Giggs: The Godfather of Road Rap
In the mid-2000s, one Peckham rapper started a 145 BPM revolution…
My first memory of Giggs was at seven years old. Around this time, I was living in South London, and my cousins, who were in their late teens at the time, were preparing for a party. Everything seemed so much cooler back then, especially the fashion. My cousins were wearing Timberland boots, bright off-the-shoulder tops and brown shield shades: it was all very Y2K.
I remember how excited I was to watch them pin their quiffs, put on their large diamond-shaped studs and take pictures on a shitty disposable camera from Boots. The room smelt like Luster’s Pink Gel and a lot of background noise came from the television. Despite the barrage of multimedia, one muffled song beaming from a Sony Ericsson Walkman on the bed stood out the most to me.
The addictive bassline and menacing lyrics from a deep, British male voice were unlike anything I had heard before. My cousins were rapping along, with their lips latching onto every bar. It felt like I was a part of something—so I kept bopping my head along. The song playing was Giggs’ “Talkin the Hardest”. It dropped fifteen years ago. Fast forward to 2022, and I’m still listening to “Talkin the Hardest” with the same gassed-up reverence as my seven-year-old self.
“Talkin the Hardest” is a song that permeates every corner of Black British culture: from radio and festivals to house parties and nightclubs. It’s a hugely impactful song that’s often dubbed the UK’s National Anthem (especially on Black Twitter). The craziest part is that “Talkin the Hardest” was initially conceived as a freestyle over the 2007 Dr. Dre-produced Stat Quo track titled “Here We Go”. Wild.
The original track was a promotional single in a long line of ill-fated songs stated for inclusion on Quo’s Shady/Aftermath Entertainment debut, Statlanta. The official version Giggs released was later dubbed “Talkin the Hardest” and is hailed as the definitive version of the song. Quite the honour. This was probably the first time I was introduced to road rap, a pivotal sub-genre of UK hip hop and the catalyst for my love of all things UK rap.
In life, I believe the most emotionally impactful music is the music we associate with our favourite memories. It’s the music that stands the test of time that’s forever intertwined with our palettes. For me, “Talkin the Hardest” is just that.
This style of rap Giggs (born Nathaniel Thompson) was propelling was nothing short of innovative. The British accents, South London-centric slang and coarse, concrete-bound 240p visuals that look like they were filmed on the doorstep of your estate. To top it all off, the rough mixes of American production captured road rap’s DIY approach perfectly. All these aspects make the genre unique, and, in this case, it made Giggs and those adjacent so appealing.
During the 2000s, UK grime and US rap dominated the underground and mainstream worlds. UK rap, particularly road rap, was too graphic, unrefined and dark for nightclubs and radio. It was argued that the rap Giggs’ popularised was too rough and ominous. It explored life on road through a first-person lens. Therefore, it was not encouraged nor palatable for mainstream audiences. It was too ahead of its time.
Giggs was determined to keep going and break down barriers. From the beginning of his career, Giggs has always persevered despite the backlash and incessant blackballing. Initially, he was not being played on the radio or featured on TV, leading to him calling out the BBC for their blackballing. The police had also locked off multiple shows he was supposed to perform at, making it difficult for him to monetise his music.
Giggs had begun rapping back when it wasn’t profitable. He spent the formative years of rapping tenure filming freestyles with other members of his SN1 collective like Gunna Dee, Tiny Boost, Kyze and Joe Grind.
Emerging from Peckham, South London, aka the ‘narm’—a slang word about Vietnam in relation to its gang wars—Giggs was from an area with abject poverty and high crime rates; rap was not perceived as a route to success or a way to make-it-out-of-the-hood. He set an example by making music and selling physical CDs in the streets of South London. Some of Giggs’ notable early projects included Hollowman Meets Blade, featuring fellow road rap ace Blade Brown, Welcome to Boomzville, the Best of Giggs trilogy and, of course, Ard Bodied—a double-pump shotgun of a tape co-piloted by fellow rapper Dubz.
Giggs’ hunger to be successful paid off and led to him winning the 2008 BET Award for Best UK Act, and this was a massive look for Giggs as he was nominated among grime favourites, Dizzee Rascal and Chip.
Due to all the buzz surrounding Giggs, the Peckham spitter was snatched up by indie label XL Recordings in 2009, home to the likes of Adele and The xx. Before Giggs, XL had found success in the UK rap scene with Dizzee’s seminal 2003 debut Boy in Corner and Wiley’s 2004 LP Treadin’ On Thin Ice, making Giggs a perfect fit for the label. The police had relentlessly tried to prevent Giggs from getting signed, but his persistence thwarted their efforts. He was here to stay.
He later released his album debut, Walk in Da Park, in August 2008. There was a considerable frenzy surrounding the release as many fans were trying to get hardcopies from stores like HMV, which had run out, leading to fights breaking out and Giggs’ management having to release a statement reassuring fans that more copies would be made available. Giggs had debuted on the R&B and Independent charts, managing to be the first UK road rapper to do so.
“Giggs’ impact with Walk in Da Park was undeniable. It was a declaration that his new rap blueprint could yield success without dilution. Giggs was inescapable, uncompromising and revolutionary.”
His subsequent releases—including Let Em Ave It (2010), When Will It Stop (2013) and Landlord (2016)—have all propelled Giggs towards the US market. Stateside, Giggs has worked with the likes of Young Thug and 2 Chainz on his most gratifying project, 2017’s Wamp 2 Dem—as well as Drake on his More Life LP. Despite being banned from America for most of his career, Giggs could travel there and connect with his fanbase and peers later. His most recent projects, 2019 and 2020’s BIG BAD… and Now Or Never, exemplify how Giggs’ non-conformist, one-of-a-kind sound stands the test of time.
Giggs slowed down UK rap and diversified it, inspiring a generation of rappers like Dave, Smoke Boyz and Krept & Konan, to name a few. Imagine a world without Giggs music. Would any of our favourite UK rappers be here? Giggs gave his generation and those after him the confidence and hope to voice their concerns and rap about their life experiences despite possible repercussions. Struggles such as being previously incarcerated and hassled by the police were no match for Giggs’ capability and immeasurable contributions.
Giggs is still a household name, respected by all his peers and supporters. His music is ever-present and thriving in cultural spaces across the UK. The street anthem “Pain is the Essence”, with Dubz, was featured in UK fashion empire Corteiz’s promotional video—particularly fitting since Corteiz’s slogan/rallying call is 'rules the world'. Tiffany Calver selected the instrumental from “Pain is the Essence” for her BBC 1Xtra Abbey Road Cypher for up-and-coming talent to rap over as a nod to Giggs.
Dave has interpolated the track on “Three Rivers” from his chart-topping album We’re All Alone in This Together, and No Signal Radio featured him in their legendary NS10v10 clash with Nines. It’s evident that Giggs is firmly cemented in UK music and culture, his sound transcends the time it was formed, and he will be appreciated for many years to come.
Long Live Giggs.