Pow 2011
Encyclopedia
"Pow 2011" is a single by Grime
MC, Lethal Bizzle
, featuring fellow grime artists such as JME, Wiley
, Chipmunk
, Face, P Money
, Ghetts and Kano
- who are usually credited as Grime All Stars. The single is a sequel of Lethal Bizzle
's hit single, Pow! (Forward) which released in 2004. The re-make is produced by Teddy, also known as Silencer. Pow 2011 released on February 6, 2011 for digital download. It has been revealed that it is the first single off Bizzle's forthcoming compilation album, Best of Bizzle
.
on November 18, 2010. Each artist who is on the song wrote their own verse. The re-make is produced by Teddy, also known as Silencer - whose trademark is heard at the beginning of the song. He stated that he decided to re-make the original Pow beat, and make it "Teddy-style".
It was announced by Lethal Bizzle
on Twitter
that he would be re-releasing Pow! on December 13, 2010, to try to get the Christmas number 1 in the UK Singles Chart
, like many people were trying to do by using Facebook
campaigns. On November 18, 2010, Lethal was interviewed by Grime Daily. Bizzle revealed: "The whole Pow 2011 thing started as a joke. I was on Twitter
one day and I said 'You know what? Pow for Christmas number 1'. And bare people retweeted it and someone was like 'Bizz you should do an updated version to go with it.'" Lethal (saying to another source) said: "I felt the original was still relevant, 6 years on it’s still one of the biggest club tunes, so it was kind of a no brainer. I was messing around on Twitter
about doing a new POW and getting it to the top of the charts- and the reaction was so crazy I thought wow I actually have to make this happen..."
Lethal then discussed how the collaborations came together, saying that he was not serious about recreating Pow at first: "Wiley
phoned me from Australia
or Jamaica
, he was in another country somewhere - and he was goin' "bruv, what's this about you doing another Pow? I wanna be on it!" When I said I was joking he was like "No! Biz, you have to do it." Then some 1Xtra DJ called me and said "bruv, you need to do that!" I was just like "are you bein' serious?" Then I thought alright, I'll phone a few people, see who's on it. So I phoned JME, he's like "yup, I'm on it, 1000%", I phoned Chipmunk, he's like "yup, I'm on it, 1000%". I was just like rah, people really want this!"
Lethal said that there were other people who he asked to do a verse but were taking too long. Other Grime artists, Sway and Maxsta were originally supposed to be on the final version. Bizzle was also going to ask Tempa T (also known as Tempz) to do a verse but was touring with Chase & Status
. Rumours went around that Chipmunk
told Bizzle to not put Maxsta on but Bizzle declined those rumours. Kano
, another Grime artist that is featured on Pow 2011, recorded a 16-bar rap - when originally everyone was expected to do an 8-bar. Sway recorded his verse but decided that he was not going to be on the song because of Kano
's verse being a 16-bar.
on December 24, 2010 and is directed by Carly Cussen, who has directed other music videos for 360 Records since the age of 17 (notably Tinie Tempah
's early debut, "Wifey"). The storyline focuses on all the artists (expect for Wiley
, who is not in the video) successfully robbing a vault full of money. The police split up and chase after each of them. In the behind-the-scenes video, Bizzle described the storyline briefly; "We're trying to make some money with this big plot while breaking in the vault. Everyone's got their own role to play in terms of trying to get the 10 million pounds."
Lethal Bizzle
plays the look-out, JME being the distraction (who is captured and interrogated, then escapes), Chipmunk
and Face collect the money and P Money plays the getaway driver. Two vans are shown - one with the money and one without (in order to fool the police). Ghetts drives the distraction van during his verse, who is then cornered. The policemen open the back of the van showing a goat. The van with the money, which is being driven by P Money, stops at a warehouse where Kano
is shown hiding the bags of money. The rest of them arrive, take the bags, put them in the van and drive off - with some parts showing the van with the goat, along with the confused policemen. During Wiley
's verse, JME is shown being further interrogated and all the artists together outside the vault. Other scenes include Bizzle rapping alone outside the vault and at some points all of the artists together as shown during Wiley's verse.
