Gaika | |
|---|---|
 Gaika at Somerset House, August 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gaika Tavares |
| Born | Brixton, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Labels | |
| Website | gaika |
Gaika Tavares, better known simply as Gaika, is a British singer, songwriter and rapper from South London. His debut album, Basic Volume , was released in July 2018 by Warp Records, who describe the sound as "gothic dancehall and industrial electronics". [3]
Gaika's parents came from Grenada and Jamaica, moving to the UK in the 1960s. [4] He was previously a part of Manchester rap crew Murkage. [5]
Following the mixtapes Machine and Security, Gaika released the EP Spaghetto in 2016. [6] [7] The Guardian described his music as blending "Caribbean dancehall tradition and London grime but also nod to R&B, trip-hop, grunge and Prince." [5] Dazed have described him as "electronic music's answer to Basquiat", [8] while US magazine Interview described the sound as "experimental R&B". [9] Gaika has described his sound using the word "Ghettofuturism". [10]
Gaika's debut album Basic Volume was released in July 2018. The Guardian praised the album as "a terrifically impressive and populist debut". [11] The album also received positive reviews from the Financial Times , [12] The Independent , [13] Noisey [14] and Music OMH. [15]
In August 2018, Gaika exhibited System, a collaboration with Boiler Room and Somerset House Studios, "a sculpture which fills the middle portion of the Lancaster Room at Somerset House." [16] [17] He told the Evening Standard that "Carnival and sound system culture is about space, and holding space. It’s about literally drawing a line in the sand and saying: ‘This is who we are and we’re here to stay. You can’t turn us off’." [16]
On May 2019, Gaika released a mixtape named Heaters 4 the 2 Seaters [18] by Warp Records, and on July 2020 he released the Seguridad EP on Mexican record label N.A.A.F.I. [19]
Writing for Dazed magazine in June 2018, Gaika criticised the Metropolitan Police's decision to crack down on drill music, saying: "Drill is the product of a looted world that wasn’t designed with us in mind, the result of much more than just a few angry kids on estates, it’s the result of centuries of reality." [20] Gaika has also discussed the ways in which the Notting Hill Carnival is presented by the press, while its cultural significance is overlooked. [21]
Gaika has also written fiction for Dazed. [22]
UK rap, also known as British hip hop or UK hip hop, is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of R&B/Hip-Hop. British hip hop can also be referred to as Brit-hop, a term coined and popularised mainly by British Vogue magazine and the BBC. British hip hop was originally influenced by the dub/toasting introduced to the United Kingdom by Jamaican migrants in the 1950s–70s, who eventually developed uniquely influenced rapping in order to match the rhythm of the ever-increasing pace and aggression of Jamaican-influenced dub in the UK. Toasting and soundsystem cultures were also influential in genres outside of hip hop that still included rapping – such as grime, jungle, and UK garage.
Grime is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) that emerged in London in the early 2000s. It developed out of the earlier UK dance style UK garage, and draws influences from jungle, dancehall, and hip hop. The style is typified by rapid, syncopated breakbeats, generally around 140 beats per minute, and often features an aggressive or jagged electronic sound. Emceeing is a significant element of the style, and lyrics often revolve around gritty depictions of urban life.
Kane Brett Robinson, better known as Kano, is a British rapper, songwriter and actor from East Ham, London. A significant contributor to grime music, he is widely considered one of the pioneers of the grime culture, alongside artists such as Wiley and Dizzee Rascal. His fifth album, Made in the Manor was shortlisted for the 2016 Mercury Prize and won Best Album at the 2016 MOBO Awards. On screen, he is best known for playing the role of Sully in Top Boy.
Justin Jude Clarke-Samuels, better known by his stage name Ghetts, is a British grime MC, rapper and songwriter. His music has been played on national radio stations such as BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Currently, Ghetts is signed to independent record label Disrupt, and released his debut studio album, Rebel with a Cause, on 9 March 2014. Known for his hard hitting lyrics and intricate rhyme schemes, he is associated and has toured internationally with such acts as Kano and was a member of NASTY Crew.
Nathaniel Thompson, better known professionally as Giggs, is a British rapper and songwriter from Peckham, London. He released his debut studio album Walk in da Park in 2008 and released a follow-up album Let Em Ave It the following year.
Darkstar are a British electronic music duo. Since 2007, they have released music on Hyperdub, Warp and 2010 Records.
