Kano - MC No. 1
[Kano]

What to do when you're dropped from a major label? Well if you're London rapper Kano, you release a new mixtape of course. 'Mc No 1' sees the UK rapper returning to his roots, dropping this new street album which features more than a few cheeky bootlegs and rips.

Now, to the old school fans of Kano, this collection of spontaneous cuts (this CD was recorded just a month after his departure from his last label) which lean mainly towards US hip-hop, may anger the grime extremists (by large, because of the choice of bootleg tracks he's used). But as he's been more than vocal about, Kano sees himself as an MC and as such, he could loan his flow to any style of music regardless of genre or roots.

The major fault of 'MC No 1' is not KA's rhymes, which sound as on fire as ever, but the choice in tracks - most of which have appeared on many, many mixtapes so here sound outdated and for once, Kano sounds like a follower stuck in the past. Just the very mention of uninspired backing like Timbaland's The Way I Are, 'Crank Dat' by Soulja Boy or Eminem's 'My Name Is' should give you some indication as to how distant this is from being the "new style".

But looking to the future isn't really the reason for this tape, 'MC No 1' is more a case of Kano reminding us that he is the best rapper the UK has to offer - just take a version of Dizzee's 'Pussyole' (here as 'Old Skool') where he rips the shreds out of the original and after being out-of-the-game for so long, recalls his lengthy career in grime, cementing the fact he's now a veteran.

With a grime album proper in the works - '140 Grime Street' - featuring production from Skepta, Wiley, Mikey J etc, this could be exactly what long-term fans were hoping for instead of the less-than-impressive 'London Town'. For now though, this new mixtape is exactly what the UK's best rapper needs to reignite the fire and bite which made him the name he is today.

MC No. 1 Tracklisting

1. My Name Is… KANO
2. Old Skool
3. Duffle Bag Freestyle
4. Cant Take My Thrown
5. Hurt
6. Hustler
7. Dun Know The Myspace
8. So Good
9. The Way I Are Freestyle
10. It’s Me N Word
11. Money In The Bank Freestyle
12. I Get Money Freestyle
13. Stronger
14. Dead Presidents Freestyle
15. Sexual Eruption