The most sort after music showcase in London makes a debut in the o2 Academy. Get tickets here.
Come witness some of the greatest performers in the emerging music scene making big moves with their music. Let’s introduce the acts in no particular order.
Faqundo Gonzalez
Radhamés Medina Núñez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
EmCee from Santo Domingo, who has been making a name for himself both in his country of origin, the Dominican Republic, as well as in Spain and now in the United Kingdom, where he has resumed his musical career and is reaping great achievements.
In August 2022, specifically on Saturday 20, it has been his second consecutive year, as one of the main exponents, on the new born record label Candela Records UK “Candela Stage” at the Latino Life in the Park Festival (2001/2022) in its fifth and sixth editions respectively, held in North London in the well-known park Finsbury Park.
At the beginning of August, Sat 6th, also in 2022, he was part of the resident Latin artists in London, as a support act (See video) for the concert of the Dominican Dembow superstar, known as Chímbala, an event that took place in the impressive Indigo room of The O2. And that it was produced by the nascent and promising events company Unique Fusion Style Entertainment “UFS Entertainment”.
In April 2022, FAQUNDO Gonzalez, together with Tatto RD and Trizzy Santos, and with the musical and engineering production of El Genialista, manage to create and publish Ron & Coca Cola, a song with Merengue essence combined with electronic sounds that is capturing the attention of thousands and that begins to be cataloged as a hit.
Faqundo has also participated in the two most recent editions of the conference London Latin Music Conference “LOLAMC” (2021-2022).
Also in 2021 he performed in the electrifying show case “Homegrown” together with Guala, Angelo Flow and Esko, which was presented by the living legend of the British Rap scene J Spades, “Homegrown Show Case” is produced and promoted by Latino Life , one of the Latin media and events companies Great Britain’s largest.
In 2021 he made public Tum Tu Ku Ta, a single to the rhythm of Afrobeat, which at the end of this
article has more than 200K reproductions only on Spotify. Tum Tu Ku Ta was recorded, edited and mixed by Joshua “Gamz” Donkor at the renowned No Stars Studios and mastered by the multitalented Dukus at the Lodge Studios.
Infa-Red
Philip-Junior Latim formally known as UK rap artist Infa-Red is a Ugandan born, south London raised rapper, actor and writer who first begun writing songs at the age of 13 after falling in love with music at at the age of just 7 learning to play instruments such as piano and xylophone.
At 18 he had already performed at many talent competitions and local summer festivals around south London, he had written and produced a film for young people called “Broken Trust” in which he acted and also recorded the soundtrack for winning a community award on behalf of Charlton Atheletic Football Club in 2004.
In 2005 he released his first EP entitled “Words of a Lost soul” followed by mixtapes “Streets Surveillance: volume 1” which also included Channel U smash hit, “Poverty Driven” in 2008, “Rise Against The Industry” in 2011 & “Rise Against The Industry 2” in 2014, and most recently “Queen & Slim” in 2022 with singles such as “Queen & Slim”, “Lonely” and “Transformer”.
Highly influenced by the realities of life and the communities he reflects with his art, Infa-Red continues to write and produce music with his latest single “The World” and “Energy” 2023 which paints chilling stories about his personal life, friends and situations across his younger life and current social circumstances across the UK influencing men and women of all races and ages across the board.
It can be said his music and visual art is a self and social view on topics related to mental health, love, social justice, life’s struggles, wins and losses and much more.
DGZ
The Luton Town pioneer of Grime Lounge, has been sculpting his Rap/RnB sound over the years. Inspired by Rappers like Kojo, chipmunk, and Stormzy, Dan has carved out his own lane sporting a unique sound. You have to hear to appreciate “Grime Lounge” which is the UK equivalent to “Pop Rap” with catchy hooks and heart felt lyrics.
DGZ spent his 21st birthday in a hospital bed wondering if he would ever speak again, after sustaining head injuries in a wild brawl involving all types of weapons, this was a defining time for his Life and Rap career.
