Rodney P x John Holt – The Urban Ganja Farmers Tune
Rodney P alongside the legendary John Holt “The Urban Ganja Farmers Tune”.
Rodney P alongside the legendary John Holt “The Urban Ganja Farmers Tune”.
There’s something to be said for taking a step back and figuring out where you are. The world might have been forced to take a collective break over the last four months, but there are already signs that it’s leading to real change. You can see it in the multicultural, multi-class fight for racial equality; statues toppled, historical narratives shredded and racist institutions (at least in the US) defunded.
So when Strizzy Strauss decided in 2019 to take a step back from hip hop and focus on his family, he probably wondered if it was the right decision. Listening to his debut album ‘Trust the Process’, it’s pretty safe to say it was.
The 35-year-old Leicester native has been making ripples beyond the Midlands since he dropped The Art Of Summarising Life back in 2017. Since then, he’s been building momentum, gracing the stage alongside acts like UK veterans Rodney P, Klashnekoff and Skinnyman while networking across the pond with legends like GZA and Pharoahe Monch. Strauss has been putting in work.
Trust the Process is the culmination of that work – both on, and off the stage. Strauss’ offhand flow somehow strikes a balance between brazen confidence and candid vulnerability. There’s an elasticity to his flow – honed through a combination of live shows, daily solo cyphers and a council-funded arts programme.
On ‘Testament’, Strauss bemoans a hip hop culture of “More gimmicks / Less lyrics / More image.” In ‘Speed of Life’, he spits “Them brothers talk like it’s cool throwin’ away your life.”
Despite the digs, Strauss’ words come from a place of cautious idealism. He’s saying We can do better, a truth born of experience. As Strauss himself says, “Been there / Got the bucket hat.” It’s overwhelmingly positive hip hop, but raw enough to sidestep any Kanye-like preaching.
Trust the Process comes with a healthy share of feature artists, including longtime collaborator Ash Styles, Vandal Savage and Leicester lad Siddeeq Matthew. Likewise, the beatmakers are an eclectic mix, including Amsterdam beatsmith Dirty Sweet and local talents Feenikz and Sik Sense. But the diversity pays off. ‘Speed of Life’ wraps a wispy G-funk melody around a thudding beat, while ‘Follow Your Dreams’ pushes inspiration via a sunny West Coast-inspired chorus.
All of this comes together on the aptly titled single Gems (with some golden guest bars courtesy of Astrixx). With its soft jazz piano loop, east coast beat and sinuous flow, it’s already a certified banger.
So, sometimes, a step back is the best thing – especially when it means you come back harder. After years of juggling being a full-time father with the pressures of touring and recording, you can feel Strauss’ world-weary wisdom dripping from every bar. His time might have come, but Strauss acknowledges that nothing comes overnight. No, you’ve got to Trust the Process.
Trust The Process drops July 31st on ie Records.
When right at the beginning of 2019 Blak Twang, Rodney P & Ty configured their combined firepower into the unholy UK hip hop megazord Kingdem, expectations were high. Monster tune ‘Rhino’ can be added to the list of evidence (including sold out live shows and the excellent KINGDEM EP) that they’ve definitively made the year their bitch. Get the EP for digital download or limited edition BLUE VINYL here.
Check out the premiere for the Seanie T banger ‘Veterans’ lifted from his recent album Ruff, Rugged and Smooth which dropped earlier this year via Nice Up Records. You can buy the album, on vinyl, CD or digitally here
The track features Blak Twang, Flinty Badman, Deman Rockers, Karl Hinds, Ty, Ricky ranking, Pesci, Rodney p, Donovan Kingjay, Skeme, Breis, Navigator, Mc creed, Hil St Soul, Roots Manuva, Poleto, Cons, Tony D, Serocee and is co produced by Dj Suro and Seanie T.
