Electric Ballroom, LondonHis lyrics may mostly be about the pursuit of girls and the champagne lifestyle, but Jay1’s drill-inflected flow gives them an edge
Fevered chants of “Jay1!” swarm over each other until the young rapper strides out under the spotlights. The glow from a thousand iPhones illuminates his frame, and his debut tour gets under way.
The Coventry rapper is from the poppier side of
UK rap, where singsong hooks segue into short, sweet verses that paint pictures of champagne lifestyles, and the good vibes are spread over enchanting flute and steel drum-tinged productions. Though a relative newcomer, with just the One Wave EP, released in July, to his name, Jay1 is becoming a force. The elated young crowd wail every hook and scream every slick punchline, dipping and rising in the moshpits – he showers them with praise, thanking the revellers “for changing my life”. This is UK rap at its most accessible and palatable.