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MoStack & the British rap revolution!
RnB/Hip Hop | Tuesday 6th March 2018 | Jake
MoStack was never meant to make it, his skinny frame, covered by slim-fit tracksuits and flippant rapping were not particularly en-vogue. Grime was reaching the peak of its sensational return, Skepta was about to secure a historic Mercury Prize award for his debut album Konnichiwa, the scene was in rude health.
The grime scene, that is. The more traditional rapper didn’t flourish in the same way as grime artists, nor did they possess the gritty pull of drill artists, a subgenre of trap that started in Chicago and found a home in South London. Yet, while grime maintains a steady yet unspectacular (save for Stormzy, if you classify him as a grime orientated artist) popularity, and drill has faded from the spotlight, British rap has been rumbling and bubbling like a shaken up coke can, ready to explode.
If Wiley is the godfather of grime, then Giggs is indisputably British rap royalty, the pioneer of a neglected scene. However, the new influx of rappers have an approach to rapping distinct from their predecessor, who had a heavier influence on drill artists. Whereas Giggs is renowned for his hard-hitting realism – his albums can be viewed as a diary to a lifestyle – MoStack and artists such as Not3s and Ramz float over light rhythmic instrumentals in a playful manner, their lyrics more often than not touch on the lighter side of early adulthood.
Giggs - rap royalty
MoStack dropped a tape last year that reached top ten in the official charts, and now he’s eyeing another chart success, with a new tape slated for a 2018 release. It is eagerly anticipated, following the success of road rappers, such as Nines, British rap has been making its way into the mainstream. Many commentators would argue Stormzy’s astronomically successful Gang Signs & Prayer was a rap album, despite its lead single leaning heavily towards grime.
MoStack’s strain of light-hearted, playful rap is now gaining similar traction. Ramz’s debut single 'Barking' blazed its way to second place on the official charts and currently boasts 30 million views on youtube.
An adaptable, but always enjoyable flow, which graces many of the new breeds of UK rappers, and melodies inspired by afrobeats, dancehall and numerous other genres have catapulted British rap into the forefront of the scene.
Everything that spells out the longevity of this genre is outlined in MoStack’s new single ‘What I Wanna’, a tribute to foolishness and fun (MoStack jokes that he’s “a hustler, I thought you knew that? I could sell a Biggie Smalls album to Tupac”), the obstinately infectious charisma of MoStack’s rapping has undeniably helped British rap reach a level of popularity it has never enjoyed, and it is that charisma that will keep it there.
