Lancey Foux, the UK’s grime icon Skepta’s mentee, influenced by London’s 1970s punk -rock style along with grime, hip-hop and trap. Dubbed as the “UK Carti” by some– a reference to Atlanta born experimental trap rapper ‘Playboi Carti’ – he took the EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) stage by storm on the 29th of October. Backed by an ensemble of incredible artists including: Skepta, SL, Bakar, Master Peace and many more, Lancey was able to put on an electrifying show.

Although two hours late to his own concert – an admittedly concerning start to the night – with the odds stacked against him, Lancey did not disappoint. Performing his hit songs like ‘DON’T TALK!’, ‘INDIA’, ‘ELON MUSK’ and ‘Steelo flow’ – to name but a few – he quickly won back the hearts of the fans who, in some cases, had been close to tears after their cries of “Lancey! Lancey! Lancey!” were initially met to no avail. I even overheard an argument between a group of friends contemplating whether to “f- this and go home” because he wasn’t “going to show up”. Yet, just as the fans began to lose their belief in his arrival, all hope seemed to be gripped and stolen by the cold, hard hands of delay and people began to head for the exit – indeed, ready to “go home” – faces painted with melancholy transformed into pure ecstasy within the blink of an eye. A high pitched “Yeah!” through an auto-tune controlled microphone echoed from backstage – it was time…Lancey had arrived, and the crowd roared to life.

 

His setlist flowed effortlessly from hard-hitting experimental trap beats, pairing ethereal chords with dark 808s, to ‘ELON MUSK’ blasted through the bass-boosted speakers. The crowd of avid concert goers, wannabee punks and die-hard rap fans were on a high that would only rise higher through to the very last moments of his two-hour performance. Punters spilled out onto the street as the venue doors shut left to reflect on their incredible experience on trains, buses and tubes rattling back south of the river.

 

Lancey Foux is a diamond that should certainly not be left in the rough; however, even after having released 5 studio albums (his first being produced in 2015), amassing millions of streams and connecting in the studio with the likes of Kanye West, Playboi Carti and Skepta he still hasn’t received the respect or mainstream recognition he deserves. Yet, through more performances like his EartH Hackney concert, he can easily change this and set his sight on becoming the UK’s next biggest rapper.