HHC December '08

Dirty Joe

'Friday the Dirteenth'

(DirtleWax)

***

More filth, dirt cheap

'This is not a fucking mixtape,' growls Notts rapper/producer Dirty Joe on his second LP, and, well, it's not – it's 'dirteen' tracks of homespun wisdom from a maverick talent clearly content to squirt out his observational pearls from the sidelines. Joe and regular guest Rico boast strong flows as they negotiate the trials of life via Her Majesty's Social Service. And while the beats bang in a bargain basement fashion, this boasts a persuasive charm uniquely it's own.

Barry Sugarman

Dirty Joe, Nottingham's answer to a question best left unasked, returns with his second album Friday the Dirteenth. Its at times brutally honest and honestly brutal, Dirt has never been an emcee to pull his punchlines. Friday the Dirteenth is a step up from his debut, Dirtmatic (DirtleWax, 2006), building on the self-deprecating word-play and the traditional, raw boom-bap sound to create an improved pile of shit. The album was named after the day Dirty Joe was born (Friday the thirteenth of June 1980) which is also the same day the first Friday the 13^th film is set, maybe that explains the Dirt.

Yeah, so a rapper/producer has never been a rarity in Hip-Hop but Joe can do both extremely well (even if I say so myself) utilising the MPC2000xl to make genuine head-nodding beats. The entire album was self-produced, recorded and mixed, creating a sound-scape fitting to Dirty M*ther Fucking Joe's growth as an artist. The only two guest artists on the album are close friends of Joes: Furious P (3x DMC UK finalist and a member of current UK team champions the Bionic Stylus Crew) and Dirt's long-time lyrical cohort 'Uncle' Rico both provide the icing on the urinal cake with a lyrical counter balance and  razor-sharp cuts.

Dirty Joe has been heavily involved with the Nottingham Hip-Hop scene for what seems like far too long. He has worked and performed alongside a wide variety of national and international artists and bands, DJed at most of the clubs, nights and bars in the city, and is still not able to eat off his music.

DirtleWax was founded in 2004 and to date has had 3 releases, Nott-Numb EP (feat. Dirty Joe, Lou Cypher, Dialogic & Aztek), Dirty Joe: Dirtmatic, and most recently, Dirty Joe: Friday the Dirteenth. Upcoming releases include Rico: Wake Up and Smell the Offie (out early 2009), The Semi-Prose LP, various mixtapes and a band album (in conjunction with Nottingham's most independent studio, Mesters).

Enough of this self-fellation, listen to Friday the Dirteenth.

Fuck me what an amazing week and a bit I've had.

Mesters tour 2007 ('Fancy a bit of South?') is finished, and what a blast.

On the tour were:

The Wickets

Satans Minions

Big Gay Following

Rico

Furious P

& last but least, Dirty Joe

So where did we go? Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Loch Ness, Glasgow, the lake district.

A live jam on the shore of Loch Ness, one of the best things ever.

Newcastle is insane (the venue got wrecked by the main acts)

We killed it at Edinburgh and Dundee

Played to a room of pirates in Glasgow.

I want to go on tour again, so if there's any sets going...

Dirt

Best described as a fat, bearded, obnoxious cunt; Dirty Joe is a rapper, producer & DJ hailing from Nottingham. He has worked and performed with local, national & international members of the hip-hop scene (from Out Da Ville & Jehst to KRS-1, Souls of Mischief & Wordsworth) and in 2004 made it to the UK Team DMC finals with team-mate Furious P (2006 & 2007 DMC Midlands Champ). Dirtmatic (DirtleWax 2006), his solo debut, featured a host of local artists (Rico, Lou Cypher, Baron D, MC Killa, Furious P & Raku) and received strong reviews upon release (including 3-stars in Hip-Hop Connection). Controversy reared its head with the last track on the LP- Jealousy- in which Dirty Joe pulled no punches (and threw low blows) with an assault on the state of the Nottingham rap scene.

            Dirt is becoming one of the regular faces of Nottingham hip-hop, which is a shame because he is an ugly, fat fuck. His lyrical style is vile, utilising punchline heavy wordplay with a powerful stage presence. He has been known to write deep, emotional tracks, but prefers to spit blasphemous bars on the mic. Dirty Joe is also at home hosting nights and is often jumping on the mic during his DJ sets.

            As a producer, Dirty M*ther Fucking Joe is a natural. Using an MPC2000xl to create dirty, filthy hip-hop; echoing the likes of Premier, RZA & DITC whilst keeping his own diverse style. There isn't a source he won't consider sampling- polish folk music to Transformers episodes.

             Joe taught his skills at Take 1 Studio in Nottingham for several years, showing adults and kids how to rap, DJ and produce. It was through Take 1 that Dirty Joe began to work with local & international artists, rapping alongside Cappo, Master Ace, Supernatural & Apathy; as well as DJing with Noize on several occasions. Take 1's manager Courtney Rose (AKA Black Viking) puts it best when describing Dirty M*tha Fuckin Joe: "He's the fattest vegetarian I've ever seen."

Yes, yes, Y'all...

Ayo,

Four all new tracks on here NOW

Exclusive Friday the Dirteenth tracks (If, Action, Ufck It) and Wake Up and Smell the Offie track (I Do This For You)

Post comments etc.

Ta

Dirty Joe

meh...

howdy y'all, time for a long over due update...

albums doin aiight, workin on loads of new stuff (8 new tracks for next stuff), Uncle Rico has about 9-10 tracks done for his LP (Wake up and Smell the Offie), moved yard (still in the fields tho), single now, etc...

Oh, and I'm now 'The most hated rapper in Notts' and loving it!

Any of you lot want to link up and record with me or the crew, get in touch cuz I'm working on the crew (Semi-Prose) album in the new year. Might take me a while to get in touch off net so give me a ding (if you know the number)

Right, I'm bobbing off to eat loads of crimbo food...

In a blidditch.

Yes, at last I got some internet access.

Got a review in HHC (Hip-Hop Connection) in June:

"Young dirty bastard
You gotta give props to Nottingham's Dirty Joe. Whether jacking Def Jam's logo or half claiming to be an east midlands answer to Nas, he's unrepentantly unpleasant, rocking a self-depreciating smirk the likes of Necro will probably never muster. If only every rising UK emcee tempered screwfaces and serious demeanours with such semi-stupidity. Some reprehensible rhymes aside, Joe's range is wider than most death rappers, [with a] distinctive regional accent scraping over good samples with panache. It ain't half bad for a self-professed 'ugly, fat fuck'."

Thanks a lot for that Adam Anonymous.
Brrrraaapppsss!!!