To quote Kool Herc, ‘hip-hop and reggae are cousins’. I’m sure most people reading this are familiar with the origins of hip-hop. A young Jamaican…
All in the Ghetto: Gentrification and Hip-Hop in London
The song above is by Anglo-German band Jahcoozi, who’s vocalist is a London-born Sri Lankan woman called Sasha Perera. The song, “Takin Your Streets”, is…
The Merit of London Posse
A few days ago I was talking to a friend of mine who asked me why Rodney P is considered the first British rapper. This…
How’s Life in London: An Historical and Sociological Analysis of the London Hip-Hop Scene
‘Rap music changes faces in different societies’ (Krims, 2000: 5). Whatever your opinion on hip-hop, its impact on contemporary popular music cannot be denied. From…
Where You’re From or Where You’re At: Mapping Rappers in London
To quote Sun Ra (1973), ‘space is the place’, and there is no style of music more grounded in place than hip-hop. Hip-hop ‘takes the…