capturing hip hop histories SOUTH-WEST HEADZ Master Blast Roadshow poster by Raz (Kilo), 1986. Photograph: Kilo. First published 2021 2021 Adam de Paor-Evans Cover graff by Remser Remser started writing in 1997 after seeing dubs and pieces by Sceo, Fixer, Teach, and G-Sane at the M5 pillar spot in Exeter. His school bus used to loop around Sannerville Way and the pieces could be seen from the road as well as the train. A couple of years prior to this, Remser’s mum randomly bought him a copy of Spraycan Art, and he knew straight away that it was something he wanted to be part of. In early 2000 he moved to London and hooked up with the DNK/CWR boys, they were way better than him and super-active but this experience pushed him to develop his style and learn about all aspects of graffiti writing. Respect and love to all of the South-West writers and hip hop headz, too many to mention but you know who you are! DNK CWR Waxnerds forever... Approved for free Cultural Works Creative Commons Licence Attribution 4.0 International Published by Squagle House, United Kingdom Printed in Great Britain Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this publication, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. RHYTHM•obscura: revealing hidden histories through ethnomusicology and cultural theory is a long-term research venture that explores the relationships of the non-obvious and regional-rural phenomena within music cultures. A significant focus of RHYTHM•obscura is the consumption and production of music cultures in the often neglected provincial cities, towns, and rural areas of the UK. The HEADZ Project is a major component of RHYTHM•obscura critically exploring hip hop histories with a particular interest in the provincial, regional, and rural. Examining the shared experiences of practitioners, artists, and the wider hip hop community in the UK and beyond, the project is concerned with in the personal histories, memories, and archives of artefacts, recordings, photographs, and music ephemera. The project produces publications, exhibitions, recordings, performances, reading rooms, witness seminars, and public talks. Recent outputs include the monograph Provincial Headz: British Hip Hop and Critical Regionalism (Equinox Publishing Ltd., 2020), and the contextual novel Scratching the Surface: Hip Hop, Remoteness, and Everyday Life (Squagle House, 2020). HEADZ-zINe is a periodical output of the HEADZ Project. Taking the approach of a fanzine with a critical edge, it challenges the convention of academic knowledge production and dissemination. HEADZ-zINe seeks to capture the personal, local, and communal histories of hip hop. HEADZ-zINe is foremost interested in the stories of its co-authors and through a series of in-depth discussions and complimentary analysis of the artefacts and archives of hip hop, HEADZ-zINe reveals a set of previously untold stories. This publication is non-profit making, and also available free online. More on these projects and others at the DIGitAL HEADZ ArchiVe which can be visited at: rhythmobscura.com Acknowledgements Peace, love, respect and a massive thank you to all the co-authors that contributed to this knowledge production. Big thanks to Remser for the cover artwork. Special thanks to The UCLan Research Centre for Migration, Diaspora and Exile (MiDEX) at University of Central Lancashire, University of Bristol, The British Academy, and Arts and Humanities Research Council for their support in funding the production of this issue. Thanks also to David Kerr, James McNally, Luke Palmer/Acerone, and Justin Williams for their help and further support for this issue. Editor: Adam de Paor-Evans, Reader in Ethnomusicology at University of Central Lancashire, UK. Co-authors: DJ Bex, Dren Throwdown, E-Raze, Francois Parker, James McNally, Kilo, Mike Mac, Neil Taylor, Project Cee, Rola, Simon Specifik Frankland, Vincent Dolman, DJ XL. Shout Outs DJ Bex: November 9th, 1968 to December 20th, 1997 – Lee ‘Sane MC’ Bloomfield – R.I.P. Bro, A True Talent, Never Forgotten. Shout for Posterity to the Camborne Breakers Crew 1984: Grant Hooper, Tim Weston, Andy Bassett, Martin Bowker, Martin Vallenoweth, Justin & Julian Rogers (St. Ives), Alan Gardner (St. Ives). Shout to Dave Clarke – Camborne’s first proper graffiti artist. Shout to Duane Clarke – For the pieces on our Nike ‘cheaters. Shout out to all the 80’s party people: The Bluff, Hayle; The Barn Club, Penzance; The Bowgie, Crantock; The Berkeley Centre, Camborne’ The Penventon Hotel, Redruth; The Twilight Zone, Redruth; Tall Trees, Newquay. Big Shout to the one and only Record man - John Read – Falmouth Records and Tapes – no scene in Cornwall without you Sir! Big shout to all the Bluff crew ‘88-‘89 – Summer madness! Big Shout to the Falmouth Victor Drago’s crew and the