Straight Outta Brompton is the superb show by comedy improv rap artist MC Hammersmith.
Its star is an unlikely hiphop icon. Raised on the mean streets of West London, the privately educated 30-something has a plummy voice and an unthreatening appearance (indeed, he’s starring as Harry Potter in another Fringe show).
He’s hardly likely to commit a drive-by shooting. But what MC Hammersmith (real name Will Naameh) does provide is a fantastic hour of entertainment.
Ahead of the show, audience members are invited to log onto his website via QR code and supply suggestions for words he can rhyme to and anecdotes he can turn into rap songs.
His producer throws a selection of these on screen and with barely a pause for thought MC Hammersmith is off.
Improv star
His brain to mouth speed is extraordinary, as is his facility to come up with ryhmes for a variety of unlikely words (he manages five rhyming lines on the word “hippopotamus”).
Audience members are brought up on stage and he creates hip hop tracks from their names, occupations and hobbies.
The most impressive section of the show comes when he asks the audience to produce random items from their pockets or bags and hold them aloft. He then walks through the crowd creating rhymes from items as diverse as a pack of tissues, a tin of Irn Bru, a stuffed toy and a waffle.
It’s extraordinary stuff, and MC Hammersmith comes up with rap lyrics at an incredible pace, his mind always a few steps ahead of his mouth.
Sure, there are a few half-rhymes and a couple of dropped beats but he’s onto the next one before you have a chance to register that he made a minor mistake.
A couple of minutes of trying to create rhymes for words I’ve just been given would fry my brain yet after an hour MC Hammersmith is still throwing out fresh and funny lyrics at breakneck speed.
Almost all improvisation shows have numerous cast members so if one gets stuck someone else can take over.
That MC Hammersmith has the ability and confidence to stand alone on stage and come up with an hour of improvised rap every day for almost a month is astonishing.
I’d urge you to go and see him.
4.5/5
MC Hammsersmith: Straight Outta Brompton is at Monkey Barrel until August 27 at 12.30pm.
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