Lex Records Showcase at the Jazz Cafe ft Fly Anakin, Quelle Chris and $ilkmoney

London-based record label Lex Records has been making waves in the alternative Hip-Hop scene for the last twenty years. It represents legendary acts such as the late, great MF DOOM, Dangermouse, Ghostface Killah, and most recently, Fly Anakin. To celebrate his latest release, executive produced by Quelle Chris, Lex curated a ‘no frills’ lineup of acts to bring The Forever Dream to life.

The artist who “got his alias from a bar fight” and founder of Richmond rap avengers Mutant Academy first piqued my interest during lockdown with Pink Siifu and his incredible FlySiifu’s album. Since then, Frank has kept the fans more than suitably fed, and his latest record is nothing short of a feast. Giving Quelle Chris full creative direction on this project is like asking Gaspar Noe to direct your biopic, it’s going to be beautifully chaotic, disturbing at points and leave you with lots and lots of questions. The opening line says it all, “me and my b*tch will f*ck your b*tch, we running trains hoe.” Not to mention the line “Bahamdia built mama got that boy pregnant like a seahorse” on “The times.”

Fly Anakin, photo by Taishan Henry (Taishan’s art)

I get the impression this album was structured to mimic the film experience, packed with amusing interludes and skits providing well needed respite from the relentlessness of it all.

Opening the night was Quelle Chris, a cult artist with one of the most unique sounds in all of music, full stop. Quelle has grown men begging him to swap trucker hats, the hipster equivalent to Usher’s cherry feeding gag.

Quelle Chris, photo by Taishan Henry (Taishan’s art)

Performing in London for the first time in over 8 years, $ilkmoney AKA cummoney or silkbooty, the man behind legendary titles such as “the day waffle house broke my heart” and “I ate 14g of mushrooms and bwoy oh bwoy.” This artist provides a brilliantly meticulous combination of absurd lyricism and outstanding flow, as if Melvin Van Peebles were reincarnated as a Virginia MC. It was an honour to witness such a rare performance.

$ilkmoney, photo by Taishan Henry (Taishan’s art)

I recall Pink Siifu saying that the first time he heard Fly Anakin, he was convinced that he was some forgotten MC from the ’90s who had passed away. He has this timeless cadence that modern rappers seem to lack. In between tracks Frank turned The Jazz Cafe into a comedy club, cracking jokes about a fan’s “Say Drake?” shirt and deciding on a white people-friendly alternative for the album’s third track. Do your googles.

Regrettably, Fly Anakin’s partner in crime and actual partner (in life), BbyMutha couldn’t make the show, so he delivered her standout verse on “Corner Pocket” on her behalf. That’s real love. Anakin closed the show with a posse cut, inviting Quelle and $ilk back on stage to perform “My Twizzy.” Word to Yeat.