Lowkey

Lowkey with Mohammed Yahya & Native Sun and JabsilJaz.

"Arguably the biggest name on the UK hip-hop underground scene" The Guardian

“Soundtrack To The Struggle solidifies Lowkey’s position at the forefront of UK hip hop" SBTV

Legendary artist on the UK hiphop scene and strong campaigning voice for the rights of refugees, Lowkey is the ideal artist to be taking the lead at the event marking 20 years of Refugee Week.

The support act is the brilliant and full of energy Mohammed Yahya & Native Sun. Mohammed is a Mozambican born, London based rapper and spoken word artist. Mohammed is collaborating with us on another Refugee Week linked surprise, more details of this coming soon.

At the moment Lowkey is crafting a collaboration with Palestinian artist duo EbzilJaz.

As one of the UK's most potent and electrifying rappers, Lowkey is a towering figure of the British hiphop scene who renews the tradition of conscious activism for a generation brought up with the War on Terrorism. Fusing politically charged lyrics and agile dissection of topics such as race, war, global poverty and internationalist politics with anthemic choruses and an unrelentingly energetic performance, Lowkey commands a keen and growing legion of followers - still treading new ground and generating fresh enthusiasm 14 years after releasing his first mixtape.

Lowkey first started rapping at the age of 12 and cut his teeth at Carnaby Street's legendary Deal Real records. After releasing his respected 2003 Key to the Game mixtape, he took a hiatus and returned in 2009 with debut full length Dear Listener, at the same time as releasing an album with Reverend and the Makers frontman Jon McClure, Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and members of Babyshambles to form the group Mongrel. Following several humanitarian aid missions in Palestine and various charity projects, he released his critically acclaimed sophomore outing, Soundtrack to the Struggle, in 2011.

After retiring for a brief spell until last year Lowkey has returned on form and with a batch of new releases & collaborations including poignant singles about the international refugee crises & freedom of movement, Ahmed & Children of Diaspora. With sold-out dates across the UK, Lowkey continues to make a lasting mark in the global hip-hop consciousness.

For full details of the programme visit Counterpoints Arts website: counterpointsarts.org.uk/events/lowkey