8 UK HIP-HOP ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2020
Nova
Edinburgh-based rapper, DJ and music producer Nova, emerged from Glasgow’s DIY art scene in 2019 and quickly made a name for herself in Scotland. She got a nomination in the Best Hip Hop category of the Scottish Alternative Music awards 2019, and her debut album ‘Re-Up’ has made it onto the longlist for the Scottish Album of the Year Award 2020. Nova is a shortened form of Nova Scotia, or ‘new Scotland’, the name she chose to reflect the way she and her peers are “carving a new space for ourselves and our own communities despite not fitting into the archetypal idea of what it is to be Scottish.” Nova’s music combines bassy traps alongside lo-fi hip hop and heavy grime, offering a critical commentary on modern life and a sharp awareness of social issues.
Image Credit: Zaynab McGroarty
Listen to: Status Quo HERE
James Indigo
Described by Gay Times as one of those rare artists who “feels like they could genuinely make a change in the music industry,” James Indigo has made a splash for being an out gay man in a straight-dominated genre with an uncomfortable track record of historic homophobia. The Birmingham-born rapper was a model until 2018 when he decided to throw himself into his music, where he felt he had more creative autonomy. As a creative through and through, Indigo thrives at the crossover of music, fashion and visual art - he thinks his music videos are just as important as the music itself and co-directs them with other like-minded artists. The response to his two singles, 2019’s ‘Daddy’s Coming Home’, and 2020’s ‘Cxntour’, which meld rap lyrics with pounding dancehall beats, indicate exciting times ahead.
Listen to: Cxntour HERE
R.A.E
Here’s a fun one; R.A.E is a singer, rapper and songwriter from South London who is ‘pioneering a new sound rooted in 90’s nostalgia’, according to her Spotify bio. Her distinctly British take on classic 90’s hip hop is reflected in her Fresh Prince-esque music videos - she dons gaudy neon tracksuits and bucket hats to present her unique blend of hip hop and R&B, with its easy melodies and uplifting raps. She grew up listening to Left Eye, Da Brat and Mc Lyte, drawing on these influences to create her own fresh yet nostalgic brand of bouncy, feel good music. Her music depicts relatable experiences and speaks to a young, label-defying generation. Her new EP, appropriately named,‘Listen Up’, is the soundtrack to your life; it makes you feel like you should be roller-skating around your local retail park, crunching a packet of Space Raiders and sipping a Capri Sun! She is due to perform at Glastonbury 2021 - Here’s hoping!
Listen to: The Coolest HERE
Shaybo
As self-proclaimed ‘Queen of the South’, this South-London rapper has broken through the male-dominated UK drill sphere with her fresh and cutting lyricism. A quick Google search reveals a series of Shaybo’s freestyle videos dating back to 2011 culminating in a steady release of tracks throughout 2020 - which really seems like it should’ve been the big year for her. She was due to make appearances at Wireless and Reading festivals and to perform in Ibiza for the first time and her debut album, Queen of the South, was due out earlier this year but, like many things, has been postponed. Shaybo told HYPEBEAST that Nicki Minaj is one of her biggest inspirations, with her “bad b*tch,” no-bullshit attitude, she’s a major source of admiration.
Listen to: Daily Duppy HERE
FFSYTHO
This Northampton-based grime MC has a wickedly quick tongue and incredible wordplay, which is unsurprising given that her school sounds like it was a virtual incubator for young rap talent: “All the boys were MCs, although they never really gave us girls any space... they didn’t care or understand back then,” she told DJ mag, “it’s just always been about grime”. FFSYTHO grew up watching videos of Wiley and Recky on YouTube and began her career with a 30 second freestyle on the window sill of her council flat in Northampton, soon after which she was frequenting Red Bull Radio and various other studios. She has recorded a freestyle with Wiley’s producer, Morpheus, and worked with Grime MC and producer P Money on 2019 track ‘Bop Through Ya Manor’.The rapper’s sexuality is a big part of her music - her first ever competitive freestyle featured the lyrics “Cindy kissed Barbie and Ken got replaced”.
Listen to: Bop Through Ya Manor HERE
Dibo
Dibo was freestyling with her friends from the age of 13 and released her first track at 16, but it wasn’t until she jumped on Marg’s’ ‘Pen Game’ challenge in 2018 that she made a big break with her video, receiving a landslide of positive feedback. The Luton rapper won the inaugural ‘Da Come Up UK’ urban talent competition in 2018 and received praise from Grime scene stalwart Giggs with her 2019 single ‘Da Come Up’, pushing her further still into the spotlight. Since then, she has continued to release hot freestyles, including a GRM Daily Daily Duppy and ‘Blue Lights Freestyle’ taken from Jorja Smith smash ‘Blue Lights’, which was posted by Link Up TV. Dibo delivers a captivating and honest dose of social realism using her music to reflect on her own social situation, described by 1DF as “an artist brimming with confidence and ready to take the scene by storm”.
Listen to: Da Come Up HERE
Br3nya
Born in Hammersmith, London, Br3nya went from instagram challenges to headlining the Islington Academy all in the space of two short years between 2017 and 2019. Another artist who was inspired to take to the mic by Nicki Minaj, Br3nya is an advocate of female independence and empowerment and isn’t afraid to speak her mind, building her own reputation on sharp-witted punchlines like “I’m not a snack, I’m a whole damn meal” on her debut single ‘Good Food’. So far in 2020 she has released two excellent singles, ‘Bezerk’ and ‘Plenty (Too Trendy)’ and is working on a highly-anticipated EP. Co-signed by the likes of Stormzy, Maya Jama and Donaeo and working with established producers DJ P Montana and C Biggz, the rising rapper seems well positioned to blow.
Listen to: Plenty (Too Trendy) HERE
Layfullstop
Layfullstop, a hip hop and soul artist who left Birmingham to root her sound in the Manchester scene, has supported the likes of Akala, Sa-roc and Bilal. She released the critically-acclaimed EP ‘Cherries’ in 2019, mixing soul-jazz and hip hop to create hypnotic, soulful melodies, switching seamlessly from singing to rap within songs. Her wise, reflective lyrics explore strength in the face of adversity and hint at her beginnings as a poet. She told Notion magazine that she is “inspired by the way that we as females exhibit strength, from our physical ability to our vulnerability.” The singer’s most recent work is a jazzy collaboration she did with Roots Raddix in August on his ‘Off The Bench’ EP.
Listen to: Sounds from the Rainbow HERE