Wireless 2010

Okay, so maybe yesterday was Independence day.... But it was also the final day of 2010's Wireless festival, three days of music, food, booze and fun. As tacky as that may sound.

Taking to the stage at 2010s most explosive date of the three were the likes of D12, Chiddy Bang, Devlin, Roll Deep, Talay Riley and, of course, Jay Z, the dates massive headliner.

With three stages, a shit load of bars, a video game pod and a spa bus, to name but a few of the days activities, Hyde Park was buzzing with life for the overcast closing date.

Kicking off the main stage a tedious two hours after gates opened was young, upcoming and ridiculously handsome singer Bluey Robinson. Alongside a few original tracks, Bluey totally smashed some ambitious covers including Kings of Leon's 'Use Somebody' and the King of Pop's 'Rock With You' which took the crowd by storm.

Taking on the third stage (the one with no name) in the shadow of Scorcher and Hesta Prynn was the irresistible Devlin who packed out the white tent to hundreds of admiring fans, his standing in the industry emphasised by the dramatic emptying of the area after his set.

Following in the massive footsteps of Devlin but on the other side of the path was the equally delicious McLean. Replacing the tent with a crowd of adoring females, McLean took to the stage in a t-shirt adorned with a 'B', perhaps a hint of McLean's earliest hit, 'Broken'. Not only did 'Broken' go down a treat with the fans but McLean's major debut single 'My Name' left the ladies breathless from singing/screaming so loudly as McLean slowly removed his layers.

With the third stage now in full swing, it was time for afro-tastic Louisiana duo 'The Knux' to take to the stage, accompanied by their equally large-haired keyboardist. Never having heard The Knux before, despite them being on their second album, I was up for some new blood, and how delicious it was. A combination of hip-hop and rock in the form of the brothers' old-school hip-hop verses and Joey's axe-slaying mastery, The Knux converted every member of the audience within seconds. Singles 'Cappucino' and 'Bang Bang' went down the best with the adoring crowd thanks to their catchy, sing-along lyrics.

Once the crowd had been hyped up by The Knux's Joey and Krispy, it was the moment I, in particular, had been waiting for. Unfortunately placed alongside axe-slaying legend Slash, Philly's Chiddy Bang still managed to pack out the tent ahead of their hotly anticipated set. Alongside Swelly Express and Air Swell mixtape hits such as Chiddy's 'Pass Out' freestyle, Hot Chip sampling 'Hey London' and 'Fresh Like Us' featuring Yelle; was a superb freestyle, showcasing the extent of Chiddy's rhyming talent. Producer and drummer Xaphoon headed into the audience to collect some (really) random subjects, such as Tigers, Pencils and Australia, before Chiddy fit them all seamlessly into an epic freestyle. Finishing on classic single 'Opposite of Adults' only further succeeded in leaving the audience hyped for the rest of the days performances.

Another of the days curve balls, Friendly Fires, took to the main stage at 6:15 and, despite the slight change in genre from most of the days' other performers, managed to whip the crowd up a frenzy. Finishing off on the regular set closer 'Jump in the Pool', a track lending itself to live performances with the groups carnivalesque brass section and, for Wireless, feather-clad dancing girls.

Finally, following a set from Lily Allen, complete with Pro Green appearance for Green's new single 'Just Be Good To Green', the time finally came for Hip-Hop legend Jay-Z to take to the main stage. Though the wait was long, and over-run, Jay-Z got the eager crowd even more excited with a 10 minute VT counting down to the big moment..... After the longest 10 minutes of probably all audience members' lives, HOVE took to the stage in a blaze of glory that only he could bring.

Though choosing from 11 albums must be a tough call, the set list was a little lacking in 'The Blueprint III' tracks, though, of course the singles played and J-Cole made an appearance for the brilliant track 'A Star is Born'. The night's ecstatic audience also kept their diamond cutters in the air through the threat of rain for all the classics such as 'Izzo (H.O.V.A)', 'Big Pimpin', '99 problems' and personal fave, 'Dirt off your shoulder'. Jigga also rocked 'Hard Knock Life' for our fallen legends, such as MJ, Tupac and Biggy Smalls.

Running out of time once the sky had turned black, Jay rocked a marvellous medly of his hits, settling on 'Young Forever', bringing Mr. Hudson, crutches and all, on stage to help. The emotion of the track ripple through the crowd, as did the catchy chorus, to finish off an amazing set. With a few final words of dedication and love from the man himself, Wireless 2010 was wrapped up on a massive high.

Thank Me Now...

Due to the long-running hype surrounding Hip-Hops newest superstar, it seems like 'Thank Me Later', Aubrey 'Drake' Graham's debut album has been a long time coming. Finally released this week, the LP doesn't disappoint.
Given that, personally, I think Drake's vocals trump his rhymes every time, there is a disappointing lack of singing in 'Thank Me Later', the obvious exceptions being 'Over', the hauntingly beautiful 'Shut It Down' and stunning new release 'Find Your Love' (easily the album's stand out track) with a couple more to boot. More often than not, though, Drizzy returns to old form by spitting real rhymes for the majority of the tracks. Still totally addictive though, the verses on 'TML' show Drake on top form.
As well a showcasing his own talent, Drizzy is joined on the album by some surprising collaborations, and some a little more predictable. Returning the favour (if you can call it that) of Drake performing on 'The Blueprint III', Jay-Z appears on the mature, piano-led 'Light Up'. The gorgeous Alicia Keys put in a shock (but small) performance on the equally gorgeous 'Fireworks', with her vocals perfectly complimenting Drizzy's rhymes. Topping off are The Dream (again), Wheezy (of course) and Swizz Beatz, to name but a few.
For me, the album is let down by the bonus track of 'Best I Ever Had'. Not due to the track, of course, but for what the track stands for. I know I may be thinking into it a little too much, and call me snobby, but I feel that 'Best I Ever Had' is one of Drizzy's most renowned hits. It's presence at the end of the album, to me, suggests the commercial desire for new, bandwagon-hopping fans. Most of Drake's fans, based in the UK, USA or elsewhere, who have been looking forward to 'Thank Me Later' for months on end should already own 'Best I Ever Had'; it did, after all, appear on the readily available 'So Far Gone' EP.
If it weren't for this blatant and disastrous finale, 'Thank Me Later' would be the perfect start to Drake's album career. Now just bring on the young star's two London shows next month......