A bit of this appeared in Undercovers issue on rare UK hip hop march 2004, but here is the full RUF piece for ya…

Compiled from the huge 9 hour Dj set that is “The Ruf’s guide to Great british Hip Hop History” + free 36 page book (£25 inc P&P for 6 x 90 min tapes – contact

This list is not a list of the most expensive tunes you can get – but more a list of 20 personal favourites that many of today’s hip hop kids won’t know about. I was one of the first UK DJ’s to actively promote heavily British stuff and a lot of these dope tracks have peppered my Dj sets since 1991. I would have liked to big up some more of my own stuff on Ruf Beats but fuck it there’s to much other dope stuff. I’d like to big up Blade, MC Mello, my friend Jay and MC Buzz B for helping to get a 15 year old into understanding who he was. In the same way I hope I helped and influenced later labels that followed Ruf Beats like Jazz Fudge, Big Dada, Son, Hombre, Ronin as well as all the smaller indie’s that you can get your shit out there…

It’s time for the next Rufmouth phase now so if you enjoy these classics get ready for a brand new style coming your way soon. Ruuuuuuuuuf

20. SCARY EIRE Dole Q 12” Eleven 95
Blinding ska infectious, ragga hip hop, Irish hip hop with an intro with the cheek to sample Madness. This crazy Irish group had one of the most distinctive mc’s around with his gruff voice and endearing slang. A limited promo through Island this 12” was hardly heard by anyone and Island didn’t get involved further, a terrible waist as an album full of tracks with as much character as this would have been very welcome at a time when dropping UK albums was getting unheard of. I was buzzing my tits off when I finally got a chance to play this at the Funnel in Dublin as part of a Ruf Beats launch night for Guinness’s Jazz Festival. Free Guinness for everyone, free in, hanging out with super models, Temper spraying next to me (graff that is you dirty sod) and me dropping tunes like this. Ahh

19. HIDDEN IDENTITY Return of the red eye (off “blunted bumpkin buskers” EP) Pure rudeness 94
The only ever hip hop group out of Oswestry (where?) dropped this cheeky chappie spliff jam packed ep to a little bit of a buzz in London although many complained they were just ripping off Pete Rock & CL Smooth breaks and to be fair they did have a point, but come on, the humour that drips through the beat drops and silly cuts was never meant to be taken serious. I mean for fuck sake there was a 149bpm track on the other side. Mistima went on to do quite a bit on the rave scene whereas Evil Ed (who can be heard sort of rhyming here folks) went on to produce on YnR and several other recent projects. I have a great note from Tee on the biog saying after naming only 5 magazines “All D Bullshit – maybe not all these mags” before letting me know they were £2.75 for more than 10!
Those were the days, no PR, no dj returns, just here’s a free one, can you buy any. Yes ta, took 50 sold the lot.

18. LEWIS PARKER Visions of splendour (b side of “Rise” 12” Bite it 96
After the Brotherhood deal went sour, Trevor Jackson picked up on a very limited run of this mc’s self produced & recorded vinyl and eventually got “Rise” flipped by this would be anthem. A dope picture cover with Lewis in dodgy tracky (but without any gold flashy bits it must be said to his credit) in the middle of a big yellow flowered field was all very different a lot like his music. Although he would never get the massive promotional push from massive Attack’s Melankolic label, he did go on to release a string of top calibre releases that helped release the stigma from British mc’s. What’s more he is still going and also producing and appearing, hell even cutting the decks up, for a host of peeps like Braintax, YnR’s Tommy Evans, Jehst, Champions Of Nature etc. Incidentally, and not a lot of people know this, but the version on the French compilation Operation Overlord is a much beefier, better produced version of this track and well worth seeking out.

17. SOLID ROX The struggler 12” Black plastic 98
This dropped out of the blue from a big beat label and takes forever to get into the verse but when beats are this funky and infectious it means I can mix them all over the place. I’ve always tried to champion these kinds of records that are hip hop to me, but with huge influences helping make them jam unique, to me this kind of British hip hop and these little one off releases are just as important as the latest big thing and are perhaps more honest in a lot of ways. The dour daily struggle he depicts here is one most mc’s have been through, lack of cash etc but how he drops it makes it hardly a sob story. Where this mc came from or went back to no one knows.

16. THE HERBALISER feat BLADE Whose the realest (off “8 point agenda” 12”) Ninja Tune 99
Not many knew about this on the hip hop scene but check the fine atmospheric bumping beats on this excellent collaboration. They got him up on stage with them at Glastonbury that year as well where Blade made a big triumphant return to live work after his self proclaimed last ever show at UK Fresh 97.

