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Kano:

I just got a copy of a new mixtape from another UK grime artist, Kano, Blowing Up Road. For those following along at home, I previously wrote about UK rapper Lady Sovereign here.

Over in the UK, Kano is pretty big on the grime scene. Jay-Z has already signed Lady Sov to Def Jam and there are rumors that he is currently trying to sign Kano as well. Not unlike the (completely innacurate) claims that Cam'ron was an all-American basketball player, Kano was a good enough football (er...soccer) player to receive some interest from professional teams when he was in high school. He passed on that when he formed the "N.A.S.T.Y. Crew" and began making a name for himself in the underground scene.

While Kano is probably the best lyricist coming out of the U.K., it remains to be seen whether he can create the same type of buzz that Lady Sov has over here in America. While Lady Sov has the same heavy accent that many Americans may not be able to get past, she has the advantage of being a white female MC, which provides a pretty good marketing hook for her album. Its been four years since grime rap originated, and it still hasn't found any real success with American hip hop fans. If it is going to succeed over here, Lady Sov will most likely become the face of the grime movement, but Kano's lyrical skills may be what gives it legitimacy as a branch of hip hop. Here are a couple of Kano tracks:

(tracks after the jump -->)

5/26/2006 9:55:30 AM posted by Fresh