Bonafide is produced by people who care. It’s crafted outside of our 9-5s as something that we’d like to read and know there are a loads of people out there who like it too. Our aim is simple; provide original coverage on where hip-hop has been, is at and where it’s heading. For issue 03 DaM FunK and co. are here to set our musical, artistic and fashion frequencies to 2010 and beyond.

For this issue we some how managed to convince one of our favourite, and modern music’s most imaginative art directors to design our front cover. And Jeff Jank (Stones Throw records) certainly comes up with the goods in this comic book-inspired cut-up of a Strong Arm Steady/Planet Asia/J Rocc image - dope to the power of a gazillion.

Inside the magazine we delve deep into the psyche of some of the most exciting MCs of the last 20 years including the polemical Mr Lif, renaissance man Raekwon the Chef, avant-garde sound sorcerers Anti-Pop Consortium and native tongue pioneers De La Soul. As well as getting the lo-down from two of the finest purveyors of modern funk, Malcolm Catto and Dam Funk who reveals he’s “more Gary Numan” than Sly Stone. On a slightly surreal tip we speak to an animated Jamaican commando who lost his arm in a secret zombie war - it could only be party animal Major Lazer.

We also continue our theme of exploration into the art & design of music promotion speaking to Jeff Jank and closer to home,  Jonathon Cooke from Village Green, the team behind Fabric’s distinct art direction and countless album covers. Continuing on the UK angle we get down with Sheffield club kid-come-Radio 1- tastemaker Toddla T, beat boxer extraordinaire Shlomo and Task Force’s Farma G who reveals another side to the rowdy rap group.

In support of issue 03, exclusive images, interview tasters and one or two specials will be appearing online in the coming months. But with a diverse roll call of major league talent, why not check out the visuals and then head over to our online corner shop and find out what all the fuss is about by treating yourself to a copy?

Photography by Amalie Rang

Filed under: Bonafide Exclusives, Bonafide magazine, UK hip-hop, Uncategorized by J.G.
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This week sees two musical heavyweights step into the ring looking to find their form and titles again.

First up Massive Attack look to expunge the dissappointment of 100th Window with Heligoland. With the pressure solely on 3D to deliver the goods I found 100th Window creak under the weight of expectation. The sound was stripped too far back, with the vocals masked by the bleeping electronica. Horace Andy, father of gawd knows how many kids, has never sounded so impotent.

Heligoland, like 100th Window, contains a few eye-brow raising guest vocalists but, with Daddy G back in the fold, initial hype suggests that Massive are back on track and nearing Mezzanine’s heights again. Fingers crossed this is the case for one of the UK’s most original and influential groups.

Meanwhile across the pond and sitting in the red corner is Gil Scott-Heron. The grandfather of rap, Heron has spent years in the wilderness slipping into a hedonistic lifestyle at an age when most artists are going clean. Indeed Heron has been in a strange position where the tales of despair, loss and alienation he was documenting in his songs in the 70s and were actually foretelling his own recent troubles.

Heron is where it all started in many peoples eyes and, like the Massive Attack album, I will be purchasing I’m New Here with a mixture of excitement, hey they could be starting a revolution again, and apprehension that maybe…

Filed under: Rap, Rap Celebrities, UK hip-hop, Uncategorized by J.G.
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Since its inception Bonafide has gone from strength to strength, last year saw a bi-annual release (issue 02 & 03), the launch of www.bonafidezine.com and our first foray into events management. As we continue to grow we are looking to spread the load and acquire the services of an experienced Sales Manager. Click Here to find out more.