15. HIJACK The badman is robbin’ 12” US/UK Epic 88
I actually loved this track so much that when I put down my first Ruf N Rugged megamix I couldn’t resist taking the accappella of this and dropping it over an instrumental of Young MC’s now overplayed “Know How” but with JB’s & Brothers Johnson breaks stabbed through (this resurfaced recently on my “Ruffest dj in the world” mix cd which is a little bit essential even if I say so myself). It’s a classic track especially because it was so mixable for dj’s and with the ace intro / outro, superb middle break cutting and themed lyrics no one could step to this. I was dead lucky to pick up the rare US import of this track with its full length dope instrumental which now gets used in my MINDBOMB / RUFMOUTH shows for either “Westwood is a twat” or “nervous Breakdown” depending what mood I’m in!

14. 2 THE TOP The matter at hand (b side of “Score to settle” 12”) President 90
This is an early release by the mc who went on to be in Kinetic Effect with Insane MacBeth, that not only managed to make loads of relevant points about hip hop at that time, but managed to shout out (as was done in those days) to half the hip hop community including three girls called Dawn, come on boys, three, that’s just greedy.
This was an unusual record as the a side Score To Settle featured journalist Malu Halasa with a very freakily voiced introduction, no wonder most hip hop journalists are failed musicians then? I actually sent one of my very early demo’s to President records too and their A&R girl there wrote me back an encouraging 10 page letter, offering positive advice and tips, of which I managed to ignore it all thinking I knew what the fuck I was doing. Three weeks later on I got a positive response from a CBS (pre-Sony) big wig, so after jumping around my shared kitchen whooping like a four year old and ultimately burning my toast, I decided I would listen to the advice this time. Four weeks later I finally got the bottle to phone him by which time he had left CBS thus teaching me a valuable tip, don’t fanny around being scared.

13. MC BUZZ B The sequel 12” Playhard 89
A big tune up North, even managed to get played at the Hacienda next to “Strings of life” – Buzz B dropped a few great independent singles on playhard before going major with his “Words escape me” album – that was incredibly poetical and well ahead of its time – commercial – yet raw. Buzz B is one of UK hip hop’s greatest treasures – what a shame then that just like most mc’s who don’t come from London or embrace the “flava of the month” he was slept ont o fuck. To me he is still one of the most creative mc/poets around.

12. 11:59 In the shadows (off “Killing time” ep) Hum 91
Now we’re talking Hardcore Urban Music put out dirty dance records whether sound system hip hop like this or mental rave tunes. I like this kind of sound system vibe that drags you in so very deep with the emotional mc dropping some awesome lines. I liked this so much I bought the company, well actually no I didn’t what I did do though was to sample the bassline and the “here it comes” line on my MINDBOMB pig dissing rhyme “The Vibe” (off “Trippin thru the minefield” Volume 2). This was 11;59 at their hottest.

11. The CREATORS feat Marga Marl J – Weird old world (off “Masterplan” ep) Blindside 96
Somewhat unfairly the Creators have recently come in for a lot of stick for using few British mc’s, but back then they had a whole host of them including Marga and MCM, but also with Big Kwam. This to me is the best track they have ever done because they drop the perfect music for this cheeky, reflective but very funny stab at British life that helps take the vocal to another level. Everything they have done after this seems to be too image concerned, seeming to be IN with and supplying breaks to the RIGHT NAMES. Certainly when they dropped their album on Bad Magic it looked like they were going for fame via associations rather than let their talent naturally flood out. Here it did that, sometime the right beats & rhymes can combine and mean more than a big US name talking shite.

10. SKITZ & ROOTS MANUVA Blessed be thy manner 12” Ronin 96
This slipped out on a resurrected Ronin label, but before long was a much needed London anthem, although at a time when very few in London were checking for their own. This tune had it all though menacing beats & strings and that nasal, raspy delivery that would go on to become one of the most well known in the land. Skitz drenched his tracks in sound system ideology, a pointer to his love for reggae sounds that continue to influence his material especially on Titan Sounds. This track to me is one of the ones that really made a difference, with tunes as proper as this its hard to maintain any media led prejudices. It’s success also help Ronin within a year to be one of a number of new labels managing to release records on a regular bases, a mission which I had been virtually alone in since 1994.

