Think Black British cinema, think Ashley Walters. The former So Solid Crew rapper has carved a niche as King of the Hood, the brutal bitchslap of Bullet Boy segueing into this up-tempo tale of ghetto beats. Walters smoulders as Danny, a DJ in Brixton, spinning vinyl for his crew of mouthy MCs to face off over. It’s Britain’s answer to 8 Mile but without the grit, rudeboy insults between teen MCs (“My mum’s fat? Why you starting? Your mum’s the reason the whole of Africa’s starving”) possessing all the cheeky facetiousness of playground banter. More urbane than urban, its faux-ghetto rap occasionally feels stilted, yet Walters’ brooding intensity and emotional honesty draw you in deeper than expected.
DVD Extras:
The disc’s street cred could have been boosted by some behind-the-scenes footage of the saff London locations and young cast, but instead this DVD delivers eight pointless deleted scenes with titles like ‘Danny Walks, Smokes, Thinks’. Duh.
