East London is home to some of the richest culture and history in Britain, from the snappy Cockney rhyming slang, infamous Kray twins to the traditional Pearly queens and kings. It is safe to say the East End is a reservoir of heritage and has contributed to some of the greatest talents ever seen, whether that is in relation to the arts, sports or just generally speaking. Some notable people are Alfred Hitchcock, Benjamin Zephaniah and Idris Elba, showcasing the high calibre of accomplished creatives hailing from this part of London. Despite all the glitz and glamour that seemingly surrounds east London, unfortunately there are a lot of deep socio-economic issues that plague it. Historically, east London has been known for its grave deprivation. Victorian workhouses may be a thing of the past, but I assure you that poverty is still a huge problem in Britain, east London in particular has the highest percentage of child poverty across the whole country. These facts may be derived from numbers, but these numbers come from the experiences of many enduring hardship and some of those people who have gone through unexplainable and unimaginable pain have found an outlet. The outlet I am referring to is rap music, which was created by a Jamaican immigrant named Clive Campbell aka DJ Kool Herc in the slums of New York among Black and Latin youth during the 70s. The creation of rap is an important one because many rappers who followed the path of Clive Campbell came from similar struggles and utilised music as an escape from the experiences they had gone through.
In this piece I would like to look into the East End, particularly Barking & Dagenham and its compelling relationship with expressive rap and ground-breaking storytellers.
While London is a city with amazing creatives and musicians, I genuinely believe the borough of Barking & Dagenham and other surrounding areas are overlooked in UK rap compared to other districts in the city. Four rappers hailing from Barking & Dagenham and other the surrounding areas are: Potter Payper, Devlin, Daff and French the Kid. The reason I have highlighted these 4 rappers is to show how rappers from these particular areas display a unique soulfulness through their storytelling. Collectively, the lyrics they spit are incredibly raw, so it is easy for listeners to appreciate the vulnerability displayed by these talented artists who depict their struggles. Usually, their songs are accompanied with soulful instrumentals, whether it includes samples or features singers, these artists produce very sincere music. Although, these rappers focus on particular sub-genres there is a congruency in the stories they tell and the difficulties they have endured. They are products of their environments and have managed to translate their pain and struggles into music. Artists like these are so significant and give their supporters an understanding of their struggles, which is usually misconstrued by external factors, including the media. Hip Hop has facilitated a way for these rappers to leave their low socio-economic background behind, also providing consumers with hopes of pursuing their dreams and aspirations. It is so important that we appreciate art born out of struggle and pain as it can be life changing.
Delving further into each individual artist, I would like to begin with the significance of James Devlin who goes by the stage name Devlin. Devlin is a grime artist who originates from Dagenham, an area known for being a former industrial town with a major Ford factory. He has been associated with the grime genre and released his debut album Bud, Sweat and Beers in 2010 which was critically acclaimed, receiving high praise from people like Zane Lowe. The album was a conscious take on the area he comes from and the deprivation faced by Dagenham residents. A standout song on the album was ‘Community Outcast’.
Moving on to Jamel Bousbaa aka Potter Payper, who comes from Barking is another talented rapper who depicts societal problems through his music, such as: domestic abuse, impoverishment, childhood incarceration and police brutality. He is well known for being a heavyweight in the street/real rap sub-genre. He is someone who details issues within certain institutions, including, schools and the justice system. He was released from prison this year after doing a 5-year stint. A few months after his release, Potter dropped a song on his Training day 3 mixtape named after his prison number ‘A6586AM’ detailing the dehumanisation he experienced in the prison system
A stone’s throw away in Romford is French the Kid aka the ‘Essex Golden boy’. He is a very new rapper to the music scene, but is taking off at a fast pace. He is a rapper who incorporates French melodies with his hard-hitting English bars. French considers himself a real rapper and is inspired by Potter’s passionate cadence and deep lyrics. His music is refreshing but dark and touches on mental health issues he faces and a life of crime that follows him. French also details how music has been an escape from hardship and crime, he wants to cement a legacy and a better life for himself which is admirable considering he is the youngest rapper I have named in this piece. His music is authentic and a reflection of his life experiences which is highly appreciated among his supporters. French the Kid’s ‘Mad About Bars’ is a personal favourite of mine.
Asher Johnson aka Daff is the last rapper I would like to address, purely because I believe his story needs to be told. Daff is not as well-known as the rest of these rappers, but he comes from Ilford which is not far from Barking and is also a street/real rapper. He was sentenced to 16.5 years under the joint enterprise doctrine in 2013. Daff’s lyrical content is comprised of money worries and ensuring his family are financially comfortable while depicting the street life. His Only Just Begun mixtape consists of a song called ‘Half’ in which he expresses his role of providing for his mum and siblings. He is truly a cathartic rapper who expresses his pain through deeply heartfelt lyrics.
So, what are my overall thoughts on the East End and its wordsmiths?
I believe that these rappers are exceptional talents who instil hope into their supporters by honing into the harsh realities of life and the need to rise above it all. Rap has provided these artists with inspiration, the same inspiration they have bestowed on their supporters-mostly inner city individuals. Rap has become an avenue of success and finally, real rappers are getting their props. The recognition of street rap has been well overdue. real/street rap is healing, sincere, aware and everything in between. The very foundations of rap were built on confrontation, mostly challenging the harsh environment it was born in. So, I am just glad to be able to witness the underdogs triumph. This is my homage to east London and the uniquely expressive rappers from areas like Barking & Dagenham.