Brooke Dyan Candy is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and tattoo artist. Raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, she rose to prominence after starring in Grimes' music video for "Genesis" (2012). Following its success, Candy's status in the underground scene rose as she began to release her own music, including the songs "Das Me" (2012), "Everybody Does" (2013), and "I Wanna Fuck Right Now" (2013). In 2014, she signed a recording contract with RCA and released her debut major label single, "Opulence", with an accompanying EP of the same name. Later, she joined Columbia's UK roster.
Ashley Dorothy Charles, also known as Amplify Dot, A.Dot or Dotty, is an English rapper, DJ, and radio and television presenter. She is best-known for presenting on BBC Radio 1Xtra from 2014 to 2020 and co-presenting the BBC One show Sounds Like Friday Night alongside Greg James from 2017 to 2018.
Ratking was an American hip hop group from New York City, which consisted of rappers Wiki and Hak, and producer Sporting Life. A leading force in the underground in the early 2010s, their music has been described as "stridently youthful", and the group themselves have stated they wished to reinvent rap music.
Kwadwo Quentin Kankam, better known by his stage name Novelist, is a British grime MC and record producer from Lewisham in South London. He was a founding member of the Square crew and was nominated for Best Grime Act at the 2014 MOBO Awards. He has been called the "new face of grime" and was described as "the poster child for the first generation of real grime kids" by DJ Logan Sama.
Aisa Khan Sampson-Spencer, known professionally as Merky ACE, is a British grime MC, rapper, songwriter and record producer from Lewisham, South London. He was a founding member of the grime collective Family Tree, and later Tizzy Gang, with whom he is still a part of. He also produces beats under the pseudonym Splurt Diablo. His debut album, Blue Battlefield, was released on 3 April 2011.
Ché Wolton Grant, known professionally as AJ Tracey, is an independent British rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is from Ladbroke Grove, West London. Tracey rose to popularity in 2016 and was listed by The Guardian in a list of "best new acts to catch at festivals in 2016".
Stephanie Victoria Allen, better known by her stage name Stefflon Don, is a British rapper and singer. She rose to fame after her 2017 single "Hurtin' Me" peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2016, Allen released her debut mixtape Real Ting followed by another mixtape, Secure, in 2018.
UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. While being sonically distinct from Chicago drill music, it embraces its aesthetic and melds it with road rap, a British style of gangsta rap that became popular in the years prior to the existence of drill. UK drill lyrical content tends to be truculent, depicting the harsh realism of their lifestyles. The explicit lyricism has stimulated discussion about whether the subgenre is a factor in an increase in knife crime in London. Gang affiliation and socioeconomically-deprived backgrounds are common amongst UK drill artists.
Octavian Oliver Lanoire, known mononymously as Octavian, is a French-British rapper, singer, and songwriter from London. In 2019 he won the BBC's Sound of Award, their top award for new artists. He has appeared on tracks produced by Diplo, Mura Masa, Take a Daytrip, JRick and A2. He has collaborated with Skepta, A$AP Ferg, Gorillaz, and many others.
Basic Volume is the debut studio album by English electronic artist Gaika. It was released in July 2018 under Warp Records.
Afroswing, also known as Afrobashment, or less commonly Afrobbean, or Afrowave is a genre of music that developed in the UK during the mid-2010s, derivative of dancehall and afrobeats, with influences from trap, British hip hop, R&B, and grime. Commercially, the genre has been very successful, with many afroswing artists making it into the British charts.
Yasmine Dubois, known professionally as Lafawndah, is a singer, songwriter, producer and director.
N.A.A.F.I is a DJ collective, club night, and record label based in Mexico City. The collective was founded in 2010 through a series of parties first established by Alberto Bustamante a.k.a. Mexican Jihad and Fausto Bahía a.k.a. Tomás Davo.
Send Them to Coventry is the debut mixtape by British rapper Pa Salieu. It was self-released on 13 November 2020 under exclusive licence to Warner Music UK. Production was handled by Aod, Felix Joseph, Kwes Darko, Jevon, Sillkey, Chucks, Honeywood6, The Fanatix, Wauve and Yussef Dayes. It features guest appearances from BackRoad Gee, Boy Boy, Eight9FLY, Lz Dinero, M1llionz, Mahalia, Ni Santora, Stizee and Shakavellie.
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
