Westwood champions UK hiphop with new compilation

BBC Radio 1’s aging hiphop guru has described a new talent compilation he is involved in as an attempt to create a British scene to rival the US dominance. The DJ launched his quest in May, inviting new unsigned acts to send demos for inclusion on a special compilation album. More than 700 demos have been received and Westwood has selected six to go on the album. These will join 12 tracks by people "already out there in the scene but not signed to majors and not in the mainstream". Westwood continued: "UK record labels are not signing UK rap acts – they’re selling US rap to the UK and taking money out of the UK scene without investing anything back. This album is about acknowledging the tremendous wealth of talent out there and will, hopefully, act as a stepping stone for these artists to go forward." Acts so far chosen for the album include Funky DL, Mike GLC, Blemish Blackstorm, Ca$hino and 57th Dynasty. The compilation will be released through trustthedj Records on 29 Jul.