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Another day in the second capital celebrating the best in music and this time was the turn of London-born rapper, M Huncho.
Fresh off the release of his latest compilation, “my neighbours don’t know”, we returned to Art. Quarter for another immersive meet and greet experience, and, with other big names ready to set up shop in the Birmingham venue for their events, it’s safe to say that owner Jordan didn’t lie when speaking on the future of the space, and its connection to the music industry.
Having experienced blistering heat for the few days before the event, no one expected there to be rain, but low and behold, down it came. Fans were ushered inside by security where they stood vibe-ing to a specially curated playlist featuring the crême dé la crême of the UK rap scene. Whilst waiting patiently in line for the rapper to make an appearance, fans were able to select a range of different merchandise to be signed by M Huncho. These included; CDS, hoodies, shorts, t-shirts, and even cassettes, which funnily enough, a lot of people had never come across before.
Hunch didn’t leave fans waiting long. Pulling up in a black Mercedes Vito with his entourage, he wasted no time getting to the job at hand but was stopped in his tracks by the case of the missing Sharpie, but thankfully a staff member came to the rescue giving him her pen to use. Then it was time!
The rapper towered over fans with a warm embrace showing each one an equal level of gratitude and appreciation. From start to finish, there was nothing but sounds of laughter and joy filling the space. Unlike the previous pop-up I covered, this event seemed to be more intimate, with the star taking extra care to have a personal rapport with each one of his supporters.
One mother boasted how excited she was to be able to take her son to see his favourite artist, jokingly admitting to security she didn’t know the rapper’s music, saying, “I don’t usually listen to his kind of stuff, but when I’m in the car with my son, we just vibe” as she danced out of the building.
A notable face amongst the crowd was the rapper’s go-to producer, Quincy, who outside of his collaborations with Hunch, has the likes of Abra Cadabra, Yxng Bane, and Headie One on his credits list. Whilst the rapper was mingling with fans, the producer seemed to have his own personal meet and greet going on at the back of the room, and, rightfully so. The two together are one of the sweetest combos in UK rap culture. For me, it was dope to see the person who works behind the scenes be shown the same love as the person front and centre. He could be seen repping the merchandise, sporting the beige MYB shorts.
Hilariously, I can recall him leaving to grab some snacks from the green room, and having to take selfies with fans whilst simultaneously eating his Ready Salted Walker’s. When speaking to him about the interaction, he laughed it off, saying, “It can be a lot sometimes but essentially these man pay my bills so taking a few pics ain’t nothing. I was tryna enjoy my crisps though.”
The event was short and sweet and it was time to wrap up for the day. The rapper and his team started to gear up for their two-hour drive to Bristol but not before making lunch arrangements and the infamous Caribbean restaurant, Mellow’s, one of Birmingham’s best, was going to be the first stop on their journey.
Before leaving I got to spend some time chopping it up with the star. His infectious spirit carried throughout the room. He started to vent to me about his sadness towards his favourite Brum spot, Bings, which he told me is never open when he’s in town. He also took every opportunity to imitate my accent, which admittedly by the third attempt he got spot on.
We live in a world where the media tries to make us believe someone in a mask is someone to fear and someone we should be scared to be around, but, M Huncho makes us see masks from a different perspective. Used as a tool against a materialistic world, the mask forces fans to pay closer attention to the music over his appearance. Despite his all-black attire and MF Doom-style mask, his spirit was vibrant and colourful and that radiated all around the space, throughout the whole day.
“My Neighbour’s Don’t Know” is out now on all major digital platforms.