Ashley Shakur

English hip-hop is dominated by grime at this point in time, but there are plenty of other talented artists in UK rap carving out their own niche and sound, with one of my favorites being Ashley Shakur.  The Southern rapper, illustrator and creative combines an old school approach with classic British lyricism on latest feel-good single "SHINE." Talking with Notion Magazine, Shakur said he wanted the song to "feel like it's the people's anthem" and that he could "imagine folks singing the hook, like ‘this is 100% my story and what I’m going through right now’!" He's certainly achieved his goal. "SHINE" is the opening track form his forthcoming Hare Colours EP, following on from this year's excellent Hare This EP.