104-436: Krept and Konan is a British hip hop duo from London, consisting of Casyo Valentine "Krept" Johnson BEM (born 4 February 1990, Gipsy Hill ) and Karl Dominic "Konan" Wilson BEM (born 3 September 1989, Thornton Heath ), the son of Delroy Wilson otherwise known as 'Jamaica's first child star'. Their first major release was the mixtape Young Kingz , released on 2 September 2013. As of 3 May 2013, Krept and Konan signed
208-633: A "Blackbox freestyle" in 2015 which helped him rise to prominence. The following year, Dave was noticed by Canadian rapper Drake, who later featured on a remix of his song "Wanna Know". MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards ( Music of Black Origin , also known as the MOBOs ) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin ", including hip hop , grime , UK Drill , R&B , soul , reggae , jazz , gospel , and African music . The MOBO Awards were founded by Kanya King and Andy Ruffell. The first ever award
312-516: A "bigger, revamped show" in 2019. However, the show did not materialise, with organisers now planning to hold the ceremony in 2020 instead; Kanya King stated that there would be "positive changes" to the show, and that they would be "returning with even more determination and energy to support and boost our culture wherever we can." In the course of its history, the MOBO Awards show has witnessed performances from UK and international talent. Over
416-496: A British hip hop Orchestra that "explore the shared territory between jazz and hip hop by taking modern classics such as Madvillain and J Dilla’s back catalogue and filtering them through classic arrangement techniques." The group is influenced by the style of hip hip associated with Detroit in the US and have recorded with Illa J and Slum Village . They perform with UK MC's Micall Parknsun, Joker Starr and Yungun . By 2014, grime music
520-698: A Gun and was the first British rapper to appear on Top of the Pops . Building on Derek B's success, Music of Life went on to sign groups such as Hijack , the Demon Boyz , Hardnoise (later Son of Noise) and MC Duke . Their Hard as Hell series mixed homegrown talent like Thrashpack and the She Rockers with US artists such as Professor Griff . Music of Life was swiftly followed by other labels such as Mango Records and Kold Sweat. Another successful British hip-hop artist that emerged from Music of Life
624-478: A Mercury Music Prize for his debut Boy in da Corner . From then on, grime artists were the only MC's for interested record labels, and UK Hip-Hop's momentum dried up. A new generation of young socially conscious hip-hop musicians emerged as a counter to the grime scene that many in the UK Hip Hop scene perceived as commercial. These rappers strived to bring attention to both positivity and lyricism as well as
728-535: A boycott effort emerged after the American pop musicians Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera won the awards for Best R&B Act and Best Video respectively. The Independent described the wins as being the result of the "white appropriation of black music". A MOBO spokesperson defended their presence, stating that the awards were designed to honour achievements in music of black origin, regardless of
832-466: A cover of Jay-Z 's and Kanye West 's " Otis " which helped them rise to fame. The video reached five million views in its first five days of being uploaded to YouTube. However, with much pressure received from Jay-Z 's legal team the video was removed from the duo's profile. Undeterred by the controversy, they released a cover of Drake and Lil Wayne 's "The Motto", launched their own clothing line called Play Dirty and early into 2012 were invited to join
936-521: A decade. Kanya King launched the MOBO awards in 1996 with business partner Andy Ruffell, aiming to establish a platform for music that, according to King, encompasses urban, hip hop, R&B and reggae. The 1997 award ceremony was held at London's New Connaught Rooms on 10 November. The gala included performances by Mary J. Blige and Eternal . The Malibu MOBO Awards show was held at The Royal Albert Hall and hosted by Mel B and Bill Bellamy . It
1040-573: A double mixtape, 7 Days and 7 Nights on 19 October 2017. 7 Days focused on rap, whilst 7 Nights focused on RnB. They peaked at number 6 and number 8 respectively on the UK Singles Chart . On 10 May 2018, Krept and Konan released a song called "Crepes and Cones (Ya Dun Know)" to promote their restaurant. It featured Mostack and was produced by Steel Banglez . On 3 November 2019, the duo released their first album in four years, Revenge Is Sweet . In June 2021, Krept and Konan appeared in
1144-650: A few examples of their pieces. While many early rappers from the UK, such as Derek B , imitated the styles and accents of their US heroes, there were many who realised that to merely transpose US forms would rob UK hip-hop of the ability to speak for a disenfranchised British constituency in the way that US hip-hop so successfully spoke to, and for, its audience. Attempts were made by UK rappers to develop styles more obviously rooted in British semantics , syntax and dialectical linguistic praxis and practices — Rodney P of
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#17327943656731248-583: A gang based in Gipsy Hill, in which Cadet , who was Krept's cousin, was also involved. In 2009 they became a musical duo and started to take music seriously. Shortly after their formation, in 2010 the duo released their first mixtape titled Redrum featuring collaborations from London underground rappers, Killa Ki, Snap and many more. In 2010 the rap duo released their second mixtape titled Tsunami featuring several mainstream artists including Ghetts , Giggs , Scorcher and Lil Nova. In 2011, they released
1352-401: A high percentage of non-white individuals. Such places allow youth to share culture with one another, including musical genres such as hip hop. Cross pollination through migrating West Indians helped develop a community interested in the music. The integration of sound systems represent a distinct British Caribbean influence. Sound systems allowed for powerful syncopated bass runs and
