Michael Dapaah (born 10 August 1991) 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 A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...

''SWIL'' (Somewhere in London), which focuses on four characters and their journey to success.

Early life

Michael Dapaah was born in 1991 in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, south

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, to first-generation

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian immigrants. 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. He studied film, acting and theatre at

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...

and took a course from the National Youth Theatre.

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

series on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

titled ''SWIL'' (Somewhere in London) which amassed over 1 million views in its first series. In this series he created the characters MC Quakez and Big Shaq. In 2020, Michael Dapaah started making the move to a fitness show called "Belly Must Go".

"Man's Not Hot"

Dapaah saw a rapid growth in public attention when he appeared on Charlie Sloth's

BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...

show "Fire in the Booth". His comedic rap "

Man's Not Hot "Man's Not Hot" is a novelty song by British comedian Michael Dapaah, released under the name Big Shaq. It samples an instrumental by GottiOnEm and Mazza, which was first used on 86's "Lurk" and later on "Let's Lurk" by 67 featuring Giggs. The ...

" (whose backing track was sampled from 67 and Giggs' 2016 track "Let's Lurk") developed into a viral

meme A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...

, and a studio track version of the song was released on 22 September 2017. The song's music video was released by Dapaah himself on 26 October of the same year; which features cameos from

Waka Flocka Flame Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles "O Let's ...

Lil Yachty Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Boat, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. He first gained recognition on the internet in 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" (featuring ...

, Dutch rap-group

Broederliefde Broederliefde are a Dutch hip-hop group, originating from Rotterdam. The group is composed of five rappers: Emms (Emerson Akachar), Jerr (Jerzy Rocha Livramento), Sjaf (Javiensley Dams), Edson (Edson Cesar) and Mella (Melvin Silberie). In 2016, ...

and

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station WEDR, 99 Ja ...

, who calls Dapaah's character a "legend".

Discography

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dapaah, Michael 1991 births Living people Black British male rappers Black British male comedians Black British male actors English people of Ghanaian descent People from Croydon Rappers from London UK drill musicians