qUATER1 / 2012 ISSUE #1First thing’s first - after a huge number of delays and a lot of hard work, we are finally proud to release Versus! With this being our initial issue, we are testing the water, getting our message out and will be hugely developing the magazine between this issue and the next to deliver the best experience.

In our first issue we have more than enough to start your year off to a bang. We start out very first issue of by talking to Polish illustrator Gabz about his design background and how Poland has shaped him into the man he is today. We look at 3 upcoming designers studying in the UK showcasing their work and finding out their inspiration behind each piece. Musically we decided to be all controversial with our very own list of our own top5 white rappers, followed by an interview with special guest G-Eazy.

Welcome to Versus!

Konrad ZiemlewskiEditor

Students from the University for Creative Arts give us the lowdown on their past pieces, in our showcase.

We sit down with the hugely talented illustrator Gabz and find out what makes him tick.

What more can you say about Macklemore? Seattle’s favourite son is destined for stardom after a long, hard road.

White MC’s are making their comeback... but who is the best?

This New Orleans based rapper is carving a road of his own standing out more and more in a crowded space of immitators and followers.

Have Ed Sheeran and Yelawolf come up with the right ingredients for their brand new mixtape Slumdon Bridge?

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MEET THE TEAM

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Konrad Ziemlewski@vsmagazineukEditor

Jonathon Bartlett@rawjbJb@thedailystreet.co.ukColumnist

Phone/Text07815299459

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Emailversusmagazine@hotmail.com

VERSUS INTERVIEWS

gabz

Gabz how about you start off by telling us who you are, where you from and what you do?

I am a 33-year-old freelance illustrator and graphic designer, working in Poznan / Poland. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan where I received my master’s degree in Graphic Arts and Drawing in 2003, for few months I worked in an advertising agency doing mainly storyboards, to later work for another company, where apart from illustrating, I also did some graphic and web design. Realizing that a full-time job in an open-space office was not much of a dream job for me and I decided to turn freelance in 2005 - since then I have had a plethora of job offers and clients. I mainly work with pencil and/or pen, but also use vectors, watercolour, acrylic and oil paint. I major in graphic design and enjoy playing with custom-made typography. Whether it is a personal or a commissioned work, I aim to keep my works attractive, intriguing and captivating in terms of technique, bright colours and the whole concept.

It’s quite easy to tell from looking at your work that you have a very distinct style, how did this come about and what inspires you to produce this sort of work?

Glad to hear you find my style distinctive! As you already know, I have graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, so the tradition and skills are something that I have a huge respect for. During my studies, I used to make highly realistic and nihilistic pieces for which it was quite difficult to find an audience, since my main interests in art field included body aging, sin and anatomy. It was in the late 2008 when I decided to focus more on something less depressing and dedicated myself to illustration and graphic design... Though I still have this strange proclivity to pessimistic subjects, I now mainly draw and scan my works, so as to later work on them digitally on my iMac. And as they are much more eye-catching and accessible I think the message behind them is more optimistic too. As to my style, I use a great variety of techniques and all sort of media, but If I had to pick one, my favourite at the moment would be: a mix of realistic and in a way academic pencil or pen drawing, digitally remastered on my computer with some help of Adobe Photoshop and often Illustrator as well. As I come from those two worlds (art and design ), this one just came naturally.

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With you being an independent designer, how do you promote yourself and how hard do you find it to find work consistently?

I guess web recognition is crucial if you want to succeed in this field as a freelance. Simply: the more places where you showcase your works the better. I focus mainly on creative platforms like Cargo Collective or Behance obviously, but it’s also good to connect with other creatives via platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook for example. Another tip would be not avoiding interviews and tutorials when asked, either for magazines or blogs, you never know who might be reading or watching those and it might help you in getting a commission too. Finally work hard and constantly improve your skills by producing personal, and possibly experimental artworks, as we all know, progress is an important part of becoming successful. Luckily, thanks to all of the above, so far I surely have no reasons to complain.

Could you tell us what your typical workflow looks like on a project and what programs you tend to use?

Whether it is a personal or commissioned work, when an idea pops to my head, I never wait too long before I start working on it... if I am away or it is the middle of the night, I try to write it down or make a small sketch so as to remember it later. Sometimes I’m so excited to see how the work turns out that I don’t sleep at all… The working process starts for me with browsing through albums or sites like e.g. September Industry for inspiration and eventually with sketching the general composition with my Intuos 4 Wacom tablet and often finding proper reference photos via internet. This stage is helpful in creating the main composition/motive, in seeing how to move the elements, what colour scheme to use and how to arrange typography. Once I’m pleased with the sketch, the “real” drawing work starts and usually takes around 5-10 hours depending on the level of details. Once the drawing is completed and scanned it’s all about colouring, adding shades, lights and experimenting with textures and Adobe Photoshop filters and Adjustment layers. Believe it or not but the final rarely differs from the initial sketch… I work around 8-10 hours a day, including weekends but by the end of the day I always try to find time for my close ones and other hobbies.

