Skepta's "Rolex Sweep" is out next week so make sure all you Brits go to HMV and walk straight past it, like I'm planning to do. Only joking. On a more serious note, you have to feel sorry for Skepta. He probably thought he had a hit single guaranteed when "Rolex Sweep" got signed to Ministry, but the label has done almost nothing to promote it. There has been little radio play and the hype around the song died down months ago. All they did was get a video which Skepta easily could have sorted himself (Mo, the director, is the guy who did the video for Jammer's "Murkle Man" and loads of other grime songs).
Ministry seems to take hit records from the "urban" scene and kill them. DJ NG's "Tell Me" and MC Bonez's "You Wot" were massive songs that have failed to make the even the slightest indentation on the UK charts. And it's all Ministry's fault. It's effectively a cemetery where big songs go to be buried.
Ministry are also apparently trying to sign the Crookers remix of Kid Cudi's "Day and Night" in the UK. The track has been MASSIVE in places like Malia, Kos and Ayia Napa (where all the UK garage ravers go to get chlamydia) this summer. (Watch the woman in the video above trying to hum it.) It was out on holiday islands like this that T2's "Heartbroken" took off last year and then was brought back to the UK where it got to number two in the UK Singles chart.
You may have come across Afrikan Boy's version of Donaeo's funky jam "African Warrior" on the FADER site last week. Above you can check out the video for Donaeo's previous single, "Devil in a Blue Dress". If you can get over his "soulful" crooning, it's a pretty decent song.
Finally, click here to download a great mini mix of what can be best described as aquatic dubstep and garage by Zomby.
Tracklist:
Zomby, "Nothing"
Zomby, "Aquafre5h"
Zomby, "Kaliko"
Zomby, "Test Me For A Reason"
Zomby, "Spaceman"
Zomby, "Gloop"
Zomby, "Spliff Dub" (Rustie remix)
Zomby, "Strange Fruit"