Sway

Among the excuses for British hip-hop's continuing underachievement is the genre's supposed inability to breed genuine stars.

Since prising the best Hip-Hop Artist Mobo award away from the bloated likes of 50 Cent and The Game and still refusing to sign a record contract 23 year-old Derek Sway Safo has had A&R men fawning like Poison groupies.

Sway cuts a mean figure as he stands head bowed against a pillar in the corner of Level 2's bar preparing to face an expectant Essex crowd. Sway is a man on a mission, having just returned from a tour that included the U.S and Germany he is (almost) back home. The UK grime / hip-hop scene is spreading its mur

At a time when many English MCs are concerned only with girls guns and grime this Haringey rhymer is much more about humorous hip-hop.

So it was with some eagerness that I trundled down to Nottinghams Rock City to see if this rap artiste lived up to the hype.

As the main support on The Streets current tour the man hyped as the saviour of the UK rap scene Sway Dasafo was able to do not just that but more.

Carling Islington Academy, London, UK