Download: Juice Aleem – “Hologram (Si Begg’s lost in the hologram remix)”

Much has been said about the lacking of certain "real" elements of "true" hip hop in any content that's come from Britain in the last 15 years or so, and while in many a case we can kind of see what American purists are talking about (getting past the accents first, naturally). But in the last half-decade or so, there's been a rise in South and East London talent that's come up from the gritty ranks and taken the approach of a decidedly British view of hip hop–think production–but have transcended that pigeonhole and moved, through talent alone, really, into a place of both acceptance and, dare we say, dethroning.

Now, that's a little heady of an introduction to Juice Aleem, but the Big Dada recording artist has the sort of chops, bravado, subject matter, and a mastery of the art of storytelling that make this turn from underground hip hop from the block to something greater that much more easy to see happening. His rhymes never seem to be complaints or trite in any way and the fire he exhausts in the raps are felt first and above all else. The arrangements, also a noteworthy element for sure, are filled with samples of ska and dancehall to sixties horn cuts and James Jamerson-stylized bass lines.

Aleem has a new remix EP package out on Big Dada for "Higher Higher/Rock My Hologram" and Si Begg, the man who originally produced "Rock My Hologram" has turned in three new versions of the song, each with its own bent but each with both Juice's structural rhymes and force intact.

(mp3)    Juice Aleem – Hologram (Si Begg's lost in the hologram remix)

Godspeed!