Yizzy Presents at Pop Brixton

Yizzy Presents at Pop Brixton, South London, was a chance for many currently lesser-known rappers to have some time in the spotlight. Yizzy himself did not come out until after 10pm, giving over two hours of stage time to a medley of different London rappers, including British-Latino rappers like Guala, whose music, in English and Spanish, I’ve never heard before. South American Brits in the audience particularly enjoyed hearing Spanish rap. 

Ecuadorian, Colombian and Black British rappers performed solo and with friends, setting a good mood for the audience. I personally enjoyed the camaraderie and support that rappers showed each other. British rap is so diverse, in ways that I previously didn’t know about, so I walked away from the show having learned something. Other performers included L1, RingRoze, Helms (an acquaintance from an old job whose appearance on stage shocked and delighted me) and Koder, who looks a lot like Andre 3000. Koder was received extremely well. He was extremely energetic, bouncing around constantly (making it very difficult for me to photograph him!) and interacting with the audience a lot. His song, ‘Richer’, is particularly good and was performed alongside his backing vocalist. His friends in the audience kept shouting out “UNDENIABLE!” which became an infectious chant. 

When Yizzy eventually came out, everyone was already on a high, so his set was full of energy. His latest song, ‘Back It’, features Dizzee Rascal and has a distinctive sound that is very different from most UK rap songs. The beat features heavy guitar and dubstep sounds that honestly haven’t been heard in popular UK music for about ten years. Yizzy can rap FAST and kept up the pace throughout his whole performance. He recreated his Fire in the Booth freestyle, which floored me. Just stellar performances all round creating a perceptible sense of excitement about the UK rap scene. Grime, drill, rap and hip hop are all different but at Yizzy Presents we got a little taste of all of these genres from a wide range of rappers. Made me feel proud to be British!

Photos & Review courtesy of India-Mae Alby| Instagram | Twitter

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