Photo: Spotify
The world of viral hits distributed on TikTok can be hard to navigate if you’re over a certain age, and I imagine it’s pretty confusing if you’re the hitmaker, too.
One such case originated in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England, when Niko B’s 2nd single became a hit on digital platforms. ‘Who’s That What’s That’ featured lyrics about Whatsapp, McDonalds, and Bitcoin.
Rapping in a low key way, he painted a picture of small town life in Britain, and then, on the cusp of fame, had to hit pause for the pandemic.
That gave him time to focus on a full length album; one accomplished enough that he’d avoid being labelled a novelty. The result, Dog Eat Dog Food World, is interesting enough to guarantee some staying power.
Niko B was born Tom George Austin. His stage name is a reference to a character in Grand Theft Auto 3.
Austin is 23, and his rhymes are littered with references to middle England life, and a healthily self-deprecating sense of humour.
That's apparent in song titles like ‘I’m Just a Pretty Face'. And on ‘Trespass coat’, in amongst a whirlwind of product names and stories of sobriety, he drops the line “I just punched a piece of pasta, it nearly broke my fist.”
Dog Eat Dog Food World was made in collaboration with a host of bedroom beatmakers who are apparently best known on YouTube. There’s an edition of the album you can buy on USB, that contains an extra song.
It all feels bracingly new, and while some pundits have raced to dub Niko B the Gen-Z Mike Skinner (AKA The Streets), he doesn’t quite have the soul or pathos of that artist, or seem to want it.
It’s music that’s intentionally lightweight. Hard to imagine Skinner calling a song ‘I’ve Smoked Weed 9 Times and Have Only Had One Good Experience’.
While Niko B continuously makes himself the butt of any jokes, he is gaining some rap world cred. Drake shared one of his freestyles, and the Mercury Prize winning MC Dave invited him to freestyle during a live broadcast studio session.
He’s also joined on the song ‘Miniclip’ by KIRBS, who offers a much tougher, streetwise strain of UK rap.
On early listens it was tempting to write off Niko B as a novelty act; fun in the moment with little replay value. But returning to Dog Eat Dog Food World impresses not just with his storytelling, but a knack for melodic hooks, and appetite for interesting production.
When the pieces meld, it starts to feel quite exciting.