With workspaces I find you can split designers into two groups, messy and tidy. Which one are you and what does your workspace consist of (sneak peak possibly)?

When I was a little kid and later art student I was pretty messy and kinda chaotic when it comes to workspace... Now that I got older, I definitely became a “tidy type”: I work on a huge white desk where everything has it’s exact place, whether it’s my iMac with second monitor attached to it or my tools like tablet, mouse, plus of course pencils, markers, pens, eraser, etc. I also have Cannon’s printer/scanner next to me. I enjoy have something to look at, so I got some posters and other personal souvenirs hanging all around and a pretty big book case with some inspiring design and illustration albums( for example: ‘RGB Reviewing Graphics in Britain’ by Actar, ‘Contemporary Graphic Design’ by Taschen, ‘Illustration Now’ by Taschen, ‘Supersonic Visuals for Music’ by Gestalten). Finally I’m happy to have a huge balcony window right in front of me, so I can enjoy the view or grab a cigarette in a spare time.

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Personal projects or client briefs?

I find both of the areas quite pleasing, though they are of course different. I love the freedom of doing personal stuff, when nobody tells me what to do and I can really let the imagination run wild, not carrying about the target group, timeline or how big the logo should be. Than again, commissioned work can be very constructive and fulfilling as well. It teaches a specific kind of discipline, since the main focus is on pleasing the client and fulfilling his expectations. It often gives you a chance of working in a team with other creative people. Brainstorming and sharing ideas can teach one a lot. Not to mention the obvious satisfaction when you see the work printed, animated or on TV advert for example and last but not least, that it simply... pays.

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Every designer gets inspired from somewhere or someone, what is your inspiration?

I find it hard not to get inspired when you are surrounded by all those media like the Internet, movies, books, music but also museums, galleries, art in general and so on. I try following newest trends and everything that is ‘fresh’, but, also have a huge respect for everything that was in the past. Everyday I check what is new on Ffffound and sites like But Does It Float or It’s Nice That - filled with inspiring pictures, artists and themes. There is a great number of very talented people out there who inspire me greatly, like guys from Hort, Yes, Universal Everything or Studio Newwork, to name the few, when it comes to design and illustrators like Mario Hugo, Von, Sam Weber, Tom Bagshaw, James Jean and others who make me push harder and try to be as inspiring as they are for me... Seeing other people’s creations is often how I get an idea for my future work or I try to remember some solutions or effects used by somebody so as to later install them in my own pieces. That is how it supposed to work, right?

As you know I’m Polish, but I really have no handle on the polish design scene at all, are there any other designers from Poland (besides the lot behind Ars Thanea) that we should know about?

Polish design scene has always been different from the Scandinavian, British or American, due to the complicated history of the region. We probably had a bit worse start because of the communism, which as you know was a plague in Eastern Europe. Nevertheless I think we did manage to catch up with the main trends, since owing to the Internet, the whole world has now become a global village. I feel as a country we are much more respected in design field nowadays, not only for its contribution to poster art but also in web, print design, hopefully illustration and technical skills in general. I’m pleased to know some of the great designers and/or illustrators personally like for example my twin brother Krzysztof Domaradzki known as Kxx, Ryszard Biennert from 3-Group, Piotr Buczkowski behind Heroes Design or Peter Jaworowski from Ars Thanea. Few others that I find worth mentioning, that are already recognized and successful would be Jakub Jezierski, Jan Kallwejt, Mill Studio and Karol ‘YLLV’ Gadzala. Summing up, I believe Poland does not stand out from the design world and we similarly strive for perfection.

What do you do when not designing?

I mostly spend time with my wife or family. From time to time I grab a beer, watch a football game or play FIFA with friends for couple of hours. My portfolio shows that I’m hugely addicted to cinema and movies, but I also enjoy travelling and exploring new places; music, whether live festivals or not; and finally I’m a huge fan of playing first person shooter games on my PS3 - I may even spend a bit too much time doing that...

Where do you see yourself in one year?

I still see myself doing what I do now: mainly illustrating and designing stuff from time to time, but not necessarily at home anymore. Possibly I’m planning to move to a space where I could work with my fellow creatives, share ideas, tastes and everything else in a well designed environment. Who knows it may turn out to be a studio/agency one day, hiring other designers and producing top quality design stuff in all creative fields... maybe even doing movie trailers - that would be a huge dream come true!

