^{Picture: Andy Low}

Bemz may have been in bed when he replied to our Zoom call, but he didn’t have a restful day planned. Instead, his schedule was crammed with interviews from nosey journos like me. He’s the busiest man in Scottish rap for good reason, gaining plaudits for his Scottish Album Of The Year-longlisted EP M4 and prepping for a massive headliner show at SWG3 next April.

But his defining moment in 2022, selling out King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, may prove to be a watershed for Scottish rap, illustrating an enthusiastic fanbase for the genre north of the border. ‘I’ve put blood, sweat and tears in this year, but selling out King Tut’s in May was something else,’ he says. ‘A lot of work led to that, and a lot of blessings. It’s one of those moments I’ve always wanted, ever since I found out you get a special bottle of whisky for selling out Tut’s. I don’t even like whisky, but it’s on the mantelpiece.’

A rare Glengoyne wasn’t the only highlight of Bemz’s year. He energised the midday slot at TRNSMT with a performance worthy of a headliner, joined The Snuts on the Main Stage, and dropped the party banger ‘Zidane’, which became the track of the summer for anyone lucky enough to hear it.  

The stage seems set for Bemz to graduate to the big leagues in 2023, but funds for a full album remain a pipedream. ‘I’ve got a project in the works. It really should be an album, but I can’t afford to record it or promote it like an album. I’m hoping that after I drop this, it opens a lot of people’s eyes to how diverse my sound is. Maybe then I get some funding behind me and actually create a full body of work.’ 

That someone of Bemz’s calibre can’t get funding for an album is a wake-up call for Scottish arts bodies and record labels to recognise his unique talents. Until that time inevitably comes, he’s always welcome on our pages. A regular ‘Bemz In Bed’ feature, perhaps? 

The List's Hot 100 was announced on 1 December in the December/January issue, available now.