Fresh visual from supercrew KINGDEM consisting of UK Legends Blak Twang, Rodney P and Ty, KingStep is the second drop from the forthcoming ‘THE KINGDEM EP’ set to drop on Tru Thoughts Records later this month. Available to pre-order here
Following on from the hugely successful tour, super crew Kingdem (Rodney P, Blak Twang & TY) drop a visual for the first single lifted from the forthcoming Kingdem EP. ‘The Conversation (We Ain’t Done Yet)’ is produced by Nutty P and filmed over the course of the recent tour.
UKHH are mad excited to announce the third of our UKHH Summer Sickness festival recommendations… The mighty Boomtown Fair!
Although it officially sold out in February, Limited resale tickets are now available! To grab the last ones while there’s still time… simply click HERE!
Now in its tenth year and tenth chapter of its evolving story line, Boomtown has a history of putting on an impressive array of hip hop talent since its beginnings. Label takeovers by the likes of High Focus and genre bending spectacles (such as 2014’s ‘Original Fever’ UK Hip Hop Reggae Showcase on the Lion’s Den stage with Daddy Skitz, Rodney P and friends) have become the stuff of legend. Talent to have graced their stages over the years (to name but a few not appearing this time round) include everything from international legends like Cypress Hill, Pharoahe Monch and Jungle Brothers, to a diverse spectrum of UK heroes encompassing everything between Ocean Wisdom and Dizraeli and the Small Gods.
For a pretty good summary of what vibe to expect… The bulk of the footage for the above video for ‘Weed & Ale’ featuring Jman, Dr Syntax, Eva Lazarus and Pete Cannon (all of whom are reappearing this year) was shot way back at Boomtown 2013. Boomtown has continued to grow with expanding crowds, districts, stages and hundreds more acts but the rowdy spirit of hedonism and positive vibes have remained the same.
No surprises then that this year’s line-up has an absolute tonne of talent for the discerning hip hop hunter to uncover!
As festivals can be confusing places to navigate for the soberest of brains and pouring over every act on every stage is a tiring process that most probably can’t be arsed with, UKHH have done all that painstaking leg work for you in order to provide our detailed guide to all the hip hop popping off at this year’s Boomtown…
One of the things that makes Boomtown so sick, beyond the debaucherously immersive city that all the madness takes place in, is the sheer diversity of musical styles peppered across the site at any given time. While each district and stage has its own stylistic focus, so mega-fans of a particular genre could be tempted to get settled, it’s a sure fire bet that doing so would result in missing something dope happening somewhere completely unexpected.
Case in point: Whistlers Green (a district renowned for Jazz, Funk, Soul, World Music fusion, talks and a host of chilled out/holistic activities) boasts a surprising array of sick hip hop influences on it’s Windmill Stage. Out of my personal must-see acts at the whole festival, the multi-influenced Ghanaian/Glaswegian producer and lyricist Kobi Onyame is towards the top of the list. Check out his most recent album Gold for an idea of the kind of triumphant afro-rhythm infused hip hop to expect from him. Seriously ill.
Also on the stage for anyone with instrumental leanings… Bilal; the hip hop influenced soul/jazz artist with notable collaborative efforts on releases from the likes of Common and Talib Kweli who scooped a Grammy for his input on seminal Kendrick Lamar album To Pimp a Butterfly, as well as boom bap jazzers Blue Lab Beats, mixing golden era hip hop influences with jazz instrumentalism and samples.
Keeping the curve balls coming, Rocks Foe, the highly charged and lyrically deep MC known to straddle grime and hip hop and informed by a further range of diverse influences is present as part of a takeover by Bristol label Black Acre. Also, embodying a truly international sound that’s impossible to pin down (I thought she was UK when I first heard her) with Zambian and Botswanan roots but now based in Australia, Sampa the Great is well worth a check. If you haven’t already heard her, think African rhythms, jazz, hip hop and a powerful voice phasing between neo soul melodies and conscious lyricism.