What other professional would you love to have the chance of working with?

So many of them... Learning from others and gaining new experiences is an important part of progression, so my dream collaborators would be studios like Hort, Grand People or Non-Format and from artists: Von, Jesse Auresalo or Alex Trochut - they all have different styles than me and I’m pretty sure it would be great to see our “forces combined”.

If you could design a piece of artwork for any artist/band who would it be?

Music is one of those fields, that I find particularly attractive and worth facing. Although I already had a chance to create some artworks for musicians, bands( mainly Polish), there is still a huge number of artists I would love to work for... even for free if they ever wanted. Definitely Radiohead, Daft Punk and Prince (whom I had the chance to see live during last summer) - not only because I’m a fan of these guys, but also feel my style could really work well with their type of sound.

Print or Digital?

Firstly, though some people seem to claim so, I don’t see the “death” of print yet and I’m positive they both can work in a sort of symbiosis, even though indeed we live in an electronic age. If I had to choose I’d go with print... It must be the feel of the paper, the smell and everything else that makes the experience... more personal I guess. On the other hand since I recently got myself an iPad and love the possibility of instant access to any type of information, literature and so on, I cannot imagine my everyday life without that either

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“I’m hugely addicted to cinema and movies, but I also enjoy travelling and exploring new places; music, whether live festivals or not”

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Favourite current song?

I listen to all sort of music, maybe except for Heavy Metal and Hip Hop, and there are times where I can listen to one or few tracks through out the whole day if I’m really liking the tune... Since I’m a huge fan of motion picture ‘Drive’ and have been listening to the soundtrack for quite a while now I’d go with ‘A Real Hero’ by Collage feat. Electric Youth.

Polands must see city?

Obviously the city I not only live in but truly love, which is Poznan. It’s in the west centre of Poland and always was and remains an important centre of trade, industry and education in the whole region. Not only one of the oldest Polish cities but on top of it, claimed to be the first capital of Kingdom of Poland. Though one of the biggest cities in the country, in fact it’s not an enormous metropolis, which makes it more open and friendly for those who come for a visit. Citizens of Poznan and whole region to be exact, are seen as specifically well organized and enterprising which I’m proud to say is 100% true.

Poland to win Euro 2012?

I wouldn’t be that optimistic I’m afraid. Of course I will be holding my fingers crossed for the Polish team, but let’s face it: there are plenty of better teams in Europe... don’t even see a point in pointing them out, since it’s rather obvious for all football fans like myself. I will consider a success if we manage to leave the group we are in, which seems pretty doable as far as I know. Overall I’m hoping Euro 2012 itself, will be a successful event that will help in promoting Poland even more in Europe and all over the world. Last but not least it is extremely exciting that Poznan is one of the host cities during Euro 2012!

Thank you so much for taking some time out for this interview. As a last word do you have any tips for upcoming designers?

I like quoting one of my favourite painters, Francis Bacon, at the end of this type of interview, who once said: “All painting is an accident. But it’s also not an accident, because one must select what part of the accident one chooses to preserve.” - pretty much my motto! Don’t forget to work hard, experiment and stay inspired!

What 5 websites would you recommend?Ffffound - Daily InspirationSeptember Industry - Brilliant designs all aroundHort - One of my favourite agenciesMargio Hugo - Great IlustratorStephan Balleux - Inspiring painter and artist

“promoting Poland even more in Europe and all over the world”

Contactwww.iamgabz.comhello@iamgabz.com+48 604 52 95 97

What we have here our actual wallhooks that look like tape markers. Their bright, strong and well look quite appealing. Perfect for your keys, usb sticks and they also have adhesive on the back like tape so they can be repeatedly moved around.

Here we have a unique take on something by now we take for granted; a lamp. Designed by recent graduate product and light designer Giles Godwin-Brown, the Nepa Lamp is a 2-D sillhoute that that is hinged onto a wall and one that can be resized and have its shape altered. A great twist on a typically borig item.

In the shops you will rarely see any alternative to a highlighter pen, but here we have an extremely stylish version of something we take for granted. The pen works very much like any other fountain pen, with you needing to buy ink seperatly when the ink runs out(the inks comes in a variety of colours), with a price tag of £34.

Tapehook Nepa Lamp Highlighter Fountain Pen

This piece of beauty, made out of bamboo, was made by a student from Middlesex University. The phone started out as a conceptual project, but with investors interested Kieran was able to fathom a real outcome. As for now their are no details on the hardware behind this shell, but what we do know their is a planned release in China and possbiliy the UK.

