Normski

Last updated

Norman Anderson (born 1966) [1] better known as Normski, is a British broadcaster, photographer, DJ, [2] and rapper, known for his work as a BBC television presenter.

Contents

Early life

Anderson was born in northwest London. [1] He was given his first camera at the age of nine, and was inspired by photographer Horace Ové, whose son was a friend. [3]

Career

Anderson first came to public attention as a member of London's hip-hop scene in the 1980s, and photographed fashion associated with the scene, for magazines including The Face and Vogue . [3] He also became a fashion designer, using patterns associated with black African cultural heritage. [1]

Described as "larger than life and effusive", [4] Normski fronted BBC television's DEF II and Dance Energy, "youth" shows on BBC2 in the late 1980s and early 1990s. [5] Normski has also featured in other TV projects, including reality TV shows (e.g. Extreme Celebrity Detox ). He interspersed his prose presentation with rhymes and short raps. His involvement in DEF II was an early mainstream outlet for rap in British mass culture.[ citation needed ]

His photography on the theme of the "Black British experience" has been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. [1] [6]

In August 2008, he appeared in a UK TV advert for yell.com. [7]

He makes regular guest appearances at bars and clubs across the UK and a radio show, The Ride, on Push FM. [8]

His fanzine Darker Shade of White captures images from the 1980s UK hip-hop culture. [9]

Personal life

Normski lived with DEF II producer Janet Street-Porter for four years. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch hip hop</span>

Dutch hip hop or Nederhop ("Netherhop") is hip hop / rap music created by Dutch speaking musicians in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). Although the first Dutch rappers in Europe typically wrote in the English language, this began to change when Osdorp Posse gained a big following of fans. They were the first to record and release hip hop in the Dutch language, perform for big crowds and to achieve chart success with their albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck D</span> American rapper from New York (born 1960)

Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D is also a member of the rock supergroup Prophets of Rage. He has released several solo albums, most notably Autobiography of Mistachuck (1996).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Westwood</span> British DJ and television host (born 1957)

Timothy Westwood is a British DJ and presenter. He is often referred to by other DJs and artists appearing on his shows simply as Westwood. He was described by The Guardian in 2022 as "a veteran of the hip-hop scene whose opinions have been able to make or break upcoming artists for more than 30 years". He hosted the Radio 1 rap show and presented the MTV UK show Pimp My Ride UK. In 2013, he left Radio 1 and 1Xtra after nearly twenty years and returned to Capital Radio. Investigations by the BBC and The Guardian into Westwood's sexual conduct found seven women who accused Westwood of sexual violence, as described in the BBC Three documentary Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LL Cool J</span> American rapper (born 1968)

James Todd Smith, known professionally as LL Cool J, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MC Serch</span> American rapper

Michael Berrin, best known by his stage name MC Serch, is an American rapper and music executive. He gained fame as a member of the group 3rd Bass, which was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Serch has also worked as a solo artist and as a producer for other artists. In 1994, Serch executive produced Nas' debut album, Illmatic.

Filipino hip-hop or Pinoy hip hop is hip hop music performed by musicians of Filipino descent, both in the Philippines and overseas, especially by Filipino-Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jermaine Dupri</span> American record producer, rapper, and record executive (born 1972)

Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Raised in Atlanta as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music production at the age of nine. He discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross in 1991. Dupri wrote and produced their breakout 1992 single "Jump," which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the 23rd most successful song of that decade. He established his own record label, So So Def Recordings in a joint venture with Columbia the following year.

Australian Hip-Hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and was initially largely inspired by Hip-Hop and other urban musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music that is no longer restricted to the creative underground, with artists such as The Kid Laroi, Manu Crooks, Onefour, Iggy Azalea, Hilltop Hoods, Bliss n Eso and Youngn Lipz, having achieved notable fame. Australian Hip-Hop is still primarily released through independent record labels, which are often owned and operated by the artists themselves. Despite its genesis as an offshoot of American hip-hop, Australian hip hop has developed a distinct personality that reflects its evolution as an Australian musical style.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian hip hop</span> Music genre

The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the early 2000s.

