Originally posted here on XXLMag.com.
Following the successes of his 2016 documentary highlighting the career of New York mainstay, DJ Cipha Sounds, 22-year-old filmmaker and director Nathan Miller releases his latest film LDN, taking his subject matter back to his roots in the U.K.
LDN explores the underbelly of London’s rap scene, as told by some of the biggest key players actively involved in all facets of the culture, ranging from those who create the music to those who support or document the city’s emerging sounds. The feature-length documentary includes interviews from artists such as J. Hus, Fredo, Youngs Teflon, DJ Semtex, Reekz MB, photographer Vicky Grout, artist manager/radio host Morgan Keyz and more.
With a focus on some of telling the stories of London’s aspiring MCs and producers, Miller captures the footage over the course of five months, with one artist or live music experience organically leading him to the next. As Miller admits that the idea for this feature stemmed from a drunk night out on the town, he felt it was time for the focus to be placed on the emerging rap scene, which is often overshadowed by the increasingly global rise of grime.
“It’s no secret that grime has been pushed into the forefront of music coming out of the U.K.,” Miller tells XXL. “Skepta has really shed a lot of light on the scene here, but my thing was, there are so many artists that aren’t in the international spotlight but are killing it in London.”
“For people outside of London, I would like for people to have a better understanding of our scene, to experience what it feels like to be here right now,” Miller adds. “For people from London, I would want people to walk away feeling proud of the growth of our scene.”
Check out LDN in full below.