The roots-heavy Lion’s Den stage also sees some hip hop vibes blending their way into the mix with UKHH long time favourites Rodney P and Illaman taking the stage as part of the Spragga Benz and Friends set. Other highlights for heads are likely to include live trip-hop/lounge band Morceeba, and genre defying super-group Gorillaz in a headline slot that’s sure to include more than a few meanders into the territory of hip hop bars and beats. Switch districts and head over to Paradise Heights and you’ll find bass-heavy party starters Too Many T’s rocking the Hotel Paradiso venue.
Even hidden amongst the stellar line-up of broader dubby soundsystem hecticness that populates Boomtown’s woodland parties there are a couple of UK names for rap treasure hunters to track down. Prolific with the festival performances this year, Gardna can be found performing as part of the Wonka-Vision Forest Takeover and Skitz and Joe Burn are set to play the Tangled Roots stage where its safe to expect they’ll be providing a stomping soundtrack to the forest setting, fusing hip hop and Jamaican influenced basslines.
All this said… Unsurprisingly, although there are abundant MCs and DJs worth searching Boomtown’s myriad districts for, the bulk of our UKHH recommended acts can be found dominating the Barrio Loco District!
This year’s line up on the flagship stage Poco Loco is something fierce. For fans with a taste for grimier flavours, bill-toppers Ghetts, Lady please-answer-my-fan-mail-and-marry-me-already Leshurr, Foreign Beggars, Nadia Rose and Big Zuu will be providing unrelenting party vibes. Another artist to go heavy on the festival rounds this year is the ever unpigeon-holeable Kojey Radical. With a hard earned and steadily expanding following now aware of his varied and poetically raw body of work, the crowd are likely to go off for this one.
The suplex that the North has applied to the UK Hip Hop game in the last few years is suitably apparent in the presence of its multiple super-crews/collectives taking the stage at this years Boomtown. LEVELZ, The Mouse Outfit (ft Ellis Meade, Dubbul O and Berry Blac for their Poco Loco performance) and Cult of The Damned have all proved themselves to be serious threats. With fluid rosters and cross over between MCs (e.g. Black Josh is affiliated with all three) each entity reflects a distinctly different facet of a stylistically diverse, collaborative community. C.O.T.D. bring a lazy, fuck-everything rawness comparable to being the UK’s answer to Odd Future. In Contrast The Mouse Outfit bring positive, funk infused smooth grooves, with their recent album Jagged Tooth Crook sounding like distilled summertime. LEVELZ bring the rave.
For fans focused on live instrumentation… Poco Loco also provides. Taking it way back, in a salute to one of the all-time undisputed masters of production, the 18 piece Abstract Orchestra will be performing a musical tribute to the late J Dilla. Scene legends (and one of the original trip hop bands) The Herbaliser will also be taking the stage. Producer and MC duo, Makola, have developed their combination of afrobeat hip hop to include a live band and brass section that should have fans of Fela Kuti and UK rap alike moving in unison. It goes without saying that all of the above might be something special.
For a masterclasses on control of the decks: With a list of influences and collaborations as long as a life-size Stretch Armstrong’s arms, DJ Vadim will be tearing things up and no doubt have some surprises up his sleeves. Mixing global influences including hip hop, trip hop and a heavy pinch of sub-dub L’Entourloop will no doubt be providing a marching soundtrack to skank out to when they take the stage with Troy Berkley and N’Zeng. Kicking the party up a gear, festival and rave scene regulars, The Nextmen, will also be supplying the grooves with an extended family of Gentlemans Dub Club, Garnda, Kiko Bun, Eva Lazarus, and Jman.
Also on a hype tip, the infinitely danceable 808INK will be ensuring a steady stream of cleverly infectious bars and vibes to keep the rave moving and Babylon Dead will be capitalising on energetic support for their dissident ragga-meets-hip hop style and tearing the roof clean off. Another act to balance double time spits, basslines and politics, scene veteran and activist/rapper Lowkey will be in attendance to serve up heavy bars with some food for thought on the side.