James Roberts, better known as Ed Lover, is an American deejay, radio personality, actor, musician, and former MTV VJ. He hosted "The Ed Lover Show" on SiriusXM's old-school hip hop station BackSpin. As of April 12, 2018, he hosts the morning show at classic hip-hop "104.3 Jams" WBMX in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whodini</span> American hip hop group

Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York–based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy ; and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, a.k.a. Grandmaster Dee.

Derek Boland, better known by his stage name Derek B, was a British rapper. His most commercially successful releases were "Goodgroove" and "Bad Young Brother" in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Pearce</span> Musical artist

David Alistair Pearce is an English dance DJ, EDM producer and broadcaster, who has performed across the United Kingdom and the world. He previously presented Dance Anthems on BBC Radio 1 for ten years. He is renowned for playing a key role both as a performer and behind the scenes in the development of English dance and club culture.

Rodney Panton, also known as Rodney P is an English MC, as well as a radio and television personality who first gained attention via the UK hip hop scene in the 1980s. A former member of UK hip-hop group London Posse, Rodney P is known for rapping in his London accent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chubb Rock</span> Jamaican rapper

Richard Anthony Simpson, also known as Chubb Rock, is an American rapper who released several successful hip hop albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A National Merit Scholar, Chubb Rock dropped out of Brown University to pursue his musical career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janette Beckman</span> British documentary photographer

Janette Beckman is a British documentary photographer who has worked in London, New York and Los Angeles. Beckman describes herself as a documentary photographer. While she produces a lot of work on location, she is also a studio portrait photographer. Her work has appeared on records for the major labels, and in magazines including Esquire,Rolling Stone,Glamour,Italian Vogue,The Times,Newsweek,Jalouse,Mojo and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hip hop galsen</span>

Following an historical process of appropriation of American popular music by Senegal, hip hop emerged in the Senegalese capital city in the early mid- 1980s. Although hip hop galsen is now famous for its diverse musical productions, the movement there spread out from its dancing appeal rather than from its musical one. Indeed, Senegalese hip hop artists initially participated in this movement as smurfer, breakdancer, B-boy in general performing during organised podiums. Schools, nightclubs and other temporary public stages thus played an essential role in amplifying this movement in Dakar. Besides, and in contrast to American hip hop, which grew from the youth in the inner city ghettos, hip hop in Dakar began among a somehow middle-class youth who was able to access and/or introduce in their home place new ideas and new cultural expressions coming from abroad. Indeed, hip hop became popular in the capital city through the intensive through informal circulation of VH7 cassettes and recorded videos, which were imported from USA or France by diaspora people.

Rob Kelly is an Irish rapper, record producer and MC.

Mel D. Cole is an American documentary photographer. He originally became notable for his black and white photographs of hip hop concerts, artists, and other figures, including The Roots, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar, and others. Cole later branched into photojournalism, documenting the George Floyd protests in various cities in 2020 and the January 6 United States Capitol attack in Washington, D.C. in 2021. He was named the "Editorial/Press Photographer of the Year" at the 2021 International Photography Awards.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "African Homeboy - Brixton". Victoria and Albert Museum . Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  2. "UK legend Normski talks about his classic music TV show 'Dance Energy' for Black History Month 2019". Ace. 15 October 2019. BBC. Radio 1Xtra . Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Revisit Motherland". Somerset House . 10 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  4. "Normski's inside view". Evening Standard . 5 April 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  5. "normski - break from the norm". Lexicon magazine (5). Archived from the original on 6 November 2009.
  6. "Staying Power: Photographs of Black British Experience, 1950s-1990s". Arts. BBC. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  7. "Normski stars in Yell.com TV ad by Mother". Brand Republic (Press release). Haymarket Media Group. 22 August 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  8. "RADIO STATION PROFILE | Push FM". Radiocafe. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  9. Pink, Jessie (2 August 2016). "Photographs from the UK's golden age of hip hop". Dazed . Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  10. Barber, Lynn (24 September 2006). "Damn it, Janet". The Guardian . Retrieved 10 May 2024.