Welsh hip hop (Welsh: hip hop Cymru) is a genre of Welsh music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in Wales.
| Welsh hip hop | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Hip hop, urban |
| Cultural origins | Wales |
| Typical instruments | rapping |
| Other topics | |
| Drum and bass, dubstep, grime | |
History edit
Goldie Lookin Chain was one of the first hip hop groups from Wales to chart.[1][2] The group from Newport, founded in the early noughties to produce songs with "incendiary beats" and "flammable-looking trackie tops".[2] The Cardiff-based hip hop label Associated Minds was founded in 2004,[3] but it has generally been difficult for Welsh rappers to gain attention outside Wales.[4]
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In 2012 a bilingual rap artist, Mr Phormula, became the first artist to rap in Welsh at the MOBO awards.[5]
In 2016, Astroid Boys, a Welsh rap rock band from Cardiff, emerged with a music style that has been called a mix of hardcore punk and grime music.[6][7][8]
Resurgence of Welsh hip hop in the 2020s edit
By 2019, Astroid Boys were described as "undoubtedly leading the way for Welsh rap". MC Benji said “we play with a lot of different styles and ideas and don’t tend to conform to any set genre.”[4]
In January 2022, Welsh rapper LEMFRECK was announced in the lineup for "In It Together", dubbed the "Welsh Glastonbury".[9]
In May 2022 Dom James and Lloyd, two rap artists who rap in both Welsh and English, released the track "Pwy Sy'n Galw?" ("Who's Calling?").[10]
In the summer of 2022, Sage Todz (Toda Ogunbanwo) from Penygroes in Gwynedd, emerged as a bilingual talent. He released the first-ever Bilingual language drill track called "Rownd a Rownd" ("Round and Round") which gained popularity in Wales.[11] [12] Sage Todz also released a single called "O HYD" ("Still"), sampling Dafydd Iwan's "Yma O Hyd" ("Still Here") anthemic hit. "O HYD" was played by the Football Association of Wales during Wales' 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.[13]
Scene edit
Much of Welsh hip hop activity occurs in the capital city, Cardiff.[1]
List of Welsh hip hop artists edit
Drill edit
Grime edit
- L E M F R E C K [15]
- Dom James and Lloyd
- Astroid Boys
Hip hop edit
- Goldie Lookin Chain
- Mr Phormula
- Deyah
- Llwybr Llaethog[16]
- Brave Mugraw
Dubstep edit
- Mr Traumatik
References edit
- ^ a b "The hip hop scene in Wales". BBC Wales Music. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b Bevan, Nathan (2019-09-21). "An oral history of Goldie Lookin' Chain". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ "Associated Minds". Associated Minds. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b Salter, Scott (2019-01-17). "The resurgence of Welsh rap". Ron Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
- ^ Hughes, Brendan (2012-10-20). "Rapper Mr Phormula to make history with first Welsh rap at MOBO awards". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ "A Look Inside Cardiff's Rap and Grime Scene". 4 July 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ "Combining hardcore punk with grime might sound dangerously close to nu metal, but Cardiff five-piece Astroid Boys are looking ahead, not back". NME. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ Salter, Scott (2019-01-17). "The resurgence of Welsh rap". Ron Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ "Latest acts revealed for the festival dubbed the 'Welsh Glastonbury'". Nation.Cymru. 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ "Watch: Welsh language rappers find their calling with new single 'Pwy Sy'n Galw?'". Nation.Cymru. 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ Jones, Branwen (2022-03-14). "Rapper shares incredible Welsh-language drill music clip". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ "Watch: First Welsh language drill track gets stunning music video". Nation.Cymru. 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ "Watch: Stunning new version of 'Yma o Hyd' by Welsh Drill artist Sage Todz released". Nation.Cymru. 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ "Introducing Juice Menace".
- ^ "Lemfreck: Y Gymru rwy'n ei hadnabod". BBC Cymru Fyw. 29 June 2021.
- ^ "BBC Wales - Music - Llwybr Llaethog - Biography". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-08-22.