大象传媒

By Luke Morgan Britton, 17 October 2018

This past week has seen Dave and Fredo's Funky Friday at top spot in the UK Singles Chart, only the third song to debut at No. 1 this year (after Drake's God’s Plan and Nice For What) and the first chorus-less track to top the charts in almost five years (following Martin Garrix's Animals in November 2013). Knocking a Calvin Harris and Sam Smith hit (Promises) from the tip of summit is no easy feat, but - as 1Xtra's Kenny Allstar states - Dave and Fredo’s achievement is not just a triumph for the two artists involved, but a massive moment for UK hip hop as a whole.

"This is a turning point in the culture. It’s something that everybody who has been a lover of UK rap music, or even just who has observed how hip hop has grown in this country, has been waiting on for a long time," Kenny says. "UK hip hop has been challenged in the past for not being easy on the ears for a lot of listeners. We thought it was never going to happen. But now it’s happened… our music is the new pop."

Kenny Allstar, whose new 1Xtra show airs every Friday night from 9pm (listen back to the first episode), prides himself on championing the best of homegrown underground rap, grime and drill and is someone who’s been following the careers of both artists from the very beginning.

"I remember hearing one of Dave’s first freestyles (in 2015). He was talking about what he was going through at that time in his life and it was relatable to a lot of young people listening," Kenny recalls. He also remembers playing Fredo’s breakthrough 2016 track They Ain’t 100 during a DJ set: "There weren’t that many UK rap records that you could play in the club at the time - nothing compared to now, at least. But the entire place just went off. Everyone was loving it and wanted to hear it again. From that point, I was paying close attention and knew that this guy had something special."

"There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle that make the story so special," Kenny says of Dave and Fredo’s track getting to No.1. Its video, he says, "is incredible. I challenge you to find another video that looks that sick." There’s also the element of Funky Friday coming at an ideal time, with the appetite for UK hip hop the strongest it has perhaps ever been. But mostly, the collaboration shows two completely different artists coming together to create something exceptional.

"It’s the perfect connection - you got Dave making records with lyrics that a lot of young people can identify with and Fredo producing hits that make people feel good and want to move," Kenny argues. "When you combine those two styles, energies and fan bases, it creates such a different concoction. I feel like this could be a new blueprint for UK rap music. What they've also done is broken down community barriers, both from different areas of London but working together."

The song also shows that UK rappers don't have to compromise to be successful, Kenny says. "The track doesn’t have a hook or repetitive chorus, they just came with bars and that was enough. It showed that they could do their music on their own terms, without watering it down or making it more poppy."

But why has it taken so long for UK rap to reach this point? Kenny argues that there’s several contributing factors, including a lack of opportunity as well as an over-reliance on our American counterparts. "In the US, this happens all the time. Every single month there’s a rap record dominating the charts. But over here, we’ve had to fight to try and prove that our own music is great," he says.

"Previously, there weren’t enough avenues, opportunities or platforms for UK rappers, but these days there are more ways to discover underground music. This is an integral part of why UK rap music is so strong right now. Now we’re thinking, 'Let’s just put down the US music for the minute and look at this person over here. They’re only round the corner from us so we can watch him or her at a show every month.'"

"Two UK artists like Dave and Fredo getting to No.1 shows we can go it alone," Kenny adds. "That’s not to say that UK acts don’t still look up to North American stars. Drake, for instance, has probably been the biggest advocate for UK rap music outside of our country over the years. I’ll never discredit that, but we also have strong enough artists to do things ourselves at this point."

And who do we have to thank for UK hip hop reaching its potential? According to Kenny, a lot of it is down to the fans themselves. "It’s the people who have the power now. People can use social media to have their say and make their voice heard… It’s beautiful and it shows the power and support of fans, as well as just how much people in the UK actually love homegrown rap music."

Is Dave and Fredo's No.1 a statement of things to come then? Kenny thinks so: "We’re getting more and more moments like this, important milestones for our culture. Stormzy at the BRITs, Novelist being nominated for the Mercury Prize and now Dave and Fredo getting to No.1. Even beyond that, something that doesn’t get widely documented is that there are a lot of underground UK artists that are selling out big venues. These are important moments in my eyes and we’re seeing more and more of them happening every month or so."

"This is a new day, not only in hip hop but in the British music industry as a whole. As an advocate of UK rap music, I'm very proud of what Dave and Fredo have managed to do, as well as for what other artists will start to achieve."

• Tune in to Kenny Allstar's new 1Xtra show from 9pm every Friday night.

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