The London Issue will be distributed exclusively to Living Proof Members. Sent to our members for June, 2026.
Inspired by London’s historic culture of pirate radio, Victory Lap began in 2019 as a group of friends aiming to showcase emerging UK rap and grime artists through a DIY radio show.
In an effort to restore the feeling of community after an extended period of pandemic-induced lockdowns, Victory Lap started broadcasting intimate live sets and cyphers at South London’s Balamii radio station in rooms filled with family and friends. These videos quickly gained a large following on the internet, exposing audiences worldwide to an exciting scene coming out of the United Kingdom.
In 2024, they entered a partnership with London’s legendary NTS Radio, producing an ongoing series of live performances with guests including Skepta, JME, Denzel Curry, and PinkPantheress. Though their platform has grown immensely in just a short few years, Victory Lap Radio has stayed true to their DIY roots, maintaining a balanced mix of underground talent and mainstream names.
In conversation with Matthew Benson, Victory Lap Radio’s founder, Joseph McDermott speaks on developing his vision, building a community for artists, and hosting shows across the globe.
How did Victory Lap first begin?
I think it was a weird period in time when we had come out of lockdown, and I really wanted to prioritise getting people back live on the mic and filling the room heavy with friends and family. We had been without real social connections for so long I felt like my radio show could be a chance to bring people together and restore the feeling of live radio we grew up with and had been missing culturally for a few years.
The first episode we shot with a cypher started doing really well in the UK and then bizarrely Drake posted a viral clip from the show on his feed a few days later, so we knew it was something that felt needed culturally at the time.
Did you already have a clear vision for what it could become?
No, I had no idea. I was working like three retail jobs and doing Victory Lap just for fun. I was working in a skate shop and barely making my rent month to month. It was just a fun little hobby I got to do once a month. I never dreamt of it being my full-time job or being able to employ the homies or travel the world.