In Celebration of Normski
Broadcaster, photographer, DJ, rapper, cultural commentator and more, James Keith reflects on Normski's career
TRENCH
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Born Norman Anderson in 1966, Normski was the perfect character to arrive at the perfect time for both British hip-hop and rave culture.
It was a transitional period when UK hip-hop was just beginning to thrash out its own identity separate from the States.
Aerial Shot Of London During A Sunset by Pierre BlachéTRENCH
Most rhymers still mimicked a kind of New York drawl on the mic and most of the fashion still borrowed heavily from the five boroughs.
Smiley Culture's decision to look towards the Caribbean and the soundsystem culture that had come over with the previous generation gave us our first flashes of individuality, but he was way ahead of the curve.
London Posse—at least culturally—hadn’t yet had their moment in the sun. So to have Normski out there on the frontlines, using his photography to document and catalogue every bit of fashion, slang, graffiti—even handshakes—was invaluable.
More than that, he took it to the mainstream and embedded himself in what was somewhat awkwardly known as “yoof” culture.
Sky Line Of London's Battersea Power Station by Jan Van BizarTRENCH
Making it known that his culture and the people he spoke for were just as vital and important as anything Janet Street-Porter wanted to be seen and heard in our living rooms.
From 1988 to 1994, Normski was one of the hosts of DEF II, a BBC2 magazine show for Gen X produced by Street-Porter that aired US imports like Ren & Stimpy, Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air and Wayne’s World sketches.
A Music Studio session Part 3 (2021) by Dmitry DemidovTRENCH
Between those shows, Normski made the absolute most of every second available to him, mixing quick bars into his links. Even in those brief segments, he was always pushing hip-hop to be more than just a genre borrowed from America—he wanted it embedded in our subconscious.
Running parallel to Normski's contribution to British hip-hop was his work in the rave scene. Arguably, his greatest on-screen work of all was Dance Energy, a BBC2 gem from the early '90s.
An image of a television (2021) by Cottonbro StudioTRENCH
This was another example of Norsmki's ability to take something that had been demonised by the tabloids and bulldoze a space for it in the mainstream without cheapening the culture.
A DJ Playing Music (2021) by Kevin BidwellTRENCH
It was also perfectly suited to his energy levels, soundtracked by pretty much non-stop house and breakbeats. What really made it perfect, though, was how thoughtfully it approached its subjects.
A image of a Club Night Party (2021) by Aleksandar PasaricTRENCH
In a given episode, usually running about 40 minutes, you’d get a segment documenting sneaker culture, Frankfurt's gay club scene, and some historic performances of relatively underground acts you’d never see anywhere else.
There was none of the stitch-ups and cynicism that was creeping into a lot of late-night shows at the time, just pure, respectful appreciation—and Normski's boundless enthusiasm was the beating heart of it.
This digital work has been produced in collaboration with PRS Foundation and POWER UP. The article first featured in TRENCH x Union Black's Chapter One: Game Changers zine.
Words by James Keith
Videos by BBC, Robin Morley, Smiley Culture, Rob Macgillivray, London Posse, Filone, Webm8dotcom and Sys4110.
Commissioned by TRENCH
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