1456-523: A later single " This Is Radio Clash " (1981). Even earlier than this, in 1979, Ian Dury and the Blockheads released " Reasons to Be Cheerful (Part 3) ", another record with influences from hip hop. Then Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren 's " Buffalo Gals " (Charisma, 1982), featuring the New York hip hop group World's Famous Supreme Team , was the breakthrough hit that introduced the genre to
1560-663: A line up of guests presenting individual awards which also included Sinitta and Quentin Tarantino . The 2009 awards event took place on 30 September at the SEC Centre in Glasgow , the first time the MOBO awards show took place outside London. A tribute performance was dedicated to Michael Jackson , and the Young Soul Rebels performed their charity single " I Got Soul ". Reggie Yates and Keri Hilson hosted
1664-604: A major deal with Virgin Records in 1995. Continuing their relationship with Trevor Jackson as their producer, they released 3 singles 'Alphabetical Response', 'One Shot', 'Punk Funk' and their album Elementalz , all in 1996. Their work was met with critical acclaim and they toured solidly with American artists including Cypress Hill, The Roots and WuTang, but big record sales seemed to be very elusive and they parted ways with Virgin in 1998. In late 1996, Will Ashon started up his new Ninja Tune backed label Big Dada and planned
1768-468: A pat on the back and a jolly boys' outing for major labels and American acts." In 2011, Lanre Bakare wrote in The Guardian that the show was being affected by the music industry's dilution of the distinctive black music scene, promoting it to mainstream audiences as popular music (including "manufactured", U.S.-style hip-hop and R&B). In the column, it was noted that Labrinth had criticized
1872-413: A performance of Money by Jamelia featuring Beenie Man . Craig David performed an acoustic medley of Fill Me In , 7 Days and Nice & Slow by Usher , Sade exclusively performed By Your Side , Gabrielle performed Rise , MJ Cole performed Crazy Love featuring Elizabeth Troy , Donell Jones performed U Know What's Up featuring ceremony host, Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes. The show closed with
1976-611: A performance of Who Let The Dogs Out by Baha Men . In addition to their performances, Craig David, Jamelia, Beenie Man, MJ Cole and Gabrielle also won awards. With Craig David receiving three awards in total. Award presenters included MOBO Award founder, Kanya King , Honeyz , Melanie Sykes amongst others. In 2003, the MOBO awards show moved to The Royal Albert Hall and was hosted by Blu Cantrell and Lil' Kim , with performances from DMX , Lumidee , Wayne Wonder, George Benson, Lemar , Seal , Mis-Teeq and Redman , J'Nay John Adeleye , Big Brovaz , Black Eyed Peas and Kool and
2080-628: A record deal with Virgin EMI Records . Their debut album The Long Way Home was released on 5 July 2015 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number 2. The duo's highest-charting single is " Freak of the Week " featuring Jeremih , which charted at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart . Krept and Konan have both starred together in the film The Intent (2016) and reprised their roles in the prequel The Intent 2: The Come Up (2018). Krept
2184-412: A roster of performers. Bandit of Birmingham's MSI/Asylum crew informed Will of Juice Aleem that he was contemplating who could truly represent the ethos of the new label. Ashon was impressed with the demo and agreed to have Aleem on board. The results of this were the first release of the now famous record label: in 1997 Juice featured on Big Dada record label's first ever release[2], "Misanthropic", under
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#17327943656732288-778: A term coined and popularised mainly by British Vogue magazine and the BBC . British hip hop was originally influenced by the dub/toasting introduced to the United Kingdom by Jamaican migrants in the 1950s–70s, who eventually developed uniquely influenced rapping (or speed-toasting) in order to match the rhythm of the ever-increasing pace and aggression of Jamaican-influenced dub in the UK. Toasting and soundsystem cultures were also influential in genres outside of hip hop that still included rapping – such as grime , jungle , and UK garage . In 2003, The Times described British hip hop's broad-ranging approach: ..."UK hip-hop"
2392-488: A video for "Certified" featuring Rick Ross . The song serves as the first promotional single from their debut album The Long Way Home . The song was subsequently added to BBC Radio 1Xtra 's playlists. The Long Way Home was released in July 2015. The lead single from the album, " Freak of the Week ", features vocals from American singer Jeremih and was released on 28 June 2015. The song entered and peaked at number nine on
2496-475: Is a broad sonic church, encompassing anything made in Britain by musicians informed or inspired by hip-hop's possibilities, whose music is a response to the same stimuli that gave birth to rap in New York in the mid-Seventies. Although the underground scene was well established by the late 1980s, UK rap music saw little commercial success for several decades. Outside of a few exceptions such as Derek B and later
2600-464: Is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. Borrowing heavily from the style of Chicago drill music , UK drill artists often rap about violent and hedonistic criminal lifestyles. Typically, those who create this style of music are affiliated with gangs or come from socioeconomically-deprived neighbourhoods where crime
2704-547: Is a way of life for many. UK drill music is closely related to road rap, a British style of gangsta rap that became popular in the years prior to the existence of drill. Musically, UK drill often exhibits violent language and provocative lyrics. The early 2010s also saw the emergence of an underground UK hip hop scene emulating the earlier wave of 2000s rappers such as Jehst, Task Force, King Kashmere, MysDiggi and Skinnyman. With complex lyrics and rhyme schemes and '90s New York boom bap influenced production, High Focus Records
