British Rap

British Rap emerged in the late 80s and was based on sound combinations by Public Enemy. Later, many British musicians began to mix their music with acid house elements, and as the result a new music style was created as a heavier category of its American brother.

Birth: 1989 Bloom: 2006

British rap isn`t very popular outside Great Britain and Europe, it has characteristic traditions and stylistics. But it is impossible to find the big heritage of American hip-hop in British rap, although many British rappers grew up with rich Caribbean ragga traditions, and then they added local dialects in hip-hop styles.


The best British hip-hop musicians has divided into three camps. There were groups like Prodigy, typified by mixing hip-hop with rave. There were teams like Leftfield, who worked in the club hip-hop style. Also there were artists like Massive Attack, who used to slow down hip-hop rhythms, adding acid jazz (that`s how they music turned into trip-hop). While these three teams were conquering new territories, British rappers, coping Americans, were leading on the global music scene.

Also read: Alternative Rap

Umbrellate style: Hip-hop/Rap

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