UK contributor Timothy Ogu recounts his last-minute experience on-set at English rapper Gigg's music video shoot in East London.
“You want to come through to Giggs’ music video shoot today?”
I was currently stood on a street corner in East London after just finishing work casually catching up on social media, texts, unnecessary app alerts and missed calls. Then one call completely obliterated the Pasta Bake I had planned and all of a sudden I was grabbing all my equipment as quickly as I could.
After a mad rush home and a Jamaican Mojito digested (I may have met a friend briefly before I met Giggs, I’m sorry!) I was ready to see the self-confessed hardest talking rapper in the UK industry.
Giggs is an enigma in the industry to many, with his unique style meaning that he always causes confusion to fans trying to bracket him as either a Grime or Hip Hop artist. Although one thing is for certain when you discuss Giggs’ musical content, energy and clarity flows through every track. After listening to him you will either be bobbing your head at a ferocious tempo or be told a story so clear that you reenact the scene yourself.
With a decisive rhetoric that doesn’t leave much for room thought and his new 14-track long album titled ‘Landlord’, discussing everything from the inevitable encounters with the opposite sex to stories about being on the roads of the capital, Giggs never seems fazed by topic or instrumental as he shows his versatility as an artist throughout ‘Landlord.’
His comfort with his music was also replicated with his stage presence; he strode onto the stage comfortably, immediately commanding everyone to get up on his or her feet. “We are here to party, everybody up!”
The classics then rolled off one by one: “The Blow Back,” “Whippin Excursion,” “Man Don’t Care,” “The Process…” each one causing the crowd to go into hysterics with the only thing truly stopping me being my camera in hand. But the energy was infectious and I was truly starting to see why Giggs has lasted so long in a genre that has seen many artists imitate a balloon that has not been tied.
From women dancing as if they were they were the main start in a music video to men sweating after taking “Whippin Excursion” a bit too seriously, enjoyment reverberated around the room just as quickly as the bass did. Giggs made sure everyone was welcome that night by circling the venue numerous times with Donaeo as they performed and shot different scenes for their track “Lock Doh”. (A physical thank you for everyone that turned up to this celebration.
After the hysteria that surrounded him, I managed to catch Giggs for a quick word to get his views on his album, the party and the current scene of UK music. “Man is grateful.” At first, I left wishing he gave me more, but in the Uber home I realised that nothing more was needed. Giggs arose in a time where anything associated with Grime and Hip-Hop was subdued by the main media outlets for the apparent protection of others, now one of the pioneers of UK’s urban music just turned “Everyman Screen on the Green” cinema into a his own house party.
Photography and Text by Timothy Ogu
