UK’s Seanie T drops new album featuring Jamaican reggae artistes

The 13-track album was released July 19 and is available on vinyl, CD and digital.

The collaboration with Chezidek is titled More of It, which reveals the artistes love for ‘weed’, while the penultimate track on the album Acceptable features the smooth vocals of Little Hero and PZ.

"Ruff, Rugged and Smooth is a brand new album that unites all of his past influences and styles and pushes them into the future,” a statement from the artiste camp read in part.

The album is produced in full by Hamburg-based DJ Suro and touches on elements of roots reggae, dancehall, bashment, soul and pop, all with that unmistakable hip hop swagger.

“As the title suggests there are moments of rough reality, elements of rugged rawness and enough smooth reflection to keep everyone entertained,” it said of the veteran UK artiste from East London.

Kicking off with Get Hustling, a familiar vocal sample sets up Seanie to set out his manifesto perfectly. Lead single Warning is a tag-team takedown with his old sparring partner Roots Manuva, with the duo trading devastating barbs, whilst The Bird ups the tempo for a party time banger, complete with dance moves. More to This is a statement on the current state of image hungry MCs, with Mad Dem providing more party vibes and some deft turntable skills from Suro. Plush shows a softer side to proceedings with a tribute to the fine female form, whilst Blaze Fire Bun finds Seanie teaming up with UK don Serocee for another call to arms on a Timbaland sounding beat. Pitching for the Guinness World Record of number of UK MCs on a track, Veterans lines up a hot verse from 19 vocalists such as Rodney P, Ty, Ragga Twins, Navigator and Hill St Soul amongst many other legends. Never before has this many UK artists collaborated on one track.

Following this up is UK Warriors finding Seanie riding solo once again, but hailing up his UK comrades. Things gradually get smoother as we find Seanie in full gentleman mode on the lush Dancefloor, before teaming up with Chezidek and then Little Hero & PZ. Track #13 is a bonus single titled Uncomplicated.

Growing up in the depths of East London, Seanie was drawn in to the world of reggae sound systems at a very early age. As a youth he followed sounds like Saxon, Coxon and Unity, and DJed with the Ragga Twins on a sound called Unity Hi Power out of North London. A featured vocalist on both Roots Manuva and Blak Twang's debut albums, Brand New Second Hand and Dettwork SouthEast arguably two blueprints for much to follow in UK Hip Hop, he released his debut single S.O.S (Same Old Sean) in 2001, followed by his legendary Dark Horizons mixtapes which featured the cream of UK hip hop artistes at the time.