“I didn’t think I’d speak again let alone rap” Said Dan. It took months of hospital rehabilitation before Dan said his first words post incident, and months more before he could string a sentence together. ‘It was like being reborn in an adult body” I thought to myself at that point, “if I can ever talk again I’m going to rap harder than I ever did’
It took 2 years in a miraculous turn around, even the doctors didn’t expect, before he was able to grace a mic again. Unable to rap how he used to, his whole style was reinvented, There were no more fast flows and lyrics without gaps in breath, because “ the words simply wouldn’t come out” (imagine being tongue twisted on basic sentences). ‘it was frustrating to know what you want to say, but be unable to say it. All the lyrics the town knew me for, they could spit but I couldn’t’. I took a Gem from this experience however stained or submerged…
Listening to my old flows helped me to talk again, I was eagerly trying to spit whole songs and although I couldn’t, I noticed over the years I’d get more and more or the pieces back. I used my self (the old songs I’d made) to rebuild myself and reinvented myself as Dan Gemini. Dan gemz, would always appreciate the gems in the trenches, and pay homage to the town that gave more than it took. LUTON TOWN”
Nooks
Introducing Nooks, the rising rap and hip-hop artist hailing from Luton, UK. Known for his versatility, Nooks, has been making waves in the music industry with his unique sound and style. With several successful projects under his belt, including the latest solo EPs “Sex is Art Part 1 and 2” and “Kingsway” in collaboration with DN1, Nooks has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with.
Having toured extensively across Europe and the UK, Nooks has built a loyal fanbase with his electrifying live performances and dynamic stage presence. With his authentic lyrics and captivating storytelling, Nooks’ music resonates with listeners on a deeper level, making him a relatable and inspiring figure within the hip-hop community.
With an undeniable talent and an unwavering dedication to his craft, Nooks is poised for even greater success in the future. Keep an eye out for this rising star as he continues to make his mark on the music world
Amity
Amity is a 16-year-old competition-winning singer songwriter, featured in the The Guardian newspaper as having “miraculous” vocals, “dense surreal lyricism”, and compared there to Adele, Regina Spektor, Judy Garland and Ian Dury.
Amity’s raw, powerhouse voice and vivid, moving lyrics have led to them being invited to be a regular performer at the Q Club in Shoreditch with Sessions58 Rise, where they are the youngest-ever artist – hailed by the club as “a true prodigy on our stage”. Talent scouted by major TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic, Amity increasingly appears as a featured artist at venues across London. Amongst their many achievements, in the last six months, Amity’s been a finalist in Undiscovered Talent UK, a semi finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest and this year Amity earned a prestigious place in the UK’s top 30 young songwriters’ by Song Academy’s panel of industry judges. Amity’s empowering lyrics are imprinted by their drive for justice, inner healing, freedom and a passion for enriching lives, along the way documenting their own ongoing journey from darkness to light.
Grafikkone
Meet Grafikkone, an artist to keep an eye on who made his debute on the RBE stage in 2020.
Born and bred out of South-east London, Grafikkone has come on leaps and bounds in his music career performing live in the capital and the south coast.
With his main influences being Drill, Bashment, Dancehall and RnB, Grafikkone will surely captivate you with rhythmic flow and harmonic cadence helping him amount over 120,000 streams in 2022!
Yung R
The popular Grime artist from Croydon is quickly making his mark on the UK urban music scene with his unique ability to steer clear from the generic rap songs of his era. With quick-witted lyricism, versatility and a sound clearly influenced by his Caribbean background, Yung is able to blend the genres of Grime and Dancehall effortlessly. With a range of flows, immaculate clarity and content which is of substance, Yung is a breath of fresh air to a scene which has often been referred to as ‘dead’.
Yung is a grounded individual with a very academic background. He is an educator at heart and always has an encouraging message for the younger generations. Yung’s debut EP project, ‘The Movement Is Yung’, helped to build a solid foundation for Yung and his team (Set Trendz) to use as a platform for future success. His latest project, titled: ‘Original Grime Kid’, is due to shake up the Grime scene and ruffle a few feathers. This project is clearly influenced by the old school Grime sound popular in the mid-to-late 2000s, but bridges the gap between the old and the new grime generation. Having performed at venues such as The Ends Festival, Yung is no stranger to the stage. He is known for his energetic and playful live performances, which have since caught the eye of various labels, DJs, A&Rs, influencers and industry professionals.
Rudebone
Rudebone is an independent Afrobeats music artist based in Colchester, United Kingdom supported by Help Musicians UK on his latest release ‘High Speed’.
At the early stages of TikTok, Rudebone’s song Bandana went viral with thousand of people globally used the song to make dance videos.
Rudebone just came off a 7 city uk tour as a support act for ‘Destalker’ Nigeria’s funniest comedian powered by Akinlolu Jekins & Co then boom 💥 he releases what could be his biggest song till date titled ‘High Speed (Client)’
Some more notable moments of Rudebone’s music journey:
Rudebone was contacted by TikTok and my song was given an official challenge hashtag page #RollYourBandana with has over 27 million views.
