The 57th Dynasty (often known as 57 Dynasty) is a British hip hop group from Brixton, London.
The band was active from 1997 to 2003, then re-formed in 2014 by its two founding members, Charlie "Parker" Bucknall and Marcus "Paradise" Dawes. This eight-man collective, described by Rago Magazine as a "super group," won Best UK Hip Hop Act at the UK Hip Hop Awards and was nominated for both MOBO and Urban Music Awards. Through their indie imprint, FAS FWD Entertainments LTD, the group independently manufactured, produced and distributed music that included: one mixtape, two studio albums, and several EPs, dubplates, and singles. They have been compared favorably to the Wu-Tang Clan. The group has collaborated on recordings and live shows with a wide variety of artists in many musical genres. The 57th Dynasty's original musical style was a mixture of hip hop, bashment, jungle, jazz and spoken word components commonly associated with an early form of grime. NME once described the group's live performance as "a holy chaos with hot-lead hip-hop at its core."
The 57th Dynasty were among the vanguard of the British urban music movement of acts that became popular internationally during the early to mid-2000s. They were at first noted for their infamous hometown of Brixton just as much as much as for their music. The group is now identified with the youthful and rebellious countercultures of hip hop and grime. The group toured both nationally and internationally alongside Eminem, Outkast, DMX, The Roots, Wu-Tang, Common, The Lox, Sean Paul, D12, The Liks, Eve, Jurassic 5, Slum Village, Roni Size, Roots Manuva, Rodney P, Ty, Blak Twang, Klashnekoff, Mark B & Blade and more.
The 57th Dynasty first gained acclaim with their independent debut album The Spoken Word. With no major label backing, the group sold CDs on street corners and out of their cars. Recognized as a landmark album, its singles "Lil Bro," "Love of Hip Hop," "Still I Rise," and "Boro 6" were mainstays on underground pirate radio stations. However it wasn't until BBC Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood began championing their music that the group catapulted into the national spotlight. Within months of the album's release, John Knight of Southern Record Distributors (SRD) invited The 57th Dynasty to join SRD's roster. "Buyers at chain retailers began calling for stock [of the album] even before a distribution deal through London-based SRD was secured" wrote Billboard.
Following the success of The Spoken Word, and with the emergence of grime music, The 57th Dynasty's second album, Boro 6 Vol. 2 – A Dynasty Truly Like No Other, served as a showcase platform for the talents of other British artists and styles of music. The collaboration-rich album's lead single, "Break Free", featured then-unsigned R&B singer, Estelle. Billboard praised the track for "going against the grain of what's currently popular in terms of subject matter." The 57th Dynasty became the first UK hip hop group to be featured in The Source Magazine. The group was highly influential in shaping the landscape of British urban music, not only for rivaling major labels, but for sitting alongside and influencing policy makers and representatives from media companies. Group member Oshin (Da Nomad) extensively showcased UK talent through his Fab 5 Freddy-esque film series, Independent Hype. At the height of their popularity, the group faced a wave of backlash from Anglo-centric blogs and forums, which sought to discredit the group as sounding too American as a result of lead vocalist Paradise having spent 18 years living in the United States. The band's final album together, The DIY Ethic, was never released. Band member 50:50 (Carl Fearon) died in 2008. In 2009, The 57th Dynasty were included as pioneers in HOMEGROWN! The Story of UK HIP-HOP Exhibition at Urbis, Manchester. Group members Marcus "Paradise" Dawes, Charlie Parker, Oshin and Shineye remain active within the music industry.
History 1996–1998: FasFwd Entertainments Marcus "Paradise" Dawes returned to the UK after spending 18 years in the United States and was introduced by neo-soul singer Stewy "Big" Love to producer/label owner Charlie Parker. This introduction would blossom into the artistic outlet that eventually became The 57th Dynasty. Paradise honed his style of "prison poetry" over Parker's pensive soundscapes, creating the singles "M.O.N.E.Y.", "Et Tu", "Boomerang" and "Crown Jewels". The successful rapper/producer combo performed live throughout the UK and Europe including regular radio broadcast on Choice FM's Friday Night Flavas, hosted by DJ 279. The duo created a consistent buzz and following for themselves with chart successes and rave reviews. Parker's home in Brixton served as label headquarters and as a collaborative artist studio for rappers, reggae artists, singers and musicians. Mr. Green (Baby Hulk), a friend of Bionic of London Posse, was a regular artist in residence and the first to be released on Parker's independent FAS FWD record label.
Paradise sought to form a super group by enlisting rappers from the local Brixton area. Between 1996 and 1999, the highest calibre of artists were chosen to assemble The FAS FWD ALL-STARS. Their official release, No Way, came in 1997 on the double AA-side entitled "M.O.N.E.Y. / No Way" and featured Stretch Lexus, Big Love, Thunda Storm, Paradise, Felony, and Mr. Green produced by Charlie Parker (aka Four:Four). Blues & Soul wrote that "both tracks possess an incredible stamp of authenticity as producer Four:Four turns up the beats. (Rating: 8)". Trace Magazine Hip hop writer Disorda charted the debut at number 9 and included it on his compilation album, UK Hustlerz Volume 3.