For sure fire hits with UK hip hop fans, acts bringing that pure UK underground sound include Children of Zeus, Dr Syntax & Pete Cannon and Coops. C.O.Z. have been on a serious rise lately, with mellow, summery vibes aplenty, an RnB edge to their hooks and raps that sound both very Golden Era and very UK. Long-time collaborators Syntax and Cannon have a catalogue of material built up since the beginning of the century and (as probably the funniest lyricist in the UK scene) crowds can expect Syntax to entertain and hype in equal measure. Finally, High Focus Records’ most recent signing Jordan Cooper AKA Coops, will be showcasing his dope new album, No Brainer, and evidencing why he’s currently one of the UK’s fastest risers.
And that’s just the hip hop… For anyone who fancies diversifying, you’ll be able to catch pretty much everything else under the sun at any moment. With a huge array of districts that each sport their own immersive worlds and more hidden side shows, hi-jinks and mini venues than you could shake a stick at, Boomtown ensures an experience that’s likely to fly by in a messy, technicolor blur. Come join us going tits up to our recommended acts, shooting some exclusive on-site bars, rolling round with a boombox on a music video flex and most probably at points getting completely side-tracked and lost amongst the carnage.
The final surge of resale tickets are very limited and will sell out fast, so to get involved with the 10th anniversary celebrations get yours now!
On July 13th R.K.P in honour of the victims of the Grenfell Tower presented a night called “Of the People, For the People”
In response to the tragic events that took place in June last year, Rodney P along with some of the leading members of the Hip Hop Community and the good people at PyroRadio came together to host a night for the victims of Grenfell Tower. This short video documents the event, that took place at Brixton Jamm and the distribution of funds raised. All Artists, DJ’s, hosts and technicians worked free of charge donating their time and efforts.
ROOM 1 London Posse, Blak Twang, Klashnekoff, Ty, Task Force (Chester P & Farma G), Logic, Mighty Moe & The People’s Army
DJ’s Daddy Skitz, Sarah Love, DJ Devastate (Demon Boyz), DJ Snuff, Joe Buhdha Hosted by Rodney P & Big Cakes
ROOM 2 Hosted by PyroRadio: www.PyroRadio.com DJ Form, Flip Life Radio, SISTER, Treble Clef, Sidewinder RAW, Bryan Gee, Majesty, The Ragga Twins Crew
Thanks to all the un-billed artists who came and performed on the night including Skinny Man, Sterling Collat, Seany T, Aaron Unknown, Awate and everyone in attendance.
Register to vote online here. (It takes 2 minutes.)
Something that has the potential to be seismic is in the middle of happening. For the first time in any of our lives and possibly the last, there is a leader of a mainstream political party who is directly and not cynically standing up for US. Before making a call on the likelihood of whether he might actually win, it’s worth thinking about just how unlikely it should seem that he is in the position he’s in right now at all. Before Corbyn, how likely would anyone have thought it was that emerging from our political climate we might find the first honest political leader any of us have ever seen beat 100-1 odds to become the leader of the opposition party in 2015?
How likely beyond that, would it have seemed that someone that actively opposes the corrupt relationship between government, the super wealthy and the media would survive the whole quote unquote establishment (and the right-wing half of his own party) trying to unseat him, and still be here at the point an election is called? And still the best that his critics can come up with to level at him is that he’s soft. Apparently sucking Rupert Murdoch’s old wrinkly cock, giving tax breaks to your rich chums and throwing any morality to the wind to cosy up to Donald Trump is ‘strong and stable’. Taking on everything that we’ve always understood to be corrupt about political and economic power in our country clearly makes you a bit of a pussy.
Whether you agree with the specifics of all his policies or believe he’d be able to make every one of them a reality or not, Jeremy Corbyn is someone who acts on genuine beliefs and conviction. This is a man who before the likes of Cameron and Boris Johnson were burning their first fivers in front of homeless people or fucking pigs’ heads to gain access to the Bullingdon Club, was arrested outside the South African embassy in London for protesting Apartheid.