ADzero Bamboo Phone

You thought 36.6MP was a lot on the brand new Nikond800? Well how about 41, 41MEGAPIXELS on the brand new Nokia. The phone also packs full 1080p video recording, an AMOLED screen and a 1.3GHZ processor. With a pricetag of around £400 its also not astronomically expensive.

As if Mac’s were not eye catching as it is, the Silva case makes a Mac stand out like a sour thumb. The case is mainly aimed at the high end consumer with a fairly hefty price tag starting at £50. Not only is the case stylish, its extremely well kitted out to protect your precious Mac, with a wool lined interior, a leather strap and a glass finish.

Keeping in with this issues theme of “wooden” tech, here we have a pair of ebonywood and metal earphones. These headphones pack 7mm titanium micro drivers, 7 different smooth silicone cushion tips and a 24 karat gold jack, with a inline control cable. A perfect mix of form and function.

Nokia PureView 808 Silva Case NATURAL EBONY EARPHONES

The new Nikon D800 is jam packed with a load of features; a 36.6MP sensor, a 51point AF sensor, full 1080P video and more. This being at the top end of Nikon’s range it’s not recommended for photographers starting out, especially with its price tag, but if you take photography serious, this is the machine for you.

Nikon D800

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Versus : Technology

“Ive been looking at modernism/ minimalism for both Studio and Independent practise, and I’m concentrating on ways to intertwine them and give my explorations relevance. Here’s the design I put together to represent them both, I always start with the front cover before I start to put my portfolio together, its how I work, it keeps me focused throughout the portfolio. The design is more post modern than anything, the design is a collection of geometric shapes that represent my perception of the year two course. The Triangle and the square will be the front cover for Independent practise. The triangle represents the forward motion of our minds as individuals, as we strive to focus on a specific area that we want to portray in our Independent portfolios. The Square represents that focal point of practise and emphasis on exploration. The two circles as you guessed it are for Studio practise. Both circles represent our two tutors, Mark and Sophie, both different people that will look at the portfolio in a different way to each other. Focus more on tutors on the Studio practise cover, as the tutors set this work for us, it is ultimately them who mark to criteria. Ive kept to two colours with an overlay of cream to ease the image. Less is more.”

Every Issue we will be looking at a number of upcoming designers, giving them the opportunity to show the public why we should be interested. This time we are looking at 3 designers from the University for the Creative Arts studying Graphic Design and Graphic Design New Media.

The first of which is Louis Delany, 21 year old, studying Graphic Design. Delany would describe himself as an illustrator, that mainly focuses on geometry while also doing a fair bit of custom illustration. Delany has already had exposure with Abduzeedo, and other design blogs, providing with more possiblity for collaborative and more expansive projects.

versus showcase : l.delany

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Contact@LDDelanysolid_snake_lw98@hotmail.comLouis Delany | Facebook

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“i make illustrations not only for freelance, but mainly for myself... designing is like a sport - if you dont train, you wont get good results”

Next we have a crazy mix of Russian and Lithuanian in the form of Dmitry Knyazev, who studies Graphic Design:New Media. Dmitry is very much a someone who has his hand in a number of mediums, with his portfolio varying from illustration to motion graphics. Having already done a piece for the excentric “Karmin”, we are expecting big things from this multi-talented designer.

“I make illustrations not only for freelance projects, but mainly for myself, because painting and designing is like a sport- if you don’t train, you won’t get good results. If I’m doing something, I try to do it good, but most of the time I don’t like my works, because after some time you look at it, and realize that some things could be different and better, but it’s already done, so I just create more drawings, videos, etc”

versus showcase : d.knyazev

ContactKnyaz.co.ukDmitry Knyazev | Facebook

Lastly we have the incredibly talented Slovenian Catrina Burns. Studying Graphic Design, she embraces the idea behind the creative process and puts her own twists, giving them depth and meaning, while using a plethora of mediums. Burns is very much experimental in her work procecesses, which shows throughout her work.

“This was a 2 week brief which proposed we take some sort of story or myth and tell it to someone in an aural form, while we have to get a written or drawn summary of the story from the person we talked to. That story was supposed to go on to the next person and so one until we got to the number 23. I found my story on the metro website, where they posted some of the weirdest stories of the year. Mine was of Kilroy, an American shipyard inspector during WWII.I first told the story to my boyfriend over Skype and he wrote it back to me in Slovene. So I passed on the Slovene story to my Bulgarian housemate and she wrote it back in English. The outcome was seriously confusing. As my list of people went on the message got very lost in translation and I ended up with mostly illustrations of all kinds. My final outcome was supposed to be an edited video of me drawing an illustration which would embrace all of the different stories and elements I got back from my list of participants. I had some technical problems with the footage and didn’t finish it so the outcome was the final illustration.”

versus showcase : c.burns ContactCatrina Burns| Facebook

Ben Haggerty, better known for his stage name ‘Macklemore’ is one of few musicians currently spearheading a resurgence in hip-hop, using his music and influence to to heighten the importance of issues troubling society.

