It’s All About Stush

Lady Stush “Dollar Sign” – I’m a bit late to the grime party, but I’m very glad that I’ve showed up. If you’re still unconvinced, this may be the song for you. Lady Stush’s performance is extremely inspired – her particular style of catchy high-speed rhyming/toasting punctuated by high pitched squeeks and squeals is unlike any other MC I’ve ever heard on either side of the Atlantic. She exudes equal measures of sexuality and menace, all the while being nearly incomprehensible to me. She’s accompanied by a manic, frenzied beat courtesy of Sticky, who is sort of like the Timbaland of the UK grime scene.

Ce’Cile “Rude Bwoy Thug Life” – This irresistable bit of dancehall-pop is built on a riddim based on The Cure’s “Close To Me” (conveniently enough, my favorite Cure song by far!), which has spawned several excellent versions, many of which have been released on the Germaican label. It breaks my heart that this song probably won’t ever get a chance to properly crossover in the US, because it would sound great on pop radio right now. If you’re into this, I recommend tracking down Tanya Stephen’s “Need You Tonight,” Sizzla’s “Show The Interest,” and TOK’s “Shining Star,” which are all derived from the same Cure riddim and are almost as great as this Ce’Cile tune.

Elsewhere: Could 2004 be the year of the MP3 blog? It seems like there’s a new one popping up every week. The Tofu Hut is the newest MP3 blog on the block, with an emphasis on intriguing out-of-print rarities.