London Posse was a British
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
group.
[Larkin, Colin (1999) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music'', Virgin Books, , p. 202] According to ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', they "finally gave British rap an identity of its own."
London Posse member Bionic led the charge for UK and worldwide artists to use their own accents and languages rather than copy Americans and was the architect behind their biggest hit "Money Mad" introducing 'road style' to UK hip hop and mixing it with
ragga/
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...
.
Formation
The group was formed by Sipho the Human Beatbox, and consisted of Sipho,
Rodney P,
Bionic and DJ Biznizz.
[Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980–1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 135] Sipho had gained the attention of
Mick Jones (formerly of
The Clash
The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
) through his performance in the 1985 documentary Electrorock, and had subsequently performed on
Big Audio Dynamite's track "C'Mon Every Beatbox" from the album ''
No. 10, Upping St.''.
The group formed for the 1986 Big Audio Dynamite tour of the United States and Europe, as Sipho had been asked to tour and wanted the others to tour with him. Rodney P (then known as MC Rodie Rok) was two weeks into a YTS course when he joined the group and Bionic was performing as a reggae MC, although Rodney and Bionic already knew each other through mutual acquaintances and through attending Jerry Dammers's Artist Against Apartheid gigs in
Covent Garden.
As well as this, Sipho and Bionic had already been performing together – they had featured on the Irish TV show ''Megamix'' in 1986 as a duo. Also supporting on the tour were
Schoolly D and
DJ Code Money.
When the group first formed, it did not have a name, but while playing in New York City, they were constantly referred to as the "London Posse" because of their
hometown, and the name stuck. While out in New York, they were present at the filming of the
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip-hop group formed in the Bronx, New York City, in 1986. It originally consisted of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the ...
video for "
The Bridge Is Over".
On their return to the UK, they released the single "London Posse" (
Big Life, 1987), produced by
Tim Westwood, which detailed their experiences. The single peaked at number eleven on the
UK Independent Chart, staying in the chart for eleven weeks.
The b-side, "My Beatbox Reggae Style", was Sipho beatboxing and Bionic rapping, with scratches from Biznizz. This was the first UK track to consist solely of a beatboxer providing the backing.
The group also appeared in Tim Westwood's 1987 BBC documentary ''Bad Meaning Good'', a look at UK hip hop culture featuring London Posse,
Cookie Crew, MC Crazy Noddy and DJ Fingers, and others.
After the first single, Sipho and Biznizz officially left the group – Sipho to work with
Derek B, and Biznizz to work on Tim Westwood's radio show (although Biznizz continued to work with the group as a DJ and produce some of the group's later tracks).
Rodney P and Bionic continued to record as a duo, releasing the single "Money Mad" (Justice, 1988) with Westwood's Justice label, which gained a great deal of radio exposure. Westwood, however, did not feel that he could continue to run a label,
and the duo moved to
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
subsidiary
Mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
. As well as appearing on the anti-apartheid B.R.O.T.H.E.R. track "Beyond The 16th Parallel" alongside
Demon Boyz,
MC Mell'O,
Cookie Crew,
She Rockers, London Rhyme Syndicate,
Katch-22,
Gunshot,
Hijack, Icepick and
Overlord X, they released "Live Like The Other Half Do" in 1989. Their classic (and only officially released) album, ''Gangster Chronicle'' (Mango Records) was released the following year.
Produced primarily by Sparki (a member of the Jus Badd Crew, along with MC Mell'O and
Monie Love), DJ Devastate and the Posse themselves, it had its roots firmly in
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
and
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
, and the album sounded quite different from the predominant
hardcore of their contemporaries, and cemented London Posse's reputation as one of the UK scene's most talented groups.
According to the ''NME'', on its release it was "a musical Molotov cocktail". They also toured during this time with
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
and
N.W.A, along with Demon Boyz and MC Mell'O'.
After two more singles ("Tell Me Something" and "Jump Around"), Mango was closed down by its parent company and the London Posse moved to Bullitt Records,
run by their manager Errol Bull (who features on both "How's Life in London" and the Ragga remix).