9. DEMON BOYZ Glimmity glammity (off 12” and 2nd LP) Tribal bass 92
If I hadn’t lost my first Demon Boyz lp it would definitely be on there, but this was an explosive tune for them and me. Firstly they’d been away and had two label changes since 1988’s “Recognition” LP on Music of Life and their 12” on Mango “International Karate” and for a while no body could get hold of this and I played it every chance I could. Using the huge “Pot Belly” break that A Tribe Called Quest had used on “if the papes come” but with cooler stabs and rolling organ chorus, this tune was awesome in smoky clubs and respect to Rebel MC who after hi s cheeky chirpy chart hits with Double Trouble set up this Tribal Bass label and hugely influenced jungle. I still drop this to cheers when down south and their 2nd album “Original guidance” still sells when ever I can find one. Demon dropped all that tricky word play ages before Das Efx and with better beats and more panache, they always entertained and the story of them driving off with the Merc/BMW Chris France had hired to put on the cover of their debut album always makes me laugh. The Demon Boyz are one of our most slept on groups and I’d like to bring them back. They were most definitely “Rougher than an animal”.

8. BRAINTAX Talk about the future (off “Fathead” EP) Low life 92
Braintax and BTI came through like a breathe of fresh air in 1992 on Jospeh’s label from Leeds and the “Fathead” ep’s is one of our strongest ever ep’s. 7 tracks of pure butter, top breaks (they used the Quincy Jones “Summer in the city” break ages before the Pharcyde’s “passing me by”) skilful and entertaining rhymes and a fatness in the production that others would die for. I sold a stack of these and very nearly ended up in 194 releasing Braintax records before Jo decided to move down to London. Doh. I have a couple of tapes of their demo’s produced after this (the original “future years” EP) which have never seen the light of day that were excellent too, and I was really gutted when they pulled out of contributing to my Ruf Diamonds Volume 1 over a very real concern that being on the same album as my Mindbomb’s “Westwood is a twat” cut. I was distraught, but Jo bought the tracks back off me “Future years” and “jokes over” which I’d paid for to be recorded, at the Cutting Rooms where an ace French engineer called Christophe had impressed Jo. However out of it Low Life became reborn and I’d met a great engineer who I went on to work with on various Jeep Beat & Mindbomb tracks. Jo was good enough to put me up (and indeed put up with me as I overdosed on Wine and threw up in his flat) when I was in London cutting records at Abbey Road with an engineer he’d put me onto thus giving me mind blowing Abbey rd experiences (yes I did the Beatles walk photo etc). A truly great record from the force behind Low Life. Inspirational.

7. DEF TEX Bird land (Off “tutorial sessions” EP”) Soundclash 92
Def Tex used to drop these instrumental sets with alarmingly regularity thanks to the help of their native Norwich’s local hip hop store Soundclash backing them. Great jazz/funk loops and beefy beats were dropped from great heights by this crew who have recently returned on Big dada’s little brother Son. I’d done a couple of very early gigs with Damien, Chrome, Anthropologist etc and had a couple of mad parties at Disorda’s place where these guys proved they were one of the dopest crews around. I used to play this out so much that I ended up using the hook in a mix of “Metacosmic Dimensions” if only all samples could so easily be sorted out!

6. MINDBOMB Stop ya skemes(off album “Trippin thru the minefield” Vol 1) The Ruf label 95 + Also released as scratch inst on RUF014 “Westwood is a twat” 2x12” pack
This was originally released as 500 copies as the first MINDBOMB single which sounded very different and didn’t quite to the rhyme justice. So when I’d looped up Mantronix “King of the beats” (years before High & Mighty plus Mos Def dropped it, although I suspect their’s made a bit more of a splash) and added some bruising bass and samples it got turned into this beauty with Mark One slicing up my cuts. It was one of my biggest successes getting licensed in scratch instrumental form on Andy Smith’s “The document” mix album (which I’m still trying to get £3,000 in royalties for – the major label bastards) and more strangely my vocals got sampling on the breakdown in a Kenny Dope originated big beat anthem (how many UK mc’s have been sampled by Kenny Dope?) and cut up bootleg that also used Nirvana’s “Smells like teen spirit” and De La Soul. It also became a must perform track live and still gets dropped today. The album was one of the very few vocal ones out around this time and sold 1,500, even trickling through today it seems to have stood the test of time while.

5. BLADE Lyrical maniac 12” Raw Bass 89
This is the 2nd record on raw bass, so what the fuck was the first? Answers on a postcard please, or better still, post me the sodding record, aaarr go on please, you know I deserve it. Blade’s early records were so damn funky but still hard, I loved them still do, even hi s liner notes and quotes were good, take this “Many constantly try to make out we’re rejects of society of somethin’- but we’ll show em”, and boy did he from then til now. This ep featured “We’re going independent” and production by Mastermix / Sparkie & 2000 AD, Renegade on the decks and “No Sleep” Nigel on the engineering boards.

