Friday 8 February 2013

Kaliphz featuring Prince Naseem 'Walk Like A Champion'

Chart Peak: 23

YouTube
The mighty Prince Naseem teams up with the mighty Kaliphz for 'Walk Like A Champion'... It is due for release around 18th March 1996.
Yes, this happened. Although I suppose if you were working at a record company and Prince Naseem came in with this track, you wouldn't tell him if you didn't think it was any good, would you?

The few sport-related tracks that appear on Now albums are a bit of challenge to me, as one with little sporting knowledge, but Naseem Hamed was one of those stars who even I'd heard of at the time, such was his success and personality. So at least I knew who he was when he showed up on TotP with underground hip-hop collective Kaliphz, although I can't say it made a huge amount of sense. Sadly that footage isn't on YouTube and neither is the promo video (if indeed there was one), so I can't be sure exactly who performs which lines; however logic suggests that it's the Prince himself who raps "I'll make your whole world crumble like a biscuit, don't risk it". He apparently didn't write any of the lyrics though.

Most of the record buying public seem to have been as confused as I was, hence the underwhelming chart performance. If it was a last-ditch attempt to save their major-label contract, it didn't succeed. They later changed their name to Kaleef and signed up with Pete Waterman(!), scoring their biggest hit with a rap version of 'Golden Brown'. According to YouTube they also covered 'Downtown', if that's the same Kaleef. Prince Naseem himself retired from the ring just over a decade ago, though he seems to have resisted the temptation to return to the recording studio. I'm OK with that.

Available on: WALK LIKE A CHAMPION CD UK PAYDAY 1996

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