Rapping, mixing and scratching; it's all there in Ollie Bate's debut album, The Stuff.  He has applied his background in winning battles to add rhythmical, smooth raps that blend with some well chosen beats.  It sort of reminds you of Eminen. 

Illustrate, as he likes to be known, takes loops and recordings from jazz, films and melodies to create movement in his music, with bags of variety.

The album title The Stuff is a theme that drives his selection of cuts from films, so you get broken conversations about 'the stuff' littered throughout.  They add to the album's basic question, what is the stuff?  Illustrate loves this ambiguity.

Like a lot of Hip Hop, this is a vehicle of protest and Illustrate makes you hear what he has to say, every single word.  He gets over how tedious he finds the UK glitterate in 'Killing Celebrities' and in 'My Hat', the ridiculousness of just how much a single piece of clothing can mean to a man.  (Georgina Brown)