Written by Lauren Najá Ghirardelli
When I first read Skepta’s tweets referring to the U.K. underground music scene as dead, I couldn’t help but scratch my head in confusion. I mean, for someone who claims to be “tapped in” how has he not heard of Cap1tala and co yet? Cap1tala’s ‘Keep On Livin’ headline show proves that the U.K. underground music scene is very much alive and ready to take over. Here’s a run down of one of the greatest shows I’ve ever been blessed enough to witness.
Producer and MC, turned DJ, George Symonds opened up the night with an unexpected show of musical prowess. Mixing tracks like Skrapz’s “One more chance freestyle” with Lil’ Kim’s “Magic stick” easing the crowd into the 90’s hiphop vibe that would encapsulate the night.
Maczpayne would then take over the mic with two new tracks that I can only describe as future club bangers. His new track ‘Trip to Paris’ is set to drop on Friday 1st November. It features a never heard before sound from Maczpayne. A bouncy tune with juicy 808’s. BETI, who is in the same collective as Maczpayne would give me the deep dive on the new track ‘Trip To Paris’. BETI explained the track to have a sample from the French track ‘Paris’ by rapper Ateyaba, which also samples Miles’ Davis’ track ‘Blue In Green’ with the added allure of feminine vocals. If anyone knows anything about deep dive sampling it’s the Kang Records collective. The second track Maczpayne played was one in which he produced himself. If George Symonds is J dilla then Maczpayne is Q-tip. Their musicality knows no bounds. So how can Skepta even question the livelihood and organic nature of the underground scene when Maczpayne had 200+ people screaming DTP?
Next to perform was French rapper BETI, whose tunes hold such melodical suave. BETI is an artist that time and time again proves that there is no language barrier in music. You don’t have to understand the language to feel it. His track ‘DOWN & BAD’ has me learning French just so I can rap along. I can’t decide whether it was the French accent or BETI’s bassy voice that had the girls in the crowd swooning. Let’s just say it was probably a mix of both? BETI reminds me of a composer influencing the mood and vibe of the crowd with a simple flex of his musical tone. I found myself throwing away all my composure as I jumped and danced to his tracks. BETI has the ability to engrave his music into your brain and even leaving the show I found myself murmuring his lyrics even though I don’t speak French! He is definitely someone to keep an eye out for.
David Armada would take over next and boy did he show the f’ck out. Out of all the performers, David is the one I’m least familiar with. But after the show, I found myself scouring Spotify for his discography. David played banger after banger. I couldn’t help but find myself blushing and fangirling as he played smooth rnb tracks while staring into the souls of the crowd. Like a true performer he knew how to make the girls and guys go crazy. The diversity of the tunes he played is something I can’t even begin to articulate. From House to Neo-Soul, David has it all.
After a quick jazzy sax intermission and insane DJ set by Transparent Studio’s Keanue, Cap1tala took to the stage. Where do I even begin? If I was to describe Cap1tala, I would say he’s the U.K’s answer to 2005 Kanye West. Some would call me crazy to make that comparison, but Cap1tala’s sample flips, production and lyricism draws me back to the past. It drags my mind back to the first time I sat and listened to Kanye’s graduation album. I sat there and thought “wow, this is one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard”. When I listened to Cap1tala’s ‘We Got Food at Home’ album, I felt the exact same thing. Even just the name of the album draws a deep level of nostalgia within me, as I reminisce about my mother telling me “we got food at home” when we would pass a McDonald’s and I would whine about wanting chicken nuggets. I could even suggest that the title of the album could be Cap1tala playing on this nostalgic feel by telling the listener to not look elsewhere or at other rappers as they’re “McDonalds”, but Cap1tala is the better option of a home cooked meal made with love. But I might just be reaching with that one. Regardless, Cap1tala is destined for greatness. So if I was you, I would tap the f’ck in and watch this space. Give it two more years and we will see Cap1tala’s name on a billboard in Trafalgar square. And not just him, George Symonds, Maczpayne, BETI and David Armada too.
Cap1tala’s stage presence isn’t something to take lightly, it felt as if he filled the whole room – not just the stage. He flowed through Neo-soul esque tracks like ‘Lost Appetite’ to hard hitters like ‘Above Anxiety’. Before shocking the crowd with surprise guest Jesse Ayo who is the human embodiment of energy. Jesse Ayo is another artist in the Kang Records collective to watch out for. With his songs such as ‘Grateful’ touching base with Christianity and one’s faith. It’s easy to become lost in a world full of negativity but Jesse Ayo’s music combats that and brings pure light to a world that is often filled with darkness.
Listening to the album ‘We Got Food at Home’ live allowed me to bask in the greatest that is Cap1tala‘s insane sample flips. I’m still shocked about how he was able to sample Labi Siffre’s soft hearted ‘Cannock Chase’ into the grimey banger that is ‘Don’t Chat About Me’. And that’s not the only sample in the album that had my jaw hitting the floor; Cap1tala pays homage to three 6 mafia and Project Pat on his track ‘Top Dollar (been a kid)’. Bringing a new age U.K. twang to the 2006 track ‘Poppin My Collar’. But insane sample flips are nothing new to Cap1tala. In fact, they’re a common occurrence, with tracks like ‘Paranoia’ sampling ‘Dreamflower’ by Tarika Blue. You may recognise it as the sample J dilla flipped for Erykah Badu’s track ‘Didn’t Cha Know’. Cap1tala was able to make the sample his and didn’t allow the powerhouse that is Erykah Badu to overshadow him. Cap1tala and all those who performed are a collective that possess the ability to develop new sounds with an old school touch. It’s safe to say they’re old souls. The show left me in awe at the incredible talent I was lucky enough to witness. Cap1tala would close the show with the fan favourite – Top Dolla. His growth as an artist has been nothing but pure organic grind. Skepta probably thinks the underground is dead because he hasn’t heard of Cap1tala yet… but here’s the thing with musicians like Cap1tala, Maczpayne, George Symonds, BETI , Jesse Ayo, and David Armada … For them, there is no competition. There is no comparison. Because of them the U.K. underground music scene has never been more alive. So I guess there’s only one thing left to say… keep on livin’ .
Leave a Reply