Once the new kid on the musical block, hip-hop is now hitting 50 years since its origins in the Bronx, New York. To celebrate, Wrexham’s FOCUS will host a showcase of homegrown Welsh hip-hop talent headlined by the legendary Grandmaster Flash later this month, so we asked Kaptin Barrett to mark the occasion by journeying through Wales’ own hip-hop history, 40 years on. You can also listen as you read to our specially curated playlist below.
Fri 11 Aug 2023 marks 50 years since Jamaican DJ Kool Herc and his sister Cindy Campbell put on their infamous Back To School Jam at their apartment block in the Bronx, New York. For many, this party was where hip-hop was born, but it wasn’t too long before Welsh hip-hop got its own start.
Other DJs in the United States, including Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaata, helped the music to spread and created the environment for the other elements of the culture to grow: namely rapping, graffiti and breakin’, or breakdancing as it became known here in the UK when it hit our shores like a tidal wave in the early 1980s. That was really the first proper wave of hip-hop in Wales.
1984: hip-hop comes to Wales
Although early records by the likes of Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash’s group the Furious Five would have found their way into our clubs, and even into the charts from 1979, the full-colour explosion of music, art, dance and fashion came at the very end of 1982 with the video to Malcolm McLaren’s postpunk/hip-hop/square dance mashup, Buffalo Gals. Although this was the flashpoint for many, it was 1984 – with the release of films such as Breakdance and Beat Street, the seminal graffiti book Subway Art and the first electro compilations – that hip-hop truly made its mark across the whole of Wales.
Graffiti could already be found around areas like St Mellons and Trowbridge in Cardiff, or Manselton and Penlan in Swansea, but it started to spread further, especially around the train tracks – and the trains themselves. Breakdance crews were now firmly established in Newport, Cwmbran, Cardiff, Barry and Port Talbot, with ‘battles’ in youth clubs, in holiday camps and in the streets, and Maskells skate rink in Newport became the place to be if you wanted to dance and hear the latest hip-hop and electro sounds on a Saturday, courtesy of Robbie Howells.
The rappers would come a little later in the decade, as breakin’ started to fade and the next wave of hip-hop arrived with acts such as Run DMC, LL Cool J and Roxanne Shante. Groups and crews sprung up in Wales: Hardrock Concept in Cardiff included DJ Jaffa with rappers MC Eric, Dike and 4Dee amongst others, as well as graffiti writers such as Coma One and Fina Outline. Then there was LSD Productions in Cwmbran, Mortal Danger in Swansea and 2Sharp in the Valleys.
1986: the first Welsh hip-hop release
The first Welsh hip-hop releases came from north Wales, however, and all in Welsh too. First up was the 1986 track Dyddiau Braf (Rap Cymraeg) by postpunk duo Llwybr Llaethog, followed closely by a cassette release from H3 (aka Dylan Hughes, later the drummer for both Y Cyrff and Anhrefn) and a flexidisc from A5, the first release from experimental electronic label R-Bennig.
The first south Wales releases from the late 80s showed the influence of the Jamaican sound system culture in the region. Mixing up reggae and hip-hop, ex-Hardrock Concept members DJ Jaffa and MC Eric moved to London and, with their group Just The Duce, signed a major label deal with Jive. In Newport a young Benji Webbe – later the vocalist of Dub War and Skindred – recorded a track with superproducer Jamie Winchester under the name Time To Panic. Winchester was also one of the turntablists to be found at the Welsh heats of the DMC DJ Championships, alongside the likes of Buzz, DJ Demo and DJ Excel: the latter, now known as BadMeaningGood, went on to become a UK DMC finalist numerous times, won the Vestax Championships, and is responsible for the birth of legendary turntablist technique the ‘crab scratch’.
1990s: hip-hop goes underground in Wales
As we entered the 1990s, many hip-hop followers jumped ship for the rave and dance scenes that were taking hold in the UK. MC Eric found fame with Technotronic, topping the chart and touring with Madonna along the way, while back in Wales there were only a few diehards flying the flag. Jaffa had returned to Cardiff, again joining forces with 4Dee as well as his sister Berta (sadly no longer with us), to build a youth movement in St Mellons called The Underdogs, which became an integral breeding ground for rappers, dancers, and singers. A group signed to EastWest Records, Best Shot Posse, included future BBC 1Xtra host Richie Vibe Vee and Jason Camilleri, later to become known as Dregz and present shows on BBC Radio Wales.
By the middle of the 90s, the Welsh hip-hop scene had gone remarkably quiet, but towards the end of the decade it seemed to gain a new lease of life. Seminal albums were released by ex-Underdog Johnny B; MC Eric, now signed to Island Records under the name MeOne; and various members of the Killa Wales collective. Among the latter group were former Mortal Danger members Nobsta Nutts and Dek Masha Slice: now reborn as the Headcase Ladz, they reclaimed their strong Swansea accents and identity in the process of releasing some of the most original, off-the-wall hip-hop of all time. Joining that duo were Junior Disprol, who would become perhaps the most prolific and consistently creative rapper in Wales, and Shonky.
