Henchmen 12inch Review Britcore Rawmance
Hip hop as a genre has survived the onslaught of the mainstream by confidently adapting and expanding its roots far and wide. Far from the diluted version of the music of the charts, hip hop has its fingers firmly in the dirt and while other genres have been decimated in the wake of a greedy music industry, hip hop has managed to simultaneously flourish to the point where the underground outweighs the charts ten fold. One of the things hip hop should be most proud of is its DIY attitude. The relentlessness and determination of those artists who become so inspired by the culture to do it for themselves is nothing short of phenominal. Now in 2016, with great music and art oozing out of every nook and cranny, every alcove, recess, crevice and cavity across the planet we are treated to an unimaginable amount of treats for our ears and eyes.
It's simple, this wealth of art and culture wouldn't have come to fruition without independent labels. Small batch hip hop still sets the standard to this day and one name we've become very familiar with here at Underground HH HQ is 'Brticore Rawmance'. Championing underground hip hop and britcore that may otherwise never see the light of wax, BCR have lovingly pressed and produced some absolute gems over the last few years. We've recently covered their 7 Deadly Sins series and today we're looking at a 12" from a new name on the scene - 'Henchmen'.
Henchmen are - Jackal The Bounty Hunter (formerly Sidewinder of First Frontal Assault) and Azreal The Shadow (formerly Prime Attack). With a brand new set of tracks, the two have come together with BCR to press their old school attitude and new hard hitting production to vinyl. With a presence straight out of the original UK sound, Henchmen sit nicely in the second golden era of britcore we're enjoying right now. Fast and furious with epic production and bags of attitude the pair enlist Killer Fader on the cuts and busiest graphic designer in hip hop Mr. Tibbz on the cover duties.
Side A, 'Darkness Rises' is the more aggressive of the two tracks. With a pounding and exacting beat it draws the listener into a realm of epic proportions. B side 'Rapid Fire Minds' is a funkier affair, with a groove that outright demands both a head nod and a toe tap. Both tracks roll forward like some sort of 'F1' / 'steam roller' hybrid machine and come together with the instrumental and a'Capella for all budding DJs and remixers. Rapid Fire Minds also comes with a treat in the form of a superb remix by Azreal.
Britcore Rawmance have a nack of finding artists that epitomise what it means to be 'underground' and bring fantastic music to their audience that may otherwise be destined to gather dust on hard-drives across the globe. With this release they have added to a catalogue that is bursting with talent and passion and once again proven themselves to be the finest purveyors of britcore culture.
Invokal - Verbalist Journalist
As with all small batch vinyl they sell out fast so go grab your copy now by contacting the Brticore Rawmance website directly or hitting them up on facebook.
