Another one from the YouTube vaults. A rotund and jolly DOOM does his best Andy Williams impression for Adult Swim. The Beeb should take note and think about how they could inject some much needed life into some of their more tired program formats. Westwood does Songs of Praise, Taskforce present Newsnight, Slick Rick goes on a Bargain Hunt… I will never look at the TV listings without thinking ‘What if?’

Dusting off some material that we stored for a rainy day.

With the first snowfall happening around my neck of the woods, Christmas finally seems upon us. Santa Claus is something I definitely don’t expect to see coming down our chimney (he’d have a job as it’s gas anyway) but in the ‘I don’t believe it stakes’ this kinda trumps it. RZA busting out Deck the Halls…

With the ten-song track-listing and pre-sale orders going viral, the somewhat secretive countdown towards the official release of Watch the Throne seems to be nearing completion. To raise levels of hype and anticipation further of the collaboration between the two hip-hop heavyweights, Jay-Z and Kanye West, the album artwork was unveiled yesterday. In keeping with West’s claim that it is ‘going to be very dark and sexy, like couture hip hop’, the album cover displays a metallic gold imprint designed by Givenchy artistic director Riccardo Tisci. By turns enigmatic, alluring and hedonistic, it seems the perfect fit to a collaborative album that has the potential to stand as a bookmark on the timeline of twenty first century hip-hop.

Watch The Throne, is scheduled for release on August 2, 2011 by Def Jam Recordings.

Words: Lev Harris

We have two pairs of VIP tickets to the inaugural We, The People festival in Bristol up for grabs. The festival plays host to what promises to be the stand-out urban music line-up of any UK festival this summer, with performances by headline acts The Streets, Chase & Status, legends like Lee Scratch Perry and Roots Manuva, bright young things DELS, The Gaslamp Killer and an underground deity in the shape of DOOM.

To stand a chance of winning get in touch at the usual address mailbox@bonafidezine.com telling us who you are most excited about seeing at the festival. The competition closes on Thursday 2nd June and winners will be notified on the same day.

Raekwon has to be one of our all time favourite MCs (my own personal experience involved the weed/jerk chicken x 1.5 hour interview = reporter satisfaction algorithm) for many reasons; mainly because he is an insanely good rhymer with a swagger that makes Lil Wayne look like a business studies under graduate from Leicester, but also because he knows what he does best and he doesn’t give a fuck about embracing the charts, changing or ‘evolving’.

The chef was probably born fully evolved and if this Shaolin Vs Wu Tang single from the album of the same name is anything to go by Rae still knows exactly what his fans want – all 250k+ if his facebook and twitter follower numbers are anything to go by – hard drums, nutty kung fu film samples and raps about turtle necks, shot guns and Axel Foley.

Fashion editor Jade was at large last week getting the skinny on the line of Run DMC trainersd developed for Footlocker.

“Imagine this, you turn up at a swanky venue in central London and come face-to-face with waiter’s dressed head-to-toe in Rev Run’s new line. The livery is inspired by Rev’s experiences in NYC in the 80s and includes classically styled sneakers and tees emblazoned with ‘Words of Wisdom’ quotes. Whilst listening to the likes of Westwood and Ronson bang out hip-hop classics I managed to fondle some of these new kicks.”

Jade’s fashion verdict: these trainers are ultra sleek, more mature and sophisticated than the average shoe. They are the kind of thing that could be worn day or night and still be fresh!

So there you have it.

Words: Jade S

Fat Joe
The Darkside Vol.1
Terror Squad/E1

Musicians tend to have egos. Some also have alter egos. Fat Joe, the Bronx heavy-hitter has been putting in work since the early nineties. He’s long become one of Rap’s staple names, making history with the Terror Squad and DITC, as well as a handy number of hits. Of course, he goes by a number of names, reading off an enneagram of personalities. There’s Fat Joe the Don, Don Cartegena, Flow Joe, and Joey Crack. With this, his tenth solo offering, he reintroduces us to his Dark Side.

Joey is a veteran, and like most vets he carries a lot of history and baggage. There are the gritty anthems, the club bangers, the posse cuts and the drug slinging odes. And then there are the beefs. For a few years now his legacy has been somewhat overshadowed by a tedious back and forth with fellow heavyweight New Yorker – 50 Cent. This album marks a return to Joey Crack – the brooding, kingpin bully, ready and eager to seek revenge with a vengeful LP of 13 hardhitting tracks that are all guts and glory.

This has to be one of the hottest high profile rap albums of the year so far, backed up by a stellar list of high impressive and in form beatsmiths at the top of their game. Primo, Scoop Deville, Scram Jones, and Just Blaze all appear as instigators on the album, provoking Joe into action. This is for the Donald Goines lovers. Those who’d appreciate a Guy Ritchie or Martin Scorsese film on wax, accompanied by searing loops.

This is sure to please Joey’s loyal listeners with hardcore cuts such as Intro and Valley of Death, newcomers with the earnestness and honesty that many have often criticized Joey for lacking, particularly on the excellent I’m Gone. And just about everyone should be impressed by one of the highlights of the summer – Slow Down (Ha Ha). The Dark Side should signal a return to brighter times for the rapper.

Leke Sanusi

It’s time to dust down your shell toes people…

OG hip-hop revolutionaries Public Enemy – Chuck D, Flavor Flav, and Professor Griff with DJ and security entourage – are to bring the noize at the indigO2 venue at The o2 on the 14th November for one night only.

Meanwhile Diamond – will you make me a beat – D will be DITCing at The Doctor’s Orders On the Real @ Plan B, Brixton Road, Friday 17th September. Well bad meaning good.

Speaking of super-fresh project’s, Madlib’s Medicine Show 05 features a comic devoted to fictional, early-90s-era gangsta MC, Rapper X. Written and illustrated by Benjamin Marra of Traditional Comics, Stones Throw dryly comment: “The comic is so over-the-top in it’s extreme violence, it is likely only to appeal to immature audiences, and almost certainly serves no social purpose – perfect for Madlib Medicine Show.”

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

Gil Scott-Heron is where it all started in many people’s 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…