Hip-hop fans turned out in droves on Saturday as London rapper Nines staged a meet and greet on the shop floor of Natural Selection in Leeds.
The artist, whose 2020 album Crabs in a Bucket topped the U.K album charts, signed merchandise and posed for selfies with his followers. Queues snaked from the shop entrance on Crown Street to Kirkgate as people waited to catch a glimpse.
“Hectic would be the main word,” said Natural Selection shopkeeper Jem. “It all happened out of the blue – I got a phone call from a mate who puts on events in Leeds. He’d heard that the original venue had fallen through. I know it sounds boring but we got a call and made it happen!”
Whilst Jem’s experience of booking him was relatively straightforward, Nines’ rise to hip-hop glory has been anything but. His older brother was murdered in a suspected gang attack in 2011 and the hip-hop icon has served two prison terms for drug-related offences.
Despite the rapper’s controversial past, Jem was in no doubt about his character: “He was great! There were nervous 14-15 year-olds coming into a room full of grown men and he was really good at putting people at ease. He made sure they got their allotted time.”
Jem hopes that the success of Saturday’s event will have a positive impact on the store, which ‘specialises in premium smoking supplies’ according to its website. “It’s a really tough time for retail, the city centre feels dead, so moments like this can help bring what we do to life.”
Nines has announced that his latest album Quit While You’re Ahead will be his last, and he will wave goodbye to the limelight with a final show at The O2 London on the 27th of November.