Cardiff-based MC Mace The Great is quickly being recognised as a pioneer in the Welsh rap scene, and his new song, “Reason To,” which features beloved grime-scene staple Manga Saint Hilare, is here to further cement his local hero status.
Reason To is a sloppy nod to early examples of Grime. Mace and Manga exchange fiery bars over a chilling rhythm evocative of the unbounded energy of early Eskimo Dance radio shows; nevertheless, there is no hook in sight. During the course of the film, the two hit several London watering holes and end with a joint performance at Manga’s main event.
That true old school grime vibe is here, and it’s the reason I got into producing music in the first place, and it’s what I grew up on. The Great Mace elaborates. There is no chorus; instead, the song consists of successive sets of instrumentals and stanzas. Anyone who like grime should read this!
Since his two most recent single releases, “Loyalty” and “Wicked & Bad,” all eyes have been on Mace The Great. Huw Stephens has been quite public in his praise for him, playing his music often on his BBC radio programme and included him in a BBC 2 documentary on Welsh music. Because of his work with Arts Council Wales, he has won a lot of praise in the UK and around the world.
With increasing attention on a local and national level, the up-and-coming rapper is well on his way to establishing Splott as a hub of UK rap, as evidenced by the release of his latest single, “Reason To,” which is taken from the album of the same name (which is named after his hometown in Cardiff).
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