“My man, Jeremy! Young Jeremy, my guy. I dig what he says. I saw some sick picture of him from back in the day when he was campaigning about anti-apartheid and I thought: yeah, I like your energy … I feel like he gets what the ethnic minorities are going through and the homeless and the working class.” – Stormzy
This is a man who defied his party to rally against the Iraq war and intervention in Libya and accurately predicted that the state of the Middle East we see today would be the legacy of such actions. Putting his record of being on the right side of history aside, this is a man who right now is fighting to tax the rich to help the rest of us and protect the poorest. This is a man who wants to charge VAT on private schools so less privileged kids can have free meals, to halt the rising control that the economically ‘strong and stable’ have on everything from housing, to the NHS, to education, to railways and energy and put all of it back into our hands. When you break down what Corbyn is about at his core, his anti-establishment ethic, his history of protest and activism, his distaste for the rich and opposition to corruption, militarism and oppression, Corbyn is pretty fucking hip-hop. In fact, in his ethic and actions to date Corbyn shares more in common with the dissidence of figures like Public Enemy, Lowkey, Dead Prez and Akala than he does with any political leader that has ever had the chance of running this country.
This said, it’s not surprising that prominent figures in the grime and UK hip-hop scene (many of which might have previously been opposed to any candidate) have stepped into the fray to show support for him. Influential names including Rodney P, Micall Parknsun, Stig of the Dump, Stormzy, Akala, Genesis Elijah, JME, Si Phili, Potent Whisper and Novelist have all voiced their support. Celebrity endorsement in the UK isn’t a new phenomenon. Rock n Roll royalty and A-list actors came out in force to support Tony Blair’s campaign and even Ed Miliband had Russell Brand pull a bizarre U-turn and back him just before the election to try and get the kids involved. Corbyn isn’t without any celebrity supporters but there is something telling about the recent surge of counter-cultural support he has received from artists whose music, ethic and fanbase are fiercely opposed to the rich, corrupt and powerful who a lot of us feel have fucked our generation right over.
Hip-hop at its root and at its best is born out of protest and often disgust and aggression towards the establishment. It’s role has always been both a voice for and a gospel to the people most marginalised by society. This creates an interesting choice for politically minded, dissident rappers when for the first time there is a chance that by standing with someone within a system that they are supposed to stand completely against, they might actually change that system for the better. The people that Corbyn is standing up for are the same that hip-hop is supposed to. In a better world, our political leaders would feel responsibility for the best interests of the people they are supposed to represent. We’ve come not to expect that from them. The same responsibility should also apply to those who lead and speak for a culture that has always represented the struggle. We’re witnessing a rare moment when the interests of two normally opposed leaderships have aligned. Fortunately, it seems that a number of hip-hop and grimes’ most prominent figures have noticed this, put their rejection of the political process aside and begun to rally behind Corbyn for the greater good.
“For once in my life I can’t say “they’re all the same”, apathy is no longer an option, to be apathetic is to be complicit in the dismantling of OUR public services, to stand idly by as millions die from demonic benefit sanctions & health cuts. Even if fuck all changes, I don’t want those stains on my conscious. There have been more millionaires created & more profit made during times of austerity than at any other point in our lifetimes. Fuck these devils. One last chance to vote for change, if it’s unsuccessful, or Labour wins & fail to keep its pledges we burn it down & start again, or it’s dead in the water & the overlords have won. Don’t fuck about now.” – Stig of the Dump
Essentially, whether you are poor, young, disabled, ill or a minority in this country at present, you have every right to feel angry at the way the state is continuing to stack the odds against you. Put all the people who fit into those categories together and they outnumber the rest of the electorate overwhelmingly. If it wasn’t for decades of feeling detached from the lives and motives of politicians to the point that under-represented people feel there is no point engaging, this election might be a simple US versus THEM decision resulting in a landslide for Corbyn. Apathy routed in a sense of powerlessness however, has become normal.
