Looking at Bristol’s hip-hop scene from 1983-93 and the music’s accompanying disciplines of MCing, graffiti art and breakdancing, this book consists of a series of transcribed monologues from the scene’s key players, including the likes of DJ Milo, Krissy Kriss and Smith & Mighty. The naturalistic flow of the text and the inclusion of colloquial language in these insightful passages really add authenticity and help them to feel spontaneous.
Parallels are drawn with London, where a similar scene was also taking shape, but the capital lacked the close-knit community spirit evident here. There was, however, a downside to this intimacy: the interlinked Bristol crews mostly attended the same events and parties, resulting in a fair bit of overlap and repetition here. Nearly every chapter needlessly reminds us that this was the pre-internet/mobile phone era. In terms of illustration, there are a plethora of flyers to view, though, sadly, little in the way of the legendary graffiti described. It would also have been nice to have some exclusive images of the big names mentioned here, partaking in battles and jams past – namely Dr Dre, Roni Size and the Jungle Brothers.
