Label » [BNB 047] Kazahaya - Remember Hip Hop
[BNB 047] Kazahaya - Remember Hip Hop
As one of the few independent hip hop labels still operating in this country Breakin Bread receive a lot of demos. Most of these don't pass muster but every now and again some tunes come in and blow us away.
This record is one of those. Listening to this in the office the first thing we thought is this is another average mash up. Some beats with some rhymes from US rapper thrown over the top. However, little did we realise that this EP contains a hell of a lot more than that. After a couple of listens you'll realise that Kazahaya has taken the rhymes to a whole new level with killer beats and some killer editing.
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Remember Hip Hop? Remember when it used to get you excited? Remember the time before jiggy music? Remember the time before Hip Hop went all mainstream and R&B? This EP will remind you of all those things and get you on the dancefloor too! Kazahaya hails from Tokyo, Japan and has been pushing his own brand of mash ups and mix CD's for the last few years. Eventually he sent a demo to Breakin Bread and this EP is the result. The title track "Remember Hip Hop" is a throwback to the golden era. The beats are reminiscent of Showbiz and the rest of the DITC crew. Hard snapping drums and dope rhythms all looped up to perfection. You don't' hear beats like this these days! But the scene needs them! Kazahaya takes the beat to a whole different world by editing in some rhymes by some of the dopest rappers ever to drop a verse. Common, Q Tip, Chuck D and more are all thrown into the mix and Kazahaya hasn't just dropped in any verses. They're all talking about what hip hop means to them and prompting us to Remember Hip Hop? We certainly do! |
This track has been tried and tested at Breakin Bread jams over recent months and not only is it a guaranteed floor filler, its also the track has had more people than ever rushing to the DJ booth to ask what the track is.
The second track on the EP is in a similar vein but a bit more mellow. With another touch of skilful editing, Common tells us he "Loves You Free Free". Don't ask what it means, just sit back, spark up and enjoy!
Instrumentals of both these tracks are so good that we had to put them on the EP and we've also plundered Kazahayas back catalogue to add another couple of rhythm tracks.
First up is "Drummin Rain" which is as you might expect from the title an ode to the mainstay of hip hop, the drum! This track is reminiscent of the first wave of UK hip hop when Hardnoise and Hijack were dropping fast and furious floorshakers.
The final track on the EP is the Funcky Water, another toe tapping, jaw dropping beats excursion which will make you say "They don't make beats like this any more!"
They certainly don't and that's why we're releasing this. Its definitely old school, it's definitely not clever and its definitely not bringing anything new to the scene. However it does bring a smile to our faces and it does fill the dancefloor. In an age where many people say hip hop has peaked and wont be the same again, this will remind you of how it used to be.
Tracklisting:
- Remember Hip Hop
- I Love You Free Free
- Remember Hip Hop (Inst.)
- Drummin Rain
- Funcky Water
- I Love You Free Free (Inst.)
