On Saturday, April 12, 2025, Birmingham’s Symphony Hall will play host to LEGACY, a ground-breaking event celebrating the city’s influential Grime scene. Headlined by hometown heavyweights Jaykae and Lady Leshurr, this unique collaboration between Grime and orchestral music promises to pack out the 2,300-seat venue. It’s a tribute to 40 years of Birmingham’s Grime history, uniting the genre’s pioneers with a 60-piece orchestra conducted by multi-award-winning maestro Phil Meadows.
Presented by CBSO and Punch Records, the line-up includes local legends like Big Dog Yogo, C4, Safone, T.Roadz, Sox, and Dapz On The Map, all sharing the stage to celebrate the scene that’s shaped Black British music for decades. Following the success of the docuseries 0121 Legacy, which racked up over 600,000 views on LinkUp TV, this event highlights Birmingham’s creative community and its impact on UK culture.
Jaykae, who’s worked with stars like Stormzy, Skepta, and Jorja Smith, and performed at major festivals including Glastonbury and Wireless, has been instrumental in putting the city’s music scene on the map. Meanwhile, Lady Leshurr, known for her viral Queen’s Speech series and multiple MOBO wins, has carved out space for female artists in a male-dominated industry. Reflecting on his career and LEGACY, Jaykae said, “When I’m done, I’m gonna get seen with the likes of Mike Skinner and UB40. I know I’ll go down in history in this city.”
Born out of a book, documentary, and miniseries spotlighting Birmingham’s Grime, Rap, and Hip-Hop stories, LEGACY has grown into a movement. With a community of artists, tastemakers, and entrepreneurs at its core, this event is a powerful tribute to the city’s authenticity and creative spirit.
In the US, rap backed with an orchestra has been around for years. From Audiomack’s ‘Trap Symphony’, to ‘Metro Boomin’s Red Bull Symphonic’, the blend of classical music and rap has worked very well and it is great to see it come to the grime scene with Birmingham’s best.
Tickets are available now here
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