Back in 2004, 22 year old Derek Safo (aka Sway) set up his own label, Dcypha Productions, as the outlet for his initial trilogy of releases; This Is My Promo - Volume 1, This Is My Promo -Volume 2, and This Is My Demo. The mixtapes grew bigger and more successful than Sway ever imagined, propelling him into pole position as the country’s biggest mixtape artist. Sway toured with Dizzee Rascal and brought his inimitable style to a raft of releases as a guest artist. A rash of awards quickly followed, including Best Hip-Hop Artist at the MOBOs, despite still being unsigned, having not yet released an album, and going up against 50 Cent and The Game. Sway’s This Is My Demo debut album has increasingly become considered a landmark moment for British “urban” and hip-hop music, and caused widespread acclaim. The record received further mainstream endorsement when it was selected as one of the Mercury Music Prize’s ‘Albums Of The Year’.