Rudebone also appeared in an episode on Judge Rinder a Popular TV program on ITV where he made him sing and talk about my song Bandana, that drove traffic to my the music video on YouTube which now has over 1 million views on YouTube. Going through the comments you will see lots of ”JUDGE RINDER BROUGHT ME HERE” and “CAME HERE FROM TIKTOK” as well.
Rudebone have received several music awards: Best Afrobeats act 2015 International Prestige Awards UK, Best Live Act 2017 & Most Popular song RBE AWARDS 2019 and Most Viral Song Award at London Kings Rum Unsigned Hype Awards 2019.
CrowJaay
Born and raised in Jamaica music as always been apart of my life, Music is where I find peace and a way of expressing and escaping some realities. fusing UK Rap with dancehall music to create a unique sound. Rebel life ENT is a record label music from South London
Tracer
Aka adrian Smith
Jamaican and bajan UK is a hip/hop n grime artist from South London Croydon. After leaving prison and dealing with homelessness in 2014 it took some time to find my footing again in the music industry but my passion hot the best of Me an I finally decided to continue from were I left off doing what I love best music.
For those who know me I have years of work on YouTube but have currently started my own channel were u will find most of my latest work such as and also have a consistent performance history with rbe showcase.
– Eating right by myself
-1pm in South by myself
-12pm in heath and more
A am currently working on my first in house ep tlwhich will be touching the streets and all platforms by July
GFM Music
‘GFM Music is an urban duo/group composed of the female artist Kimany & the male artist Young Dammz. The duo have been making music since 2020, releasing hit songs such as ‘Gonna Be Late’ & ‘Right Now’.
The duo merges sounds of Afrobeats with old school Hip-Hop and Rap, as well as Drill, successfully. In hopes of some recognition, GFM Music will continue to showcase their talent and continue to break barriers.
Edidion
Edidion is an artist with raw talent, drive, and passion. Raised in London, UK, Edidion had a love for performing arts from an early age and pursued his dream of being a well-rounded and successful entertainer. Edidion’s musical influences include Michael Jackson, Prince, and Usher. Critics, listeners, and notable people within the music industry say Edidion is “one to watch”.
Edidion released his debut EP “Statistic” in 2015 to rave reviews and was featured as one of the top new releases on iTunes. Edidion’s latest single “Getaway” released April 2023 charted on the Amazon Music charts under “Best Sellers R&B”, “Hot New Releases R&B” and “Hot New Releases Overall”.
Edidion’s goal is to inspire the world with his story along with his music.
Jensen
An aspiring artist from Birmingham with a mixture of Hip-Hop & R&B. I was singing way before I was rapping but began rapping when I was 14/15 and haven’t looked back since. I take inspiration from a lot of artist not just from their music but also the way they think and their work ethic.
My main inspiration is definitely Drake who I believe is massive pioneer for my sound today but also the likes of Tory Lanez, PND all inspire me down to their work ethic and sound.
Kim Kash
Kim Kash is a North London born black British musician. Both a singer and rapper, Kim uses autotunic melodies alongside fast paced rhymes to
explore what it is like growing up as an inner city London kid. While Drill rap is often thought to be a visceral genres because it’s blunt, nihilistic, and based on real-life experiences; Kim’s first project uses the high hats, bass and 808’s kicks found in the Hip Hop sub-genre to create a fun and buzzing atmosphere, therefore amplify her pen game and creating movement in any crowd. Provocateur is a big part of Kash’s music and says “I think being british means that you grew up in conservative culture where people are almost scared to say what they think and everyone is constantly playing it safe and sugar coating s****”.
Kim Kash has had viral freestyles where she talks tough and has the swagger and demeanor to back it up. Kim Kash is all for female empowerment with her Debut single “Got It” released in 2021, featured in BBC’s Music Dirty Secrets: women fight back. She is not shy of speaking her mind and has a recognisable podcast face and believes that talented women should have equal opportunities as men in the music industry. Her assertiveness was shaped by her upbringing in London. Kim ascertains “Whether you like my music or not it will definitely make you feel something… that what art is about”.
We look forward to her upcoming release on the 6th July entitled “Poundcake (Aye Girls)” with her first project rumoured to be released in Autumn.
Hosted by Jennifer of Female Takeover
Get the gig tickets here
There will also be an after party!
Come feel the vibes of summer as DJ Roachless and DJ Unruly take you on a musical journey across the best of dancehall, afrobeats, reggaeton, hip hop and more.
