Marvin Sparks

So, don't remember how I came across this. I think I possibly regret spending that time of my life to be fair. Watch it first, then I'll comment after. Now, I know I said "regret spending that time of my life" now I'm spending more but this has to stop. Whilst I haven't made any good songs in my life (haven't made any songs) that isn't my job. I spot them. Great track record too. If you wanna call me a hater, fair dos, I'll still sleep. But guess what? They'll still have a sh*t song, so hear me out. So, let's set the scene: someone heard that beat and thought "That's wicked, let's do this". I can understand. First off, welcome to 2006. I heard "Whut? Yeaahh" all over that dated Lil' Jon-esq beat mixed with "Hey, how you doing lil' mama let me whisper in ya ear" by Lil' Jon's cronies/lookalikes. Can't remember their name right now. Then on top of that, autotuned to death? But why? The

As we should all know by now, Glastonbury took place last weekend. Yeah, Beyoncé etc. But I came across Aloe Blacc performing one of my favourite songs of the moment (still) "I Need A Dollar" on BBC2. Admittedly, I didn't know it from last year when it first hit the streets. I stumbled across his actual performance on stage when during a search for it on YouTube. Much to my surprise he did a reggae rendition and said the quote of the weekend: "Soul music comes in a lot of different forms and to me reggae is one of the best forms of soul music" - I've been trying to tell people this. Shame they're brainwashed into thinking if it doesn't sell it isn't cool enough to like. Watch and enjoy this performance Here is the acoustic version. Bee-yew-ti-full! With all the rubbish music about, we sometimes get caught up in criticising music in general. "Music is rubbish nowadays" is something we all say, but Adele, Bruno Mars, Aloe Blacc, Cee-Lo, E

If you like samples, you'll like this post. If you'd like to see previous posts covering this subject click here (Disclaimer: Luther Vandross special but I have most probably missed a few. I renamed the title once I realised both are Luther songs. When you read the post you'll get how this happened.) I think it has come to a point in my life where I've conceded "If a hip hop beat sounds too good to be true, it's probably a sample." Well, that's how I came to find today's one. I'm having an r&b day today. Hold tight 1Xtra playing "Walked Outta Heaven" by Jagged Edge. I've gone on to listen to Donell Jones, Musiq Soulchild (or is that musiqsoulchild?). Don't quite recall how this next beat happened, but Roc-a-fella hook man Rell crosses my mind, I remember he did his version of "No Better Love", Spotify only has the original, listen to that: Young Gunz - No Better Love Poor Young Chris who had his flow stolen by Ja

Ed Sheeran - Small Bump Anyone that has been following the blog for a while now will know I began gassing about Ed last year March on a next level (if you're interested click this , this or this ). He's one of the only artists I'm most excited about. Genuinely excites me. Me and that girl Leatz were on his talent from mad early, alie Leatz? Watched his performance at Glastonbury where he headlined the BBC Introducing Stage, literally brought a smile to my face to see every one going mad for him. He doesn't have a plastic image, girls don't think he's drop dead gorgeous, but it's just top quality music in it's purest form as it should be. I like this quote: "The above track, 'The A Team', is my favourite track on the CD. First track on the EP, instant repeat material, so standard was set quite high but I really enjoyed every track on there. Good lyrical content, singing, beats etc. Where the labels at? Sign this guy up!" from this post

I'll start this post with the best of the rubbish songs. I'm not even sure if this is rubbish. Mainly because I can't listen to it without feeling offended. Mann ft. Iyaz & Snoop Dogg - The Mack 349 likes, 21 dislikes Sorry, but he took a classic. I guess this is a sign of old age. I may have felt like this about rap sampling soul and disco songs if I was born in the '60s. But http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifI'm convinced this song actually doesn't justify sample. Which in itself was based on a sample. Just listened to the Mann song again. I can confirm it is rubbish. Buzzin' is a good song. Granted, I'm not old enough to have been around when the original came out , but Buzzin' is actually good. I do like how Snoop sits on the riddim though. That goes to show it isn't the sample, it is in fact him. Jason Desrouleaux - careless what the title is, the song is an absolute embarrassment Now we all know this guy's existence in the music g

