Real Talk

"Sometimes negative is good like a aids test
The answer is negative if it pays less
I want positive answers, you better say YES!
Couldn't tell when I was hurtin' 'cause I stay fresh"

Mic Terror - Lyrical Shit
(From The Terror Files album; 2026)

I'm starting a new The Blog Era podcast where it's me shouting "MIC TERROR HAS MORE JAMS AND MORE LONGEVITY THAN ANY OF THOSE TRENDY RAPPERS PEOPLE WERE SWEATIN'!" as I play Mic T songs from 2007 to the present day. Here's another favourite cut from his new album where Problematic Papi Mic expresses opinionz which would make Pimp C proud. Like Mic said on his latest single, mix the ignorance with elegance.

I been survivin' on my own like The Revenant

"In this world you either buyin' or you sellin' it
I'm in my bag like yo' grandmama's peppermints"

Mic Terror - A Year Ago
(From The Terror Files album; 2026)

#MicTerrorHive assemble. Problematic Papi dropped a new album today and this is the second single after Nothin' Can Stop. R. Kelly at a high school game ain't as hard as this.

Couple of old blokes, we're the U.K G.O.A.Ts

Pete & Bas - Cross Country
(From Cross Country single; 2026)

Pete & Bas · Cross Country

By the manor, for the manor, it's a summer bangeur by the pensioner London Posse. This song is like Je M'appelle for 2026. I enjoy Pete & Bas' music in the same way I enjoy the movie The Business: it should be with a degree of shame, but it's executed so flawlessly that I can't help but love it wholeheartedly ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Generic list post: 2026 jams so far

We're 6 months deep into 2026, so here's 26 songs which have had my dancing shoes in a figure-four leglock. Some are from 2025, but that's okay because calender years aren't sacrosanct and you're supposed to have your wicked way with them (no Das Racist.) Football, bloody hell! Music, also bloody hell!

Newcleus - Disco Kryptonite
Trunk Boiz & Seiji Oda - Go Dumb!
Duke Deuce - Feathers Up
The IT - Mr. Gone (Fingers Edit)
Mr. Fingers - Replicate
Ezale - Make Her Gig
Trim - BOAT
T.I. - Let Em Know
OnlyHeaven - No Lie
Tove Lo - I'm Your Girl Right?
Bruus & Mic Terror - Nothin' Can Stop
Bri3 - Whatever
The Assembly - Mob Throb
Homeboy Sandman & Luke Warmth - Heet
Mexikodro - Mail
Mýa ft. Too $hort - Just A Little Bit
Casual - Hard Drive Music
BunnaB - Mind Right
Young Bari ft. BossLife Big Spence - That's A Playa
Pete & Bas - Cross Country
Nine & Dex - White Boy Wasted
70th Street Carlos - Get Out The Way
BigXthaPlug, Ro$ama, Yung Hood, Murdagang PB - 6WA
Husalah - On The Streets Pt 2
Lord Sko & Statik Selektah - Wish Upon A Star
Donae'O - Big Up The Gooners Around The World

A Bork of Human Language

Tove Lo - I'm Your Girl Right?
(From I'm Your Girl Right? single; 2026)

Finally a 2026 Pop single which tickles my fancy, courtesy of old Martorialist favourite Tove Lo. Bury me with the Lo on because I've been partial to Tove's music since Habits (Stay High), with Disco Tits being her choon ne plus ultra. In fact, she's only of the only modern pop singers who is believable as a dirtbag because she has a certain sleaziness which is unique to Bork birds from northern Europe. A couple of unexpected but welcome little touches on this song: either by accident or by design, she sounds like she's singing in an Essex accent during the pre-chorus and chorus; and that Rave piano on the pre-chorus is so effective it could have rang bells at Quadrant Park in 1991. This shit would be my favourite non-Rap song of 2026 thus far if it weren't for Mr Gone (Fingers Edit) by The IT.

God bless YouTube

Husalah - On The Streets Pt 2
(From unreleased; 200?/Stash World YouTube channel; 2026)

Via the Stash World YouTube channel AKA the internet's number one source for rare and unreleased Mob Figaz music, here's a hitherto-unheard sequel to one of Husalah's best unreleased songs On The Streets. Same beat as the original, but entirely different lyrics. No idea when it was recorded but it doesn't matter because Sob Figaz-core will never get old to mavens of melancholy mob-music.