The Seattle born rapper has been gathering momentum as of late, following his ‘The VS’ EP which was released at the end of 2009. Though this isn’t his first venture into the realm of music, between the years 2000 and 2005 he’d made an attempt to find his break and was unequivocally unsuccessful, falling back into a routine of drug use and dead end jobs.

After breaking away from his habitual downfalls, Macklemore was set to give music just one more stab in an effort to make money from something he loved. Cue ‘Otherside’, an incredibly compelling track highlighting the grave dangers which can be associated with codeine consumption, colloquially known in the scene of hip-hop as ‘purple’ or ‘lean’.

This track alone created a cult following for Haggerty, allowing people an entry point to his VS EP, where tracks like ‘Life Is Cinema’ using double entendres in the same style of his former idol, Lil Wayne, along with witty line compositions to tantalise music lovers like myself with a new kid on the block with some real clout to his music.

Following the lacklustre ‘Asleep In The Bread Aisle’ album of Asher Roth the same year, Macklemore was the name on everyone’s lips for the saviour of Caucasian rap music. Fastforward to 2011 and by this time, his music had created a cult around the musician, known as ‘Sharkface Gang’. Though not particularly inspired in comparison to some other artist’s followings (see Tech N9ne & his ‘Technicians’), it allowed the fans to create the sense of being part of a movement, where music was powerful; both in pathos and humour.

The snowball effect was well under way, and following some clever marketing chiefly via the remixed video of Otherside featuring fellow Seattle based band Fences, the sartorially inspired ‘Wings’ following the search for the perfect pair of Air Jordans, Haggerty was set to blow.

In October of last year, Macklemore began his ‘Fall Tour’ with the now epithetical DJ Ryan Lewis, this was the first real test of his music. The fans were there but would they truly shell out the money in order to see their muse perform live in their local town? Fortunately the answer was yes, selling out a gargantuan 18 of the 27 American venues they attended, with screaming fan girls queuing as early as 8 hours prior to the show in order to potentially meet Haggerty.

So, what’s next for the Irish behemoth? His first studio album is set to drop some time this year, having a group of musicians at his disposal for whatever direction he wants to go in, see Ray Dalton the newest jazz prodigy, the world truly is the oyster for this previously misguided and disillusioned soul.

Visit Macklemore.com

Versus Introduces: Macklemore

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ContactCatrina Burns | Facebook

I thought to introduce myself; I’d encapsulate myself into a stereotypical post outlining my five favourite white rappers. Beyond Eminem, Professor Green and I Love College there’s few, if any rappers that most people come across, they’re a rare breed and are often looked upon with strong discontent from their peers, simply due to their ethnicity. You’d of thought with Stan, and 8 Mile there would be a renewed hope for the creed but this seemed to fizzle out as Vanilla Ice tarnished their reputation far before any of the people on my list had spit their first verse.

I’ve tried my utmost to push Macklemore in the UK to as many people as possible, his collaboration with Ryan Lewis on The VS EP was truly stunning, each song packed with so much dedication to detail and emotion that a myriad of things can be taken from each song, whether that being pathos, humour, pride, patriotism or glee.

He’s really not been given anywhere near enough credit despite being incredibly popular in Seattle and its surrounding states. His voice is instantly recognizable, often shocking people in their realization that he is indeed Caucasian.

The track I’ve chosen to highlight is Otherside, in my eyes the most awe inspiring track, and personally one of my favorite rap tracks in the past ten years. He talks of the Codine addiction which so many people have fallen either into memoriam or addiction through it’s usage, popularly advocated by Lil Wayne as made so notorious in the Westwood interview, referring to it as a physical manifestation of “success”.

It seems that for Macklemore, his success comes through the innate gift he has where he can make a topic as relatable as it is to someone in the very midst of it, to somebody completely alien to it. He transcends what most rappers are, becoming one of the very few storytellers of our generation, nestled amongst only a few experienced others.

Number 1: Macklemore

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Versus : top 5 white rappers

Number 2: Mac Miller

Probably the most famous on the list, Mac’s been hopping on Khalifa’s back in his transatlantic conquest for the droves of music hungry youths we have in the UK who - prior to the very recent resurgence of genuine talent - have been asphyxiated by factory made farces who graced the top of the charts.

