DJ Semtex has devoted pretty much his entire life to hip-hop, supporting generation after generation of talent through his work as a DJ, writer and label executive. Here, Sony Music UK’s director of artist development traces the genre’s history in the UK…

WORDS: BEN HOMEWOOD

When did you first become aware of hip-hop from a UK angle?

“When I went to my first ever concert. I went to see Ice-T at the International 2 [in Manchester] with the Rhyme ...