![]() ![]() ![]() The 26-year-old rapper Wretch 32, born Jermaine Scott, hails from Tottenham, the north London area where a peaceful protest against the police killing of local man Mark Duggan first descended into a spree of looting and arson. Even closer to home is the man whose third mainstream single was released last Sunday, and within a few hours sat at the top of the iTunes chart. For example, it feels apt that Lloyd, a pop star who is routinely and disturbingly derided as a "chav" or "pikey", should be at No 1 even as the riots thrust the darkest aspects of Britain's us-vs-them social divide into full view. Lloyd's single may not conform to a pre-conceived notion of what an appropriate riot accompaniment should be, but a good deal of British pop swirling around now feels very much relevant to these times. An offhand dismissal – but the evidence against it is plentiful. Comparisons were made in particular between last week's chart-topper, X Factor alumna Cher Lloyd's Swagger Jagger, and the Specials' 1981 No 1 Ghost Town. The pop music of 2011, it was felt, was simply not up to scratch in this regard. ![]() A s riots broke out across England last week, several commentators felt moved to note the absence of a soundtrack.
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