Kano | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Kane Brett Robinson, better known as Kano, is an English rapper known for his wit and technique on the mike. Prior to becoming known in the U.K. mainstream as a solo artist, he was a member of N.A.S.T.Y. Crew, an East London-based grime group. His first single, "Boys Love Girls," was an underground hit that served as a springboard for his solo deal with the Warner-supported 679 Recordings. The 2004 track "Ps & Qs," produced by DaVinche, was his first release for the label. "Typical Me," a collaboration with Fraser T. Smith, was issued the following February, reached number 22 on the U.K. pop chart, and set up the moderately successful Home Sweet Home, an album that also involved productions from Diplo, Mike Skinner (aka the Streets), and Paul Epworth. He subsequently took the 2005 MOBO Award for Best Newcomer. Kano and Smith worked even closer together on London Town, a 2007 follow-up propelled by the number 18 U.K. pop hit "This Is the Girl," featuring Craig David. The MC went independent with the less commercial 140 Grime Street (2008) and Method to the Maadness (2010), albums that nonetheless reached the Top 50 as he sustained his profile with appearances on tracks by Chase & Status and Gorillaz. After several other collaborations and mixtapes, a deal with Parlophone enabled the release of the fifth proper Kano album, Made in the Manor, in 2016. Also an actor, he appeared in the films Rollin with the Nines and Tower Block, as well as the Channel 4 series Top Boy. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 5 Title: Home Sweet Home Released: 2005-06-27 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:01:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Home Sweet Home (03:37) 2 Ghetto Kid (03:04) 3 P’s & Q’s (04:08) 4 Reload It (03:47) 5 Typical Me (04:34) 6 Mic Check (03:11) 7 Sometimes (03:35) 8 9 to 5 (02:10) 9 Nite Nite (04:45) 10 Brown Eyes (03:49) 11 Remember Me (03:15) 12 I Don’t Know Why (03:56) 13 How We Livin’ (03:48) 14 Nobody Don’t Dance No More (03:52) 15 Signs in Life (06:09) 16 Boys Love Girls (04:02) |
 | Album: 2 of 5 Title: London Town Released: 2007-09-10 Tracks: 11 Duration: 52:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Product (04:19) 2 London Town (04:52) 3 Buss It Up (04:46) 4 Bad Boy (04:24) 5 Fightin the Nation (04:12) 6 Feel Free (04:02) 7 Sleep Tight (04:41) 8 This Is the Girl (03:54) 9 Me & My Microphone (03:34) 10 Over & Over (04:03) 11 This Is My Life / Grime MC (09:46) |
 | Album: 3 of 5 Title: 140 Grime St Released: 2008-09-29 Tracks: 16 Duration: 52:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 140 Grime St (02:14) 2 Hustler (04:50) 3 Paper (05:13) 4 Hunting We Will Go (04:31) 5 These MCs (03:32) 6 We Gangsta (04:10) 7 Anywhere We Go (02:59) 8 Missing Me (02:11) 9 Seems Like Things Have Changed (01:54) 10 Dont Come Around Here (04:41) 11 I Stand by It (00:46) 12 Soldier (03:46) 13 I Like It (02:45) 14 Off Licence (03:14) 15 Too Advanced (01:50) 16 Aim for the Sky (03:44) |
 | Album: 4 of 5 Title: Method to the Maadness Released: 2010-08-30 Tracks: 14 Duration: 46:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 2 Left: Topic of Discussion (04:50) 2 Get Wild (03:52) 3 iPod Generation (00:55) 4 Maad (03:24) 5 Spaceship (04:31) 6 Upside (03:04) 7 All + All Together (03:39) 8 Lady Killer (02:30) 9 Bassment (02:43) 10 Crazy (03:37) 11 Slaves (04:50) 12 Jenga (03:59) 13 Dark Days (04:48) 1 [DJ Swerve mix] (?) |
| Method to the Maadness : Allmusic album Review : Since bursting onto the grime scene in 2004, 25-year-old East London MC Kano has produced records with the likes of Mike Skinner, Damon Albarn, and Craig David, and provided guest appearances on albums by Chase & Status, Gorillaz, and Shy FX. His fourth studio release, Method to the Maadness, continues his collaborative tendencies, hooking him up with the likes of quirky synth pop outfit Hot Chip, Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel, and the Godfather of Grime, Wiley, on an eclectic 13 tracks, which Kano argues are his most experimental to date. Opening tracks "2 Left: Topic of Discussion," a formulaic blend of languid beats, Fisher-Price production, and jarring Lil Wayne-esque elongated vocals, and the ubiquitous urban electro sounds of "Get Wild," suggest otherwise. But once the brief radio phone-in skit, "iPod Generation," and the generic, guitar-laced "Maad" are out of the way, Method to the Maadness begins to live up to its creators claims. "Spaceship" is a cautionary tale on the merits of fame set against a backdrop of brooding dubstep rhythms and hypnotic kaleidoscopic glockenspiels, the Damon Albarn-produced "Bassment" is a head-nodding slice of authentic, minimal 80s-style hip-hop reminiscent of seminal rap pioneer Afrika Bambaataa, while closing track "Dark Days" is an introspective, ambient electronica epic featuring a soaring Tears for Fears-style new wave chorus. Best of all is the defiant "Upside," which brilliantly fuses Kanos frenetic lyrical delivery with old-school brass production and Michelle Breezes vulnerable but engaging vocals. The teaming up with Hot Chip, "All + All Together," which must have looked like a potential standout on paper is, in reality, a rather disappointingly pedestrian attempt at electro-dancehall, while the witty lyricism of the Ghetts-featuring "Lady Killer" cant mask its irritating, high-pitched Batman-theme-styled instrumentation. Contrary to what its title suggests, Method to the Maadness sprawling inconsistencies appear to highlight the complete lack of method in his madness, but apart from the predictable opening third of the disc, its a highly inventive effort which refuses to compromise his genre-straddling sensibilities. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 5 Title: Made in the Manor Released: 2016-03-04 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:02:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Hail (03:31) 2 T-Shirt Weather in the Manor (05:16) 3 New Banger (04:50) 4 3 Wheel-Ups (04:38) 5 This Is England (03:38) 6 Little Sis (03:25) 7 A Roadmans Hymn (04:30) 8 Drinking in the West End (03:48) 9 Deep Blues (03:07) 10 Endz (03:58) 11 Strangers (03:36) 12 Seashells in the East (03:27) 13 My Sound (06:17) 14 GarageSkankFreestyle (04:43) 15 Flow of the Year (03:34) |