The FAS FWD ALL-STARS performed regularly at the local Lambeth Country Show, Brockwell Park, and at numerous hip hop showcases and venues across London including Subterania, Jonzi D's Apricot Jam, DJ 279's Flava of Da Month at Borderline and Mudlumz. The youngest members of Paradise's ensemble formed Juvenile Ruckasz (Lil Monsta, Dark Troopa, 50:50) and were showcased on dubplate specials for Jamaica's Stone Love and King Addis Sound Systems. When Mr. Green brought Bristol rapper Oshin (Da Nomad) to the FAS FWD studio, the eight-piece crew was completed.
The name 57th Dynasty came about when the artists decided the door number of their headquarters should replace "FAS FWD" – allowing for a clear distinction between the record label and the band – and "ALL-STARS" should be replaced with "Dynasty". The group's triangular logo was created by Paradise, and Oshin was instrumental in circulating the group's debut mixtape, Boro 6 (the name given to Brixton by Paradise, who likened the area to a sixth borough of New York City), outside London.
1999–2001: The Spoken Word The Spoken Word album was recorded primarily at Milos Studios, Hoxton Square. The highly acclaimed single, "Lil Bro", a duet between Paradise and thirteen-year-old Lil Monsta, was the final track recorded – in one take – and the first track released. The group's sold-out album launch party at Subterania, Ladbroke Grove included notable attendees such as New York's Hot 97 FM DJ and radio personality, Mister Cee, London Hip Hop Festival founder Kentake Chinyelu-Hope, Kiss FM DJs Big Ted & Shortee Blitz, DJ 279 and various members of Bury Crew/Mudlumz. The 57th Dynasty launched their merchandise imprint, Double F Paraphernalia, that same night, selling FAS FWD Entertainments T-shirts and 57th Dynasty medallions alongside limited-edition vinyl singles, EPs, LPs and CDs. After reaching a distribution deal with SRD in 1999, The 57th Dynasty shot their first independent music video, "Love of Hip Hop." Produced and directed by Merlin Massara, the video marked another UK milestone, being quickly picked up by MTV Europe and broadcast weekly, and becoming the most requested video on Yo! MTV Raps before the MTV Base takeover. A quote from The Juvenile Ruckasz sums up their recollection of the first independent video shoot:
The 57th Dynasty starred in Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 of famed hip hop clothing outlet Dark 'n' Cold's UK Hip Hop Untapped video series, which documented an emerging UK music scene. In 1999, lead rapper Paradise recorded a four-part advert for Viacom's, VH1 Music First, reaching a new audience and demographic for the group. Their popularity continued to grow with live performances on Nickelodeon and for the 60,000-plus audience at London's millennium night celebrations along the River Thames minutes before London's first major New Year's Eve fireworks display. In 2000, members of the group landed cameo appearances in Fruit Salad Films' BIFA-nominated South West 9, and their song, "Pharaoh Intellect", was added to the Stereo MCs' mix album, DJ-Kicks: Stereo MCs. The 57th Dynasty's motto is "There would be no concept of what far is, were it not for those willing to go to the extreme." Led by the tech-savvy, progressive partnership of Charlie and Paradise, the group embraced new technologies, producing enhanced CDs and releasing digital downloads in 2003, three years before the birth of the iTunes Music Store. Newly formed online record company, Peoplesound.com, licensed "Lil Bro" to their digital catalogue and made it freely available online via their website. "Lil Bro" received over 20,000 downloads, prompting the company's A&R manager, Dave VJ, to comment "57th Dynasty are really big on the site and have what it takes to make it in the US." The 57th Dynasty began touring internationally, to Sweden (Stockholm), Finland (Helsinki, Tampere, Jyväskylä), Denmark (Copenhagen), Italy (Bologna, Milan, Turin), Belgium (Brussels) and France (Nice). At home, they featured, performed and collaborated with other acts, and played festivals and Notting Hill Carnival.
2002–2003: Boro 6 Vol. 2 – A Dynasty Truly Like No Other In 2002, The 57th Dynasty released their follow-up album, Boro 6 Vol. 2 – A Dynasty Truly Like No Other. Executive-produced by Charlie "Parker" Bucknall and Marcus "Paradise" Dawes, it sold better than their previous effort. The album's polished production stood in contrast to their first release, and the industry took notice of the group's progression. The album heavily featured new talent alongside established artists. Singer Estelle and UK rappers MCD, Ace, Funky DL, Bury Crew, Scor-zay-zee (Out Da Ville), Swaybe Lee, Cerose (Black Rhino), Titan Sounds affiliates, Extremist and DJ IQ featured on the album. Like its predecessor, Boro 6 Vol. 2 – A Dynasty Truly Like No Other earned the group high accolades and acclaim. The album featured a production style dubbed "mix n blend," a fusion of hip hop, reggae and jazz. Hits from this album included "Brethren and Sistren", "Rough Life", "If", "Hooligans", "Ghetto Gold", "Break Free" and "Hold Strong", the latter two featuring Estelle. There is a noted level of maturity in the contributions from group members, including The Juvenile Ruskasz. Lil Monsta's solo performance on "If", 50:50's "Hold Strong" and Dark Troopa's lead placement on "Break Free" are contributions to what Britishblackmusic.com called an "intelligent, hard, dark, mellow, sweet, upbeat" album.