It has been a good year for Giggs. The industrious rapper from Peckham – AKA Nathaniel Thompson – kicked off 2019 by releasing his fifth album, Big Bad, a sprawling 18-track field study of urban life and strife delivered in his distinctive, unhurried and often seismic baritone. Featuring guest spots from local fixtures (Labrinth, Wretch 32) and US imports (Lil Yachty, Swizz Beatz), it confirmed the 36-year-old’s status as UK rap’s self-assured kingpin.
In April, Giggs joined his admiring collaborator Drake on stage at one of the latter’s O2 extravaganzas; this current tour will conclude with his own headline show at Wembley Arena. On a subzero night in Glasgow, it is a relatively stripped-back experience: just Giggs prowling back and forth in a black T-shirt, trackie bottoms and an eye-catching gold medallion that would not look out of place in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Despite the venue’s toweringly high roof, the packed room thrums with the energy of a basement club night.
An early highlight is Terminator, a martial advance of regal fanfares and dense drum fills, featuring doomy warnings to would-be rivals looking to move up the food chain. It sets a rolling, relentless tone as Giggs daisy-chains tracks together, with only the occasional pit stop to address the crowd and sip what looks like a pint of Guinness. “This is the exercise segment!” he shouts cheerily as the beats crank up.
Grime MC JME makes an unexpected guest appearance for the strident 2015 track Man Don’t Care, perhaps the prickliest song ever to mention digestive biscuits. On newer track Baby, Giggs is more playful, test-driving chat-up lines over an addictive bass hook. There is a noticeable audience leap at the opening bars of KMT, his collaboration with Drake – while the crowd loyally echo that hit’s sporadic “OK, OK” refrain, they are also word-perfect on Lock Doh, Giggs’s sonically sparse but lyrically saucy ode to abundant romance. It is the stealthy standout in a crammed, rambunctious hour, and its theme of being in-demand suits him well.
• At O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, on 3 December. Then touring until 6 December.