2808-680: Is it about exploiting wealth or hitting it rich. Success followed The Streets ' 2002 album Original Pirate Material , and he became one of the first of the new breed of British hip hop artists to gain respectable sales, though his verbal style resulted in him being shunned by many artists in the scene. Such success has caused a surge in media exposure of other British hip hop acts. Welsh rap group Goldie Lookin Chain also achieved chart success with their tongue-in-cheek take on hip-hop. Key records such as Skinnyman 's Council Estate of Mind , and Klashnekoff's The Sagas Of... were released, cementing
2912-413: Is one of two siblings. His father was in prison for drug offences and his older brother was "a lot of trouble", so he felt like his mother's last hope. Krept went to secondary school at Stanley Technical College (now Harris Academy South Norwood ), before continuing his A Levels at Richmond Upon Thames College, while Konan went to Haling Manor School (now Harris Academy Purley ). Krept studied accounting at
3016-535: The BBC ; beginning in 2006, the show aired live on BBC Three , and highlights aired on BBC One . In 2014, the BBC dropped the MOBO Awards, and the ceremony moved to ITV under a three-year deal, airing on ITV2 with same-night highlights on ITV . In 2017, the ceremony moved to Channel 5 and BET . In 2018, the MOBO Organisation announced that the ceremony would take a one-year hiatus in order to plan
3120-642: The British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to music and the community in Croydon. British hip hop UK rap , also known as British hip hop or UK hip hop , is a music genre and culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom . It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of R&B/hip-hop . British hip hop can also be referred to as Brit-hop ,
3224-633: The Kaliphz , Jeep Beat Collective and MC Tunes . Bristol's scene has a long history going right back to the early 1980s where links were made with outfits from New York. The Fearless Four came over in 1984 along with graffiti legends the Tats Cru and Rock Steady Crew . Bristol (specifically the St. Pauls area) produced The Wild Bunch (later better known as Massive Attack ), and Nellee Hooper who went on to produce for Soul II Soul . The city later became
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3328-575: The London Posse deliberately chose a London accent – although many succeeded only in adopting a slurred hybrid that located the rap "somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean". The first record label devoted to releasing UK hip hop acts was founded in 1986. Simon Harris ' Music of Life label was home to rapper Derek B , the first UK rapper to achieve chart success. He even collaborated with Public Enemy on his album Bullet from
3432-485: The UK Singles Chart , making it the duo's first top ten single on the chart and Jeremih's second. 25 June 2015 on YouTube, a remix of " Freak of the Week " was published by reggae and dancehall artists Popcaan & Beenie Man . The album was released on 5 July 2015 through Virgin EMI and Def Jam , and features numerous high-profile musicians, including Ed Sheeran , Skepta , Emeli Sandé and Wiz Khalifa . They released
3536-457: The University of Portsmouth . Konan was arrested multiple times in his youth, including for stealing a jumper and robbing a McDonald's restaurant. He went to jail for a year in 2007 for the latter offence. In 2005, Krept and Konan met and formed a friendship when their schools played each other at football . They were making music under the same aliases but were also members of 'Gipset',
3640-633: The "Frolic EP Pt 1" (Pleasure Music, 1995), Mark B released "Any More Questions?" (Jazz Fudge, 1995) and DJ Skitz released "Where My Mind Is At/Blessed Be The Manor" (Ronin Records, 1996) featuring a young rapper called Roots Manuva on guest vocals who had previously released the single "Next Type of Motion" (Sound of Money, 1995). Record labels that attempted to merge British hip hop style and sensibilities with modern dance music began to emerge, like Mark Rae 's Grand Central (home to Aim, Rae & Christian, and Fingathing, among others) or DJ Vadim 's Jazz Fudge. Increasingly, these artists managed to avoid
3744-539: The 1980s was not just confined to music and break-dancing, but also involved the spread of New York City-style graffiti – another integral element of US hip hop culture — to London and other UK inner-city areas, both on walls and trains. The most direct influence was, however, on graffiti painted in London Underground trains. Teenagers from inner London and other European cities who were into electro-hip hop and had family and other links to New York City had by
3848-472: The 1980s, by the early 1990s the scene had moved underground after record companies pulled back. In the mid-1990s hip hop in the UK started to experiment and diversify – often mutating into diverse genres entirely, such as trip hop and began making inroads into the US market. As the old rappers left the scene, a new generation, raised on hip hop and electronica , was coming of age: The Herbaliser released Remedies ( Ninja Tune , 1995), Mr. Scruff released
3952-818: The BBC Three documentary Krept and Konan: We Are England , where they make a football song for the UEFA Euros Tournament and get to know the England squad. Krept and Konan launched the Positive Direction foundation on 6 November 2017 at Harris Academy South Norwood , Krept's old school. The foundation provides workshops in "music production, engineering and songwriting". The duo also launched their restaurant, Crepes & Cones, on 12 May 2018 alongside grime artist J2K. Hundreds of fans lined up during its opening weekend, with food shortages due to
4056-700: The British rapper Skepta on his tour in the UK. They appeared on Tinie Tempah 's 2011 mixtape Happy Birthday and in 2013 they released their third mixtape Young Kingz , with features from Chip , Tinie Tempah , G FrSH, Giggs , George the Poet , Yungen, Ari, Yana Toma, Fekky, Siah and Anthony Thomas. The album's promotional single "Don't Waste My Time" rose to fame in January 2014, with notable artists such as French Montana , Wretch 32 , Chip , G FrSH, Double S, Lady Leshurr, Yungen, Sneakbo MNEK , Dru Blu, Jacob Banks and Dot Rotten all contributing to remixes of
