Skengdo & AM

Skengdo & AM, whose real names are Terrell Doyley and Joshua Malinga, are a British rap duo from Brixton, London. They are both members of UK drill group and alleged gang, 410.[4][3][5][6] The group is known to have conflict with neighbouring Harlem Spartans, based in Kennington, and Moscow17. The duo gained some media attention in 2019 where they were handed a suspended jail sentence due to performing a song that police alleged encouraged gang violence.[7][8][3][9]

Skengdo & AM
OriginBrixton, London, England
GenresUK drill
Years active2016-present
LabelsFinesse Foreva (Present),[1] Marathon Artists (2017 - 2019)
Associated acts410, Harlem Spartans, Moscow17, 150,[2][3] Krept & Konan
MembersSkengdo, AM

Skengdo & AM have sold-out tours in the UK, performed at Reading and Leeds Festival, and topped the iTunes hip-hop charts.[10][11]

History

In 2017, Skengdo released his debut mixtape, 2 Bunny, alongside frequent collaborator AM.[12][11] In 2018, the pair collaborated with Chicago drill pioneer Chief Keef in a song titled "Pitbulls".[13] In 2017, Skengdo and AM released a successful 'Mad About Bars' episode on Mixtape Madness, which was later directly parodied by Big Shaq in "Man's Not Hot".[14]

410 gained notability in the media, along with other groups involved with the drill music scene, due to their association with London gang conflict and knife crime. The group was covered in 2019 in a Sky News documentary about the rising gang violence in London.[4][15][16] Like with other UK drill groups, music videos from 410 have been removed by YouTube due to requests of their removal from the police.[17][18]

In 2018, Skengdo & AM were handed a gang injunction by police preventing them from performing music that police claimed was inciting violence. It also prevented them from entering certain areas, such as Kennington. In January 2019, Skengdo & AM were handed a suspended jail sentence for breaching the gang injunction. The police cited their performance of a song titled "Attempted 1.0" as the culprit. Police claim the injunction was placed upon the pair due to evidence they were associated with gangs. TK & SK, their managers, claimed the two were not involved in gang violence. The court claimed they found evidence that drill music can, and was, encouraging violence.[16][19][20][21] It was the first time in British legal history that a prison sentence had been given due to the performance of a song. Following this, rappers Krept & Konan formed a petition asking the police to 'stop criminalising drill music'. The pair also released a film, titled 'Ban Drill', addressing their concerns.[7][22] An anti-censorship event was hosted at Saatchi Gallery. Both musicians performed music at the event. Russian artist Andrei Molodkin created an art-piece containing Skengdo & AM lyrics for the event criticising censorship.[20][23] Skengdo & AM and Krept & Konan were invited by Diane Abbot to address the Houses of Parliament about censorship of drill music.[24]

In 2018, the duo released Greener on the Other Side, a 7-song EP.[25] In 2019, Skengdo & AM dropped their first full-length mixtape, Back Like We Never Left.[10][26] In February 2020, this was followed by EU Drillas, a collaborative mixtape featuring drill artists across Europe.[25]

Today (January 13, 2021), their injunction has ended[27] and the duo are now able to continue producing drill music without any censorship.

Discography
  • 2 Bunny (2017)
  • Greener on the Other Side (2018)
  • Back Like We Never Left (2019)
  • EU Drillas (2020)

References
  1. Thapar, Ciaran (2018-06-08). "Skengdo & AM Are the UK Drillers at the Top of Their Game". Vice. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  2. Dazed (2017-04-25). "Inside UK drill, London's hyper-local DIY sound". Dazed. Archived from the original on 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  3. "Them Pretty New Blocks: Drill Music and Gentrification in South London". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  4. "'This war won't end': London gang murders on the rise". Sky News. Archived from the original on 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  5. "From Chicago to Brixton: The surprising rise of UK drill". FACT Magazine. 2017-04-27. Archived from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  6. Virk, Kameron (2019-04-26). "Drill music 'adapting and evolving'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  7. Hancox, Dan (2019-01-31). "Skengdo and AM: the drill rappers sentenced for playing their song". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  8. "What do we know about gangs in Southwark?". Southwark News. Archived from the original on 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  9. "Drill rapper Loski 'caught with loaded gun to use on gang rivals'". Evening Standard. 2020-01-21. Archived from the original on 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  10. Dummy. "Skengdo x AM return with first full-length mixtape 'Back Like We Never Left'". DummyMag. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  11. Thapar, Ciaran (2018-06-08). "Skengdo & AM Are Redefining UK Drill". Vice. Archived from the original on 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  12. "Skengdo | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  13. "Skengdo X AM Link Up With The Original Driller Chief Keef For "Pitbulls"". trenchtrenchtrench.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  14. "The 10 best UK rap tracks of 2017". FACT Magazine. 2017-12-18. Archived from the original on 2019-04-13. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  15. "Inside London's Gang Violence". Archived from the original on 2020-02-27.
  16. "Drill rappers get suspended sentences after breaching gang injunction". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  17. "U.K. Drill Rappers Uploading Videos To PornHub After Being Censored On YouTube". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  18. "Pornhub Is Now Hosting Banned U.K. Drill Rap Videos". Highsnobiety. 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  19. "Two men sentenced after breaching gang injunction by performing... - Metropolitan Police". 2019-01-21. Archived from the original on 2019-01-21. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  20. "Terms & Conditions: A UK Drill Story | YouTube Originals". Archived from the original on 2020-04-11.
  21. "Rappers speak out after being sentenced for performing drill music". Channel 4 News. Archived from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  22. Dummy. "Krept & Konan urge police to stop targeting drill artists with new petition". DummyMag. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  23. Dummy. "Skengdo x AM team up with Russian blood artist to protest artistic censorship". DummyMag. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  24. Dummy. "Diane Abbott invites drill artists to the Houses of Parliament to discuss censorship". DummyMag. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  25. "Skengdo x AM Care Nothing For Brexit As They Link Up With 'EU Drillas' For Latest Project". Complex. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  26. "Skengdo & AM are 'Back Like We Never Left' on new mixtape". Mixmag. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  27. "The injunction will remain in place until January 2021". the Guardian. 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
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