"That's all them **** screamin' that Reebok back" Nah fam, that's all Swizz Beats is screamin'. Reebok's are DEAD. Saying that, I guess this promotion does help in a way because I forgot Reebok actually exist. With that said, maybe they are back into my memory then. Back in my sneaker/trainer collection though? Probably not. Workouts were the greatest school trainers for rebels against shoes. Convenient for lunchtime when dudes went to play football. Didn't have to waste time putting trainers on (or borrowing the left-footed players right shoe if you forgot your own. Could never get the right foot if you're borrowing). The white ones looked retarded. In a bad way. Ugly. Then you had the Classics. They were the thing for a hot minute around late 90s-2001. Times when we rated Sisqo and played Snakes on Nokia 5110 with the flashing ariel. Can't forget the Reebok Pumps from early '90s. Woosah! They were undeniable. Luminous colours complete wit

I've known Dionne for a while still. Doesn't add anything to the post I guess. I coulda sworn I've blogged her but I dunno where it is. Maybe I posted them on Facebook *shrugs* Strangely enough one of the two vids I thought I'd posted were Delete My Account (a song about Facebook) with the other being a cover of Lauryn Hill in an English accent. She's proper bubbly and stuff innit. She's actually jokes. Anyway, I heard her perform new single "Daddy Dear" last year at some Africa vs Caribbean show (yeah, they still do that backwards nonsense). First thing that surprised me is that it's a reggae riddim track, but it isn't a popular one. Anyway (again), she performed at Glastonbury this past weekend (see below) and the song has been added to Radio 1's playlist as BBC Introducing. Big well done to her. And putting reggae on BBC Radio 1 is never a bad thing. The riddim is called "Tears" from 2007. First time I heard Jamaica's hott

Yeah, so Buju Banton was sentenced to 10 years in prison , but hear what, there's nothing we can do about it, so if you wanna do like me, let's play some Buju songs. If you haven't heard many Buju songs before, let this be a quick lesson for you. I picked the first 10 at random from my memory bank. To those of you who may feel there could have been better ones, you're probably right. Let's open the floor properly and sing together "Our father, who art in Zion..." It wouldn't be right if I didn't start with his most venomous verse in recent times addressing the situation. "Jah Army" - Stephen Marley ft. Damian Marley & Buju from Stephen's latest album Revelation Part 1: The Root of Life "Soldier inna Jah Army, a long time the pus*y them want me" any DJ that doesn't wheel that line in a club is a bait. "Stamina Daddy" - one of the first songs Buju is known for. "Bogle" - This one song not only in

Did one of these a while ago (click here) . I'm one of those people that loves tracing back samples, then hearing what else that band recorded. Good way of discovering old music. I can honestly say I'm rarely surprised by popular songs that contain samples after reading album credits all these years. Exhibit A This is "Fun" by Brick. Don't know much about them, but according to wiki "Brick is a former American band that created a successful merger of funk and jazz in the 1970s." Recognise it don't ya? My '90s babies will know it from "Video" by India Arie. Remember when female-empowerment songs weren't as desperate as "Who run the world? GIRLS!" What a well written song. But my '70s/early '80s dons will know it from Akinyele "Put It In My Mouth". Although I'm not either of the aforementioned, I hung around older people. And no, this song didn't make me more interested in the stuff he's speakin

These songs ago tun up fi di summer (for this summer here). I've been replaying both these on this riddim, so I'm happy they did a medley vid. Could have been better, but hey, such is life. Tun up this one loud on your speakers and digest some spiritual music that they say dancehall doesn't have anymore. Yeah, that's if you believe in pricks!

MeView = Review So, last night Heatwave's bashment concert "Showtime". I anticipated this will be the greatest one night show I've been to in a long while. An incredible line-up. In fact, it's an inconceivable line-up mainly due to the sly headliner and inspiration for the event - Wiley. For those unfamiliar with him, you may know him as the Godfather of Grime, but he is also the self-proclaimed "The Elusive" for his consistency at performing no-shows. The guy doesn't turn up for his own or featured videos, promo or performances. To help avoid this, the DJs/Promoters kept in contact with him and he assured them every time he'll be there. Hope they don't mind me telling you, but Wiley was unreachable for days leading up to the event causing a bit of "Ahhh man, not again Wiley". [cue intentional cliffhanger music] Anyway, here's the flier/poster You see all those names, yeah? Legends in Jungle, grime, garage, UK dancehall next to