Filed under: Uncategorized by admin
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Brainfeeder goes global. The indie imprint set up by Flying Lotus in 2008 has signed a promotion and distribution deal with Ninja Tune using the London based record label’s “infrastructure to establish itself as a label with a global reach.” The statement goes on to add that ‘Brainfeeder remains autonomous…and Ninja is excited to be working with such an excellent label”

Brainfeeder housed many of Flying Lotus’s early recordings as well as those of the inimitable underground LA beat scene around him. The label’s output has further blurred the lines between progressive hip-hop and electronic music to devastatingly good effect, with a roster that includes Lorn, The Gaslamp Killer and Samiyam. But it is LA veteran Daedelus who will be releasing the first globally distributed Brainfeeder EP, Righteous Fists Of Harmony. A concept album/soundtrack to the Boxer Rebellion, the failed native uprising of a secret society of martial artists against the expansion of the British Empire in 19^th Century China. Full-length albums by Samiyam, The GLK and a Brainfeeder compilation are expected to follow.

Rickshaw, below, offers a taster of what to expect and is part of the super limited Bleep x Give Up Art collaboration pack, North/South/East/West, of which we have a copy to give a way. Check out a few new beats and pieces over at our nascent Soundcloud account.

Flying Lotus, Rickshaw by Bonafide Magazine

Filed under: Artists, DJ/Turntablism, Electronic, Rap by D.K.
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Not visited the 2K by Gingham  store for a while so it was good to see that the site has had a facelift and boiled down the content (as a the marketing bods would say). The site is all the better for it and I reckon 2K remain in the premier league of t-shirt design. One of my personal favourite’s is still available too. Designed by Mario Guay this is a rock-and-roll design and a classic in the flesh.

Chimps and t-shirts have history of course - A Bathing Ape/Very Ape, SSUR, Paul Frank, X-Large, Ben Davis and countless imitators. Simian design was done to death during the 90s and 00s so it’s good to see that there is fresh life in the old monkey yet!

Filed under: Fashion, Graphic Design by J.G.
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If you are interested in any combination of the following; hip-hop, punk, distortion, blues, reading and the apocalypse then you really must check out Mike Ladd and his excellent Majesticons x Infesticons project. The trilogy’s final recording, Bedford Park, is due for an April release on Big Dada and you can download the comeback single Kick Anthem here.

Filed under: Bonafide Exclusives, Rap by D.K.
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Introducing a new monthly column shining a modest sized spotlight on all that’s good, bad and downright awful in the crazy world of music blogs, and anything else that I can just about get away with including.

I’m a bit of cynical wanker who moans a lot but it’s a new year, the UK’s easing it’s way out of a crippling recession ( 0.1% economic growth, yeahhh boyyee!) and Arsenal are still, somehow, in the title race so I’m going to begin on an optimistic note…

Starting with L-Vis 1990, a name so ridiculous it could only belong to a plug in or a Mad Decent affiliate, it’s the latter, of course. United Groove has been smashing dancefloors for a while now and has rightly been given the remix treatment from Buraka Som Sistema, MJ Cole and this particular offering from Kingdom, a deep, hypnotic groove that gets under the skin. It’s good, if a little surprising, to hear and see the renaissance of MJ Cole in 2009 and from one og(arage  head)to another, Donae’o releases his new single Riot Music in March via Shy FX’s Digital Soundboy imprint, complete with remixes by Skream, The Nextmen and his label boss where sharp digi d+b stabs, aggy snares and sirens juxtapose nicely with Donae’o’s soulful vocals. The video’s pretty basic yet effective, utilizing that most stylistic example of cinematic despair, Mattheir Kassovitz’s masterpiece La Haine. Check it.

Someone I’m not particularly feeling from the Mad Decent stable despite blog hyperbole is Gucci Mane. Dude sounds like he’s got a glob of snot stuck at the back of his throat in a rap style not dissimilar to YouTube phenomenon, Rehdogg. But make your own mind up about the Southern jailbird here.

From one phenomena to quite another, Drake was the undoubted success story for mainstream rap in 2009 and fellow Canadian A-Trak has given hit single ‘Money Loonies to Blow’ a typically trendy club remix via Fader. Closer to home and a little more taxing on the bandwidth comes Mos Def making a rare press appearance on Benji B’s Radio 1Xtra show, well worth a listen as Mos reveals some of his own musical influences including Frank Zappa, Shuggie Otis and John Coltrane.