4160-558: The Gang. Among the winners of the night were: 50 Cent , Justin Timberlake , Big Brovaz and Lisa Maffia , who was the only UK female artist to win an award. The ninth awards ceremony took place on 30 September 2004 at The Royal Albert Hall and was broadcast by BBC Television . Janet Jackson received the icon award. So Solid Crew won the award in the UK garage Act category award beating Dizzee Rascal and The Streets . Controversy surrounded
4264-681: The MOBO Lifetime Achievement Award. The full list of winners where: The 18th Awards show took place on 19 October 2013 and was held at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow. It was hosted by Trevor Nelson and Sarah-Jane Crawford . Performances included Tinie Tempah , Iggy Azalea , Naughty Boy , Rudimental and Jahméne Douglas . The 19th Awards show took place on 22 October 2014 and was held at The SSE Arena in London . It
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4368-724: The Mercury Music Prize for their album Dead . The album entered the UK chart at 35 after they won the award. Riz Ahmed , also known as Riz MC, was featured in the song " Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) " in The Hamilton Mixtape , which topped the Billboard 200 chart in 2016. At the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), "Immigrants" won the award for Best Fight Against the System . The early 2010s saw
4472-587: The Nation , whose MC Fusion would espouse conscious anti-racist, sexist and homophobic lyrics. The band would also find some brief mainstream success with their indie rock crossover sound. Leeds spawned Braintax and Breaking the Illusion (who together founded Low Life Records ) as well as Nightmares on Wax . Greater Manchester gave birth to the Ruthless Rap Assassins , Krispy 3 (later Krispy),
4576-484: The New York City MTA. At the same time, graffiti art on London Underground trains generated some interest in the media and arts, leading to several art galleries putting on exhibitions of some of the art work (on canvas) of a few London train writers as well as TV documentaries on London hip hop culture like the BBC's Bad Meaning Good , which included a section featuring interviews with London train writers and
4680-489: The UK Albums Chart and was certified platinum on 1 March 2011. He also won a Brit Award for his number one single " Pass Out ". Rapper Plan B found success with his 2010 Hip Hop and Soul fusion album The Defamation of Strickland Banks , followed by the soundtrack album Ill Manors in 2012, both of which peaked at number 1 in the UK Albums Chart . In 2014, Scottish alternative hip-hop trio Young Fathers won
4784-611: The UK Top 10 Hip Hop chart. In 1987, Positive Beat Records came out of the hotbed of early UK hip hop, Ladbroke Grove in London with two releases. The label followed up the single "It's Getting Rough" by Rocky X and D-D Dance with the Various Artists' Known 2 Be Down album. This featured Sir Drew (of KREW and Newtrament ), MC Flex, She Rockers , Rapski and more of West London's finest rap talents. Other notable labels at
4888-406: The US, British hip hop emerged as a scene from graffiti and breakdancing , and then through to DJing and rapping live at parties and club nights, with its supporters predominantly listening to and influenced by US hip hop. Unlike in the US, the British hip hop scene was cross-racial from the beginning, as diverse ethnic groups in Britain tend not to live in segregated areas, even in areas with
4992-470: The United Kingdom — McLaren's Duck Rock album as a whole experimented with many musical styles from around the world. "Buffalo Gals" and another track from the album, "World's Famous" which also featured the group, used techniques which have been established in hip hop in the United States, such as sampling and scratching . McLaren even included a song referencing the ' Double Dutch ' dance that
5096-682: The Wize in 1992, then Untitled 93 and XXIII in 1993, and Hip Hop N' Rap in 1994, all on the Bite It! label. None of the records sold in huge numbers but they managed to gain airplay on the Tim Westwood show and DJ 279's show on Choice FM , gaining them a solid following across the UK. Bite It! also released tracks from artists such as Pauly Ryan and the Scientists of Sound. Following an initial flurry of interest from major record labels in
5200-423: The ability to bring this sound to other venues creating a club culture . There were, however, British tunes starting to appear. There are an abundance of records that are often credited with being the first British hip hop release, "Christmas Rapping" by Dizzy Heights (Polydor, 1982), is often credited as such, as well as the slightly later released "London Bridge" by Newtrament (Jive Records, 1983). Dizzy Heights
5304-520: The album spawned the 2001 top 40 single "Ya Don't See the Signs", which was a remix by Feeder frontman Grant Nicholas , after the title track was a top 75 hit and Blade with Mark B supported Feeder. The same year, Bristol's Hombré label released the "2012 EP" from Aspects , a benchmark release within the movement. Roots Manuva , Blak Twang , Mud Family , Ti2bs , Task Force , Phi Life Cypher , MSI & Asylum, Jeep Beat Collective and Ty all came to
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#17327943656735408-531: The awards show, with Peter Andre presenting backstage. The awards ceremony took place on 20 October 2010 in Liverpool . The awards show returned to Glasgow's SEC Centre on 5 October 2011, hosted by Jason Derülo and Alesha Dixon . Jessie J won four awards, making her the biggest winner of the night. Boyz II Men received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Other winners included Rihanna , Tinie Tempah , Adele and Alborosie . Amy Winehouse
