Earlier on October 4th, the militant Bugzy Malone released the contentious yet bona fide visuals for ‘Done His Dance’. The track, which sits at a critical energy-shifting point of Bugzy’s debut album ‘B. Inspired’, is an instrumentally suspenseful narration on the gang lifestyle so integral to his story. The video was swiftly removed due to the allegedly perceived depiction of gratuitous violence, before being recently re-uploaded and censored accordingly.
So when Bugzy emerged on stage during the second night of his 12-date B. Inspired UK tour at London’s iconic Printworks, the video displayed on screen was a statement of intent, met with astounding applause and appreciation. Bugzy’s relentlessness and disregard for the industry’s invisible hierarchy is fuelled by a refusal to be underestimated. It’s real, it’s raw, and it’s unabated.
With 3,000 already on his side, Bugzy aggressively jumped into the 2017 ‘King of The North’ EP’s ‘Aggy Wid It’ before an equally belligerent ‘MAD’ ended, and the bright white lights were shone onto the crowd who were thoroughly thanked by the proud yet humble Mancunian. He aptly then broke into the infamous ‘M.E.N’, following a roaring reception during the chorus of lead single ‘Run’ featuring Rag‘n’Bone Man, one of which would warrant superstardom status.
Bugzy’s practical disbelief of what has emerged from a situation that may have ended so differently was illustrated by the shaking of his head at the end of ‘Memory Lane’, a track inspired by the fall of his uncle sampling Oasis’ Wonderwall. The bright lights shone again, as those headshakes of disbelief quickly turned into nods of acknowledgment and encouragement. Bugzy then proceeded to run through consecutive new cuts from the album before the skittish energy of ‘Die By The Gun’ blasted down the long and narrow walls of Printworks.
The hour plus set was topped off with appearances from Kojo Funds performing ‘Who Am I’ ft Bugzy Malone, as well as the man of the hour being joined by Not3s for his hook on ‘B. Inspired’s ‘Heart’. Fellow Mancunian JP Cooper also graced the stage with flawless vocals of ‘Ordinary People’, all of which topped off what was a spirited and asserted performance.
The infiltration of Bugzy Malone into London and the scene as a whole is something he has spoken on with great intensity and confidence. Whilst Manchester is a city of immense musical talent, Bugzy is the most prominent for this culture. ‘B. Inspired’ marks his fourth consecutive UK Top 10 project and confirmed that he is one of the biggest artists in this genre of music. The trials and tribulations of his upbringing and the barriers he has conquered to crack an industry that was not on his doorstep, have only enhanced this tireless pursuit to the top.
Perhaps now it’s no longer King of The North, perhaps now, it should just be…King.
