure, unadulterated grime. We love.
One of the most eagerly anticipated mixtapes of last year, it dropped and people were all over it like fire. Sick production and charisma from all involved made it one of the most successful downloads of last year.