5512-539: The birth of trip-hop , from the 1980s until the early 2010s UK rap made up a small percentage of album sales in the domestic market. Performers saw much wider success in the 2020s, including Stormzy headlining Glastonbury Festival , Dave releasing back-to-back UK number one albums with Psychodrama followed by We're All Alone in This Together , and Little Simz winning the Mercury Prize . As in
5616-537: The ceremony returned for a second time to Scotland. The awards then moved to Leeds for the first time in 2015 and to Sheffield in 2024. The show returned to Leeds in 2017 when it was last held before going on hiatus. In 2020 it was confirmed it would be returning that year, however for the first time ever it would be streamed on YouTube . The ceremony was first broadcast regionally on Carlton Television from 1996 to 1997, before airing nationwide on Channel 4 from 1998 until 2003. From 2004 to 2013, they were aired by
5720-561: The chart success of some British-born hip hop artists – for example Monie Love , Slick Rick , Young MC and MF Doom , who all moved to the US – the majority of the scene was still underground and small scale. Kinetic Effect joined the scene in the early 1980s and was part of rap outfit 2 the Top as D-Koy; later, in 1991, he teamed with Insane Macbeth to record "Borderin' Insanity" (released in 1993) and in 1995, he recorded "Man Bites Dog"/"The Effect of Fear" Their song "The Rhythm I Give 'Em" made
5824-472: The emergence of UK afrobeats , led by artists such as Mista Silva , Kwamz, Fuse ODG , and Timbo. Around the same time, artists such as Sneakbo and Timbo were incorporating melodic rap and Caribbean influences into their music. The foundation set by these artists would later be a major influence on Afroswing , a genre that emerged around 2014 derivative of UK afrobeats while carrying influences from grime , dancehall , hip hop , and R&B . UK drill
5928-417: The ethnicity of their performers, and cited the increasing worldwide growth of urban music at the time. In 2006, DJ and music journalist Bigger wrote that the presentation had been "veering away from its concept of rewarding music of black origin" as early as its third edition, noting its increasing dominance by American acts at the expense of domestic acts. He argued that the show had become "little more than
6032-655: The famous Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK and seen many tracks reaching multiple millions of views on YouTube. In 2015, The Four Owls collaborated with highly respected US producer DJ Premier for their track Think Twice . BRIT Award winning singer-songwriter Rag'n'Bone Man also released two albums on the label in 2011 and 2014 – "Put That Soul on Me" (a collaboration with Dirty Dike) and "Dog n Bone" with Four Owls member and rapper/producer Leaf Dog. These albums are what eventually led to his signing with major label Columbia Records , however Rag'n'Bone Man has continued to feature on High Focus records releases such as
6136-480: The first major British hip hop magazine – was founded in 1989 and by the early 1990s the British hip hop scene seemed to be thriving. Not only was there a firm base of rappers in London such as Blade, Black Radical Mk II , Bushkiller (including Sirus) and Overlord X , who cut a Discomix with Jah Shaka — but many distinct scenes developed nationally. Birmingham and the West Midlands gave rise to Credit to
6240-502: The first to receive wide-spread attention across continental Europe . Caveman and Outlaw Posse developed a jazz influenced style, whilst MC Mell'O' mixed jazz and hardcore. London Posse , Black Radical Mk II and DJ Ruf Cut And Tuf C were more influenced by reggae and disco whilst the Wee Papa Girl Rappers , Cookie Crew and Monie Love achieved chart success with more radio-friendly hip hop. However, despite
6344-487: The hardcore style most associated with the scene. Silver Bullet 's chart success was applauded due to an uncompromisingly rapid delivery, whereas Derek B and Rebel MC were scorned when their more pop influenced styles earned them success. Such artists were often branded "sell outs". As the scene grew, it became less common for British rappers to imitate US accents (those who did were often ridiculed) and British rap became more assured of its identity. Hip Hop Connection —
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#17327943656736448-623: The home of trip hop with artists like Tricky and Portishead . Caveman signed to a major label — Profile Records , the label home of Run–D.M.C. — and Kold Sweat came into their own, discovering groups like SL Troopers, Dynametrix , Unanimous Decision and Katch 22, whose "Diary of a Blackman" was banned by Radio 1 for using a sound clip from the National Front . In 1991, Hijack released The Horns of Jericho (Rhyme Syndicate Records, 1991) on Ice-T 's recently formed Rhyme Syndicate label. The first single, "The Badman Is Robbin'",
6552-536: The house. One of the gunmen had targeted Konan for dating his ex-girlfriend, but shot his stepfather in the chest when he tried to chase the gunmen out of the house. This experience was later told on the song "My Story". Krept lost his cousin, named Cadet , in a car accident on 9 February 2019. He has a daughter with model Sasha Ellese, named Nala, who was born on 11 June 2020. The duo lost close friend and business partner Nyasha "Nash" Chagonda to suicide in June 2018, who
6656-477: The injustices of war, gentrification and racism, following in the tradition of conscious rappers such as Nas , Mos Def and Talib Kweli . Amongst this new generation included artists such as Klashnekoff , Akala , Lowkey and the Poisonous Poets. The mid-2000s saw the emergence of road rap , a genre that took influences from American gangsta rap and focused on crime, gang, or violent themes. Road rap
6760-493: The issues surrounding sampling by making music themselves (bands such as the Stereo MCs began playing instruments and sampling their own tunes) or searching out more obscure records where a most cost effective licensing deal could be arranged. British hip hop began to go through a renaissance, its style shifting from the hardcore template of its youth and moving into more melodic territory. The Brotherhood managed to broker
