Oh Eight

I keep trying to decide what the deal with 2008 was. I had some good times, I had some great times, I achieved some things, but overall it was a let down. I keep reading this statistic that Lil Wayne released "150 songs in 2008" which I'm kinda impressed by, but without trying I think I managed to drop more than 75. Between my album, two EPs, two full-length solo mixtapes, remixes, collaborations and random shit I can name you 75 songs off the bat. I think there were more too. I also recorded a load that we haven't dropped. It doesn't feel like I dropped 75 songs last year really but I know I did. I'll break it down...

Devil In The Distance
+ 10 songs... (10)

That One Time EP
+ 5 songs [The EP had 6 songs but the title song 'That One Time' was on 'Devil In The Distance] (15}

The Blogspot Mixtape
+ 27 songs [The tape was 30 songs long but one of them was on the 'That One Time EP' and two were Pixel songs...] (42)

Somebody's Watching Me Mixtape
+ 18 songs (60)

Superhero EP
+ 5 songs [the EP was 6 songs but the title song 'Superhero' was on 'Devil In The Distance'] (65}

Superhero Remixes EP
+ 2 songs [although due to an error at Universal the EP was never officially released :straight face:] (67)

Remixes
+ 4 songs ['That One Time' remixes from Akira The Don, HunchBakk and Dr G + a 'Thieving' Remix produced by Jack Nimble] (71)

Collaborations
+ 4 ['Bladed' with Akira The Don & Littles, 'Back In The Day' Remix with Akira, Why Lout?, Narstie & Shizzio, my version of 'Vacation' which is technically a collaboration with Young Jeezy and the remix of 'Bladed' by Joey2Tits which would be in Remixes but it's like a whole new song. Shit bangs] (75)

Actually I forget that I recorded a really nice drop for DJ Excalibah over a Game beat that I should upload here. That makes it 76. Add to that the songs that never came out and I was pretty productive. Nowhere near as productive as I will be in 2009 but it's a pretty good launching pad. Add to that the videos for 'That One Time' and 'Superhero' plus the 'Back In The Day Remix' video, all my 'That One Time TV' videos and all the other random shit including shows, radio stuff, interviews and all the other crap I did in '08 and yeah I was pretty consistent.

It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out we weren't best pleased with the way the label approached 2008 in a lot of ways but we never really relied on them for anything so while I expect to to approach the recession in a different mood in terms of paying my bills I expect my output to be something like, if not more regular than it was in 2008. We've already got about an EP's worth of material ready to go, we've got the next album started and you know we're always on the fringes of a new mixtape, we shot a video at the end of the year that we're looking over at the moment and we're talking about launching something completely different very soon. I ran into my dude Westwood in the West-End at the end of the year and I'm trying to get on Semtex, MK and the rest of them's backs no homo with this new shit. Unfortunately I don't think the alternative/indie markets are going to quite "Get" this new shit right away. It's kinda hard. It's kinda Hip-Hop. It's sorta grimey.

I thought about doing a roundup of 2008 in terms of my favourite albums, singles, videos, rappers, newcomers, DJs, TV shows etc. but I remembered that I can't be fucked. 2008 had some good shit, it had some corny shit that people didn't want to call corny and it had some real wood for the trees moments when I serious wondered whether culturally Britain had anything to offer hip-hop music. I'm glad to say that a few people restored my faith, word to Giggs, Ghetto, Sway and Roots Manuva.

Oh happy new year by the way. I hope 09 promises you more than you're expecting in every way. We're about to hit double digits in this millennium so it won't be before fucking time.