Scottish hip hop is the regional manifestation of the
British hip hop
UK rap, also known as British hip hop or UK hip hop or British rap, is a music genre and culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. The development of UK rap was shaped by a distinct set of regional inf ...
culture in Scotland, comprising the five elements of MCing,
DJing
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
,
beatboxing
Beatboxing (also, and sometimes, called beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (usually a Roland TR-808, TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.graffiti
Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
and
b-boy
A b-boy is a person devoted to breaking or break dancing.
B Boy may also refer to:
Music
* "B-Boy", a song by Tech N9ne featuring Big Scoob, Bumpy Knuckles, Kutt Calhoun, and Skatterman from the album '' K.O.D.'', 2009
* "B Boy" (song) by Meek ...
ing.
History
In the 1980s, elements of hip hop culture had spread to Scotland. Scottish actor and stand-up comedian
Johnny Beattie
John Gerard Beattie, MBE (9 November 1926 – 9 July 2020) was a Scottish actor and stand-up comedian whose career spanned over six decades. He appeared on shows including the sketch show '' Scotch & Wry'' and the sitcom ''Rab C. Nesbitt'', an ...
claimed to be "Scotland's first rap star". His song "The Glasgow Rap" was released in 1983 and received some chart success at the time.
In the late 1980s artists such as II Tone Committee,
Bill Drummond
William Ernest Drummond (born 29 April 1953) is a Scottish artist, musician, writer, and record producer. He was a co-founder of the late-1980s avant-garde pop group the KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with wh ...
, Krack Free Media, Dope Inc and into the early 1990s with Blacka'nized, NorthernXposure, Zulu Syndicate, Eastborn, Major Threat, All Time High and UTI (Under The Influence) laid the groundwork for a Scottish Hip Hop subculture, rapping consciously about their own lives and problems in their own voices rather than emulating American rappers of the time. The first Scottish hip-hop on vinyl was ''The Frontal Attack'', released by Dope Inc in 1991. In Glasgow,
Steg G
Steven Gilfoyle (born in Glasgow, Scotland; is better known by his stage name Steg G) is a Scottish hip hop music producer, radio presenter and recording artist. His involvement with Scottish hip-hop culture began with a pioneering role in the ea ...
& the Freestyle Master were producing work that added a west coast twist to Scottish rap.
In the early 2010s, a defined scene became more visible in the mainstream for various reasons.
Firstly, the emergence of "written"
battle rap
Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults, wordplay and Diss (music), disses originating in the African Americans, African-Amer ...
as a defined artform led to greater exposure of the scene as whole, thanks to the creation of battle events in both Edinburgh & Glasgow by Nity Gritz, co-hosted by Werd (S.O.S) This even culminated in a Scotsman becoming the de facto UK battle rap champion when Soul became the
Don't Flop
Don't Flop Entertainment is one of the largest rap battle leagues based in the United Kingdom. It was founded by longtime friends Eurgh (Rowan Faife) and Cruger (Freddie Scott-Miller) in 2008. Since then, notable performers include Oshea, Sensa ...
champion in 2015.
Several artists within the hip hop community also became galvanised by the
2014 Scottish independence referendum
A independence referendum, referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or ...
. The likes of
Loki
Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
and
Stanley Odd
Stanley Odd is an alternative hip-hop group based in Scotland combining live instrumentation with samples and loops. Formed in 2009, the band have supported acts such as Arrested Development, Sage Francis and The View, and played at major Scottis ...
championed the Yes vote. The former emerged as an activist and cultural voice on behalf of the hip hop community, while the latter went viral with their single "Son, I Voted Yes".
Elsewhere, several acts within the scene broke into the mainstream. The likes of
Hector Bizerk
Hector Bizerk were an experimental hip-hop group from Glasgow, Scotland, featuring drummer Audrey Tait and rapper Louie. Formed in 2011, they were initially a duo. However later recordings saw them add Jennifer Muir (Synth, Percussion, Vocals ...
and
The LaFontaines
The LaFontaines were a rock band from Motherwell, Scotland. Their lineup consisted of Kerim (Kerr) Okan (vocals), Jamie Keenan (drums, vocals) and Darren McCaughey (guitars, production). The band was formed in 2008 and have released four studio ...
earned prestigious slots at the
T in the Park
T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...
festival, as well as widespread critical recognition. Meanwhile,
Young Fathers
Young Fathers are a Scottish Progressive rap, progressive hip hop group formed in Edinburgh in 2008. Their second EP, ''Tape Two'' (2013), won the Scottish Album of the Year Award. In 2014, they won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize, Mercury Prize ...
, a hip hop group from Edinburgh, achieved UK-wide success with their album "
Dead
Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sho ...
", for which they won the
Mercury prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...
. While Edinburgh's Madhat McGore pushed the music further down south, working with English acts and appearing on
Charlie Sloth
Charlie Ian Paul Rouillon (born 20 August 1981), known professionally as Charlie Sloth, is a British DJ, hype man, producer and TV presenter.
Early life Abstract Orchestra, a British hip hop orchestra that are known for reworking classic American hip hop and working with both UK and US artists.
In July 2015, the Audio Soup festival in Dunbar became the first to dedicate an entire stage to Scottish hip hop artists.
Breakdancing
From the inception of
Hip hop culture
Hip-hop culture is an art movement that emerged in New York City, in the borough of The Bronx; Primarily within the black community. Hip Hop as an art form and culture has been heavily influenced by both male and female artists. It is charac ...
in Scotland,
break dancing
Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City.
Breakdancing consists mainly o ...
became a popular dance form. Castle Rocks was Scotland's biggest ever
bboy
Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City.
Breakdancing consists mainly of ...
competition and attracted competitors from Korea, Brazil, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway etc. and across the UK. It was established in 2005 and ended in 2012. Some prominent Scottish crews (past and present): Flyin' Jalapeños Crew, Laser city crew, 141 Crew, White City Breakers, Random Askpektz.