Exeter Lemon Grove coach crew – what messy times! Respect to all those that tried, failed, tried again, failed, tried and succeeded and to all those still doing it and making us old timers proud – You know who you are!!! Dren Throwdown: Tim aka Atomic Dog, Nicky & Jerry Toman, Caleb Hendy, Mark Pritchard, Dave Brinkworth, DJ Bex, Si Spex & The Creators, Mark B RIP, Blade, MCM, Calum Smallz Jackson, Shan Dookna, Francis Doyle, Chris DVS, DJ Sad Eagle, Britcore Rawmance, Mystro/MysDiggi, Freddy Fresh, Death Comet Crew, Cosmo D & Lady E, Donald D, Lord Jazz, Redvenom, Ice T & Rhyme Syndicate, Ageing B-Boys Unite, Chess Moves Cartel, George Fields, Harry, Yoshiaki Ishiyama & Delic Records, Saxon Scoundrels. E-Raze: To all and everyone whomever I’ve had the pleasure of sharing the same space as, you have shaped and influenced me in ways beyond your imagination. Peace, love, unity. Kilo: BIG shout out to all the crews I currently represent but first and foremost, my own crew Sinstars, who celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2021. I'd also like to say thanks to all my friends, family and loved ones who have supported me over the years. Mike Mac: to the ones who showed me the way, Ribbz, Clint, DJ Mish, Paul, Kelz, Krissy Kriss, Lynx. Trz (told ya), DJ Kim, Kimfest crew. Rare~Grills – forever appreciate your work. Acer, Sean, Specifik, thanks for the music brothers. Mum, Sis, Kim, and Kane this is all for you. Keep it moving. Neil Taylor: All past members of the Raw Pack Massive, South Side Alliance; Jeremy Beaver (Hip Hop Museum DC), DJ Dvious (Hip Hop Museum DC), Jay Quan (Hip Hop Museum DC), Geechie Dan (Hip Hop Museum DC), Christine L. Bowen (Hip Hop Museum DC); Toney Smith & Maureen Yancey (J Dilla Foundation), Grandmaster Caz, Chiefrocker Busy Bee, Charlie Ahearn, DJ Cash Money, Kamal Aziz, T La Shawn, Big Wiz, Rah Fyah, TruthMaze, Kimani Beard, Soul Reflect, Reies Romero; all the pioneers who laid the foundations for the culture, everyone who has supported my vision and art, everyone creating and investing in the real hip hop – rock on to the breaka dawn. Project Cee: To the original IBP crew, South Side Alliance, and all the headz from those revolutionary days of hip hop in The Westcountry; to the creative practitioners, ordinary citizens, and everyday people fuelled by the funk; to Evil Ed, Mikey D.O.N, and the pioneers throughout the provinces too many to name; and finally to my co- authors in this issue, I appreciate you. Good lookin’ out. Rest in Peace: Matthew Stiling, Jay Harrison, Rob ‘Tree’ G, Serena, Sarah, Sparky, Brian McConnell, and David ‘Dog’ Maddock – you are all forever with us. Simon Specifik Frankland: Shout outs to my brother from another mutha Project Cee, Dr Krome SWK For Life, Kilo, Remer, Scarce, Mr Fiks, Rola Roc, Mesh147, Dooza, Crystal, Such, Rumage, and of course all the South Side Alliance. Also shouts to all my Bristol headz, B-Line Fam and Cold Krushers. 2021, let’s get it done, 1. Vincent Dolman: Shout outs to the fly girls in our crew, the Subway Soldiers, Marilyn Gorman, Kirsty House, Helen. All the South Side crew and Def Defiance. Big up Scarce, Rola Roc, Ad-M.C./Project Cee, Kilo, E-Raze, Spider, Mitch, and all the crew. Big up Bristol. Blade, Caveman. Girls from the refuge, Tara, Marcha, Jemma. Exeter crew, Levy and Steph, Jodie, Ritz, Humpty, Kyla. DJ XL: Mike (Really Good Records), Simon & Mitch (Bigga), Kev (Cooperage), DJ Bloodshot (Flava), Paul Sullivan (Flava), MC Milestone (Cohorts), Rob C (Cohorts), B-Boy Parkz (Cohorts), Vegas (Gert Biggun), SFC (Gert Biggun), MC Manage, Civic Skate Crew, DJ Blueprint, DJ Phat Chex, DJ Plug, MC Crusader, Tom Oldham, Nub Sound, DJ Ribbz, DJ Hurry, DJ Apache, DJ-T, DJ Shakey, Skinny-D, MC/Beatbox Lacey, MC Illiterate, MC Exel, The Grinch. Contents editorial KILO FRANCOIS PARKER ROLA VINCENT DOLMAN DJ BEX DREN THROWDOWN E-RAZE MIKE MAC SIMON SPECIFIK FRANKLAND DJ XL NEIL TAYLOR PROJECT CEE postscript editorial When we talk about hip hop culture and hip hop history, we rarely talk about 50-year-olds from the far-flung corners of the UK – predominantly corners constructed of white majority space – where hip hop culture would never have been thought to have existed in the 1980s. However, as hip hop culture exploded across the globe it infiltrated the remotest inhabited parts of the world. This second issue in Volume 1 of HEADz-zINe focuses on pioneering hip hop practitioners and adopters from Devon and Cornwall. Much like the personal histories shared in issue 1 by those that grew up in the North-West of England, there are stories here of limited access to hip hop, and a shared sense of desire for fully absorbing the culture – or as much as could be absorbed – considering communication and societal practices of the era and the region’s cultural context.