4. UNANIMOUS DECISION Disappoint me (off “It ain’t clever” double 12” ep) Kold sweat 93
This is one of my ultimate tracks, the feelings Paul T manages to convey in this track are deep and powerful to me, not least because when I met Unanimous (they’d dropped the Decision by then), well Shiek and Eveready anyway, they told me Paul had left the band disillusioned and this was his last shot to get everything off his chest. Every line drips with sadness and his philosophy drips out of the speaker ad what’s worse we’ve been there too. Everyone in hip hop in this country has at some time felt this gloom at some point, a jam that’s got 30 people there, bullshit backstabbers, hip hop racism and all kinds of prejudices from everyone surrounding us. Hip hop attracts people like you and me because we are quite often disillusioned with mainstream music and hip hop offers a culture in a society, if you could call it that, that has less and less time for culture. Running the label, I played this occasionally to drown my sorrows to or smoke away the pains, but as the years went on and I managed to jump over or knock down many of the problems in my way the song reminds me of what I’ve been through but now with a positive sheen. I think every mc who rhymes should listen to this, one of a few intensely emotional hip hop records.

3. JEEP BEAT COLLECTIVE The bomb drops (off “seconds to detonation”ep) The Ruf Label 95 + Also on BOMB “Return of the Dj” and loads of compilations etc
So this was the big one. I’d done “The Bomb Drops” for Return of the DJ and it was the first track to be accepted for it. So then I put it on wax with an inst, the re-titled Fuck The Queen instrumental that went onto be “Anarchy returns” (which no body complained about this time), a Mindbomb track called imaginatively “The Mindbomb” and a new track called “The tekno hater”. It went mad, even before Return of the DJ came out, I was getting offered gigs, compilation appearances, Justin Robertson ‘s mix lp had it on and he played it on Radio 1 on a Manchester special, it got in dj charts, shops were into it even the miserable fuck behind 3 Beats counter took some. Then “Return of the dj” came out and my group name was up there with Mixmaster mike, Q bert, Z trip, Peanut butter wolf and loads more. I was buzzing going round and selling this and the couple of hundred return of the dj’s albums, Tony Vegas took about 50 of the US release and a box of mine at a time when he’d only just formed the Scratch Perverts and he was still in the original broom cupboard shop. After all this time and all their success winning titles etc I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if we could have got the massive amounts of press they did whether we’d now be up there with Prodigy, Massive Attack etc. Its weird that I’ve put out more scratch dj tracks than virtually everyone around the world and it’s still this underground thing, but maybe that’s the best way to be.


2. GUNSHOT Colourcode 12” Vinyl Solution 94
Sped up a little a with a speaker troubling sub bass this track rocks it every time and busts stuffs two great big V’s at the BNP. I dropped this a lot at my Font residency around the time of the Oldham race riots last year. This track is a slept on classic and should be owned by everyone. Mercury, Alkaline, White Child Rix and Barry Blue what can I say fella’s, except “TUNE”!

1. MC MELLO Mello gone crazy 12” Funki dred 92
I love the looks of astonishment I’ve received when I’ve dropped this in my dj sets over the years. It has to be the angriest rumbling of attitude filled hip hop ever, as Mello vents his frustration at Jazzy B of Soul II Soul who “signed” Mello to Funki Dred, where Mello worked hard and completed a reportedly staggering 2nd album (if anyone has a copy I would love to hear it for a handsome reward!) for the Funki dred label. Once finished, Jazzy & co decided to bring up the issue of whether the samples had been cleared or not, the answer not and therefore the album never getting released. Quite unusual then that this 3 track limited 12” even got put out, the crazy thing is it is still on Funki Dred even though Jazzy gets dissed to fuck, it reminds me of the sketch in The Fast Show where the scally band play the clueless A&R man a track calling him a piece of shit. This track is one of my all time favourites and so made it onto my “Ruffest dj in the world” mix cd. I have so many great memories of playing this out, but the best I immortalised in MINDBOMB “Wonderful world of alcohol”, which was when me & Mrs Ruf pogo’ed at an Athletico night at The End in London, after a raw booming set packed full of classics to a full flour, whilst Cutmaster Swift looked confused before cueing up double copies of really quite mediocre RnB and virtually clearing the floor. That night we got a pile of people in on the guest list, got very high and drunk and had it large. Weeks later my relationship ended with Athletico and like Mello, what I thought was a much bigger label than mine turned out to be nothing but a house of cards, built on blagging empty gullible journalists and little packs of coke cleverly dropped into the right pockets.