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Five tracks that made us love Bugzy Malone
The UK grime MC is set to take the UK by storm.
Manchester’s very own Bugzy Malone has been tagged as one of the fundamental MCs responsible for instigating the UK’s grime revival. In the eight years that he’s been releasing music, Bugzy has become a household name in the nationwide scene, infiltrating the capital and beyond. With three consecutive EPs debuting in the top 10 of the UK Album Chart, the biggest UK tour any grime artist has seen later this year (including a show at London’s iconic Printworks), and an album on the way, he’s taken the game by storm.
With that in mind, here’s the 5 tracks that made us love Bugzy Malone.
M.E.N
M.E.N was the first track to be released from Bugzy’s 2015 EP Walk With Me. The track sees him contrast his new-found fame and success to the hard upbringing he endured, whilst addressing the infamous nightclub incident that saw his face plastered all over the Manchester Evening News. The EP went on to enter the UK Album Chart at No.8.
Fire In The Booth
Although by 2015 Bugzy was already multiple mixtapes deep into the game, many perceive his first Fire In The Booth appearance with Charlie Sloth the starting point for the increasingly rapid rise. The video, now at over sixteen million views, the most viewed Fire In The Booth ever, contains a few bars aimed at Chip, at the beginning of their notorious feud. This back and forth between the two MCs went on to produce some of the best moments of the UK grime scene in recent times, including the follow up to this, Relegation Riddim.
Moving
The fourth song to be released from Bugzy’s 2016 Facing Time EP. On it, he reflects on his journey thus far and attributing his success to his “keep it moving” mentality. The music video further reinforces these emotional contemplation, taking clips from Bugzy’s life up until that point, ranging from his past boxing, on stage performances and growing up with his family. The EP debuted at No.6 on the UK album charts, becoming Bugzy’s second consecutive Top 10 project.
Beauty and The Beast
The Crème de la Crème of Bugzy’s storytelling capabilities are poured into his biggest hit to date, Beauty and The Beast. Also from the Facing Time EP, the deep dark instrumentals match with his reflective state on the track, telling stories of breaking into the scene and his past relationship. The track itself is BPI certified Silver in the UK.
Memory Lane (ft. Tom Grennan)
From his most recent EP King of The North, Memory Lane featuring Tom Grennan is the sixth of eight tracks, released in July 2017. The song samples the infamous Oasis Wonderwall chorus, after Bugzy was granted permission from a long-time fan, Noel Gallagher himself. The King of The North EP was Bugzys’ third EP to break the UK Album Charts, debuting at No.4, as well as seeing him out on a UK King of The North tour.
Bugzy Malone is set to appear at South West Four Festival and Glasgow Summer Sessions this August, before kicking off his headline run in Liverpool on the 18 October 2018. The tour includes a show at London’s cult venue, Printworks.
Here are those dates in full:
26 August 2018 – South West Four Festival, Clapham Common, London
29 August 2018 – Glasgow Summer Sessions 2018, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow
18 October 2018 – O2 Academy, Liverpool
19 October 2018 – Printworks, London
21 October 2018 – O2 Academy, Oxford
25 October 2018 – O2 Academy, Leeds
26 October 2018 – O2 Academy, Birmingham
27 October 2018 – The Nick Rayns LCR, UEA, Norwich
1 November 2018 – Rock City, Nottingham
2 November 2018 – O2 Academy, Bristol
4 November 2018 – University Y Plas, Cardiff
8 November 2018 – Mayfield Depot, Manchester
9 November 2018 – Mayfield Depot, Manchester
14 November 2018 – Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
Tickets for Bugzy Malone UK Tour are available now via Ticketmaster.co.uk.