While talking about the video and Carly Cussen, Bizzle said: "..;it was all her idea. Amazing, it was so funny - when we had the meeting, and she was like "OK I've got this idea" I'm sat there like cool. She says "basically there's gonna be police; police chases, we're gonna rob a bank, we're gonna be on top of a roof…" I was like is this girl being serious? Then she done a script and got all the locations and somehow we did it man! Incredible and yeah, me and her are working together to do the whole sequel thing, so look out for that!"
Notes;
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
MC, Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle, also known as Lethal B , is a Ghanaian British rapper. His songs are known to satirise modern Gangsta rap; much of the humour comes from the adoption of hip-hop style and language...
, featuring fellow grime artists such as JME, Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...
, Chipmunk
Chipmunk (rapper)
Jahmaal Noel Fyffe known by his stage name Chipmunk, is a British hip hop rapper and songwriter from Tottenham, London....
, Face, P Money
P Money
Paris Williams, also known as Grime MC P Money, is from Lewisham, South London. He is known for his style MCing which is centered around reload bars and his presence in the Dubstep scene.- Biography :...
, Ghetts and Kano
Kano (rapper)
Kane Brett Robinson , better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y...
- who are usually credited as Grime All Stars. The single is a sequel of Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle, also known as Lethal B , is a Ghanaian British rapper. His songs are known to satirise modern Gangsta rap; much of the humour comes from the adoption of hip-hop style and language...
's hit single, Pow! (Forward) which released in 2004. The re-make is produced by Teddy, also known as Silencer. Pow 2011 released on February 6, 2011 for digital download. It has been revealed that it is the first single off Bizzle's forthcoming compilation album, Best of Bizzle
Best of Bizzle
"Best of Bizzle" is a compilation album by Grime MC, Lethal Bizzle. It is due for release on February 27, 2011 for digital download. The album features artists such as Mr Hudson, Donae'o, Dizzee Rascal, Tawiah, Kate Nash and Mark Ronson - along with Lethal Bizzle's fellow grime artists. The first...
.
Background
The song was premiered by Tim WestwoodTim Westwood
Timothy Westwood is an English DJ and presenter of radio and television. He also presents the UK version of the MTV show Pimp My Ride...
on November 18, 2010. Each artist who is on the song wrote their own verse. The re-make is produced by Teddy, also known as Silencer - whose trademark is heard at the beginning of the song. He stated that he decided to re-make the original Pow beat, and make it "Teddy-style".
It was announced by Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle, also known as Lethal B , is a Ghanaian British rapper. His songs are known to satirise modern Gangsta rap; much of the humour comes from the adoption of hip-hop style and language...
on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that he would be re-releasing Pow! on December 13, 2010, to try to get the Christmas number 1 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, like many people were trying to do by using Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
campaigns. On November 18, 2010, Lethal was interviewed by Grime Daily. Bizzle revealed: "The whole Pow 2011 thing started as a joke. I was on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
one day and I said 'You know what? Pow for Christmas number 1'. And bare people retweeted it and someone was like 'Bizz you should do an updated version to go with it.'" Lethal (saying to another source) said: "I felt the original was still relevant, 6 years on it’s still one of the biggest club tunes, so it was kind of a no brainer. I was messing around on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
about doing a new POW and getting it to the top of the charts- and the reaction was so crazy I thought wow I actually have to make this happen..."
Lethal then discussed how the collaborations came together, saying that he was not serious about recreating Pow at first: "Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...
phoned me from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
or Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, he was in another country somewhere - and he was goin' "bruv, what's this about you doing another Pow? I wanna be on it!" When I said I was joking he was like "No! Biz, you have to do it." Then some 1Xtra DJ called me and said "bruv, you need to do that!" I was just like "are you bein' serious?" Then I thought alright, I'll phone a few people, see who's on it. So I phoned JME, he's like "yup, I'm on it, 1000%", I phoned Chipmunk, he's like "yup, I'm on it, 1000%". I was just like rah, people really want this!"