Read up about The Heatwave movement and what inspired tonight's event here: http://www.mtv.co.uk/music/urban/2588-the-heatwave-london-s-dancehall-dons Advance tix are sold out but 100 tix on the door for a bargain of £20. I'm most looking forward to General Levy, Glamma Kid and Riko Dan (who killed a Hot Wuk before) And just for the sake of it, watch some Jamaican artists do what these guys will replicate tonight The singer in the orange top with a scarred neck right at the beginning is one of my fave singers of all time. What a voice Tenor Saw had. RIP. Supercat is one of my fave deejay's of all time. He's in a suit with a cream hat @ 6:20. Every single man that touches the microphone had a serious vocal presence. If I could go back in time, I'd go to the '80s to experience dancehall. As bonus, check this little girl get a big forward! (Via @ GabrielHeatwave via @LoukiaC via @KingPMoney ) Oh and Beenie Man at 13. Rappers used to battle on the blocks (not sure

RBNA = Real Badman Never Afraid . Real Badman Never Afraid = Marvin Sparks blogging about things your average 20-something, black male, Londoner wouldn't usually admit to in public space. Unless, of course, he is a badman. Today's topic is ballads. Ballads in Lehman's (I know you don't spell Lehman like that, but Arsenal's goalkeeper is dumb too) terms are slow love songs as you'll see if you carry on reading. They're basically songs I really want to learn how to write because they are WINNERS!!! These songs are all inspired by Magic FM, therefore, this post is slyly sponsored by them. If they would like to send some donations my way, feel free. I'll flick over from 1Xtra time to time to hhave flashback moments. Mostly listen to Magic at night when I want to wind down. Wind, not whine. That's what dancehall is for. Savage Garden - I Knew I Loved You This was the first song I heard this morning on Magic FM. Dr. Fox breakfast show is second to Twin B&#

Boom, bang, connek *flashback to 2006* I didn't know what to title this. It's basically more tunes I like. If you like them wonderful, if not, sorry. Scroll down, may find something you like there. Or come back tomorrow/Thursday. Assassin a.k.a. Agent Sasco - Talk How Mi Feel/Nothing At All As per usual, Agent Sasco has started off yet another year bursting out of the blocks with an onslaught of tunes. Followers of dancehall will know that Sasco is one of the most underrated lyricists in the game. As you'll see/hear by this, his clarity is probably his biggest let down as his gruff vocals prove inaudible at times to the untrained to patois ear. However, if you're fortunate to understand you are in for a treat as 'Sassin lashes out on the wrongs in the world such as bleaching, selling out, murderers, rich people that made their riches at the expense of ghetto people, rapists, women that aren't well groomed etc. "Nothing At All" is on Big Ship's Pepp

Hey guys and gals, I'm back with the fourth episode of the popular series FlashBack Friday (click for previous episodes) for the year like 2011. I love doing these posts as I get to relive a time when life was all about not doing homework, watching cartoons, asking mum and dad for toys and what I would be when I grew up. I've decided I'm doing a post dedicated to soca songs I like. Don't even remember how the subject came up in my head to be fair. I tweeted the first song (below), then was about to embark on filling up my followers timelines, but that's inconsiderate. I then thought it may be better to do it for Notting Hill Carnival weekend, before realising rapture could happen before so I won't be able to. Another thing I won't do is post the 6 soca songs I hear every time I go out. Krosfyah - Pump Me Up , Dollar Wine , Follow The Leader , Tempted To Touch , Square One - Faluma etc. Kevin Lyttle "Turn Me On" ,the most popular soca song of the l

I say "Free Ja Rule" but he was caught with a gun (according to the verdict in court). Coincidentally on the same day as Lil' Wayne who has been in and out for at least 6 months now. I've been waiting for a reason to celebrate Ja Rule's underappreciated footprint on hip hop for a while now. I don't care about the 50 Cent beef, or his street cred, Ja had big club songs for days. In my timeline of listening to hip hop, he was the first rapper to make a career off the hip hop/soul movement that worked for singers before him. I'm not saying he was the first rapper to ever make a hip hop/soul song - BIG, Jay, DMX, Method Man etc. all did it before him - but from what I can remember, he was one of the first to make a big series of singles/career off it. LL used it too, not sure if he was as concentrated. Singing, smiling, female feature, big budget videos and genuine club bangers (most courtesy of 7Aurelius) = Ja Rule. Disclaimer: If the above is garbage, leave