“I’ve come to the realisation that apathy is what they want. Apathy keeps them in control, the middle & working classes either don’t turn out or are split over the 3 main opposition parties, while the rich & racist unite behind the Conservatives without fail.” – Stig of the Dump
This is most true among young people. Less than half of under 25s, didn’t vote in the 2010 general election, and only 6 out of 10 did in 2015. So it’s handy when someone such as Akala steps into the debate. While arguably being the most overtly and intelligently political voice on the UK hip-hop scene today, Akala also professes to never have voted. This position gives his latest statement a unique resonance. His decision to vote now and reasons for doing so should be a rallying call to the young, poor and disenfranchised that now is the time to stand up.
“We do not need perfect politicians, because we are not perfect people ourselves. However for the first time in my adult life and perhaps for the first time in British history someone I would consider to be a fundamentally decent human being – that is, someone who does not want to kill the poor and does not routinely make a habit of rationalizing the bombing and invasion of other peoples countries under the rubric of humanitarianism – has a chance of being elected.” – Akala
In a characteristically objective manner, Akala doesn’t romanticise the socialist heritage of the Labour Party or pull punches on outlining the ways he believes Jeremy Corbyn has been flawed. Most notably he dismisses Corbyn’s efforts before the Brexit referendum as abysmal. He also doesn’t shy away from the fact that electing one decent man will not completely change everything that’s wrong with the county or the fact that as that man isn’t perfect he will inevitably make mistakes (if he wins) that we in the future will have to hold him to account for. If anything though, by qualifying his appeal to vote aimed at the disillusioned with a level headedness that doesn’t make Corbyn into a folk hero, it makes his reasoning for voting for him even more powerful.
Akala bases his argument on the logic that although a vote for Corbyn is still a vote that can’t be separated from a political system that is flawed, it is a choice that will make things better for millions of people. Whereas a vote for Theresa May or no vote will directly make things worse. The London based rapper, poet and activist draws focus, first and foremost, to Corbyn’s record for opposing foreign aggression. Beyond a moral and anti-imperialist argument against our history and potential future of war, Akala cites the impact that aggressive foreign policy has had on the refugee crisis and spread of terrorism. Going further, assuming May’s rhetoric and allegiance to America will sign us up to more of the same bullshit in the future, he calls attention to one of the central hypocrisies of the Tory campaign against Corbyn.
“It seems increasingly clear that America is preparing for war with Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (again; see Nick Turse Kill Anything That Moves) and make no mistake about it if the Tories get their mandate our taxes will be right there with them.” – Akala
One of the main arguments against Corbyn from the Tories is that his ideas are insane because there isn’t an extra £50 Billion pounds lying around to help people who are suffering. Even ignoring the fact that closing tax loopholes for the super-rich and raising taxes on corporations and the most wealthy would go a long way towards hitting that target. Here are some numbers that put the argument into perspective. According to an article in the telegraph in 2014, the cost to the UK taxpayer of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars was over £29 Billion. Her voting record shows that our Prime Minister believes that is an acceptable amount of money to spend on wars which have left more than half a million people dead in Iraq alone, created ISIS, sent our troops to die and cost us billions more in counter terrorism measures resulting from the backlash. Voting for her is voting for the probability of doing all that again. In her mind spending billions of our taxes on genocide and global destabilisation is acceptable but spending rich peoples cash on helping US is out of the question. Akala, as always, is on point calling her out on this.
“There are a great many other progressive policies … that make Corbyn a genuinely different candidate from what we have seen before but another very key area – of literally life and death – is the NHS.” – Akala
After discussing in detail the nature of the nature and impact of our established foreign policy as an argument for Corbyn’s rejection of it, Akala also attacks the direct effect of Tory austerity at home. Warning of the inevitable road that privatisation of the NHS will take us down, he sees a choice between us preserving a functioning health care system that looks after us all under Corbyn, or steps under May towards a more and more profit based model that eventually prices out the poor condemning them to death or debt.