Lethal said that there were other people who he asked to do a verse but were taking too long. Other Grime artists, Sway and Maxsta were originally supposed to be on the final version. Bizzle was also going to ask Tempa T (also known as Tempz) to do a verse but was touring with Chase & Status
Chase & Status
Chase & Status are an electronic music production duo from London consisting of Saul Milton and Will Kennard. MC Rage & Andy Gangadeen also make up the live band.-2003-2005:...
. Rumours went around that Chipmunk
Chipmunk (rapper)
Jahmaal Noel Fyffe known by his stage name Chipmunk, is a British hip hop rapper and songwriter from Tottenham, London....
told Bizzle to not put Maxsta on but Bizzle declined those rumours. Kano
Kano (rapper)
Kane Brett Robinson , better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y...
, another Grime artist that is featured on Pow 2011, recorded a 16-bar rap - when originally everyone was expected to do an 8-bar. Sway recorded his verse but decided that he was not going to be on the song because of Kano
Kano (rapper)
Kane Brett Robinson , better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y...
's verse being a 16-bar.
Music video
The music video was uploaded to YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on December 24, 2010 and is directed by Carly Cussen, who has directed other music videos for 360 Records since the age of 17 (notably Tinie Tempah
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...
's early debut, "Wifey"). The storyline focuses on all the artists (expect for Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...
, who is not in the video) successfully robbing a vault full of money. The police split up and chase after each of them. In the behind-the-scenes video, Bizzle described the storyline briefly; "We're trying to make some money with this big plot while breaking in the vault. Everyone's got their own role to play in terms of trying to get the 10 million pounds."
Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle, also known as Lethal B , is a Ghanaian British rapper. His songs are known to satirise modern Gangsta rap; much of the humour comes from the adoption of hip-hop style and language...
plays the look-out, JME being the distraction (who is captured and interrogated, then escapes), Chipmunk
Chipmunk (rapper)
Jahmaal Noel Fyffe known by his stage name Chipmunk, is a British hip hop rapper and songwriter from Tottenham, London....
and Face collect the money and P Money plays the getaway driver. Two vans are shown - one with the money and one without (in order to fool the police). Ghetts drives the distraction van during his verse, who is then cornered. The policemen open the back of the van showing a goat. The van with the money, which is being driven by P Money, stops at a warehouse where Kano
Kano (rapper)
Kane Brett Robinson , better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y...
is shown hiding the bags of money. The rest of them arrive, take the bags, put them in the van and drive off - with some parts showing the van with the goat, along with the confused policemen. During Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...
's verse, JME is shown being further interrogated and all the artists together outside the vault. Other scenes include Bizzle rapping alone outside the vault and at some points all of the artists together as shown during Wiley's verse.
While talking about the video and Carly Cussen, Bizzle said: "..;it was all her idea. Amazing, it was so funny - when we had the meeting, and she was like "OK I've got this idea" I'm sat there like cool. She says "basically there's gonna be police; police chases, we're gonna rob a bank, we're gonna be on top of a roof…" I was like is this girl being serious? Then she done a script and got all the locations and somehow we did it man! Incredible and yeah, me and her are working together to do the whole sequel thing, so look out for that!"
Track listing
- Digital download
- "POW 2011" (Radio Edit) – 3:00 *
- "POW 2011" (Big Beats Productions Remix) (Radio Edit) – 3:23 *
- "POW 2011" (Original Edit) – 3:43
- "POW 2011" (Original Edit Instrumental) – 3:43 *
- "POW 2011" (Big Beats Productions Remix) – 4:30
- "POW 2011" (Original Edit) – 3:43 *
- "POW 2011" (Accapella Original Edit) – 3:29 *
- "POW 2011" (Big Beats Productions Remix) – 4:30 *
- "POW 2011" (SkreamSkreamSkream is a dubstep producer based in Croydon. One of dubstep's first and most prominent producers, he has played an important role in the genre's development. His debut album Skream! was released in 2006, and was followed up by Outside the Box in 2010...
Murky Mix) – 3:41 *
Notes;
-
* - explicit version.
Chart performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|