Kid Acne

Kid Acne, a rhymesayer and graffiti artist from northern England, constructs lean hip-hop productions steeped in 1980s textures that frame his satirical rhymes and incisive British wit. The Sheffield rapper drew scant attention until his sophomore release Council Pop in 2003, which drew widespread critical acclaim from the UK through to Japan for its pointed, sardonic commentary on pop culture. Early on, at age twelve, he began sketching comic books and executing graffiti pieces, activities that steadily nurtured an affinity for hip-hop. Around 1996 he joined forces with peers to launch the Invisible Spies collective, created to nurture their overlapping musical projects. In the ensuing years he issued several 12-inch singles under the Mongrels moniker before aligning with producer Req, also called Req One, another graffiti practitioner who later supplied the vintage sonic palette for Acne’s solo recordings. In 2000 the collective incorporated Invisible Spies as a formal entity also tasked with film and art promotion, prompting the recording arm to adopt the name Toah Dynamic. Acne’s earliest projects for the imprint comprised the solo debut Rap Traffic in 2001 and the comic book Zebra Face, likewise issued in 2001. Although a handful of UK hip-hop commentators responded favorably, wider recognition arrived only with Council Pop. Lex Records subsequently included the album cut “Rap Dracula” on its 2003 hip-hop and electronica compilation Lexoleum, extending the prospect of a recording contract while also noting Acne’s aptitude for sleeve and cover design. Additional imprints, among them Big Dada, Warp Records, and Chocolate Industries, enlisted the artist to create CD artwork and promotional flyers. His Lex debut, the three-track EP Worst Luck, surfaced in mid-2007, succeeded later that year by the full-length Romance Ain't Dead.