Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer
Encyclopedia
Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer (real name Jim Burke) is a parodist who performs "chap hop
" — hip-hop delivered in a Received Pronunciation
accent. Mr. B raps, or "rhymes", about high society, pipe smoking
and cricket
while playing the banjolele
. The character is described as having grown up in Cheam
and attending Sutton Grammar School for Boys.
group Collapsed Lung
. Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer started performing in late 2007, playing at cabaret
clubs, and venues across the UK including the Glastonbury Festival
and club NME in Paris, and performed as part of the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has performed on radio including the Steve Lamacq
show and "Introducing with Tom Robinson
" for the BBC. He has also been named as a 'Band of the Month' on the Kooba Radio
podcast.
His debut album "Flattery Not Included" was released in 2008 for the Grot Music label, which includes the track "Chap-Hop History" which is a Received Pronunciation reworking of some well known hip-hop classics. Its accompanying video has received numerous views on YouTube
. Another track from the album, "Timothy", is about the unique vocal style of BBC Radio's Tim Westwood
. Perhaps his best known track, "Straight Out Of Surrey", is a parody of N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton" and purports to be "the extent of [his] cricket knowledge."
Mr B. has appeared as a guest on the Zero Day
album by MC Frontalot
, playing the banjolele
and providing additional vocals on the track "Better At Rapping".
He is currently in a feud with "chap-hop" artist Professor Elemental
.
Chap hop
Chap hop is a variety of music originating from England that mixes the hip hop genre with elements from the steampunk subculture and stereotypical English obsessions such as cricket, tea and the weather. Two leading exponents of the genre are Professor Elemental and Mr. B The Gentleman...
" — hip-hop delivered in a Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation , also called the Queen's English, Oxford English or BBC English, is the accent of Standard English in England, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms...
accent. Mr. B raps, or "rhymes", about high society, pipe smoking
Pipe smoking
Pipe smoking is the practice of tasting or inhaling the smoke produced by burning a substance, most commonly tobacco, in a pipe. It is the oldest traditional form of smoking.-History:...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
while playing the banjolele
Banjolele
The banjolele is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. "Banjolele," sometimes also spelled "banjelele" or "banjulele" is a generic nickname given to the instrument, which was derived from the "banjulele-banjo", introduced by Alvin D...
. The character is described as having grown up in Cheam
Cheam
Cheam is a large suburban village close to Sutton in the London Borough of Sutton, England, and is located close to the southern boundary between Greater London and Surrey. It is divided into two main areas: North Cheam and Cheam Village. North Cheam includes more retail shops and supermarkets,...
and attending Sutton Grammar School for Boys.
Background
Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer is an alter ego of Jim Burke, a rapper with the BritpopBritpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
group Collapsed Lung
Collapsed Lung (band)
Collapsed Lung are a Harlow-based Brit-Pop group most famous for the song "Eat My Goal". They formed in February 1992.-History:Collapsed Lung was originally formed as a bedroom studio collaboration between Anthony Chapman and Steve Harcourt...
. Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer started performing in late 2007, playing at cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
clubs, and venues across the UK including the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
and club NME in Paris, and performed as part of the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has performed on radio including the Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
show and "Introducing with Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson is an English singer-songwriter, bassist and radio presenter, better known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band...
" for the BBC. He has also been named as a 'Band of the Month' on the Kooba Radio
Kooba Radio
Kooba Radio is an independent, non-profit, Internet-based radio station focused on alternative rock, playing unsigned bands and artists with independent record labels. Kooba is PRS registered and plays to a listenership in over 20 countries. Created 21 December 2002, Kooba Radio began its life in...
podcast.
His debut album "Flattery Not Included" was released in 2008 for the Grot Music label, which includes the track "Chap-Hop History" which is a Received Pronunciation reworking of some well known hip-hop classics. Its accompanying video has received numerous views on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Another track from the album, "Timothy", is about the unique vocal style of BBC Radio's Tim Westwood
Tim 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...
. Perhaps his best known track, "Straight Out Of Surrey", is a parody of N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton" and purports to be "the extent of [his] cricket knowledge."
Mr B. has appeared as a guest on the Zero Day
Zero Day (album)
Zero Day is the fourth studio album from nerdcore hip hop artist MC Frontalot. It was released on April 6, 2010. The first single, "Your Friend Wil", is available for free from the official website...
album by MC Frontalot
MC Frontalot
Damian Hess , better known by stage name MC Frontalot, is a Brooklyn-based hip hop musician and self-proclaimed "world's 579th greatest rapper". He is best known in nerdcore hip hop and video game culture, for naming the nerdcore subgenre, and performing at Penny Arcades annual Penny Arcade Expo...
, playing the banjolele
Banjolele
The banjolele is a four-stringed musical instrument with a small banjo-type body and a fretted ukulele neck. "Banjolele," sometimes also spelled "banjelele" or "banjulele" is a generic nickname given to the instrument, which was derived from the "banjulele-banjo", introduced by Alvin D...
and providing additional vocals on the track "Better At Rapping".
He is currently in a feud with "chap-hop" artist Professor Elemental
Professor Elemental
Paul Alborough better known by his stage name Professor Elemental is a steampunk and chap hop musical artist. After being approached to do a concept album of hip-hop as it would sound in different time periods, Paul Alborough created the character of Professor Elemental. While the album never...
.