riko - the truth

john eden

john eden

male pale and stale
I've got about three quarters through it today and am finding enough to warrant several relistens already...

What is that drum and bass thing doing on there tho? It seems to be Shabba Ranks on vocal samples so is there any Riko involvement at all? (disclaimer - heard this with a lot of traffic noise in the background!)
 
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viktorvaughn

Well-known member
petergunn said:
huh, hearing the one track w/ Scratchy, i was way more excited for the Riko CD than Soul Food Vol. 3... the bits i heard from that just sounded dull... Vol 1 was the best album of last year, but vol 2 was kinda lame...

hearing Scratchy spit on the Riko track reminded of all the things i liked about Trim, that off kilter, lazy sounding approach to spitting... eccentric... but, still funky... new trim is not that funky, in general...

but, yes, Cloud 9 EP is SICK... i really like the EP thing, 5-10 solid tracks as opposed to 22 track CDs with 4 good songs... tinchy is really sounding good... he has a good ear for beats and the type of flow and charisma to make even lame lyrics sound good...
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I really like the horrendously cheesy track 5 on Cloud9!

The way he says 'in bed she's a freak, I'm, a demon...I'm a goon with feelings' is amazing, he sounds really human and weak.

For me Trim has this quality shared maybe only by Wiley, where even his patchy stuff is strangely appealing to me, I dunno why that would be... I know Soul Food III is defiantly patchy but I have come back to it quite a few times - the start is possibly the worst bit...

Scratch is obviously a legend.
 
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gumdrops

Well-known member
thanks for the mixtape education. obviously we all know they are too long and complaining about it IS (and has been) pointless but i dont really have the time or inclination to prune TWO full CDs worth of music all the time! id rather just have a strong, easier to get your head around EP of the best stuff just to save myself time - no matter though, i can make my own EP from these things no problem, although i always find that hard as i feel bad not giving the rest of what an artist has put out there a chance.

but still, riko is a badman Mc and ill always check for whatever he does. and the spoken part at the end of that track about guys sleeping around on cd 1 is hilarious. i wonder if they had more older tracks that could have been put on this or if the whole thing was done a while back. i remember there was a riko cd meant to come out quite a few years ago.

anyone got audio of riko from logans show?
 
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stelfox

Beast of Burden
well, why waste time writing things that are blindingly obvious, just for the sake of grumbling!? a mixtape is only as good or bad as its best bits, and we should all know that. if a mixtape is full of crap with three or four standout tracks, then it qualifies as good for me... accepting the inevitable just makes for a happier life, that's all...
 
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stelfox

Beast of Burden
oh dear, everything i'm saying here is meant to be relatively good humoured but it's really not coming across that way at all. i think i should leave the internet alone today!
 
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gumdrops

Well-known member
stelfox said:
well, why waste time writing things that are blindingly obvious, just for the sake of grumbling!? .
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things like "a mixtape is only as good or bad as its best bits" or "that's the difference between a mixtape and an album"? lol. we all know that, but it doesnt make it any less annoying! in these times of easy, speedy downloading and so much to listen to so easily, grime artists should bear this in mind i reckon. im all for VFM and making people feel like theyve got their moneys worth, but christ, who has the time/patience?

anyway, if i want to grumble about something ive spent my hard earned money on i think i am allowed. we arent living in a music-crit dictatorship, not yet anyway. ;)
 
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john eden

john eden

male pale and stale
Riko over slengteng! :cool:

The other reggaeish one on disc 2 is great as well.

That xmas clash at the end with Flo is funny.

I like it!
 
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faustus

Well-known member
faustus said:
to return to the topic - can any1 give me some reasons i should buy riko's cd? i can't believe there's more than a couple of ok tracks with 2cds worth of filler (don't know why i'm so prejudiced against it but i am)
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well i was totally wrong about that, it's wicked, thanks to every1 who gave it glowing reviews (in the guardian and wire) - your writing persuaded at least one person to buy it!

the riko vs. flowdan soundclash is so much jokes - the best bit is when flowdan's been slewed and trying to choose his very best dub, and he says 'play that one, track 42'. the 1xtra dj goes '42?' and every1 else pisses themselves :D:D:D:D
 
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mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
I tried with Riko's one and I'm afraid I don't like it at all, he just comes across as really, really dumb. And not cold-getting-dumb dumb either. Sorry. Wanted to like it. It even made me never want to hear another Danny Weed snare kick again ever, and I love that wooden sound.
 
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gumdrops

Well-known member
cant say this has much replay value for me. i love a lot of the beats. and rikos one of my favourite grime mcs. but theres just not much that makes me want to go back to it.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
i actually think its great, one of the best mixtapes in the history of grime. i listen to it all the time.
 
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DannyL

Wild Horses
I only got it yesterday, but am loving it so far. I really like the JA influence on his flow. It's defintely up there with the best mixtapes I've heard.
 
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faustus

Well-known member
petergunn said:
so Wait, Should I Buy This Or Not?!?!?!?
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i had the same information/ opinion overload a few weeks ago. then i bought it and i think it's great.

obviously that's just a circular answer and not very helpful, so i'll try another tactic... if you've got soulfood vol. 3, you know the wicked dancehall-style 'for real'? well there's a track on this over the same tnt riddim.

"london.... seckle...."

:cool:
 
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Eric

Mr Moraigero
After listening a number of times I agree with mistersloane: Riko just sounds dumb. Sometimes he also sounds great, but on 95% of the tunes I just feel embarrassed for him. I would skip this one.
 
Benny Bunter

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
petergunn said:
so Wait, Should I Buy This Or Not?!?!?!?
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Go and buy it now!

Its like most mixtapes in that there's a fair share of duds, but there's at least 10 solid gold tunes on there that make it worth the purchase. Especially love that Freestyle over a Wiley riddim on the second disc. And the flowdan soundclash is great fun.

I also recommend the Riko vocal on Heatwave's Piano riddim thats just came out on 7".
 
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