Grime and hip-hop conference, HANG, to take place in Glasgow this summer

A new grime and hip-hop conference is set to take place in Glasgow this summer.

Set to launch in July, the inaugural edition of HANG — Scotland’s first conference dedicated to grime and hip-hop — will take place at Glasgow venue SWG3, with an aim to “inspire and empower members of Scotland’s hip hop and grime communities”.

The one day event, organised by the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) in partnership with Creative Scotland, will take place on the 31st July, and feature key speakers in the form of BBC R1 Extra DJ Tiffany Calver, MC Nova, who took home the Scottish Album of the Year award in 2020, rising star Ransom FA and award-winning author/artist Darren McGarvey.

Alongside panels, there will also be performances from upcoming Scottish artists, who can submit their music from June for a chance to perform at HANG. There’ll also be workshops on the core elements of hip-hop culture, such as breakdancing, DJ-ing and graffiti. 

Speaking about the event, Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland, said: “Hip-hop artists have been active in Scotland for as long as hip-hop has been active globally. However, 40 years on, one of the world’s best-selling, most popular genres remains on the periphery of mainstream culture in Scotland despite its diverse and creative strengths.

“Managed by the SAMA in partnership with Creative Scotland, ‘HANG’ will pull together some of the country’s best-known artists, industry organisations and international partners to interrogate pre-conceptions about the genre and the barriers that restrict access. It’s time to shine a light on those artists whose voices reflect 21st-century Scotland and deserve to be heard by the wider world.”

Registration to attend, and also perform at the event, will open in June. You can find out more here.

Host of 1Xtra’s Rap Show and tour DJ for the likes of Drake and Beyoncé, Tiffany Calver’s meteoric rise has seen her become a household name in the UK in recent years. In a recent feature for DJ Mag, Calver spoke with Tara Joshi about her story, and provided an accompanying mix celebrating the women who inspire her.

Amy Fielding spoke with Scottish MC Nova about her journey as an artist for our regular Meet The MC feature in the May issue of DJ Mag UK. You can purchase that here.