Will Jewell, Fractured Films (08)

As it says on the cover, "This ain't East Coast.This ain't West Coast. This is…South Coast." The south coast of England, that is..

South Coast, Will Jewel's charming documentary about the emergence of a British hip-hop scene (or more accurately a Brighton hip-hop scene) is a bit of a gem. Consisting of talking heads and video snippets made by Brighton's finest hip-hop artists as they rap, dance, beatbox and graff', the documentary shows a present day community that is as vibrant , passionate and as full of energy as that in the US (sans guns, bitches and macho swagger).

South Coast also shows that UK hip-hop is not as new as we would like to think, and that it has had a strong (albeit reasonably underground) presence since 1983, and the release of London Bridge Is Falling Down by Newtrament.

Rejecting the huge commercialism of US hip-hop, the Brighton scene bases itself influences in the grim reality of daily life. Artists create, not for the money, but because they love it, and though some would like to make a living from their craft, "it's just unlikely to happen", as Stig of the Dump puts it here.

Despite this however, UK hip-hop continues to be taken seriously by its practitioners, who retain their sense of humour; rapping about the Council Tax, coping on the dole, fare-dodging and chavs' with ASBOs. Brighton itself also retains a hip-hop scene that is arguably more tolerant than any other place in the county (and where else would an openly gay DJ 9 Bob and Christian rapper MC Tempo get a look in?).

It is also the city where a 13-year old graffiti artist (too young to be imprisoned) is lauded by the owner of Rarekind, a local graffiti art shop, and where performers like Luis the Monkey (gushing about the benefits of the local library, where "for 60p a week you can access this massive classical section") are encouraged to develop his skills by appearing at Slip Jam events.

South Coast tells you all the things about UK hip-hop that you didn't know, and is worth seeing if only for Beardyman's beatboxing cookery demonstration and the super catchy Buzz versus Blackgrass rap over a sample of the Jam's Start.

While the US sticks to its gangsta routines, UK hip-hop recalls the movement's daisy age with a typically cheeky and British twist, best summed up by Tim Simpson of Zebra Traffic Records, who says it is just stupid to be chatting about "bling, cars and rims when you're taking the bus."

Indeed. Recommended.

review: Clarence Allen

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