Last night, YouTube marked its 20th anniversary with a massive celebration in London.
The fourth edition of the Legacy Party was the biggest yet and the theme of this year’s party was “Storytelling”, a concept at the heart of British music and the entire foundation of YouTube. When the video sharing platform launched in 2005, it changed the way people share content online, perhaps more than any other technological progression since Tim Berners-Lee first coined the World Wide Web.
In the worlds of UK rap, R&B, grime, hip-hop and drill, YouTube has been a lifeline, kicking open doors that had previously been closed and handing the control of the way music is released back into the hands of the artist. In the case of drill, it helped artists break through the barriers that had been put in its way by conventional media, while acts such as Stormzy, Skepta, Dave, Aitch, Little Simz and more all harnessed the platform to rise to the top of the game with complete autonomy.
It democratised storytelling and made it easier than ever for artists to release their music and reach their audiences. True to that ethos, YouTube’s 20th anniversary celebrations united creators and communities. Musicians, singers, rappers, DJs, producers and content creators from several generations all came together to hit the red carpet and celebrate two decades of YouTube history, from the very first SBTV upload in 2006 through viral moments from Stormzy and Krept & Konan, and up to the modern era.
Here’s what went down last night in pictures…
