PASS THE MIC: A BRAND NEW KISS documentary on UK Rap & MC Culture
Join Ellie Prohan alongside influential artists and innovators for this 8-part series
Last updated 1st Apr 2022
In only a couple of decades UK Rap has exploded onto the global stage.
British MC’s have gone from underground to figures that dominate the world's scene.
In this series, we take a look into the lineage of modern MC culture over 8 exciting episodes.
We're teleporting you back to the sweaty walls and heavy basslines of London's 90s sound systems 🎧
From the Sound system culture of Saxon, and Sir Lloyd Coxone, through the early days of UK Rap, we follow the line through early rave culture, and the Jungle scene where MCs stood front and centre.
We follow the UK Garage story and its progression into Grime and beyond - to the excitement of the many different incarnations of UK Rap we see today.
We’ll tell stories that illustrate how we arrived at the current music scene, the tools the UK scene has, and explore the newest generation of MCs.
Throughout this series the focus is on establishing a strong heritage and connection between the blossoming stars of today and the legendary innovators of the past.
The series will feature voices from UK MC culture spanning over 40 years, including Tippa Irie, Shortee Blitz, MC Navigator, Chase & Status, Big Narstie, Lisa Maffia, Ms Banks, Logan Sama, Risky Roadz, Aitch, plus loads more!
Each bringing their own invaluable stories about a music movement at the heart of our identity.
Produced by Novel
Twitter @weare_novel
Episode 1
'Fast Style Origination' feat. Tippa Irie, Asher Senator, MC Navigator & YT.
In episode 1 we look at the growth of UK Reggae Sound systems and MCs and how that led to the UK’s own MC style.
We're talking about how Asher Senator and Smiley Culture became “Deejays” - the original name of the MC and how they developed their own uniquely British style.
Listen to Episode 1 here
Episode 2
'Cockney Translation' feat. Asher Senator, MC YT, Rodney P, Tippa Irie, MC Navigator, Shortee Blitz, Rapper Ty (archive)
In episode 2 we cover how the UK developed its own Hip Hop in British accents and how it came to dominate.
Listen to Episode 2 here
Episode 3
'Reggae Owes Me Money' feat. MC Navigator, Top Cat, Tenor Fly, Ragga Twins, DJ Hype, Shut Up & Dance, The Heatwave (Gabriel May)
In episode 3 we're talking, how Reggae stars became rave MCs and formed that style in the UK.
How the UK rave scene begins to overlap with Sound system culture, and UK born and bred producers like Shut Up & Dance and Congo Natty (at this point still Rebel MC) are sampling the Reggae records they grew up with, mashing them together with Funk and Hip Hop breakbeats to make something distinctly UK.
Listen to Episode 3 here
Episode 4
'Junglist Soilders feat. 'MC GQ, Nicky Blackmarket, MC Navigator, Chase & Status, Ragga Twins, Rodney P
In episode 4 we share the story of “The MC’s MC” - Stevie Hyper D and how Reggae influenced Jungle and created a new kind of UK MC!
And the idea of a crowd going to a night because specific MCs were playing.
Listen to Episode 4 here
Episode 5
‘Champagne Dance’ feat. DJ Sticky, Lisa Maffia, Oxide & Neutrino, Big Narstie, Ms Banks, Lady Leshurr
In episode 5, we look at how Ms. Dynamite’s Garage anthem ‘Booo!’ came about and its influence on Garage as a whole, the rise of So Solid Crew, bringing Garage and female MCs to the charts.
Listen to Episode 5 here
Episode 6
‘Know We’ feat. Risky Roadz, Logan Sama, Big Narstie, Toddla T
In episode 6, we’re taking a look at the rise of Grime and its infamous DIY culture, the evolution, the sound, its transition from ‘dark Garage’ into a whole genre of its own.
Plus, we talk about the importance of DVD series such as ‘Risky Roadz’ and ‘Lord Of The Mics’ in turning local MCs into household names.
Listen to Episode 6 here
Episode 7
'Grime Pays' feat. Logan Sama, Lady Leshurr, Big Narstie, Chase & Status, Ms Banks
In episode 7, Grime emerges from the underground and into the charts.
We touch on Jamal Edwards' channel SBTV and other similar internet channels that gave MCs a platform and allowed Grime to reach people all across the country and how it started to get noticed by huge American artists such as Drake.
In 2015, there was a breakthrough with Skepta’s ‘Shutdown’ - a commercially successful Grime track - released independently, proudly depicting Grime’s characteristic aesthetic.
Listen to Episode 7 here
Episode 8
'Independence Day feat Lady Leshurr, Ms Banks, Aitch, Chase & Status, Risky Roadz, Toddla T
In episode 8, we’re talking Stormzy headlining Glastonbury 2019, the first Black British solo artist to ever do this - a landmark moment for UK MC culture.
Meanwhile UK Rap cements itself in the charts and the rise of social media gives MCs more power than ever before, with TikTok propelling MCs and giving artists their own platform to showcase their talents.
This new generation of MCs are now a firm fixture on festival line ups and award shows across the globe.
Listen to Episode 8 here
Listen to Ellie Prohan on KISS Nights
Catch Ellie Prohan on KISS Nights every Tuesday from 11pm with all your biggest Hip Hop from the UK and beyond!
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