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 and that is 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 melancholy mob-music mavens.

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.

Generic list post: May 2026

Obligatory wrap-up post of those songs I've played most during the month when David Raya ensured he won't win this season's Ballon d'OR. Oh well, it's a tinpot title anyway. How can it possibly be a prestigious award when Michael f**King Owen won it once?

Run-D.M.C - Jam-Master Jammin' (Rick Rubin remix) (1985)
Rev Run I Used To Think I Was Run (2005)
Sir Michael Rocks - Talkin' Legit (2025)
Trim - BOAT (Audio Exhbit performance) (2026)
Seiji Oda & Trunk Boiz - Go Dumb! (2026)
The Assembly - Mob Throb (2026)
Bruus ft. Mic Terror & Gzus Piece - All I Do (2026)
Bri3 - Whatever (2026)
70th Street Carlos - Get Out The Way (2026)
Duke Deuce - Feathers Up (2026)
Mexikodro - Mail (2026)
Mýa ft. Too $hort - Just A Little Bit (2026)
Donae'O - Big Up The Gooners Around The World (2026)

Bonus bloggin: 1nce again I'm gonna use my monthly wrap-up post to keep track of the best movies and TV shows I've been watching. * indicates rewatches dunnit.

Movies I watched and liked:
Meantime (1983) *
Krush Groove (1985) *

TV shows I watched and liked:
Dear England (episodes 1 and 2) (2026)
Arsenal vs. Fulham (2026)
Arsenal vs. Athletico Madrid (2026)
Arsenal vs. West Ham (2026)
Celtic vs. Rangers (2026)
Arsenal vs. Burnley (2026)
Celtic vs. Hearts (2026)
Bournemouth vs. Manchester City (2026)
Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal (2026)
Luke Littler vs. Gerwen Price (2026)
Luke Littler vs. Luke Humphries (2026)
Match Of The Day 1 and 2 (new episodes) (2026)