THE UK MUSIC SCENE THIS WEEK ( ROUND UP )

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Last week, TRAPPED kicked off an exclusive new feature, where we look to bring you all the hottest news in the UK music scene, from new releases, shows and everything in between. Last week, we covered the likes of Stormzy kicking off his UK tour to Novelist taking it back to ‘The Endz’ for his latest video. This week, we bring you four of the hottest news stories so lets get things started with this week’s UK Music Scene Round Up;

 
WSTRN deliver an acoustic version of ‘IN 2’
 
WSTRN, the trio of Akele Charles, Haile and Louis Rei, have had a fantastic 2015. Coming from the relative unknown, the group gained attention through her debut single ‘In2‘ and were signed to Atlantic within months. Due to their signing, the original track and video were pulled and around 43 combined.
Soundcloud and Youtube links were taken down. However, last month WSTRN returned with an “official” audio and video and have racked up over 1 and half million plays in a few short weeks.
The group have also performed live at the GRM Daily Get Rated Awards and #GrimeAid event, as well as ‘In2‘ being played on Capital Xtra,BBC Radio 1Xtra and MTV Base and releasing a remix of Young Thug‘s ‘Best Friend‘ with Youngs Teflon. With the guys being so busy and a remix of ‘In2‘ set to be released with guest appearances from Geko, Chip and Wretch 32, it’s great to hear some new material from the upcoming stars. It came in the form of a new video released of an acoustic version of ‘In2‘ from backstage at 1Xtra Live earlier this month as an exclusive from Charlie Sloth‘s Rap Up show. The video sees all three offer new verses, showing their versatility and creativity on the mic.
Fekky shines on his debut headline show
 
South London rapper Fekky has been turning heads since he dropped his now infamous ‘Still Sittin’ Here‘ in 2014, channeling his inner Dizzee Rascal, earning him a MOBO nomination for ‘Best Hip Hop’ act last year. At the Red Bull Culture Clash in October next year featuring Boy Better Know and A$AP Mob, Fekky gave an impressive performance of his smash hit ‘Bang’ which shut down the stage. Following support slots for Migos and Young Thug, we all knew Fekky had the energy and charisma to deliver an impressive show, but we were yet to see him go it alone. But this week, Fekky took to the XOYO show in London to deliver what can only be described as a “star studded” event. Support was provided by Splurge Boys and WSTRN which got the night off to a fantastic start and only built hype for the main event. When Fekky did touch the stage, he delivered with high energy performances and a lot of special guests. A highlight was Fekky performing alongside Krept & Konan, Chip and Wretch 32 for the ‘Dont Waste My Time’ remix as well as bringing Skepta on for their collaborative track ‘Way Too Much’. Skepta also performed ‘Shutdown‘ while JME took to the stage for ‘Man’t Dont Care‘. The night only went to highlight the depth of talent we currently have in the UK urban scene as well as showing Fekky off as one of the stars of UK rap. The night, captured on film by GRM Daily, was clearly a momentous occasion with Fekky tweeting;Honestly u lot were amazing last night. I wanna do it all again tonight First of many Sold Out shows God willing. The journey is crazy”.
 
 
Zeph Ellis lets loose on ‘Not For The Radio’
Since its incarnation in April of this year, Not For The Radio has provided a platform for artists and entertainers to speak their mind on a heap of topics. Following a simple interview format, the hosts [GRM Daily‘s Posty, Face4Music‘s Cham andRenowned‘s Vis] have had a number of artists from the UK scene and beyond and focus on talking on ‘tough’ subjects and being entirely genuine. Guests have included the likes of Jammer, Harvey, P Money, Ashley Walters and Ty Dolla $ign and this week saw a guest appearance from rapper Dot Rotten aka Zeph Ellis. After what seemed like a long hiatus away from music, Zeph took the opportunity to explain his name change, the origins of his infamous beef with Wiley, his relationship and subsequent problems with ex-fiance Mz Bratt. The biggest talking point from the interview was Zeph’s explanation of his split from legendary grime collective O.G’z [which also included Blacks, Ghetts, Little Dee and P Money], from his connections with fellow collective Hoodstarz and his mentoring from N.E (Nu Era). While the interview looks to offer Zeph’s side of the story, it would seem that all is now over with Little Dee putting out a number of tweets including “Once I’ve finished my joint CD with P I’ll go on NFTR and tell you all what really happened! I always keep it 100“. Keep it locked to TRAPPED for all updates…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=w7mlhRZs9tM

 Manga drops another stunning visual with ‘Hate Me Slow’
 
Manga, legendary member of grime collective Roll Deep has really come into his own over the past few years. After changing his name and going under a new moniker [Manga St Hilaire], this year saw the release of a string of singles [‘Zonin’, ‘Trout Grey‘ and ‘The Screaming Continues‘] which showcased Manga’s originality and diversity through his music. What also set Manga apart from the crowd was the visuals he was delivering alongside the music. In July of this year, he dropped his project The Reluctant Adventurer and recieved postive feedback from both fans and critics alike. Accompanied by the outro input of Jay Grrey, the photography of Courtney F Photos, mixing of Joe Hirst and the artwork creator Hendrix Nash, The Reluctant Adventurer was described as an “outstanding contribution to the London grime scene”. One of the tracks from the EP, ‘Hate Me Slow‘ got the visual treatment this week and is a stunning video, totally reflective of the topic of track [relationship issues]. As MTV described;“This track, much like the majority of Manga’s recent releases, isn’t an upbeat, aggresively energetic serving of Grime hype, but instead showcases a side of the scene that we rarely get to observe. Manga is a thinkers MC; he makes you reflect on your own personal situations and brings them to life with his self directed and edited visuals and ‘Hate Me Slow’ is no different.” 
 

Words: Nathan Tuft – @Natz_AO

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