Lowkey
| Lowkey | |
|---|---|
Lowkey performing in Bristol, 21 September 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kareem Dennis |
| Born |
23 May 1986 London, England |
| Genres | Political hip hop, grime, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Political activist, musician |
| Years active |
2001–2012 2016–present |
| Labels | Mesopotamia Music SO Empire Recordings |
| Associated acts | |
2001–2012
Kareem Dennis (born 23 May 1986), better known by his stage name Lowkey, is an English rapper, and political activist of Iraqi descent. He first became known through a series of mixtapes he released before he was 18, before taking a hiatus from the music business. He would return in 2008 with wider music coverage, featured on BBC Radio and appearing at various festivals and concerts including the Electric Proms,Glastonbury, T In The Park and Oxegen in the buildup to his first solo album Dear Listener, as well as collaborating with other famous British musicians to form a supergroup. He released his second solo album Soundtrack to the Struggle independently on 16 October 2011. He is known for his controversial lyricism on real life issues.
Kareem Dennis was born in London to an Iraqi mother and an English father. From the age of twelve he began to rap, initially imitating American rappers but soon began using his own accent. He began attending the open mic sessions which took place at the Deal Real record shop on Carnaby Street, Central London. The first time he went he introduced himself as Lowkey and was told there was already a regular there by that name; the two had a rap battle to decide who would continue to use the alias, Kareem emerged victorious and continued to use the name thereafter.
The first part of his mixtape series Key to the Game, was released independently in 2003. Within a year and a half he had released a second and third volume, all of which gained critical acclaim from UK hip hop circles. Though the first volume largely used music from other artists, the second was mostly original work in conjunction with numerous artists and producers while the third, which had no skits or short songs like a traditional mixtape would, was mostly his own work.
While Lowkey the man was busying himself with European tours in support of Immortal Technique, Canibus, and Dead Prez, he began to make musical contacts and set about recording his official debut album. Though stalled by other artistic endeavours, Dear Listener was eventually released in January 2009. He bookended the year with another release, Uncensored, with highlights from the entire Key To The Game series and Dear Listener. This was released digitally in December through iTunes.
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