Mac on the mic comes across exactly how you’d want to be depicted, a confident ambitious and most importantly reckless guy that just wants to have a good time. Much of his success comes through his incredibly versatile beats, provided by a variety of people over the years featuring Big Jerm, Chuck English and Black Diamond to name just a few.

My highlighted track is Poppy, one of the few times where we get to see a softer side to the hubristic rock and roll star, where he dotes on his father and mentions amongst other things his disappointment that he couldn’t make it to college to achieve praise from his family, though I’m sure they are far from underwhelmed with his success so far!

My one and perhaps only qualm, with Mac, is that his persona doesn’t properly come across in his interviews and Youtube series as well as he’d like, he oozes the archetypal middle class white boy from the suburbs that we all want him to be the opposite of.

Though this must not detract from his music, which I feel is some of the most upbeat and happy hiphop that is gracing our humble ears currently. Happily I can say that he and the rest of the Most Dope team know how to make a hype, after recently copping my ticket for his UK tour date, I can’t wait to see him in the flesh bouncing around that stage doing what he does best.

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Contact@MacMillerMacMillerOfficial.com

Hoodie has been growing in popularity since his phenomenal Pep Rally mixtape dropped last year, featuring a plethora of tunes ranging from the upbeat to the smooth relaxing tones, being able to rap over a variety of beats, changing up his flow to suit.

Being an employee at Google, renowned as one of the most enjoyable places to work you’d think that he’d be content, but apparently not. His most recent track was a remix with Jamie XX and echoes Gil Scott Heron’s original, same titled “New York is Killing Me” and is the track I’ve chosen to highlight, though I haven’t heard a remix by Jamie that hasn’t blown me away yet (Rolling In The Deep being the prime example).

His tracks are littered with pop references, similar to Gambino who has been trumping the white boys success as of late with a very similar flow and style. While the samples he chooses seem to effortlessly change from their original intention into being an apt back beat for the solid flow of Hoodie.

Number 3: Hoodie Allen

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Contact@HoodieAllenHoodieAllen.com

I know I’m meant to highlight some artists you might not know, well believe it or not he did actually release tracks other than I Love College and they are pretty good. When he dropped his first album, Asleep in the Bread Aisle the rest of his tracks were completely overlooked, even his followup single didn’t get much publicity just due to the fact he’d abandoned his plastic cheese in order to make real cheddar.

Though his style has gone off the rails a bit as of late, the music he has sporadically been dropping has stayed true to his form. The oddest I thought was his track as a part of All City Chess Club, on which he features with some other big names I wouldn’t naturally associate with Roth, chiefly The Cool Kids, Lupe Fiasco, Diggy Simmons and B.o.B.

The track I’ve chosen to highlight is Gotta Get Up; featuring a very scruffy looking hungover Roth. The track had a video shot with it too, which is vivid and unique in production, almost inducing me into a drug like state when I watched it. Though Roth seems similar to a drawing throughout with his signature flowing curls reminiscent of a bad Minaj wig, he still pulls off his nonchalant style somehow, rocking mainly PJ’s and the attire a beggar may turn down.

His album is timeless in my eyes; I can listen to the whole thing through in any mood and have done countless times. He dealt with his comparisons to Eminem incredibly admirably, as highlighted on his track As I Em. The song includes witty rhymes without causing any offence to the King of white rap, a skill many seem to flout in return for a bit of extra publicity.

I truly feel he gets a lot more stick than he deserves, and he holds the title of having one of the funniest rap songs I’ve ever heard in the form of Bad Day, which still makes me laugh after the 100th listen just due to the sheer hilarity of his situation coupled with an arrogant bachelor flow.

Number 4: Asher Roth

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Contact@asherrothAsher Roth | Facebook

It was a tough decision for me to pick a 5th, as you can see by the honourable mentions, but I eventually decided on (once again) the US born Intuition. The main reason for picking him is due to his samples, chosen by Lee himself, he highlights both some well known and vivid tracks by the likes of Winehouse, Frank Ocean and Grizzly Bear but also highlights some lesser known artists to his fanbase, like Ms Dynamite, Raphael Saadiq and Atlas Sound to name some of my favourites.

Intuition has steadily been gaining a repertoire of songs through his mixtapes I Ruined These Songs For You & I Ruined These Songs For You Too. Already hinting to the great deal of relationship inspired tracks throughout.

This myriad of styles leads him to be the most eclectic in my lineup in terms of taste, truly being able to turn his tongue to whatever genre takes his fancy and still be able to put across his emotion in both a vivid and memorable manner.

The track that I’ve chosen to sample is Sanctuary, produced by Dibia$e, his rough approach echoes that of Macklemore and is the polar opposite to the likes of Roth and Mac who both clearly had relatively easy and rich upbringings in comparison and the differences in their music are clear.

