Radar Radio’s editor Jonathon Bartlett on MC Tuckz's Beginner's Luck EP
Ever heard of grime? Of course you have. Skepta, Wiley and Kano have been dominating the news over the past year with their album releases, but it’s the new class of 2017 that’ve piqued my interest.
Enter Vision Crew - a seven-man group of MCs and producers from Lewisham, south London. My pick comes from 19-year-old MC Tuckz, who recently released his debut EP Beginner’s Luck.
As soon as you hit play, you’re smacked in this face with the gritty, almost robotic Headtop (produced by fellow crew member Ezro, the man behind AJ Tracey’s smash Spirit Bomb) and the intensity increases as you delve deeper.
Physical sees Tuckz adopt the ‘Ruff Sound’, a genre basically owned by these boys (and Novelist), and all expectations of what a grime track should be are gone.
At 160bpm, Tuckz has the choice between spitting double-time or half-time, creating rhyme schemes reminiscent of dirty southern hip-hop.
Beginner’s Luck is a breath of fresh air when compared to many of the recent grime releases that owe more to the past than the present.
Tuckz is adept in his mixing of playful creative lines alongside serious, street-wise statements - “Get dealt with A$AP like Rocky/Them man are sweet just like toffee” - and his Vision Crew are there to back him up at every turn.
Do not miss a live show if you see these man on the bill.
Jonathon Bartlett (@rawjb)
Editor, Radar Radio
