Run the Road

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 8, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vice Records
• ASIN: B0007NFM8U
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,040 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Cock Back - Terror Danjah

2. Chosen One - Riko & Target

3. Let It Out - Roll Deep

4. P's And Q's - Kano

5. Destruction V.I.P. - Jammer

6. Give You More - Dizzee Rascal

7. Unorthadox Daughter - No Lay

8. One Wish - Shystie

9. Gimme Dat - Durrty Goodz

10. I Won't Change - Demon/Big-E-D

11. Move - Tynchy Stryder

12. Cha Ching - Lady Sovereign

13. Happy Dayz - Ears

14. Fit But You Know It - The Streets

15. Cap Back - Wonder

16. Mic Fight - Kano

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The underground buzz created by the likes of the Streets and Dizzee Rascal in America points to another seismic shift in popular music headed this way from the U.K. Like drum 'n' bass and trip-hop, grime is a sound that originated in London's urban housing project bedrooms and caught fire on the its influential pirate radio stations. Not quite hip-hop, not quite techno, and definitely not dancehall, but an aggressive hybrid of all the above, its leading lights get an introduction on this lovingly curated compilation by the folks at Vice. The lyrics are so deep in slang they might as well be in Cantonese and the beats are so pixilated they could have been made on a calculator watch, but tracks like Wonder & Plan B's "Cap Back" and Roll Deep's "Let It Out" display such raw, vital energy they feel the first steps of domestic wonders N.W.A. and Public Enemy. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

"Run The Road" is the first real showcase of the UK's Grime scene. It features exclusive tracks by Roll Deep, Kano, Durrty Goodz, Ears and Wonder, Plan B and No Lay, as well as B-sides by The Streets and Dizzee Rascal that were previously available on import vinyl only.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A breath of fresh air, September 9, 2005

By 

Dengeist "geist" (Newark, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Run the Road (Audio CD)

Hip-hop seems to be breathing it's last gasps of breath. There's a lot of speculation as to why this is happening. It could be that it has become too commercial. It could be a lack of creativity. It could be that the original listeners, ages 25-35 are outgrowing it.

Fast forward a couple of weeks ago. I was looking for some streets videos and I stumbled on the [...] site. I saw some streets videos that I had never saw before. First I tried "Fit but you know it-MC's version." It showcased many prominent British MC's. From there I searched for "RUN THE ROAD." I sampled a few tracks and the rest is history.

Grime is some weird amalgam that is light years ahead of anything in the states right now. It's very hard to describe. It's a blend of Drum and Bass, Garage, Crunk and Dancehall. Crunk music is the closest thing to it. Very frenetic beats laced with british accents and slang. I could definitely see this as not being for everybody. But if you're tired of the same ten songs being played on the radio this might be for you. I searched high and low for this CD and finally found one at Tower in NYC. It's taking me a few listens to understand what they are saying.

Stand out tracks:

P's and Q's (Kano): A nice street anthem about cruising the murky London streets. Brooklyn ain't the only hood. Lyrical braggadacio at it's best.

Destruction V.I.P (Jammer): The track sounds like some weird superhero music. Jammer is supposedly the man that started the grime movement. Wiley almost sounds american. "From lamppost to Lamppost we run the road..." Nice dancehall toasting at the end.

Unorthadox Daughter (No Lay): The women get some on this CD too. Heavy British slang. This one almost sounds like Soca, but a very conscious song. Vaguely reminiscent of Ms. Dynamite.

One Wish (Shystie): Another stand out female MC. Very fast paced, but I like the flow.

Move (Tynchy Stryder): You would almost think Li'l John or David Banner produced this track. This kid has talent and this track is what makes me think Grime has a touch of Crunk in it.

Cha Ching (Lady Sovereign): This track has the most commercial appeal. Lady Sovereign compares herself to eminem as "feminem." I don't think so.

Fit but You Know It (The streets remix): I actually like this track better than the original. The Streets actually has the worst verse on the song. Kano, Lady Sovereign and Stryder shine here. "I think I'm nice, I know I'm nice, cause your eyes looked twice."

Like I said, this isn't going to be for everybody. If you want something different, this is for you. Just keep in mind that Jay-Z interviewed Lady Sovereign this summer to sign her to Def Jam and all of the major producers are familiar with Grime. That should tell you something. Give the brits their props on this one.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to the streets of the UK., April 24, 2005

By 

M. Reis "boxmyth" (LA, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Run the Road (Audio CD)

Compilations with no weak link are hard to come by. New genres of music are even harder to come by. Both are reasons Run The Road is so remarkable. It could be considered the first salvo from the UK from the newly-minted Grime genre. Dizzee could be considered the first, but when he hit, Grime wasn't fully defined. Now it is, with the help of artists like Kano, Shystie, and every other talent present on this fantastic disc.
"Raw" seems like an apt word to describe grime. Something fresh. Untainted. Studio productions are still hard to come by for grime artists, most must rely on UK pirate radio to get their rhymes heard. Yet another reason this disc shines. Each song so expertly defines each artist, that once your preferred artist finally gets an album out, you'll know what to expect, but thanks to how new and raw grime is, you'll still be blown away.
Picking this disc up is getting on the ground floor of a new, hopefully long-sustained wave of a powerful art from the same street circumstances that born hip-hop. Think of Grime as hip-hop for the 21st century. Think of Run The Road as the welcome sign.

4.0 out of 5 stars Something different, something good, November 3, 2006

By 

Justin James - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Run the Road (Audio CD)

This is not your average hip hop album. Sure, the swagger and strut is all there, but the beats and flow are wild. It is an excellent album, but there are a few throwaway tracks on the disc. Many of the lyrics are difficult to understand, a combination of mixing, rhythm style, and accent (the artists are from England), but what comes through is typically quite good. For a compilation album, it does a good job at letting you compare and contrast the different artists, while getting a good understanding of the genre as a whole.