The group began recording a second album (preliminary titled ''Ladies Love Roughnecks'') but could not afford to release it with the financial responsibilities of running a label, so it was permanently shelved.
Instead, they released a selection of singles and guest spots with other artists.
1993 saw several tracks released as singles: "How's Life in London" / "Shut the Fuck Up" / "How I Make Papes" (Bullit), the "How's Life in London Bogle remix", produced by Dobie and Tony Gadd (of
Aswad), "Supermodel / Here Comes The Rugged One" (Bullit) (produced by DJ Devastate), and the
Kicks Like a Mule produced "Pass Me The Rizla" (on the ''Ruffness: The British Underground'' EP).
The following year saw "Funky Rhyme Funky Style", released with PD3.
The group separated in 1995, and started moving in different circles to each other. Bionic teamed up with
Stevie Hyper D and ventured into drum and bass MCing while Rodney P stayed with hip hop. Both MCs recorded independently to one another: Bionic released a double A side D+B 12" produced by Peter Parsons (aka Voyager); one side was a remix of "Live Life The Other Half Do" and the other was "Feds", a solo track.
Rodney was asked by producer Dobie to guest on a remix of the
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...
track "I Miss You"; following this Rodney and Dobie collaborated again on Dobie's release "Love and Hate (Can Never Be Friends)".
London Posse reformed briefly in 1996, and their final release was "Style" (Bullit), a drum and bass influenced track produced by Bionic which also featured a remix by
The Nextmen (the Nextmen's first official remix).
After the group disbanded, Bionic moved fully into drum and bass MCing and worked closely with
Stevie Hyper D before Stevie's death in 1998. He then recorded with
Tricky on the ''
Juxtapose'' album (1999) under the name "Mad Dog" and also contributed to Tricky's 2000 EP ''Mission Accomplished''.
Rodney P formed a long-standing partnership with
DJ Skitz to host a
BBC Radio 1Xtra show and released a solo album – ''The Future'' – in 2004.
(An unreleased 2002 version of the album featured a track called "Hip Hop Gangster", featuring Sipho on beatbox.) He has also worked with the
Dub Pistols,
the Nextmen,
Freq Nasty,
Skinnyman,
Roots Manuva and
Roni Size.
In 2001, Word Play Records reissued the album ''Gangster Chronicle'', adding some (but not all) of the later material such as "How's Life in London" and "Pass the
Rizla". A double CD reissue of this album featuring previously unreleased recordings and contemporary remixes was scheduled for June 2013.
Sipho died in 2004.
Discography
Albums
* ''
Gangster Chronicle'' (1990, Mango Records)
Singles
* "London Posse" / "My Beatbox Reggae Style" (1987, Big Life) –
UK Indie No. 11
* "Money Mad" (1988, Justice)
* "Live Like the Other Half Do" / "Money Mad (Remix)" (1989, Mango)
* "Tell Me Something" / "Original London Style" (1990, Mango)
* "Jump Around (Nomad Soul)" / "Gangster Chronicle Remix" / "Jump Around" (1991, Mango)
* "How's Life in London" / "How I Make Papes" / "Shut the Fuck Up" (1993, Bullitt)
* "How's Life in London (Ragga Mix)" (1993, Bullitt)
* "Supermodel" / "Here Comes the Rugged One" (1993, Bullitt)
* "Live Like the Other Half Do (Remix)" / "Feds" (credited to 'Jungle'; 1995, Bullitt)
* "Style" / "Style (Next Men Remix)" (1996, Bullitt)
Guest appearances
* "Pass the Rizla" (''Ruffness: The British Underground EP'') (XL, 1993)
* "Funky Rhyme, Funky Style" (PD3 featuring London Posse) (from the ''Noisy Music'' EP) (Payday, 1994)
References
External links
*
*
London Posseon Heroes of UK Hip Hop.
article on Low Life.
Jimbo Jones's Convenience Store: London Posse: Roughneck Chronicles (The Biography).
{{Authority control
English hip-hop groups
Musical groups from London
Underground hip-hop groups