"Mental Sharp" Two mc's, both towering over 6'5", have the crowd begging for more. Delivering an intelligent barrage of lyrical ferocity over killer riddims, the mc's have the atmosphere so charged that it's difficult to imagine how the energy can get any higher. The beat drops out and then there's that silence. Goldie has his hand at his throat, signaling to the mcs that this track is "going to kill it". The call goes out, "Philadelphia!!! All my angels and soldiers, do you want this?!" The venue erupts into a mindboggling frenzy when beats break and basslines snarl and Mental Sharp guides them to the next level. Within the past year MCs Armanni and Sharpness have triggered a new found love in the drum and bass mc out here in the states. Their tour schedule competes with many of the busiest djs, taking them to all points from east to west, north to south and everywhere in between. At each eveny, the atmoshpere is re-sparked with a new fire and frenzy when either of the two step up. Their charisma, passion and lyrical agility make them two fo the most entertaining and in demand performers in US drum and bass history. Unabashed by their recent notoriety, both Armanni and Sharpness continue to work dilligently as if each show is their frist and every fan is their favorite. When asked about their influences they speak of KRS One, Eminem, Outkast, Skibadee and even Korn. MCs Armanni and Sharpness have taken things to the next level with their hop-hop full length, "On n Poppin' " which is currently out under the moniker Mental Sharp. MC Armanni is the reigning Def Jam/Ruff Ryders mc battle champion, which just adds to his accolade of lyrical accomplishments. Their prolific studio work has also created hits such as Rough, Rugged and Raw, Firemin and the Swarm full length, "Enter the Hive." With producers sprouting up in places all over the globe such as New Zealand, Iceland, USA and Japan it could only be a matter of time before reputable dnb mcs, with global appeal, would developp outside of England. Mental Sharp consider hip hop to be the most popular transport of mc culture, and that those outside of the UK experience have found it difficult to grasp the concept of a junglist mc. The tempo, intensity, rhythm and flow of drum and bass make up a while new ball game. They both realize that drum and bass has it's own message differeing from hip hop and dancehall in that it comes from a combination of experiences and lifestyles born from as varied settings such as suburban, middletown USA to shanty life in Sao Paolo and the "multis" in South London. Armanni and Sharpness are a perfect fit for drum and bass since both draw inspiration from their multiethnic backgrounds and experiences. Philadelphia, a global epicenter of funk, soul and hip hop, gave birth to pioneers such as DJ Cash Money, Patti Labelle, The Roots, Jill Scott and many other legendary performers, labels and movements. It is only fitting that out of this legendary community of musicians and entertainers, MCs Armanni and Sharpness, aka Mental Sharp, have come of age. Their talents have caught the attention of many bringing them partnerships with Craze, Goldie, Rap, World of DnB and deals with Gasm, Freak, and then new Metalheadz USA Label. Armanni and Sharpness also hold residencies at Bassrush (LA), Sonar (Baltimore), Subcode and Platinum (Philly), Direct Drive (New York) and 5:DnBSessions (DC).

"Heavy Mental" Article by: Abbott White p52 The road less traveled is often times the road more fruitful. When you take the worn path it is almost a certainty that those at the end have seen your style a million times over. You come to a fork in the road and there are two ways to go, left or right. But for the formidable lyrical entity, known as Mental Sharp, they went straight. An original sound that incorporates drum & bass and hip-hop into an audible symphony of creative wit and knowledge has people talking. The duo, comprised of the iron tongues of Sharpness and Armanni, has been killing it in shows from their hometown of Philadelphia to all across the world. No stage is safe from the fire these MC's spit. The beginning of Mental Sharp was a simple one. "We were doing massive parties left and right and everywhere we'd go i'd see him (Sharpness) pop up," offers Armanni. "I use to go everywhere he went and I'd be sizing him (Armannin) up. I knew where he was at and I knew it was like he was already established in the game and I was just coming up in the ranks, so it was like I had to go and listen to this cat and hear what he had to say," adds Sharpness. They hooked up and have had the world on smash ever since. What makes their music work is that they are not your conventional brand type of MC. "Our style of hip-hop is far from bling-bling, but it's far from backpacking at the same time. We're just trying to be clever with it. With everything we do we got two completely different styles, both angles we hit from any song. You listen to any track we do, hip-hop or drum & bass, it's some different type shit," explains Armanni. Sharpness offeres his take on the issue. "When people hear our CD's a lot of our feedback is always like, 'This is differnt, like something that i have never heard before.' So it's like we're trying to make our own distinctive sound for the hip-hop community and then bring drum & bass along in with it once we set out foot in the door." "The sound truly is distinctive, but doesn't lose sight of the core of hip-hop. The way people look at The Roots and other people that got their own distinct sound, that's what we're going for," Armanni finishes. But coming from Philly, the road of the MC can be a rather arduous one. In New York, if you got the goods the world is yours. In Philly, the world is theirs. "In Philly if you're nice everybody's gonna try to hold you down, they'll try to hold you way back. And there's so much talent there