No Sleep Till After Midnight

Never seen before by me: the Beastie Boys performing No Sleep Till Brooklyn and (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) live on MTV's 1987 new year's eve Rock 'N' Roll Ball show. This is #problematic teenage brat era Beasties in their full glory, and the only downside to the clip is that they weren't given more airtime to perform Rhymin' & Stealin', Posse In Effect, Brass Monkey and Slow and Low too. On one hand, I wish I'd been old enough to have seen Run-D.M.C, LL Cool J and the Beasties on their U.K tour in 1986. On the other hand, if I was old enough to see that tour in 1986 then I wouldn't have been watching Children's BBC in 1990 when Round The Twist first hit U.K TV screens.

Sod that. Conclusion: Round The Twist - 1, Rush Associated Artists - 0.

Walk like a Jansport

Lord Sko & Statik Selektah - Wish Upon A Star
(From Elevator Music album; 2026)

Lolz. Third song I've liked by this lad after Pimp Socks and Girbaud Talk with Grand Puba. One thing New York backpack-rap has always been good at is making wistful piano choonz you can pound the pavements to at dusk, and Statik Selektah conjured up the sundown vybz with this one. We outside while you in the house like LL listenin' to tuneless dirges by Earl Sweatshirt's m8s.

Been very partial to the odd Statik Selektah production ever since Animal by AZ. That JOMO song by Jim Jones from last year was annoyingly good.

Don't Overthink About It

Trunk Boiz & Seiji Oda - Go Dumb
(From Right Back In EP; 2026)

My personal song of the summer now has a video on some Planet Of Giants type shit. If I ruled the world Go Dumb would be the Steal My Sunshine of 2026. A cool breeze on the boombox of AM radio bubblegum Hyphy which puts a Zen spin on the concept of Going Dumb. This song is THE shit because it's a literal Floater.

Demolition Men

Biggie Smalls - Biggie Got The Hype Shit
(From demo; 1991)

Дмитрий Дейниченко · Biggie Smalls - Biggie Got The Hype Shit (Demo)

Best pre-fame Biggie demo track ever IMHO. Biggie Got The Hype Shit was one of the first songs B.I.G ever recorded in 1991 with Jesse West on the beat and DJ 50 Grand on the scratches. This shit is Biggie's one real Golden-Era song and sounds like it coulda/shoulda dropped on Select Records with Biggie as the Mr. Hyde to Chubb Rock's Dr. Jekyll. For doz who still think that Biggie stole his Notorious B.I.G moniker from Notorious B1 in 1993, plz note that he introduces himself as "the notorious Biggie Smalls in full effect" on this demo 2 years earlier.

Strictly Dope - Never Be Beat
(From Beginnings: The Lost Tapes 1988–1991 album; 2007)

Dj kael kaelmi & maythayus1 · Tupac Shakur - Beginnings The Lost Tapes 1988-1991 - 04 - Never The Beat

Rewind for the best pre-fame 2Pac demo track ever IMHO. Never Be Beat comes from the era when him & Ray Luv were recording together as Strictly Dope. This song was probably recorded around 1990 but if it had ended up on 2Pacalypse Now then it woulda been tied for best song on there alongside Tha Lunatic. Even annoying Boom-Bap purist blokes like Wicked22 and A.C The Program Director can't front on this song.

In The Trunk

Trunk Boiz & Seiji Oda ft. Fijiana - Sky Scraper
(From Right Back In EP; 2026)

seiji oda · Sky Scraper (feat. Fijiana)

Trunk Boiz & Seiji Oda - Never!
(From Right Back In EP; 2026)

seiji oda · NEVER!

The Boiz are back in town: after No Fillins2, I Call Tell and Go Dumb!, Seiji Oda & the Trunk Boiz have recorded an EP together. Seiji mixed his tai chi Hyphy with the Trunk Boiz' traditional dumbness to create an alternate universe Baytrix. The Fijiana lass on Sky Scraper even sounds like Kreayshawn.