A lot of people keep asking whether the new issue of Bonafide is available in physical shops and the answer is a resounding yes! If you peer to the right of this page you will see a list of ‘Stockists’ but if you’re finding my words to engrossing to look away the new issue is available in all Carhartt  UK stores, Magma, Fopp, Noise lab in Manchester, Rough Trade and ‘all good record stores’ and if it’s not ask your ever so friendly record store clerk to stock it. Or you could buy a copy from our online shop, just saying.

Filed under: Bonafide Exclusives, Bonafide magazine, Celebrity Rappers, Free Downloads, Rap by D.K.
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Eric the Dog has been burning it up recently and working well…umm…like a dog. He’s joining forces with OG street scrawler Will Barras and DEM for the forthcoming Original Cultures - The Show @ StolenSpace Gallery. Running from 12.02.10- 07.03.10, this will be the trio’s second collaborative project following their work during Original Cultures’ first event in Bologna, Italy, 2009. Original Cultures - The Show promises to be a creative exploration of paintings, animation, design and some crazy ideas. If you are in the locale, checkit!

Filed under: Art Galleries, Artists, Live, Street Art by J.G.
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With the snow hopefully gone for another year we can look to throw out the thermals and winter boots and get on with some new kicks for 2010. One of the most inspired releases in some time sees Adidas resume its Star Wars project with a whole bunch of new footwear and apparel collaborations. The most interesting are the classic white and black Stormtrooper Superstars as well as the Darth Vader version of the classic shoe. If rocking the darkside isn’t your thing then there are other personalised efforts for Yoda, Skywalker and the gold bikini’d Princess Leia. Other styles include kicks inspired by specific scenes as well as the Death Star. Peep the vid below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZooYDKIDOaQ

Nike on the other hand are constantly beating the average sneakerhead into submission with a deluge of packs and special editions. Longtime collaborator Futura has dropped a series of Air Force 1’s as part of the “Be True” campaign. Along with a just announced pair of Blazers the four AF1’s all feature gradient perforated leather and a coloured sole with the cult artists tag.

Another pack that dropped recently by the big swoosh is the Dunk and AF1 East/West Pack by DJ Premier and the late celebrity DJ AM. The AM dunk is a nicely thought out B/RED Jordan 1 throwback with the metallic 3m dots on the back to resemble the platter of a turntable whilst the Premo is all black, brown, dark, murky and very New York. Both shoes are easily accessible through the likes of ebay and international outlets there is also a special double pack box which also includes to special personalised pieces of Serato vinyl. Check the video of the launch party at Nike’s 21 Mercer outlet.

On a final note 2010 is set to be another excuse for a bunch of anniversary and special edition goodness as Air Jordan celebrate 25 years in business. To start the year off there are two Jordan VI’s - a white/black Motorsports edition and black/varsity red - and two very eye catching versions of the hybrid Spiz’ike out now. JB have so much dropping this year and in the near future we should also see newly modernised AJ1 Alpha, a retro of the the highly revered AJKO, some more VI’s, maybe some store smashing XI’s and most likely a full series run of silver Jordans with the I already on sale. Phew!!

Words: Omar ‘the sneakerhead’ Francis

Filed under: Bonafide Exclusives, Bonafide magazine, Fashion, Sneakers by D.K.
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The Old Sweet Shop has been a great supporter of Bonafide, stocking (and selling out) of the magazine. And it’s high time we returned the favour. An independent art space supporting a diverse array of local artists and product makers, make a bee-line for the gallery next time you are in the Steel city. You won’t be disappointed.

Their latest show stars artist and illustrator Lord Bunn who is showcasing his skills for the first time on a solo stage. Girls runs from the 13th January to the 23rd March.

Bunns. Girls. What a Carry on.

Filed under: Art Galleries, Artists, Live, Street Art by J.G.
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