“If you are so busy hating those pesky ‘immigrants’ (you know the same darkies and foreign nationals that overwhelmingly staff your NHS) that you can’t see that the Trump worshipping Tories are callous enough to condemn millions of ‘their own’ people to slow and early death because they are poor and because it’s profitable, (as the Republicans just have) then you are unlikely to be reading this anyway, but if you have such people in your family (as I do) please try and talk some sense into them, for their own good.” – Akala
The issues raised by Akala in his statement of support for Corbyn (read the full thing here) raise enough points, questions and research worthy topics to base a small book on. He is however just one of a number of UK Hip-hop artists lately who have made powerful declarations in support of the Labour leader. Stig of the Dump as seen in quotes above, while being well known for an aggressive and vulgar front to his lyricism, makes an incredibly eloquent and compassionate argument for voter engagement behind Jeremy against the Tories (Read the full thing here).
One of the founding fathers of UK hip-hop, Rodney P, has also waded in to fire some shots at another guilty group of elites who have been desperately trying to destroy Corbyn since the beginning. It’s no secret that media coverage from most newspapers to BBC coverage has been consistently biased against Corbyn to the point of slander. This is not at all surprising considering that while Theresa May gets private meetings to strategise and bargain with Murdoch, Jeremy Corbyn treats the media mogul and other billionaires who control the press with contempt. There is no doubt that the people who tell us what to think benefit from us voting Tory. It’d be hard to sum that up more effectively than with the information shared on social media by Rodney P. It’s just a short list of 5 billionaires and the media assets they own, adding up to a huge segment of our ‘free’ media. All 5 of these shady cunts are worth doing your research on. Even at a glance though it’s an unnerving reminder that the story of Jeremy Corbyn being unelectable is one that’s been fed to us by a very small group of people who stand to lose the most if he wins.
Amongst the wave of artists that have come out in support of Corbyn, those with probably the most chance to influence large numbers of young non-voters are the big name grime artists such as JME. As one of the pillars of today’s grime scene and member of the massive Boy Better Know, Jamie Adenuga has a reach amongst the youngest potential voters and the black community that realistically (maybe with the exception of Stormzy) outweighs all the other artists mentioned in this article. Unsurprisingly Corbyn has had the sense to reach out and associate himself with JME as a means of pulling those who view Jamie as a role model into the fight.
In the short film When JME Met Jeremy Corbyn, which hopefully is currently making its way across the Facebook feeds of every grime fan in the UK, JME comes out as yet another artist who has never voted. Talking frankly with a relaxed Corbyn, Adenuga explains the reasons that he and huge numbers of people like him who face serious challenges coming up from poverty, don’t see the point in voting.
“So sometimes we feel like “You don’t need to vote. ” It doesn’t matter. Whoever… No-one has our best interest at heart anyway. So whatever happens, we’re still going to struggle, we’re still going to grind … Whereas now, we start, we seem to be seeing someone that we can actually trust, someone that’s human.” – JME
Corbyn and JME see eye to eye discussing the ways that things that could finally be different under this Labour government. The focus between them is on the need for governments not to forget about the suffering of the poorest or the future of the youth and how important it is for us to actually vote if we want to see that.
The reason for Corbyn’s election by the people as Labour leader and his strong grass roots support is exactly why he seems completely at home talking with JME. Having been MP for Islington North since 1983, he’s still more comfortable walking the streets of his area and talking to the people he represents than he is wearing a suit. Finding footage of Corbyn talking to ordinary people who love him is easy, whether it’s members of the public in his constituency or the large crowds that come to support him even in Tory strongholds like Leamington Spa. Compare that to the fact that it’s hard to find footage of Theresa May not getting booed or angrily questioned by the public when she tries to stage a campaign ‘talk to the people’ moment and the difference is laughable. While the media has done everything it can to hide that Corbyn is a man of the people and make it seem like May isn’t completely removed from them, the pictures below say it all really.
