Benga & Coki

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Benga & Coki · Benga and Coki are two producers from early London dubstep. Benga, whose real name is Adegbenga Adejumo, was born in 1986 in Croydon, in south London, and has Nigerian Yoruba roots. As a teenager he began making beats, first on a PlayStation and then with FruityLoops. In the record shop Big Apple in Croydon he met Skream, and together they helped shape the sound of dubstep that emerged in the early 2000s. At fifteen he made his first record, Skank, released in 2002. Coki came from the duo Digital Mystikz.

Music and breakthrough

Their joint track Night from 2007 is their best-known work. It reached number 98 in the British chart in 2008, remarkable for a style that then still came from the underground. Benga later released albums such as Newstep (2006) and Diary of an Afro Warrior (2008), and together with Skream and Artwork formed the group Magnetic Man. He also produced Katy on a Mission, Katy B's debut.

Influence

Dubstep is based on slow, heavy bass lines, ample space between the beats and a rhythm that feels half as fast as the beat itself. Night shows how the style broke out of the London clubs to a larger audience, and Benga and Coki are among the makers who made that possible.

Listening

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  Night · Benga & Coki, 2007
  Apple Music ↗