There were also strong Welsh language hip-hop releases from Tystion – sometimes dubbed “the Welsh Public Enemy” – and Pep Le Pew. New labels popped up: initially SFDB and Rounda Records, headed by DJ Jaffa and Little Miss, those were followed not long after by other great hip-hop imprints such as Associated Minds, Hazardous, Squid Ninjaz and Dial Up. Breakin’ had also started to make a strong comeback, whilst two graffiti crews in particular, both called DSK, really started making their mark (excuse the pun) before eventually joining up in the 2000s as Cruel Vapours.
2000s: Welsh hip-hop hits the big-time
Although outside of Wales, most people’s exposure to Welsh hip-hop during the 2000s was limited to Goldie Lookin Chain, within the country it was something of a golden age for the scene. After Best Shot, Dregz had formed a new crew called Potato Skinz, one of the few groups to have kept pushing through the quiet mid-90s period. Along with two other members at the time, Ruffstylz and yours truly, we started the Higher Learning nights which brought together the dozens of different groups (far too many to mention here) now active across the country, whilst in Swansea, the Space Base night and the Monkey Bar made sure hip-hop was still being represented strongly there.
North Wales saw a new influx of Welsh-language rappers on labels like Dockrad and Ankstmusik. Crews such as the Uprock Addicts in Cardiff and H20 in Newbridge brought new life to the breakin’ scene, eventually giving birth to massive events such as the Welsh Open B-Boy Championships in Newport and Breakin’ The Bay – an all-elements jam at the Wales Millennium Centre organised by Dregz, breakin’ activist Slammo, Rmer from Cruel Vapours and Liara from street dance crew Jukebox Collective.
The late 2000s saw people pushing the boundaries more. Monkey and Stagga (another sad loss, having died in 2020) brought their hip-hop heritage into the dubstep scene, whilst other groups such as Darkhouse Family, Until The Ribbon Breaks, Afro Cluster and Astroid Boys wore their hip-hop influences on their sleeve but had arguably taken the music elsewhere. Still, there were still plenty of purists making great music: some gathered together briefly under the name Red Dragon Gang, whilst nights such as The Hold Up and Starving Artists ensured there was still live hip-hop in the clubs.
40 years on: the legacy of Welsh hip-hop
Now with at least 40 years of Wales-specific hip-hop history, the scene is more diverse and perhaps more exciting than ever. Graffiti is going strong, with shops such as Oner Signs and HSG becoming essential spaces for writers both old and new. Although there are fewer breakin’ crews, some individual dancers are achieving incredible things, with classes all over the country.
Musically speaking, there are still incredible releases on newer labels Winger and Bard Picasso. Ladies Of Rage have helped to balance the male-dominated world, and hip-hop’s influence can be heard on many young rappers who are ready to blow: Mace The Great, Luke RV, Lemfreck, Deyah, Juice Menace, Skylrk, Magugu and bilingual north Walian Sage Todz to name but a few. And there are plenty more waiting in the wings, backed up by youth organisations such as Lab7, Ministry Of Life, Sound Progression, Urban Circle, Radio Platfform and New Era.
There are also established veterans finding a new lease of life. Pep Le Pew member Mr Phormula has recently released new music with two high-profile Americans, Akil The MC of Jurassic 5 and Guilty Simpson. 4Dee has released three strong albums in two years and Dregz, Johnny B and DJ Jaffa have joined with ex Potato Skinz member Evil C to form a new supergroup called Xenith.
Whilst hip-hop has become heavily commercialised across the world, here in Wales I still see creativity and community as being at the heart. It’s been here in Wales for a long time, and we should all celebrate its incredible history, and support its exciting future by being a part of everything that is happening around us right now.
The Fly Fidelity Podcast’s favourite Welsh hip-hop releases
Both halves of the team behind the Hip Hop Cymru Wales podcast – Fly Fidelity founder Luke Bailey and executive producer Dale Lewis, aka Wolfgang Von Vanderghast – pick six of the best Welsh hip hop tracks from down the years…
LUKE
Humurak D Gritty – Rags To Rags (SFDB, 2005)
Headcase Ladz – Get A Life (Zebra Traffic, 2005)
Ralph Rip Shit – The Best Name (Associated Minds, 2006)
Metabeats – Caviar Crackle (Associated Minds, 2013)
Junior Disprol – Def II (Plague, 2022)
Honourable mention: DW Smith – Journey To Jotunheim (Bard Picasso, 2021)
DALE
Secondson – & His Orchestra (SFDB, 2004)
Squid Ninjaz – Revenge Of The Blowfish (self-released, 2009)
Mudmowth – The Circus In The Cemetery EP (Associated Minds, 2008)
Joe Dirt – Barrydockalypse (self-released, 2017)
Blue City – Into The Void (Bard Picasso, 2021)
Honourable mention: Clarity – Way Of The Dragon (SFDB, 2006)
words KAPTIN BARRETT, LUKE BAILEY, DALE LEWIS
Kaptin Barrett is Hip-hop Coordinator at Museum Wales and sometime DJ, lecturer and adviser. Info: kaptinbarrett.com
FOCUS Wales presents Grandmaster Flash + Guests, William Aston Hall, Wrexham, Sat 22 July. Tickets: from £25. Info: here
The Fly Fidelity Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Season two of the Hip Hop Cymru Wales Podcast (HHCW) is also available now on Fly Fidelity Media, with special guests across its five episodes including 4Dee, B-Boy Melee and Slammo.
Info: Fly Fidelity on Twitter and Instagram / Luke on Twitter / Dale on Instagram