N-Dubz are a hip-hop trio from Camden who've spent the last few months on almost permanent rotation on Channel U, before breaking into the mainstream last month by taking the best newcomer award at the Mobo awards.
It's hard to suppress a sigh then when you hear the first minute or so of You Better Not Waste My Time. From the opening shrieks of "N-Dubz, it's N-Dubz" and then a scattergun rap about being "the scum of the earth" and "robbing purses", this seems to be generic hip-hop/pop of the worst kind. If you thought Big Brovaz represented the worst of this kind of music, then you may be changing your mind at this point.
To be fair though, the song does improve. Singer Tulisa contributes some soulful vocals (a welcome break from the very squeaky, Cypress Hill-style raps) and the lyrics soon become more thoughtful and reflective. Yet the overall impression is that, when it comes to UK rap, Kano and Lethal Bizzle have got this market all sewn up.
