BIRMINGHAM
beats
Words: Pascoe Sabido
Birmingham’s hip-hop scene
is only now emerging from
its underground obscurity.
Previously confined to people’s
bedrooms and little-known
locations, the past year has witnessed it
flourish, supported and encouraged by
dedicated venues and talented artists such
as Bambino, an MC who has pushed the
scene both at home and abroad. Prevailing
attitudes amongst those involved have
changed, and the individualism of the
underground years has been replaced by a
desire to succeed as a collective. The new
style associated with Birmingham’s brand of
hip-hop also denotes a change in direction;
while other popular music converges on
electronica, the West Midlands’ hip-hop
maestros are instead returning to the classic
beats and intelligent, relevant lyrics rather
than the violence and provocation rife in
the grime scene and the US. Bambino, or
Bamz as he is more commonly known, is not
complacent; he realises how far Birmingham
has to go if it is to become truly established
on a national and even international stage.
There are still elements damaging it from
the inside, but if the good progress achieved
so far is used as a platform, Bambino’s
dream could come true: “Listening to the
radio I would love to hear one Brum artist
followed by another, not because it’s a
specialist show but because people are
taking notice.”
Moorish Delta 7 opened the flood-gates for
the West Midlands ten years ago, but since
Malik, Cipher, and Jawar gained critical
acclaim for their EP ‘Taking Four Wicked
Heads’, their focus has shifted to nurturing
new talent. “You can’t even mention
Birmingham hip-hop without talking about
Moorish Delta 7,” exclaims Bamz. Now
only Malik is still going with a solo career,
but 7 Entertainment, along with labels such
as Playaz Cliq Recordings, have allowed
Brummy artists to stop looking to London for
a record deal.
Although record labels play an important
role, it is the live performance that
establishes the physical scene, provoking
the accompanying emotion. In Britain’s
second city, live performances are doing just
that: Birmingham’s up and coming artists
are being given a stage at nights such as
the Scratch Club, the Jump Off Birmingham
(new this July), and Secret Wars. DJs Sammy
B-side, Malicious, and DJ Cro ensure the
crowd keep moving, as well as bringing new
artists deserved exposure through white
labels and dubplates. At the open mike
competitions, MCs are allowed to “show their
worth,” while beatboxers, b-boys and b-girls
— as well as live art at Secret Wars — provide
the substance behind the music: the four
elements of hip-hop under one roof (DJing,
MCing, break-dancing, and graffiti). MCs
such as Kosyne, Solo Cypher, Sonny Jim,
and Bambino regularly battle, challenging
for lyrical superiority to the delight of the
crowds. Any newcomer with a bit of swagger
is always welcome — but make sure you
don’t choke. Events like Drop Beats Not
Bombs have also helped to raise hip-hop’s
profile and bring it to a wider audience,
while the emergence of new nights such as
Jump Off Birmingham highlights a trend set
to continue.
People flock from all over the Midlands,
from neighbouring Coventry and as far as
Nottingham, and Bamz puts this down to
Birmingham “gaining respect as the second
[musical] city.” As the scene has changed,
so have the crowds; the agro that jumps
out from a Moorish Delta 7 video has been
replaced by a less aggressive vibe, made
obvious by the number of university students
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