This same humbleness and realness comes across in a different setting in his conversation with JME. As its aimed at people who may not even normally bother to read papers or watch the news or feel like there is any point giving a shit about politics, with any luck it might create another last-minute surge of youths registering to vote.
Grime’s support for Corbyn including the #Grime4Corbyn campaign which aims to raise awareness and even incentivise registering to vote with chances to win tickets to a secret London party can’t do his numbers amongst young people any harm. Similarly, iconography such as the Corbyn range by hip-hop hemp clothing brand THTC lends to his credibility.
At present, it’s impossible to tell whether UK hip-hop and grime getting behind Corbyn will be enough to have an effect the outcome of the election on June the 8th. The kneejerk reaction of many who have felt like our vote doesn’t make a difference might be to question whether one cultural group standing up can make a difference. The answer is YES it 100% can. Recent history has taught us exactly this. Barrack Obama helped swing two elections by mobilising a section of the American population that traditionally didn’t vote. For the first time in history the young voter turn-out was higher proportionately among African Americans than it was amongst whites in the 2008 election. His second election saw a higher proportionate voter turnout for the whole population amongst African Americans than amongst whites. Public support from the U.S. hip-hop community played a big part in raising awareness and popularising the Obama campaign and effectively convinced people who viewed the government as the means of their oppression that by voting for the right person they could change it.
More terrifyingly the same phenomenon has happened with far darker consequences in more recent times. Racists vote. Militantly angry xenophobes who blame job stealing immigrants, terrorist Muslims and violent black youths for all the problems in our country don’t outnumber the rest of us who aren’t complete cunts. However, the vast majority of them do vote. Without exception, they vote for whichever party chats the harshest shit about immigration and nationalist values. Recently, many of us who pride ourselves on being progressive or count ourselves as marginalised didn’t get off our arses and sign a ballot while the racists all did. In 2009, in one of the lowest voter turn-outs of all time, the anti-European UKIP leader and all round racist twat Nigel Farage gained a seat representing our country in the European Parliament. Last year, by an incredibly thin margin, the UK voted to leave the EU leading to a new economic downturn, a spike in racism and consequences we will suffer forever. In America, the strategy of agitating racist hillbillies has made Donald Trump the most powerful man in the world.
Elections can be won by fully mobilising seemingly powerless groups of people. It’s one thing to decide not to vote when it’s one cunt versus another one and it’s all well and good to say we reject the whole corrupt system so we won’t support it by voting for anyone, but now of all times where will that attitude leave us? Are we ready to be the fucking mugs who stayed on the side lines judgementally but didn’t engage and let the racists, bigots and comfortably rich turn out in force and take the one election that might actually change everything and swing it against us. As importantly, in regards to those of us who consider ourselves part of a culture that fights our oppression, what kind of hypocrites does it make us if the one time we have someone who is genuinely fighting for US, we not only refuse to fight for them but don’t even spend a few minutes to vote for them.
In summary, if you still haven’t registered; listen to Akala, listen to JME, listen to Stig, Stormzy, Rodney P and the rest of them and go and register to vote. Whether you already have or not, persuade your friends to, talk to your parents, appeal to your grandparents if they’re still knocking about, knock on your neighbours doors, talk to people in the streets but don’t just fuck it off this time.
Or do fuck it off. But if that’s your choice and 2 more years into Conservative rule over us you find yourself chatting some revolutionary, socialist, human rights based, anti-government, pseudo-political moral argument at a party to let everyone know how deep/woke you are, please pause for a moment of reflection and then punch yourself in the genitals.
Sign up here to vote before midnight on Monday the 22nd.
“Under The Influence” is a brand new documentary series currently in production. It will tell the story of Hip Hop, Reggae and Soul in the UK and Celebrate the icons that paved the way for today’s music scene. The documentary will be released later this year.
“It’s important that we reflect the thoughts of the people in these films. I want to know the public’s opinion on who should be interviewed from the old and new school? If they feel Grime would exist without Hip Hop? And their favourite UK Hip Hop stories” – Rodney P