Stephen Pennell, Author at Counteract - Birmingham's online music + culture magazine

Not Safe For Work: the next wave of Birmingham MCs ready to rise

There’s a new wave of incredible Birmingham rap on the come up, and there’s a danger it could become a tsunami.

From the pioneering, crashing metal of Black Sabbath to the gritty urban realism of Original Pirate Material and beyond

Wolverhampton’s Citylightz played their biggest Birmingham show to date on Saturday 5th January – and it went down a storm

Local afrotwang artist Namiwa Jazz played a stunning headline show at Kings Heath’s Hare & Hounds on Wednesday 5th December

Namiwa Jazz mixes elements of soul, gospel, afrobeat and an occasional sprinkle of reggae to cook up a sound she has christened Afro-twang.

Lady Leshurr’s rise has been meteoric – win after win after win, courtesy of a series of releases overflowing with clever and witty wordplay.

Black female musical success is a long-standing Birmingham tradition of course, and many people of a certain age can reel off the household names.