Scrapbook: Lord of The Mics
Scrapbook is HYPEBEAST’s series that documents the best festivals, events, activations and experiences. Using film photography, we’ll give you an inside look into events from around the globe through an inside eye.
Lord of The Mics is commonly recognized as the UK’s most prestigious clash series. Created by Jammer, LOTM has hosted several of grime’s most seminal moments, with the two that loom the largest being the 2004’s Wiley vs. Kano and 2006’s Skepta vs. Devilman battles.
These clashes helped make Jammer into an elder statesman figure in the grime scene, even though he found the status a “bit odd because some of the people were the same age as me.” However his background in distribution meant that he was able to build the series into what it’s become today, making sure the brand avoided overexposure by keeping the clash footage’s placement tightly controlled.
LOTM recently took over part of the Boiler Room festival in London, bringing the likes of D Double E and a host of younger MC’s along with it to take part. HYPEBEAST was there to catch all of the action, both on stage and behind the scenes while Jammer spoke about the state of LOTM.
Victor Cruz
“Don’t wear uncomfortable shoes. You’re going to be on your feet a lot walking around. Also, don’t wait till the last minute to hit your friends up for your artist passes or credentials or the things you need to finesse through the festival.”
Snoop Dogg
“You got to have a mask, you got to have something that’s going to cover your face because it's going to get dusty. You have dress light because it's going to be hot but at nighttime it's a possibility that it could be cold, so you want to have both outfits. You want to have a night outfit and a day outfit. You want to stay hydrated and have a lot of fruits in your system and vegetables, if you know what I mean. Just vibe, because it's all positivity and all love; everybody is out here just living their life and just enjoying their time for Coachella. It's a great place that brings all kinds of people together so you’ll fit right in no matter who you are or where you’re from.”
Day 4: Desert Sundays - The Do Over, #REVOLVEFestival, 1Oak x Gravity Technologies Coachella Closing Party
What are some rules for Coachella or music festivals in general?
Todd Gurley: “It’s a music festival, there are no rules. You’re supposed to do what you’re not supposed to do that’s why you go to a festival.”
HYPEBEAST: Did you ever think of the bigger picture when it came to Lord of the Mics?
Jammer: Genuinely, we were just doing it, for the love of it. When the first of them got made and it was coming out, I was more, “Are people going to get it? Is the world going to understand it?”
And that's why it stuck so deep within the UK culture, because it was actually the culture. It was actually people really living that at that time. There was no thinking it was going to be on TV. That was a dream. That was so far away that if you told someone that at the time they would just say you were lying. There were no corporate companies that was interested in brushing shoulders with the underground culture.
Jammer talks the event’s history, future and protecting the brand.
HYPEBEAST: Did you ever think of the bigger picture when it came to Lord of the Mics?
Jammer: Genuinely, we were just doing it, for the love of it. When the first of them got made and it was coming out, I was more, “Are people going to get it? Is the world going to understand it?”
And that's why it stuck so deep within the UK culture, because it was actually the culture. It was actually people really living that at that time. There was no thinking it was going to be on TV. That was a dream. That was so far away that if you told someone that at the time they would just say you were lying. There were no corporate companies that was interested in brushing shoulders with the underground culture.
How does Lord of The Mics’ legacy affect decisions you make regarding its future?
Yeah, I think [about it] now the brand's at the status that it's at. In the early stages, if something had happened I would have let certain footage slide. But now it's more like, “This is a brand, and I'm just protecting a brand because it's something I've grown over a certain number of years.”
If something wasn’t politically correct, we'd have to look at it and assess it, [just] because of how big the brand is now. Because I'm going to be held accountable for it.
It's not some just hood DVD now. When you're doing things on the street level, none of that matters. But when you're doing things on a worldwide level and a corporate level, even if you're not signed to a corporation, it changes the game because it's so big and you have to go through certain channels now.
Jammer talks the event’s history,
future and protecting the brand.
How does Lord of The Mics’ legacy affect decisions you make regarding its future?
Yeah, I think [about it] now the brand's at the status that it's at. In the early stages, if something had happened I would have let certain footage slide. But now it's more like, “This is a brand, and I'm just protecting a brand because it's something I've grown over a certain number of years.”
If something wasn’t politically correct, we'd have to look at it and assess it, [just] because of how big the brand is now. Because I'm going to be held accountable for it.
It's not some just hood DVD now. When you're doing things on the street level, none of that matters. But when you're doing things on a worldwide level and a corporate level, even if you're not signed to a corporation, it changes the game because it's so big and you have to go through certain channels now.