Thanks to a certain popular sitcom Barry is finally on the map and has even tidied itself up a little bit over the past year or so, but it ain't all Gavin & Stacey in the small Welsh seaside town known locally as Basra. Still, just like the social problems in 70s South Bronx helped to spawn Hip-hop, there's a certain energy in Barry that keeps the culture going when all around scenes are dying off, albeit in a rather darker and sinister cerebral form that embraces rather than tries to escape it's surroundings.
Out of this raw creative scene comes the Squid Ninjaz family, consisting of heavyweight artists such as Metabeats, Joe Blow, Cervantis, Skamma, Cesto and a whole heap more both direct and extended family members. Mudmowth, Ralph Rips Shit, Ruffstylz, Dead Residents, 4Dee, Imakemadbeats and Beretta 9 from Wu Tang affiliates Killarmy, all make appearances on their impressive forthcoming album Revenge Of The Blowfish and make it one of the heaviest, grimiest and also most lyrically creative Hip-hop releases of 2009.
Check this Metabeats produced head cracker from the album that also features our man Stagga on the cuts and drunken style rants courtesy of another of our favourite new producers Shadow Law's Ming Dy Nasty.
(YSI) Squid Ninjaz - Wowzers / alt link
You can catch most of the Squid Ninjaz live in the Cardiff area next month (see above flyer) alongside one of the most influential UK crews of the past few years, Task Force who I'm pretty sure haven't reached the city since their last controversial visit to Higher Learning near the start of the decade (except for supporting Super Furry Animals a few days later).
Unfortunately it doesn't look like honourary member Ramson Badbonez will be there, a man we've been watching rip battles since before he was old enought to enter them. It does however give us enough of an excuse to post up some of his recent tracks that have all found their way onto his blog in the past few weeks.
(YSI) Ramson Badbonez - Black Mags (Badbonez Remix) / alt link
(YSI) Ramson Badbonez - Here Today Gone Tomorrow Dub / alt link
And hell seeing as we're on a UK Hip-hop tip, here's a couple of tracks from those good fellas over at HHC Digital who have made something of an impressive shift online after the sad, but perhaps over due demise of their printed version earlier in the year.
(YSI) Kyza - Sin City / alt link (From the Shots Of Smirnoff Mixtape)
(YSI) Charlie Sloth feat. Rodney P and Killa Benz - We Run Everyting / alt link
Chrome Kids - Knowledge Me
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