Michael Dapaah

Michael Dapaah (born 10 August 1991)[1] is a British actor, rapper, and comedian best known for portraying the fictional rapper Big Shaq (also known as Roadman Shaq). He is also known for his mockumentary SWIL (Somewhere in London), which focuses on four characters and their journey to success.

Michael Dapaah
Born (1991-08-10) 10 August 1991[1]
Croydon, London, England
Occupation
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • rapper
Years active2014–present
Musical career
Also known as
  • Big Shaq
  • Roadman Shaq
  • MC Quakez
Genres
Labels
Comedy career
Genres
Notable works and roles"Man's Not Hot"

Early life

Michael Dapaah was born in 1991 in Croydon, south London, to first-generation Ghanaian immigrants.[5] While he was growing up, his parents wanted him to study science in order to become a doctor, but he was never interested in the subject, instead being more interested in acting and comedy. He also spent time in South Africa as a child. For a time he was in prison.[5] He studied film, acting and theatre at Brunel University and took a course from the National Youth Theatre.[6]

Career

Dapaah began his career by garnering a social following among the British-African community for his brief comedic parts in shows like Meet the Adebanjos, which deals with a Nigerian family in London.

In May 2017 along with friend and fellow Brunel graduate Marv Brown, he launched a mockumentary series on YouTube titled SWIL (Somewhere in London) which amassed over 1 million views in its first series.[7] In this series he created the characters MC Quakez and Big Shaq.[6]

"Man's Not Hot"

Dapaah saw a rapid growth in public attention when he appeared on Charlie Sloth's BBC Radio 1Xtra show "Fire in the Booth".[8] His comedic rap "Man's Not Hot" (whose backing track was sampled from 67 and Giggs' 2016 track "Let's Lurk") developed into a viral meme, and a studio track version of the song was released on 22 September 2017.[9] The song's music video was released by Dapaah himself on 26 October of the same year;[10] which features cameos from Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Yachty, Dutch rap-group Broederliefde and DJ Khaled, who calls Dapaah's character a "legend".

Music publication Ransom Note declared the single as being part of the 'grime comedy' genre saying "Its both beautiful and terrible, and delivered with the true conviction of a road man maniac. Like all good comedy grime, the tune has smudged the lines between a joke and a banger"[11]

Discography

As lead artist
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[12]		 AUS
[13]		 AUT
[14]		 DEN
[15]		 GER
[16]		 NL
[17]		 NOR
[18]		 NZ
[19]		 SWE
[20]		 SWI
[21]
"Balance"[22]
(as MC Quakez; featuring Shakes)		 2017 —————————— Non-album singles
"Man's Not Hot"
(as Big Shaq)		 3283321262023221541
"Man Don't Dance"[30]
(as Big Shaq)		 2018 78—————————
"Daily Duppy"[31]
(as Big Shaq; featuring GRM Daily)		 ——————————
"Buss It Down"[32]
(as Big Shaq)		 2019 ——————————
"Chicken Shop Freestyle" (as Big Shaq) 2020 ——————————
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Title Year Album
"The Ting Go Challenge"[33]
(DJ Flex featuring MC Quakez)		 2017 Non-album single

References
  1. "Michael Dapaah". Twitter. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  2. "AMP Fiona Onasanya slips Big Shaq's Man's Not Hot lyrics into Commons". BBC News. 29 November 2017.
  3. "A Guide to Explaining UK Drill to Your Family Over the Holidays". 20 December 2018.
  4. "Big Shaq giver koncert i København – 'Man's Not Hot'-rapperen til ny hiphopfestival".
  5. Dotiwala, Jasmine. "Michael Dapaah on Big Shaq, politics, growing up in Croydon, and what prison taught him". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  6. Dahir, Ikran. "The Most Viral Man Of The Year Isn't A One-Hit Wonder". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  7. "The man behind 'Big Shaq' tells the story of his viral freestyle 'Man's Not Hot'". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  8. "Michael Dapaah's Fire in the Booth - official Roadman Shaq single and merch on the way". BBC Newsbeat. BBC. 9 August 2017.
  9. Minamore, Bridget (27 October 2017). "How the world fell in love with Michael Dapaah's absurd "The Ting Goes" freestyle". The Fader. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  10. Jefferson, J'na (26 October 2017). "Big Shaq Releases Video For Viral Hit "Mans Not Hot"". Vibe. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  11. "Gone To A Rave: An Incomplete History Of Grime Comedy".
  12. "Big Shaq | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  13. "Big Shaq Discography". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  14. "Big Shaq Discographie". Austrian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  15. "Big Shaq Discography". Danish Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  16. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts: Big Shaq" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  17. "Big Shaq Discografie". Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  18. "Big Shaq Discography". Norwegian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  19. "Big Shaq Discography". New Zealand Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  20. "Big Shaq Discography". Swedish Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  21. "Big Shaq Discographie". Swiss Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  22. "Balance (feat. Shakes) – Single by MC Quakez on Apple Music". iTunes Store (GB). Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  23. "British single certifications – Big Shaq". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 April 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Type Big Shaq in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  24. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/goud-platina/2018. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. "ARIA Chart Watch #458". auspOp. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  26. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank". Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  27. "Big Shaq" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norge. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  28. "sverigetopplistan.se - Swedish charts and certifications". Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  29. "New Zealand single certifications – Big Shaq – Man's Not Hot". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  30. "Big Shaq returns with new song "Man Don't Dance": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  31. "Daily Duppy - Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  32. Ramli, Sofiana. "Big Shaq returns with new video for 'Buss It Down'". NME. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  33. "The Ting Go Challenge – Single by DJ Flex on Apple Music". iTunes Store (GB). Retrieved 23 November 2017.
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