Fekky

Responsible for some of the most memorable rap tracks of the last few years, Fekky’s astronomical party singles are as synonymous with club culture as drinks, sound systems and packed dancefloors. Now, two years in the making, Fekky is delivering his debut album,El Clasico.The acclaimed South London rapper puts it simply: “It’s just about an individual coming from where we come from and making it. The story of where I've come from is authentic, its raw, and it needs to be told. You feel that you can relate to someone because if it's real for me, it's real for someone else.”Riding high off his celebrated name in the UK rap and grime scene, Fekky is best known for his 2014 smash, 'Sittin Here'ft.Dizzee Rascal, which saw him touted asone ofthe scene’s hottest artists of the year. Previous acclaim has come in the form of his singles, 'Mad Ting Sad ting'and ‘Way Too Much’ft.Skepta which grew him a cult following. The tracks were the result of conversations had in barbers, in studios and with friends, reflecting snatched chats and his love of making people dance.When it comes to underground co-signs, the British Nigerian south Londoner has earned his place with the local greats like Wiley, who put him on tour with him back in 2012, Skepta, who joined him on 'Way Too Much'and garage legend Neutrino whom he grew up admiring and now, appears on his album.The 30-year-old grew up with his parents in Deptford, south London and consumed music via two instrumental spaces -church and his living room "My music is very energetic" he says. "It's from going to church and dancing at parties. When you're from a Nigerian background, there are parties every Saturday...I grew up like, when music plays, people dance.”His musical further education also came via a chance encounter with someone selling CDs while he was looking after his parents’ Cash n Carry as a teenager.“One day some guy came in selling CDs and so I took one but it was rap -it was swearing and everything Nas, Illmatic, Tupac and Pure Garage Compilation CDs. So I started listening to them in the shop when my parents were gone".It was this, and pirate station Taste FM that really ignited his love of UK underground music and rap. He went on to form his own crews, inspired by idols like Oxide and Neutrino, one called Top Status (featuring UK artist Doctor)and 1C3 (a tongue in cheek reference to black male police classifications). Back then, he says, he was known as being the king of one-liners that ‘made the party’. He recounts that inhis early days, he used to be called ‘Fektor’ after a fight which he won thanks to an 'Effective' punch and the name stuck, then morphed, into the more playful, Fekky. "I was into house party culture from 14 seeing people clashing and I used to have one liners that got wheeled up”.It was this clashing culture that combined grime and road rap circulating on the streets, and attending clubs like Ministry of Sound that ignited Fekky’s early fire-which he took to the studio. Within six months, he was being invited to tour with Wiley, after the release of his 2012 mixtape ‘This One's On Me’in 2012 -a raw, urgent offering full of "US beats from YouTube" where he rapped about growing up, street life and girls.By the time his now iconic single 'Sittin Here'earned him royalty status and amassed nearly three million views -Fekky was already igniting the underground with his brand of quick fire raps, tongue-in-cheek menace and local respect. It earned him a MOBO nomination in 2016, huge support from BBC 1xtra DJs, and sold out tours across Europe.
Now, Fekky is ready to lean into artistry beyond one liners and tell the story of his life on his own terms. "This is more of a message. Before, it was more about being crazy, going out and having fun. You would think that Fekky was all about the high life but this is about my journey. About who I am, what I've been through, and how it feels”.The albumis the result of being back in the studio and staking his claim as a force to be reckoned with in British music. Made while he was in Barcelona taking a break from a European tour, the title is so-namedthanks to the slight Spanish influences that surrounded him, and he makes the point that “it's a classic in every language”. In the studio, he listened to a mixof European rap like French artist Booba, and revisited classic anthems like Nas' ‘Illmatic,’ Dizzee’s ‘Boy In Da Corner’ and Jay Z's ‘Blueprint’ to "study the classics". El Clasicois an uncompromising projection of young British life in 2017, written by Fekky in his home and in the infamous Wendy House studios and musically, is as exciting as he’s ever sounded. For the project, he's enlisted grime's greats like Ruff Sqwad Rapid, alongside a host of young new producers who hesays, "took my ideas, broken them down and let me really think about the process. How much of me do you want to give away? I think people are gonna be surprised".It’sa tale of transition that perfectly tells a life story that fills in the gaps of his hitsingles and huge following. El Clasicois at its heart, a front row seat to a story told with nuance, pace and charm. As a result, we’re met with his most forward-looking offering, drenched with emotional density and rich, pop production at the helm. Honest, ambitious and laying the foundations to be acclaimed outside the party as well inside, The albumis lifting the lid on street life and love at a time when the Black British underground has never sounded more exciting. For Fekky, it’s a sonic diary entry that shows his transition: for listeners, it’s a certified classic.