6864-516: The large number of orders. The restaurant also employs young offenders to give them a chance to rehabilitate. As of 2024, the restaurant is permanently closed. In 2019, Krept and Konan also created the first series of BBC Three's The Rap Game UK alongside DJ Target . Adopting the format of the US version, seven MCs battled to get signed for a single record deal. The show was renewed for a second season, which aired in 2020. Konan lost his stepfather on 1 July 2011, when masked gunmen followed Konan into
6968-460: The late 2000s to great commercial success. Tinchy Stryder scored two number ones with songs " Number 1 " and " Never Leave You " and became the best-selling British solo artist of 2009. The following year continued the success of the previous, with acts like Professor Green and Tinie Tempah breaking through to even bigger commercial success and also critical appreciation. The debut album from Tinie Tempah called Disc-Overy went to number one in
7072-468: The mid-1980s taken up some of the traditions of subway graffiti and exported them home, although legendary New York writers like Brim, Bio, and Futura had themselves played a significant role in establishing such links when they visited London in the early-to-mid-1980s and 'put up pieces' on or near the west London end of the Metropolitan Line . Almost as significantly, just when subway graffiti
7176-594: The night included Corrine Bailey-Rae, Lemar , Black Eyed Peas , Rihanna , Sean Paul and Beyoncé . In 2006 the awards ceremony was hosted by Coolio and Gina Yashere at The Royal Albert Hall . For the first time the World Music and Jazz categories were suspended. Corinne Bailey Rae won the prize for Best UK Newcomer and Jai Amore won Best Unsigned Act. British rapper Akala won Best Hip Hop Act, beating stiff competition from American acts such as Kanye West , 50 Cent , and The Game . The 2007 awards ceremony
7280-611: The nominations of Conor Maynard and Ed Sheeran for awards, while Charlie Dark of Attica Blues argued that the MOBOs needed to promote innovation in black music, and "shouldn't be an annual event where everyone pats themselves on the back for very small advances that they've made, when they are powerful enough to bring real change. If they don't adapt, artists who aren't interested in commercial pop and being put in musical boxes will just do their own thing." In 2020, English rock duo Nova Twins wrote an open letter on Twitter addressed to
7384-502: The only female winner on the night. MOBO UnSung is a biennial talent competition for unsigned acts, showcasing the next generation of urban artists. The 10 finalists (unusually increased to 11 in 2018 due to the high numbers of entrants), are narrowed down to a top 3, which the winner is then picked from. The MOBOs have faced criticism for having become increasingly oriented towards "commercial" urban music, and having given nominations and awards to musicians who are not black. In 2003,
7488-467: The period between 1992 and 1995, the only groups to make much impact were Gunshot and the Brotherhood . Gunshot's 1992 album Patriot Games was a landmark with tracks such as "Mind of a Razor" and "World War 3" becoming British hardcore classics. Formed in the '80s, the Brotherhood released their first record, simply called Brotherhood EP , as a white label in 1991. They went on to release Wayz of
7592-504: The pseudonym "Alpha Prhyme", a collaboration between himself and Luke Vibert . In 1998, Mark B and Blade released "Hitmen for Hire EP", which featured guest appearances from Lewis Parker and Mr Thing (of the Scratch Perverts ). The EP was a success, and led to the successful 2001 album The Unknown , which despite never charting in the UK top 75, was still a top 100 success and an even bigger success within its genre. Also,
7696-451: The public's attention, while veteran acts Rodney P , Mike J , and MC Mell'O' returned to the scene. A new generation of artists emerged following the turn of the century, including Jehst , Skinnyman , Nicky Spesh , Foreign Beggars and Usmaan. At the same time, a new style of electronic music emerged in the early 2000s, derivative of UK garage and jungle , with influences from dancehall , drum and bass and hip hop; this new genre
7800-586: The removal of reggae artists Vybz Kartel and Elephant Man from the "Best Reggae Act" category at the 2004 awards due to their homophobia and incitement to murder. The 2005 awards show saw one of the biggest line-ups in MOBO award history, including John Legend, Ms Dynamite, Lemar, Kano, Damien Marley, Public Enemy and Lauryn Hill . The event was hosted by Gina Yashere and Akon at The Royal Albert Hall , with guest presenters Chris Eubank, Lisa Maffia , Josie Darby, Simon Webbe, Myleene Klass, Estelle , Tim Westwood, Kwame Kwei-Armah and Chuck D. Big winners on
7904-465: The reputations of the artists and opening up the floor for new artists to emerge. Labels Low Life Records , run by prominent political rapper Braintax , and Young N' Restless started and became the starting point for many. At the same time, just as garage was losing momentum, grime was creating interest. Wiley's Treddin' on Thin Ice was a cornerstone of the genre, and one-time friend Dizzee Rascal won
8008-538: The scene remained predominantly underground. Although record labels began to take note of the underground scene throughout the 1980s and 1990s, radio play and publicity were still a difficulty in helping the fledgling scene to grow, and the scene only managed to survive through word of mouth and the patronage of pirate radio stations around the country. Mainstream radio did play British hip hop on occasion, supported by such well-known DJs as Dave Pearce , Tim Westwood , Steve Barker and John Peel . British hip hop in
8112-547: The system, but favouring only a few selected underground lines seen as most suitable for train graffiti. Although on a substantially smaller scale than what had existed in New York City, graffiti on London Underground trains became seen as enough of a problem by the mid-1980s to provoke the British Transport Police to establish its own graffiti squad modelled directly on and in consultation with that of