There's a plethora of one-drop songs I'm feeling at the moment. I don't know if it's because I decided to delve deeper into roots reggae, but there's so many songs I'm feeling right now. I-Octane - Cry To The Nation If you've been following this blog you'll know I-Octane is my artist. Last year was his breakthrough year, where he had Jamaica going crazy for his dancehall anthems. As much as I rate his dancehall tunes, conscious one drop is where I initially heard him, so he'll always sound at home there. Nice to see him back on that vibe as he pleads with his people to worship God and bun all evil doings. This could easily be a gospel song. When reggae drops into gospel, it's usually a mad sitt'n. Exco Levi - Bleaching Shop Don't know much about the guy, but heard this on the radio the other day. Really felt the lyrics. As many reading will know, bleaching is a hot subject in Jamaica and Jamaican music right now due to dancehall artist Vy

My blog's drowning in dancehall or dancehall by association right now. Anyway, here's some bangers getting spun you're likely to hear in my presence DJ Khaled ft. Drake, Ricky Rozay & Lil' Wayne - I'm On One This song is ridiculous! I finally realised Drake raised the bar for what it takes to be a r&b artist. R&b isn't dead, the artists are doing it wrong Kelly Rowland - Motivation A few months back I tweeted that r&b needs to link up with hip hop again instead of this euro-house stuff. I'd say this is an example of what I meant. This could easily be the beat for the above song and the point about Drake raising the bar for r&b can kinda be seen. I won't spill the rest because the game is to be sold not told. Features Lil' Wayne spewing some horrible lyrics about rainforest and brainstorm. I'm sure you'll probably know this song by now. The official remix landed today. Sounds alright. Frank Ocean "Swim Good" An ex

Another day, another rapper, another hijacked Mavado song. Currently on number 3 since year start ( Sneakbo & Chipmunk "Star Boy" , Sneakbo "Warn Them" now this). Don't know much about Ratlin, but he's shouting Mozart which is west London. I'm feeling this song. I'm not as deep into it as I'd like to be but I really like UK rap from the roads. They have character and gangsta narrative. I don't relate to money, swag and that nonsense. Soz The original Another song that can be found on my mix CD Product of My Ears . It's mad how you get certain man in the UK that will swear blind there isn't anything but explicit sex, gun or bun X people talk, but these road rappers seem to be sampling dancehall songs that have meaningful hooks and beats suited for their rhymes... This is why I say there is a difference between bashment and dancehall. I'll blog that one day. (sly plug check my interviews with Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Serani, Gyptian

Vybz Kartel returns to his famed British accent that brought him much attention in the mid-00's on Proper English. I'm feeling this. A LOT! The riddim is so sick. His whispering vocals are effective and quotables/wheel up points for dayyyyssss! Loads of references to Prince Wills and Kate Middleton, hip hop's Tim Westwood, dancehall DJ Robbo Ranx, Brixton, temperature ("I'm in the tropics, you in the freezer") and tea - obviously. And the accent is just jokes. "Come let's have a drink at the pub, yeah? Then later on we can party at the club, yeah?" Will be available on iTunes. I'll deffo post up that link (sly plug check my interviews with Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Serani, Gyptian, Busy Signal etc here) I love this riddim. Be interesting to find out who produced this after all the controversy surrounding the departure of in-house producer NotNice. I know he's working with Dre Skull on his album. If this is Dre Skull, he's the guy to produ

I haven't done a "Real Badman Never Afraid" segment in a while. If you're unfamiliar with it, this is a time where I share songs I like that people will be surprised I like, deemed uncool by my demographic and some will feel ashamed to admit. But true I'm a rudeman, wicked boy (copyright me and my bredrin) from the day I was born 'til at least 1 minute 26 seconds ago, I don't abide by them rules. Shout out Christiana on dubbing the genre "Euro-Trash" . I got it from here. Follow her and read her blog . You'll get more wisdom than you will on these pages. If you are from foreign lands, Euro Trash was a late night program, pubescent boys stayed up past their bedtime to watch the best possible porn. I say the best possible, but you may have seen a breast here, a bum cheek there with a lot of innuendos and suggestive behaviour. Kids nowadays just load up a prano site, we had to find a friends uncle's video tape or download jpeg's from pee