The rugged Intuition doesn’t have to have fancy beats made for him by top producers to make beautiful music, somehow the juxtaposition of his vocabulary with his nonchalant exterior and gritty deep voice work together in harmony to make a great outcome. I for one am shocked he isn’t bigger at least nationally by now, but he still plugs away trying to break through the tag of “average”.

I feel an affinity with white rappers more so, simply due to their nature being less prone to flashing their 50 grand watches to the camera in the hope of becoming some kind of animalistic patriarch (Flava Flav ?). They seem to be the underdogs inherently beyond Eminem and his, prior to his new collaboration with Royce, weak ass past few albums, with a few others just missing out on the list that if you are interested you can look up, like Grieves and Haily Mary Malon who are making a big stir in the American scene with the Rhymesayers collective but are just not quite there yet, in my opinion. - Jonathan Bartlett

Number 5: Intuition

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Contact@ItsIntuitionItsIntuition.com

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VERSUS INTERVIEWS

G-Eazy

So the name G-Eazy, where did that come from?

When I was younger I went by my initials, GE. Friends started saying G-Eazy and when I needed a name to put on my mixtapes that’s what I used.

I have had The Endless Summer on rotation for what seems like for well over a year, so to that I congratulate you. With that mixtape its quite clear you have been inspired by the mid 1900s , how did that come about and what else do you take inspiration from?

The late 50s/early 60s are a fascinating time period to me. I really enjoy a lot of the music and film from that era. It’s a period that has retained this sort of eternal cool. And that’s what I want to do with my music, create something classic, that will last.

Lately there has been a trend of a number of white rappers popping up, most associating themselves with “college rap”, with a select few such as yourself, Macklemore, Grieves, Intuition, Hoodie Allen standing head and shoulders above the rest. Why do you think there’s resurgence in “white rap” and what do you think about your fellow mc’s?

I definitely don’t think of myself as a frat/college rapper. That’s a box I never want to be put in. I’m an artist who designs, makes beats and raps - I just happen to be white. Yes - I’m a college graduate, but no - I was never in a fraternity and that was never my scene. I only hope the music I’m making will speak for itself.

You are currently independent with no label, are you planning on staying independent (looking at the current success of Mac Miller, and the waves Macklemore is making) or looking at that ideal deal?

My ideal is finding a situation where I can keep making records and not have to go get a regular job, that’s the bottom line. If I can do that independently, then great... If I decide to sign to a major, then it will have to be a situation where I can hold on to my creative control. I feel like I know my fans really well - I know what works for my brand - and I know what my music should sound like. I’m really OCD about

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“I’ts a period that has retained this sort of eternal cool .... create something classic, that will last”

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With us being based in the UK, do you have any artists you listen to from our shores?

The Beatles! All day everyday... I realize that’s a little cliché but they’re my favorite band. I’m obsessed with them. In terms of contemporary artists, I think Ellie Goulding is dope.

Any plans to tour the UK?

It would be extra dope to tour the UK. I’m sure it will happen before too long.

Who would be your ultimate collaboration, if you could rap alongside anyone and have someone else produce it?

Kanye West. I just feel like we’d be able to talk music, because we both see it from both sides. It’s hard for me to talk to rappers (who only rap) about what I hear in the beat, and visa-versa with producers - but Kanye understands the whole song from every angle, and that’s the same way I approach music.

I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that at least one of your parents have a art background, does that at all dictate/influence your marketing material and Album covers?

My Mom’s a photographer/print maker and taught at the San Francisco Art Institute. And my Dad’s a sculptor and teaches at Fresno State. I grew up going to museums and galleries all the time. I’ve come to really appreciate great typography and design. So yeah, I’m sure that’s influenced my taste and overall creative direction when it comes to designing my album art and merch.

Do you do anything else besides rapping?

Yeah I make all my own beats, I mix/master my records, I do my own album art, I design my merch. Outside of that - I don’t really have too big of a social life or anything, I’m always working.

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“it’s hard for me to talk to rappers about what i her in the beat .... but kanye understands the whole song”

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The New Orleans emcee with a throwback style released the first track of his upcoming album. The new single features the gentle, smooth voice of Dominique LeJeune (whom he found playing at a small DIY concert), “Marylin” is carried by G’s own low toned production, which suits his raspy voice well. Lyrically, G looks back at his troubled relationship while reminiscing about its good times. Although despite the rough patches in a relationship, the delicate chords and upbeat hook, make you think twice before giving up on a good thing. These two artists coming together was inevitable with them both exhibiting a sound beyond their age. If this is what we have to look forward from the new album, then count us in.

Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius have WZRD coming out on the 28th of February, leave it to Dot to take us back 4years and still get us talking. The track was an urban legend to the blogosphere with it being leaked in parts years ago but never getting a full release till now. Dose of Dopeness isn’t a sign of whats to be expected from their upcoming record rather than a look at their long lasting, creative relationship. Before Cudi had decided to pick up a guitar and started planning a rock album, he was Cudi with that effortless, melodic flow that earned him the buzz which he used to try his hand at any and every genre of music he wanted. Dose of Dopeness is bound to be impressive but this track reminds us why we started liking Cudi in the first place.

“Do Ya Thing” is a one off collaboration between the Gorillaz, Andre 3000 and LCD Soundsytem’s James Murphy, for Converse’s “3 Artists, 1 Song” Campaign. All 3 artists are known for their boundry pushing, genre defining music and on “Do Ya Thing” they dont dissapoint. Like most of Gorillaz accessible singles, this track mixes electronica, pop and funk with Damon Albarn’s vacant lyricism. Damon starts us off with his lethargic nonsensical rapping in his 2-D persona until John Murphy pop’s up on the hook singing “You want to do it, but you don’t know what you doing baby,”. The track follows this similar pattern till the legendary Three Stacks appears, unleashing 2minutes of pure brilliance “Me and Scarface, me and Willaby, Me and butchery, they ain’t killing me”. If this song has not got you all giddy at one point or another you really might as well give up on music all together. Rumours of the three making other tracks together are rife, with Damon not denying the possibility, we for one would love an entire record from these three.

Our only British entry this month comes from London based hip-hop artist Mikill Pane. The track came to our attention recently when the visuals were released for the track from his Morris Dancer EP. Pane is the sort of artist which feels comfortable over any beat and you cant really ever tell what his next track will sound like, which is a great trait to have. This track featuring Yoshee, features an extremely clubesque beat with 808 drums and claps that will get you skanking all over the place. Very much a song which you will have on repeat due to Mikill’s infectious flow and the positivity oozing out of this record. Last year we saw Mikill Touring with Ed Sheeran which put him in the public eye, with 2012 being the year we beleive he will start making a name for himself with the mainstream crowd.

G-Eazy Feat. Dominique LeJeune - Marilyn

Kid Cudi - Dose of Dopeness Mikill Pane Feat. Yoshee - Kings

Gorillaz, Andre 300 & James Murphy - Do Ya Thing

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Ed Sheeran is a musician with his hand in every avenue possible, with him being involved in nearly every genre of music despite his young age. Having being discovered and shot to fame by Example, after watching his infamous SB.TV performance, he has since worked with the likes of Cee Lo, James Morrison and received acclaim from Elton John. Now fans of his past rapper collaborations will have something new to listen to, with another high-profile collaboration with Shady 2.0’s Yelawolf called “Slumdon Bridge”. For many individuals unfamiliar with Ed’s collaboration projects (especially those only familiar with his triple platinum album +) may find this combination strange, but any true music lovers would be interested in the outcome from the crazy chemistry seen from this duo.

The four-track EP is extremely consistent with each track effortlessly flowing into the next – with Yelawolf being impressive as ever with a range of spitting potency, while Ed keeps the beat going and joining in on the chorus. Slumdon Bridge follows a very similar model to that of the No.5 Collaborations Project EP.

“London Bridge” kick’s off the EP with a very bluesy production, with Yelawolf’s incredibly heavy southern drone being complimented by Ed’s smooth voice, which gives the record more character. The tempo, however drastically changes towards the end as Ed adds some upbeat samples, quickening his flow and stating that “Only God can take him down”.

“You Dont Know (For Fuck Sake)” was given away last week and is probably the best track on the EP. This track heavily demonstrates Ed’s versatility, and if you had never heard him prior to this joint, you will definitely like him after.

Faces it the chance for the Shady Records signee to go in with his signature tenacious flow, rhyming about his rough upbringing and the social mess that plague the ghetto’s of Alabama. Ed neatly wails on the hook reminding listeners that despite all his current (and upcoming) success, he won’t change. “Tone” wraps up the EP, with some abnormal synths that aren’t really consistent with the EP’s sound but does so on a very relaxed note.

The Slumdon Bridge is short and sweet, and hopefully the first of a number of collaborations between the two. Hopefully this demonstrates the potential for UK/US collaborations while paving the way for Ed Sheeran’s invasion of the States. With the talent in already shown by Ed its only a matter of time till he catches the ear of Hip-Hop royalty, as for Yelawolf he reminds everyone why Eminem signed him.

Versus Reviews: Slumdon Bridge

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