With a Radio One Playlist under his belt (this week, in fact) and his third album due for release, there's no doubt you'll be hearing the name Context MC a lot more.
Originating from a small mining district of Nowich, he left his comfort zone for the mean streets of London in the hope to further establish himself in the genre of emotional dubstep-infused hip-hop, or 'Melodic Grit', as he's coined it. But Context MC (Aka George, to his mates), is not what you'd expect from your typical hip-hop/dubstep artist. A Political Science graduate of Cambridge University, he continues to juggle his (now) postgraduate studies with his ever-growing music career. An extremely bright and talented man, often shy when you first meet him, but an obviously interesting person, he's not afraid of hard work, and it's really paid off for him.
Context released his first EP Dialectics, in 2008, and interest quickly escalated. Like many others, he uploaded his music onto the BBC Introducing website, and the rest, they say, is history.
Since his beginnings in MC Battles in Norwich (yes, they exist!), Context MC has gone on to create something truly original, taking influences from his childhood spent listening to American Hip Hop, and fusing them with the more current underground circles of dark, bass-heavy dubstep and ethereal harmonies. The thing that really sets Context MC apart is his exquisite use of language. His rhymes are laden with poetic lines reminiscent, on a small scale, with that of poetry of the Romantic era. In his track Listening To Burial (Burial being one of his biggest influences), he narrates a story of a drug-fueled night and his "sun-lit" walk home. "The cold wind will make my sweat freeze, I’m coming down like an autumnal leaf." The way he plays with words, setting scenes and images dancing around in your head seems somewhat a juxtaposition to music itself, but it's this clever mix that he has developed as his own, that works so well. In other tracks, like Off With Their Heads, his rhymes play around with historical figures as he spits lines like "Now I’m gonna begin, till I’m getting booked from Bombay to Berlin, get it? Boleyn. Bare heads to take, no census, filling in the beat Im ready to peak".
Context MC ft. Vertex - Off With Their Heads (prod. Slof Man + Elkat) DL: http://contextmc.co.uk by Context MC
As well as a musician, Context also films, edits and directs all his videos; something which he is rapidly growing a reputation for, and youth sites such as SBTV and Urban Development have honed in on this, showcasing and promoting his music videos and acapella battle-style sessions. His music also features other up-and-coming artists, producers and MCs, such as Slof Man, a young dubstep producer from London who features on Listening To Burial, and the singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran. The Cadmean Victory is Context MC's forthcoming EP and is set to feature his biggest releases of the last year, as well as exiciting original material. This will definitely be one release not to be missed!
Although a slight departure from Gigseen's usual content, I thought that Context MC's work was worth showcasing, and even if it's not your personal taste, you should at least appreciate his total dedication and motivation to his music. So listen out for Context MC!
Links:
Facebook | Twitter | iTunes