Don’t Call It Road Rap: A Year Exploring the Hidden World of Hard UK Rap

It’s been a long time coming. About a year ago, we set out to peek under the bumper of what was once known as “road rap”. Long before Giggs was introduced to non-Brits as the guy who dared to drop a Batman punchline on a Drake track, he was one of several UK rappers choosing not to airbrush their realities in tunes that spoke about life’s intersections of violence, bravado and the odd bit of behaviour the cops might frown upon.

Now – at a time when a piece of paperwork called Form 696 still has the power to prevent MCs from playing live shows in London, and the harder edge of UK rap has both burrowed back underground and gained major label recognition – host Mike Skinner looks to investigate just what space hard rap still occupies in our latest film. He meets up with some of the scene’s biggest names as they try to focus on their music and keep their lives on a positive track. From the masked lads of 67 to the ever-evolving Section Boyz crew and solo acts like C Biz and Corleone, there’s plenty to explore. And you can watch that in full below. Just … don’t call it road rap.

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