at any MC battle you go to," conveys Sharpness. According to Armanni, "It's really just like, 'step your fucking game up.' " Sharpness lets in on the path the Philly MC is almost forced to take. "On any given night the best MC can run through and lose in Philly because there's so many styles. So you got to really be independent on your own or you got to leave Phioladlephia and bring Philly on your back up to New York and meet somebody up there." Speaking of the MC battle, Armanni is one of the nation's best. His mic is truly his sword. For three months he was the cipher champ on Philly's 103.9 FM. He further displayed his skills at a Ruff Ryder's battle event where he laid waste to Rainman, the winner of MTV's MC Battle. His blood is still dripping from Armanni's blade. His name sends chills up the spine of battle rappers when they search the streets for their next challenge. There is only one thing keeping him from battling anymore, nobody wants a piece. As to why they aren't yet signed to a major label, the reason is simple, they are smart. They know how to play the game. "The best thing about hip-hop is that we're getting to do it at our own pace. Drum & bass had given us the ability to do that. We don't have to rush around and look for a deal right now," Sharpness conveys. The deal will find them. A few labels have already come calling, but Mental Sharp is waiting for the right one, althought they are currently affiliated with Substitution, MMI, GASM Recordings and Metal Headz, UK/USA, which is owned and run buy the one and only COldie out of the UK. Until then they'll be setting the world on fire.

Armanni interview in Knowledge Magazine Easily one of the most successful MCs in the US drum & bass scene, the Philadelphia-based MC Armanni Reign is quickly on his way to becoming a permanent fixture in the upper-echelon of topflight MCs worldwide. Earning a 'Best Breakthrough MC' nomination at this past year's Knowledge Drum & Bass Awards, Armanni's strong finish made the international community sit up and listen to what heads like Kenny Ken, Dillinja, and most notably, Goldie have been seeing in Armanni all along. Originally making a name for himself as a rapid-fire freestyler in open mic competitions in the late 1990s, Armanni considers his experience battling on late-night radio shows like 'The Scipher' as the foundation for his success. "I was an undefeated champion for three months straight and that's really where I began to believe that I could do something with this," recalls Armanni. "My whole life I had wanted to be an MC, from the time I was twelve, thirteen years old, all I knew was hip-hop so that kind of success, even at the local level, was really inspiring and just the kind of validation I needed to believe in what I was doing." While artists like Ice Cube, Rakeem, Notorious B.I.G. and Nas influenced the hip-hop side of things, it wasn't until someone passed Armanni a mixtape with the lyricism of Skibadee and Foxy on display that changed the direction of his career forever. "It was a tape that they did here in Philly and it was unbelievable," says Armanni. "They definitely put me on to it and from that day on I began to saturate myself in drum & bass and develop my own sound." Coming with a unique lyricism that took the storytelling technique of hip-hop and merged it with the energy and intensity of traditional drum & bass MCing, Armanni quickly made a name for himself with the local support of the Gasm/Swarm and Koldfront crews as well as MCs like J-Messinian and Sharpness. "My style is definitely about using the syllables within the words and trying to find the groove in the beat between the break and bassline," says Armanni. "With drum & bass it's all about letting my voice just become another instrument with the music and finding the place for the two to merge." Quickly building upon his early success with a number of high-profile residencies and performances at clubs and one-offs like Platinum, Bassrush, Heavy Duty, Destination, Buzz and Ultra, Armanni has most recently caused a stir by being tapped as the official Metalheadz USA MC, touring alongside Goldie last year on his tour. Not one to be confined to the live arena, Armanni is also well-known for laying down lyrics on vinyl, most notably for last year's anthemic 'Rough, Rugged, and Raw' by Mason and released on Dylan's Freak imprint. Fresh off a two-week European tour alongside Mason to promote of a number of upcoming releases for the Swarm crew including more Freak business, Intasound, Bad Habit, Gasm and the soon-to-be launched Metalheadz USA, Armanni is preparing to return to his hip-hop roots and integrate his original love into his overall vision. "The Metalheadz USA imprint is really exciting and it's definitely going to be a great step for American drum & bass," says Armanni. "The idea is that each single will feature one side drum & bass and the other side hip-hop. We're also working on some 5sighted tracks right now, which is me, J-Messinian, Sharpness, Mis-ty, and Jesse James, and with that we're working on merging heavy vocals with drum & bass. But as for the pure hip-hop side of things, that's all Mental Sharp territory." Teaming up with fellow MC Sharpness under the Mental Sharp moniker, the duo have just completed their first long-play project called 'On and Poppin' that showcase their skills on sixteen original hip-hop tracks with the help of heads like Craze, Trust, Kaos, and DJ Wally. "We're trying to flip the sound of d&b and hip-hop at parties, you know? Going back to the roots and developing the basics without all the bling-bling and keeping it hardcore with that sort of toughness that could never have been manifested without our experiences in drum & bass." As for the future: "Only time will tell as I'm still proving myself every time I get up on stage. For me, I just have to hold my own and elevate."

