Following his sold-out show at Peckham Audio last year, Kat Friar shines a light on the self-proclaimed ‘Nu-Grime’ sonics of bib sama. One to watch in 2023, say we…
NAME: bib sama. Also known as ‘that guy’.
GENRE: A hybrid of experimental hyper rap and electronica, bib sama. has dubbed his sound as ‘Nu-Grime’.
SIMILAR TO: If you’re a fan of newcomer LEN, critically acclaimed Lancey Foux and vet of experimental rap, JPEGMAFIA, you’re going to love bib sama.
INSPIRED BY: bib sama’s production is inspired by Madlib, JPEGMAFIA, MIKE aka dj blackpower, aswell as Skepta’s production and rapping. Lancey Foux is another influence of his, one of the more evident inspirations. His mental health and whatever spiritual journey he’s on helps him express himself through music.
SOUNDTRACK FOR: The complex soundscapes feel like they belong in a video game. bib is a heavy watcher of anime and that translates in the sonics of his music. Speed racing, in Tokyo specifically is definitely where you’d hear his music. Tokyo Drift, if you catch mine.
MOST POPULAR SONG: ‘CLC!!’ is bib sama.’s most streamed song. He released it prior to his debut mixtape, PLATINUS ✧ but the song fits effortlessly into the world he’s created, with a stripped back acoustic version too. It’ll give you a peek into the his mind and the production on this is intricately futuristic with a catchy chorus and wicked flow.
LIVE: I remember being sat in Wendy’s with bib sama., asking him when his headline show was going to happen. I remember him not being sure on whether he’d sell out a small capacity venue. I always knew he was going to, given the success of his debut mixtape Platinus ✧. Presented by PrettyTwisted, founded by DJXHNWAV, the night truly felt like a family affair. Spotting familiar faces come from far and wide, as well as members of DA COMMUNITY, just made the whole room feel like home.
Here’s 9 highlights from the sold out headline show…
bib arrives on stage to ‘IN THE END’
The suspense has built up, the crowd’s been warmed up. Blue lights start to flash as bib finally appears to give the crowd what they’ve been waiting for. Moshpit’s start to form as he starts off with ‘IN THE END’.
G*Stina beanies being thrown during ‘BELIEVE ME’
‘It ain’t easy as it looks, believe me’ bib sings as beanies from G*Stina, created by fellow artist Abiiogenesis, get dashed through the crowd as members of audience start jumping to try and catch them.
The wheel up on ‘i see three!’
As bib is rapping and bouncing up and down to old favourite, ‘i see three!’ and the crowd is singing along, the track gets wheeled up by DJXHNWAV as bib goes even harder for the second time round.
OG KEMi appearance on the INTERSTELLA remix
OG KEMi hopped on stage and matched bib’s energy for the ‘INTERSTELLA‘ remix as he killed his verse and then performed his own song ‘i don’t sell drugs anymore’, both of which got the crowd extra amped for the rest of the show.
His stage presence during ‘NEVA EVA’
Probably the most high energy performance of the night, the crowd was ecstatic at this song coming on. bib had so much energy all over the stage, from jumping to moving around the stage, bouncing with the crowd. It was a sick sight to see.
The chants of B-I-B transitioning into ‘OUT!’
Chants of ‘B-I-B, B-I-B, B-I-B’ got faster as DJXHNWAV pressed the CUE button to the beat of ‘OUT!’ as the crowd went crazy.
The DJXHNWAV edit of ‘lyk lice!!’
DJXHNWAV‘s flip of ‘lyk lice!!‘ for live performances gave the song a new life full of vibrancy and extra drums.
Jumping in the moshpit for final song ‘TAKE ONE!’
‘TAKE ONE!’ is the lead single from his debut mixtape, everyone from producers to the media team were jumping on stage as he took a leap into the crowd to be immersed in the moshpit.
DJXHNWAV’s speech at the end
DJXHNWAV took the time to tell his close friend that he did this! He put everyone in this room. He’s that guy. He even dubbed him ‘Himmy Neutron’. We were all so proud of bib, but this speech was so heartwarming as they’d planned the show together.
NEXT PERFORMING: While bib hasn’t announced any upcoming shows yet, whenever he does, you’re going to want to be there. The close knit family vibe in the crowd makes those moshpits feel much safer and the walls are always bouncing with sound. Make sure you grab a ticket whenever he does announce – it’s bound to sell out, just like his first headline show.
Follow Bib on Instagram.
Words & photos: Kat Friar. Kat is a freelance journalist, DJ and photographer with a passion for music. She likes to cover all bases regarding music so whether it’s a new album, a rising artist or a gig, she’ll be writing about it.
