Main Stage: Burna Boy, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Koffee & more
Words by Sarah Opokiti (@sarahh_ade)
Our phase 2 line-up for S&C Festival 2021 dropped in April, drawing excited reactions from across the scene and big love from festival fans all over the UK – with tier 2 weekend tickets now nearly sold out after some mad demand from you guys!
We’ve got some amazing artists from all over the world performing in Cambridge, 18-19 September – from recent Grammy winner and Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy, to Canadian icon and Drake collaborator PARTYNEXTDOOR; Jamaica’s queen of reggae Koffee, to our own UK rap sensation Bugzy Malone.
Check out our top 10 to watch from this year’s S&C Main Stage line-up…
Burna Boy
One of this year most anticipated headline acts, Burna Boy is an African music icon that has taken the world by storm. Earlier this year, he became a Grammy award winner – a much-deserved ‘Best World Album’ accolade for his album Twice As Tall – with his second consecutive album to be nominated for this category.
Although the Afrobeats hitmaker has been making waves in the music scene for nearly a decade, he finally gained the global recognition he so well deserved after the release of his music video for Ye – taken from his third studio album Outside in 2018.
After that, his success and fame caught like wildfire around the world – followed by the release of his Grammy-nominated album African Giant. He’s also enjoyed further prominence with an appearance on Beyoncé’s ‘Lion King: The Gift’ album on which he sang Ja Ara E.
The Nigerian global sensation is known to bring the roof down with his live performances – shutting down the O2 arena in 2019 and giving an immaculate performance with a live band at the Grammys. We can’t wait for the African Giant himself headline this year’s S&C’s main stage. We’re in for an absolute treat…
PARTYNEXTDOOR
The Canadian singer best known for hits such as ‘Break From Toronto’ and ‘Come And See Me’ featuring Drake will be headlining this year S&C. The singer last performance in the UK was in 2018 for Wireless festival. He has since released a number of projects with PARTYMOBILE in 2021 and COLOURS in January this year.
We’re so buzzing to welcome PND to the UK for a rare live festival performance. This is gonna be a moment, trust us. Sunday, Main Stage – be there.
Koffee
Another Grammy award winner, Jamaican reggae sensation Koffee took the world by storm in 2019 with her breakout track Toast from her album Rapture. The song became a global summer anthem, embodying positive vibes, gratefulness, and a great time. Everything S&C 2021 is about as the #YearOfTheParty.
In 2020, Koffee won her Grammy for ‘Best Reggae Album’, making her the first woman and the youngest person to ever been given that award – at the tender age of just 20 years old.
We can’t wait to buss a toast and vibe in the sunshine to the queen of Reggae. Catch her playing the Main Stage on Saturday.
Bugzy Malone
King of the North and Manchester’s finest grime and hip-hop artist Bugzy Malone has a made a huge name for himself since he broke into the scene in 2010. He has since released four studio albums and countless singles that have done numbers in streams and on the charts – such as Beauty and the Beast, which currently has over 44 million streams on Spotify.
One of the scene’s most prolific MCs, he’s not afraid of a clash either, with his long-standing beef with Chip creating some of grime’s most historic diss tracks – like the defining Relegation Riddim. The pair have since put their differences to one side, and released a banging collab earlier this year called Notorious.
Early last year, Bugzy posted to social media to say that he is “lucky to be alive” after surviving a life-threatening motorcycle accident in which he “sustained serious injuries and lost consciousness”. He has since recovered and has been back to his best, releasing hits back-to-back.
This will be a wildly-anticipated return to live action, in what is a UK Festival Exclusive, rounding off the weekend on Sunday night.
Pa Salieu
The British-Ugandan rapper from Coventry broke out in January 2020 with his single Frontline, which was the most played track on BBC Radio 1Xtra last year. It is safe to say that he has grown quite a fan base for himself since then. Other Pa songs that took over the charts include My Family (featuring BackRoad Gee) and B***K included in his debut album Send Them To Coventry.
DigDat
British Drill rapper DigDat broke into the UK chart with his head-turning single Air Force in 2018 – which now has over 30 million views on YouTube. This has been followed-up by some fire tunes such as Guten Tag, Ei8ht Mile (featuring Aitch) – from his acclaimed album of the same name, which came out in January 2020 – and his latest release, How High.
PA SALIEU plays Saturday at S&C Festival 2021
Abra Cadabra
Tottenham-born rapper Abra Cadabra is known and celebrated for his iconic raspy vocals and unique style. He was first introduced to the UK rap scene in May 2016, with freestyle on ‘BL@CKBOX’ YouTube channel in which fans grew a liking to his flow and his distinctive delivery. The video is the second most viewed video on the channel.
Abra gained even wider recognition with his single Robbery Remix, featuring Krept & Konan in 2016, and Dun Talkin’ with Kojo Funds – which further set him up to be the UK rap sensation that he is today. He has since showcased his versatility with songs like Art of War, to his annual Valentine’s Day releases such as Valentine and Mixed Emotions.
Miraa May
This UK R&B singer is going to bring all the vibes to the stage. The Algerian singer from Tottenham makes music to make you move, feel, and think. With a voice so unique and pen work so exquisite, it is no surprise she’s been killing the game with one hit after another – alongside a number of amazing collaborations, such as Angles (featuring JME), Blessed with Juls and Donae’o, and Squeeze from Ghetts’s latest album. It is safe to say that Mirra May is a rising star you should not take your eyes off.
Miraa May brings her soulful R&B vibes to S&C on Saturday
Tiffany Calver
The 26-year-old DJ, presenter and broadcaster is nothing short of a trailblazer. A Forbes list member and the first woman to host the BBC Radio 1Xtra Rap Show, Tiffany took over from Charlie Sloth after he stepped down from the BBC station in 2018. This phenomenal DJ has always been passionate about celebrating UK rap – from the highest streaming rappers to the underdogs in the game.
She started her radio and broadcasting career at Kiss FM in which she became the first woman in the UK to host a hip-hop show on national radio. Aside from hosting on live air, she’s also notably one of the most sought after DJ’s in the UK, touring as an opening DJ for the likes of Drake, Beyoncé, Jay Z and Fredo.
We are thrilled to have her work the decks at S&C this year, and cannot wait for her to do what she does best – kill it!
Tiffany Calver takes to the decks on Sunday at S&C
Kenny Allstar
Last but not least is the self-proclaimed ‘voice of the streets’ and the man behind Mad About Bars – the king Kenny Allstar himself. The DJ and presenter has hosted the series on Mixtape Madness’s Youtube channel for three seasons and has raked in over 30 million views all together – by creating a platform for rappers, from rising stars to big names (such as Ghetts, AJ Tracey and Unknown T), to showcase their talent.
Kenny has also been a BBC 1Xtra broadcaster for the past few years, and has gone on to work on even more amazing projects – including the release of his debut album Block Diaries in 2018. This project assembles all the great names to grace the UK rap scene, setting in stone that his title ‘voice of the streets’ is very much deserved.
Strawberries & Creem Festival takes place in Cambridge, 18-19 September 2021
Tickets are selling fast…
Let us know which artists you are most excited to see perform at this year Strawberries & Creem – just give us a shout in the comments / on our socials!
And make sure you grab your tickets asap – tier 2 Weekend tickets are running low, so move quick if you’re joining us for both days of action.
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