WEEKLY RESIDENCIES in PHILLY THURSDAYS @ Fluid "Platinum" alongside residents: Dieselboy, Icon. Kaos, Karl K., Mason, Sine, Armanni, Illy, Messinian www.platinum215.com SATURDAYS @ the Parkway www.Substitution.net &www.Cuerecords.com Present: "Subcode" alongside residents: Armen, Magnum, NateDay, Illy MC LN: Unless heads were sleeping, the leading US DnB promoters caught a date on the "Enter the Hive" tour. At each stop the Swarm boys tossed out handfulls of CD samplers to promote the highly anticipated release. Sounded like Swarm, yourself and Armanni were having a ball in the recording of that CD. Favorite part of that tour? Sharpness:I would have to say that the best part of the “ Enter The Hive” tour was simply getting to go on the road and show the masses what we have been working so hard on. Playing with people you know well and seeing the crowd reactions of the music we worked so hard on is really cool. I know it sounds corny but it’s the truth. LN: When did you come out as a wordsmith & musician? Do you dabble in poetry? Were you a d*mn class clown << Are you still? Sharpness: I came out as a wordsmith @ birth. I came out the womb dropping lyrical bombs on the other babies in the Hospital. Seriously though, I started really taking the rhyme game as an actual job opportunity when I was about 12. I do dabble in poetry but I write to simply relieve stress and convey experiences in another way besides hip hop and drum and bass. I was a class clown until college. Now that I have to pay for my own education the only funny thing I do is cry when I fail my exams. LN: I understand that not only are you an MC but you and Armanni are also teamed up on a hip-hop project under the moniker Mental Sharp. Tell my readers what kind of sound/vibe can be expected and if there are any releases out or upcoming from this outfit. Sharpness:Yeah buddy!! Myself and Manni have a mixtape out right now called “ On N Poppin”. The type of sound that we have is a fundamental hip hop base but we throw in are own personal styles and of course our drum and bass influence. Overall it’s a real fresh injection into the hip hop scene. Expect a full length release from Mental Sharp very soon. LN: You're on bills all over the place at WMC: March 8th @ Club Maze & March 9th @ the Shelbourne Hotel (MCing and w.Mental Sharp Live) and also on March 9th @ Jade. What cha looking forward to most this year at WMC? Sharpness: I would say that I am looking forward to showing people the hip hop that myself and Armanni have been working on. Besides that Metalheadz, Ultra, World Of Drum and Bass are all going to be off the hook!!! LN: In years past, U.S. had been in the minority in Drum n Bass. Sames goes for MCs, DJs, producers, and promoters. That is starting to change. Rapidly. Can I get a witness? Sharpness: Yeah it’s nice to see that some of the major players here in the states are starting to get international acclaim. I think this type of recognition will help drum and bass grow to become a bigger influence on a global scale. LN: Favorite mic? Sharpness: Shure sm58 LN: Magazine(s)? Sharpness: XXL, Knowledge, ATM, rinse, maxim and stuff LN: Olson twin? Sharpness: I can’t believe they turned out to be so hot! LN: Spiritual entity (if any)? Sharpness: God LN: Do you prefer Beer or Liquor? Sharpness:Both mixed together in a pitcher piss warm LN: Chicken or Beef? Sharpness: Chicken, easier to make, more variety LN: Steel Pulse or Massive Attack? Sharpness: Steel Pulse been a fan for a long time LN: L.A. or Jamaica Queens? Sharpness: Depends on if I want to party with models or post up and smoke out with some of my peoples (big up my cousin Devon in Jamaica Queens). LN: Stevie Wonder or Tina Turner? Sharpness: Too hard to choose... LN: Anything hot we should all look forward to from the likes of you or your close crew in 2004? Sharpness: Of course, Look out for the full length release of Mental Sharp, And more releases from the Swarm crew and a bunch of tours coming to a city near you.