VICTORY LAP, WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT IT?

DAY 3: Victory Lap, known for elevating the UK music culture and putting people on the new wave of British Talent, but why all the hype?

Picture taken from NTS Radio

We seem to be reliving the good old days of Pirate Radio, grime clashes and just pure barring when we look into the success of Victory Lap and their cyphers. Seeing how far they have grown, taking inspiration from Grime in ushering a new generation of UK artists and shifting the current music landscape in the UK. They easily made rap look cool again with the hallmark of their platform having fish eye lens, polaroid covered background, they have perfectly captured off-the-cuff freestyles, wheel ups and just you and friends just having fun and uplifting one another in a, you could say, professional environment since they are artists.

Victory Lap was founded in 2019 by Joseph McDermott, who is said to be a music lover and not a musician or anyone active in the music industry, apart from DJing here and there. Whilst on a trip to New York, he met with other friends of his who were rappers, DJS, singers and producers. Whilst pondering, they had different bookings of independent radio stations like the Lot and Half Moon radio to DJ, but kept getting asked what they were going to title the episode once it was out. In an interview with HUNGER magazine, he said

‘We kept getting asked what to name the episode after it came out, and so we needed to come up with a name. At the Airbnb that night, we argued for hours, and I landed on Victory Lap being a cool, braggadocious, celebratory name that worked.’

Since 2020, they have been broadcasting as a monthly live radio show on the independent station Balamii, in South London, highlighting and ushering a whole new generation of British talents, from Ashbeck, KIRBS, Kibo, BXKS. As I mentioned, only rappers, Victory Lap is not strictly a rap show but sheds light on other obscure and different artists from BINA to Jim Legaxcy. Throughout their existence, they have continuously created a community, especially one that is not forced and only creates an authentic byproduct of true culture. One aspect that McDermott did shed light on was the cultural impact that Pirate radio had on his passion project in uplifting fresh and undiscovered talent, which evidently is something that a lot of mainstream radio stations are hesitant to do.

‘ I think they paved the way for showing and understanding the cultural impact you can have at ground level playing underground and sometimes obscure music’

Something that they have successfully carried out with a big appreciation to KIBO, who has not only been a Victory Lap veteran but a loved rapper by a lot of the public. His edgy, comedic type bars with funny effects make him so loved and appreciated, and with his presence, it makes the cyphers a lot more enjoyable. But as they continued to highlight unheard talent, on June 3rd 2023, two of the biggest names in UK Rap, Dave and Central Cee made their way onto a platform for a special with the help of Clint419s Clothing empire Corteiz, creating Victory Lap x RTW collaboration. This video has reached 1.6 million views on YouTube, with their appearances bringing casual music listeners tapping into Victory Lap while creating one of the most culturally captivating moments of that year. It felt like a full circle moment for Joseph McDermott, having Victory Lap just being a platform for his friends to showcase their music and get new and varied guests month to month.

Of course, Victory Lap x RTW made a bigger and more defining return with their Vol 2 that dropped March 30th of this year. The roster for this was legendary, with Skepta and JME appreciating the movement that Victory Lap have created entering into the space, but joined forces with heavy-hitting artists and veterans such as Joe James, Unknown T, Finessekid, Sam Wise, Kid Wild, Blaze YL and Novelist. One thing that struck me was the hunger; everyone was hastily making their way to the mic to get their wheel up and moment, and all of this came from the friendly competition they all placed during this cypher. This was to me their most pressurising cypher yet, entertaining with standouts from Joe James, Kibo and Finessekid, I believe history might’ve been made again with this one.

As Victory Lap continues to expand and bring the cyphers to live audiences, increased viewership and a reputable status to the culture, McDermott is hellbent on ensuring that its core DIY nature remains present at the forefront. It has been their commitment to authenticity that will allow them to cement their platform as one of the purest representations of the UK music scene present and for many years to come. I am excited for the future of Victory Lap, any future collaborations and artists that they are scouting to put onto their platform. I know how far this movement can go, and I’d love to follow them on this journey so that the whole world can be put onto the display that UK music has to offer.