The Wake

When one discusses the origins of hip-hop, the United States immediately comes to mind. This is not to say people fail to recognize hip-hop’s global influence. In recent years, the Internet and other technology have propelled emcees from the UK’s hip-hop scene into the limelight. Yet, the artists exposed to the masses tend to come out of a sub-genre of the UK hip-hop scene called garage. The beats of this music are typically frantic drum and bass tracks laced with elements of hip-hop and reggae. With the dancehall craze, it is no surprise that this sound is the most recognizable UK hip-hop. Much like reggaetón, garage artists often borrow musical and verbal style from reggae. Since hip-hop arguably grew out of the Jamaican sound-system subculture, this is not an illogical relationship.

For many, UK’s garage scene is the only British hip-hop they’ve been exposed to. But there is another movement within the UK underground, which resonates more with Talib Kweli than The Streets. Artists such as Jehst, Poisnous Poets, Task Force, Kashmere, and Lewis Parker have been laying down organic beats and rhymes in pure hip-hop fashion for years, beneath the surface. While there is increasing interest in the UK hip-hop scene, artists are hardly garnering the support they desire. There is a big push from fans and artists to get 40 percent of hip-hop played on British radio stations to be from the local scene, but this goal is far from met. Numerous artists stick to the D.I.Y. model and release albums independently. This often results in hungry lyricists and beat-smiths forced to treat every track like it’s their last.

The hip-hop scene in London has been around for more than two decades, yet many of its brightest talents remain “like a gem stone in a cess pit” as producer/writer Jehst says. Jehst drops witty and meticulously crafted stanzas as effortlessly as his beats infiltrate the heads of hip-hop enthusiasts, and is considered one of the greats of the scene. Tracks like “Extra Sensory Perfection” and “Manimals” will have you hitting rewind repeatedly to pick up every gem he drops.

The subject matter is quite similar to U.S. hip-hop: struggle, survival, partying and bullshit. There is also the infamous quest for fortune and fame, as is evident from The Villains’ newest 12-inch release, “Gotta Get That Cash/Stress,” which reeks of mid-90’s east coast influence, i.e. D.I.T.C. UK hip-hop is not, however, simply a rip-off of U.S. hip-hop . While there are obvious similarities and influences, UK hip-hop bears authenticity. You will hear styles and subjects unique to their homeland, but fully accessible to any hip-hop head. So, if you’re running out of lyricists that are catching your third eye, you may want to look outside of the U.S. borders. If the accents do not turn you away, you will hear quotables that would strike fear of admiration in the hearts of top U.S. emcees. Just don’t get too into any of them, remember you can only catch them at the club 4,000 miles and an ocean away.