8216-477: The time included Liberty Grooves in Tooting, South London. The label itself started in late 1989 with the first release in 1990 by Whirlwind D & Johnny F of Solid n Mind . Other artists included Gutter Snypes , True Style and DJ Noize . Liberty Grooves was also a shop and many notable artists such as MC Mell O and Braintax would perform there. In 1988, Rapski released "The Connection" on 12". The track
8320-554: The time. He later claimed to be "Scotland's first rap star". There were also early pop records which dabbled with rap – such as Adam and the Ants ' " Ant Rap " (CBS, 1981) and Wham! 's " Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) " (Inner Vision, 1982) — but these are often considered pop appropriations of US rap. Punk band the Clash had earlier dabbled with rap on the single " The Magnificent Seven " from their album Sandinista! (CBS, 1980), and
8424-469: The track "Mask" from Jam Baxter 's album Touching Scenes in 2019. Blah Records is also highly influential. The label was founded by Lee Scott (rapper) and Molotov in 2006 and currently managed and owned by Lee Scott and Salar. Key members of the Blah family include Lee Scott, Salar, Black Josh , Milkavelli, Jam Baxter and Cult of The Damned . The mid-2010s saw the emergence of Abstract Orchestra ,
8528-565: The track. Tinie Tempah also freestyled over the beat on Charlie Sloth's Fire in the Booth . Winning Best UK Newcomer at the 2013 MOBO Awards was one of the big breaks the duo had. With low promotion compared to other artists. They released "Don't Waste My Time" as a single in March 2014 and it entered the UK Singles Chart at number 154. On 29 June 2014, they attended the BET Awards which
8632-466: The years, artists have included Janet Jackson , E-17 , Destiny's Child , Dionne Warwick , Lisa Maffia , Justin Timberlake , Kanye West , Tina Turner , Rosie Gaines , Dizzee Rascal , Jay-Z , LL Cool J , Amy Winehouse , Stefflon Don , Coolio , Usher , John Legend , Jason Derulo , and Jessie J . In 2000, Sade came out of retirement to perform at the Awards, her first performance in almost
8736-576: Was Asher D , whose Jamaican origins showed through in his vocal style. In 1988, in collaboration with Daddy Freddy , Asher D released one of the first hip-hop dancehall fusion albums, Ragamuffin Hip-Hop . Moving away from its US roots, British hip hop started to develop its own sounds: acts like Hijack , II Tone Committee, Hardnoise , and Silver Bullet developed a fast and hardcore style (often referred to as Britcore ), while many other acts took influences from elsewhere. Britcore acts were amongst
8840-662: Was Milton Keynes group the Criminal Minds . Their first two releases, the 1990 mini-album Guilty as Charged and a 1991 EP Tales from the Wasteland were bogged down by potential sample clearance problems and thus were only ever made available in small numbers. As breakbeat hardcore music started to become very popular in the UK in the early 1990s, the Criminal Minds turned their attention to making this type of music instead. The UK hip hop boom never achieved its predicted commercial success. Hijack's The Horns of Jericho
8944-410: Was a top 40 hit and they went on sell more than 30,000 albums. British hip hop was affected by the record industry clamping down on sampling , beginning to charge for the use of samples and prosecuting those who used them without permission. Larger US acts could afford to license samples and still turn a profit for their labels, a luxury not available to many smaller UK artists. One such victim of this
9048-400: Was also experiencing a resurgence. While hip hop did not immediately benefit from this, the rise of grime has been credited for re-opening the doors for competing genres such as hip hop and afroswing that were also on the rise. Acts that would rise within the hip hop scene within the following years include Dave , Kojey Radical , Slowthai , Little Simz , and Loyle Carner . Dave released
9152-621: Was broadcast live on BBC Three from the O2 Arena in London and hosted by Shaggy and Jamelia . The jazz category returned. Shaggy opened the evening with a medley. T-Pain performed on stage with Yung Joc , Craig David and Kano collaborated on stage; Ne-Yo , Mutya Buena and Robin Thicke also performed. Amy Winehouse performed two songs and accepted the award for Best UK Female. N-Dubz won Best Newcomer. England cricketer Monty Panesar and England footballer Micah Richards were among
9256-498: Was broadcast nationally by Channel 4 . Performers and presenters included footballer Sol Campbell , girl band All Saints , DJ Trevor Nelson , boxers Lennox Lewis and Chris Eubank , Puff Daddy , Chaka Khan , Goldie , Another Level , and Martine McCutcheon . Contribution to Black Music went to Carl McIntosh and B. B. King won the Lifetime Achievement Award. The 1999 Malibu MOBO Awards award ceremony
9360-435: Was commemorated in "Broski" on the album Revenge Is Sweet. They are both avid supporters of football club Manchester United . In 2013, the duo broke the record for 'Highest-Charting UK album by an Unsigned Act'. The pair earned the title with Young Kingz , which entered into the top 20 in the UK Albums Chart . Following the rap duo success, they won a MOBO award (Best Hip-Hop Act 2014) and BET award. Both were awarded
9464-412: Was dubbed " grime " (sometimes called eskibeat or sublow) and effectively superseded UK hip hop in both popularity and the mainstream conscious. Grime is generally considered to be distinct from hip-hop due to its roots primarily being genres such as UK garage and jungle. In 2001, Roots Manuva claimed that British hip hop "is more healthy" than American hip-hop, and is more about making the music than
9568-439: Was due to perform, but pulled out hours before the show. He was replaced by Professor Green. An error saw the wrong act given the award for Best Song. "Of the many worthy winners of best song, we deeply regret a mistake was made," said Mobo organisers, in a statement blaming a "production error". The MOBO Awards 2017 took place at Leeds First Direct Arena on 29 November. Stormzy won three awards while Stefflon Don's award made her
