Hashtag 0161
Did Bugzy Malone put Manny on the map?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/pomh.32559Keywords:
American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis, Bugzy Malone, Chip, grime, hip-hop, Manchester, neoliberalismAbstract
Bugzy Malone is Manchester’s first grime artist to hit the mainstream with a UK album chart top ten entry for his 2015 debut EP Walk With Me. A career kick-started by a highly-publicized beef with London artist Chip, he has remained a controversial figure by frequently repeating the refrain ‘0161, Manny on the map’ while shunning collaboration with other local musicians. This article aims to decipher Bugzy’s rise to fame, underscoring his musical persona’s similarity to Bret Easton Ellis’s Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, to argue that the artist’s unique trajectory cemented a new individualistic era in grime culture, away from its London roots of solidarity within crews.
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