Bristolian bad bwoy culture recounted.
Looking at the Bristol’s hip hop scene from 1983-1993 and the music’s accompanying disciplines of MCing, graffiti art and breakdancing, this book consists of a series of transcribed monologues from the scene’s key players who include DJ Milo, Krissy Kriss and Smith & Mighty. The naturalistic flow of the text and the inclusion of colloquial language in these insightful passages really add authenticity and they feel spontaneous.
Parallels are drawn with London, where a similar scene was also happening, but the capital’s scene lacked the close-knit community spirit evident here. There is a downside to this intimacy though. The smaller scale meant the interlinked Bristol crews mostly attended the same events and parties, so there is a fair bit of overlap and repetition - nearly every chapter needlessly reminds us this era was before internet and mobile phones.
In terms of illustration, there are a plethora of flyers to view, though sadly, little in the way of the legendary graffiti described. It would also have been nice to have some exclusive images of the big names mentioned here as partaking in battles and jams past – namely Dr.Dre, Roni Size and the Jungle Brothers.
Looking at the Bristol’s hip hop scene from 1983-1993 and the music’s accompanying disciplines of MCing, graffiti art and breakdancing, this book consists of a series of transcribed monologues from the scene’s key players who include DJ Milo, Krissy Kriss and Smith & Mighty. The naturalistic flow of the text and the inclusion of colloquial language in these insightful passages really add authenticity and they feel spontaneous.
Parallels are drawn with London, where a similar scene was also happening, but the capital’s scene lacked the close-knit community spirit evident here. There is a downside to this intimacy though. The smaller scale meant the interlinked Bristol crews mostly attended the same events and parties, so there is a fair bit of overlap and repetition - nearly every chapter needlessly reminds us this era was before internet and mobile phones.
In terms of illustration, there are a plethora of flyers to view, though sadly, little in the way of the legendary graffiti described. It would also have been nice to have some exclusive images of the big names mentioned here as partaking in battles and jams past – namely Dr.Dre, Roni Size and the Jungle Brothers.