9672-664: Was given an award and a special tribute, following her death in July 2011. The 17th Awards show took place on 3 November 2012 at the Liverpool Arena. Presented by Miquita Oliver and Adam Deacon – with backstage support from Rickie and Melvin – the night saw Trey Songz , Conor Maynard , Emeli Sandé, Misha B , JLS , Stooshe , Labrinth , Angel and Wiley perform. Emeli Sandé won awards for Best Female, Best Album and Best R&B/Soul while Plan B took Best Male Act and Best Hip Hop/Grime. TLC were awarded Outstanding Contribution to Music, with Dionne Warwick receiving
9776-700: Was held at The Royal Albert Hall , sponsored by Malibu and hosted by Mel B and Wyclef Jean . International Hip-Hop Act Award went to Jay-Z , Best Album was awarded to Beverley Knight , International Act to Lauryn Hill and Lifetime Achievement Award to Tina Turner . Performers and presenters included Des'ree , Dru Hill , Method Man & Redman , Tim Westwood , Lionel Richie , Lulu , Victoria Beckham , Chris Eubank , Another Level , Ladysmith Black Mambazo , Destiny's Child , and girl band Eternal . The MOBO Awards 2000 ceremony took place at Alexandra Palace , hosted by Trevor Nelson and Lisa Left Eye Lopes and sponsored by Mastercard . There show opened with
9880-574: Was held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California and received an award for 'Best International Act: UK' by BET International and beating Dizzee Rascal , Laura Mvula , Rita Ora , Ghetts and Tinie Tempah . On 3 March 2015, Croydon Advertiser announced the duo as the 39th most powerful people from the Croydon borough, for their pioneering movement and recent success in the music industry. On 28 March 2015, they released
9984-661: Was hosted by Mel B and Sarah-Jane Crawford . It was broadcast live on ITV2 for the first time. The 20th Awards show took place on 4 November 2015 and was held at the First Direct Arena in Leeds . The show was broadcast live on ITV2 and hosted by Sarah-Jane Crawford . The 21st Awards show took place on 4 November 2016 and was held at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow . The show was broadcast live on ITV2 and hosted by Rickie Haywood Williams and Melvin Odoom . Tinie Tempah
10088-408: Was instrumental in bringing this sound to a wider audience. The label was founded in 2010 by London rapper Fliptrix and key members of the larger High Focus crew have included The Four Owls , Dirty Dike, Ocean Wisdom , Jam Baxter and Dabbla. Artists from the label have managed to build a sizeable following despite remaining underground, having performed to crowds of 25,000+ across Europe, played
10192-490: Was never released in the US, while record companies dropped artists, citing poor sales and lack of interest. Mango Records closed down, and the British public began to turn their affections to jungle , a fusion of breakbeat hardcore, dub, dancehall, ragga, hip hop and reggae. Other acts and styles developed from the hip hop scene, resulting in new genres to describe them – for example Massive Attack with trip hop , or Galliano , Us3 and Urban Species with acid jazz . In
10296-596: Was on the decline in New York City, some British teenagers who had spent time with family in Queens and the Bronx returned to London with a "mission" to Americanise the London Underground through painting New York City-style graffiti on trains. These small groups of London 'train writers' adopted many of the styles and lifestyles of their New York City forebears, painting graffiti train pieces and in general 'bombing'
10400-455: Was pioneered by artists and groups such as PDC and Giggs ' SN1 crew. By the late 2000s, grime music had entered into a period of stagnation. This led to an emergence of acts that, while influenced by or initially started out making grime, were moving into a more commercialised, hip-hop influenced form of music. Artists from this new wave included N-Dubz , Tinchy Stryder , Tinie Tempah , and Chipmunk (later known as Chip) who emerged in
10504-621: Was popular among breakdancing crews in New York at the time. Over the next few years, more UK hip hop and electro music was released: Street Sounds Electro UK (Street Sounds, 1984), which was produced by Greg Wilson and featured an early appearance from MC Kermit, who later went on to form the Wilson produced Ruthless Rap Assassins ; The Rapologists ' "Kids Rap/Party Rap" (Billy Boy, 1984) and Grandmaster Richie Rich's "Don't Be Flash" (Spin Offs, 1985). Releases were still few and far between, and
10608-487: Was presented to Baby D , in the Best Dance Act category. The inaugural awards were broadcast by Carlton Television from London's Connaught Rooms . Across its 22-year history, the MOBOs have been broadcast on Channel 4 , BBC Television , ITV2 and on Channel 5 before returning to the BBC in 2020. In 2009, the ceremony was held for the first time in Glasgow . Prior to that, it had been held in London. In 2011,
10712-550: Was taken from Known 2 Be Down and was an early example of mixing hip hop and reggae in a (London) style. More was to come in the early 1990s in the form of MC Reason (a.k.a. Voice of Reason) with "Symbolise"/"HouseQuake" and Jonie D with "Which Base"/"Ride On" which was performed live on ITV in 1991. A mindset began to develop – typified by the Gunshot tune "No Sell Out" (1991), or Son of Noise 's "Poor But Hardcore" (1992) — that distrusted successful artists who did not utilise
10816-641: Was the first MC to be signed to a major label. Two singles from 1980 precede both of these however, namely Allen & Blewitt's novelty record "Chip Shop Wrapping", released in 1980, a parody of The Sugarhill Gang's " Rapper's Delight ", and Bo Kool's "Money (No Love)". The instrumental for "Money (No Love)" was produced by Funk Masters member Tony Williams, and would turn out to be an influential release in its own right, going on to inspire DJ's from New York to employ influences from dub music . In Scotland, actor and stand-up comedian Johnny Beattie released "The Glasgow Rap" in 1983, receiving some chart success at
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