A Perth comedy rap duo who have spent years grinding through the music and comedy scenes have gone viral after making it into the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent and impressing harsh critic Simon Cowell.
Stian Macshane and Daniel Del Borrello of Carlisle and Tuart Hill, respectively, who go by Macshane and Delby, finished second in BGT’s live semi-finals at the Apollo Theatre in London after an improvised freestyle comedy performance that judges described as “witty, funny, clever” and “a breath of fresh air.”
Interactive Performance Wins Over Judges
For their TV performance, they wanted to prove to the world that their act truly is created in real time, so they enlisted the help of hosts Ant and Dec, the judges and the audience.
“We got the audience to hold up random objects at the start of our performance, get Simon Cowell and KSI to find random objects and asked the public to send in photos of themselves with info direct to BGT without us seeing,” the duo said.
“We got Ant and Dec to pick them at random and put them on a board for us to rhyme about. The entire performance was an adrenaline fuelled over stimulated rush! We had to submit to whatever was going to happen and try to tune out the lights, lasers, crowd and cameras to focus on finding the next rhyme.
“We had moments where we stumbled for a millisecond and moments where we were flying; we hit every beat.”
Cowell described the act as: “The fastest freestyle rap i have ever seen, ever.”
The Art of Freestyle Rap
The duo said freestyle rap relies on “lightning-quick thinking” and the brain’s ability to draw connections between words, sounds and their meanings instantly.
Over time, the pair have each built up a “rhyming dictionary” inside their minds so they know what words and rhymes connect.
“This frees up 50 per cent of your brain to actually think about how you’re going to use the words to build a joke, a punchline or take the rap in any direction you want,” they said.
“Like any muscle, the brain needs to be worked out constantly to build its strength. This means the only way to practice freestyle is to do it.”
Surreal Experience and Gratitude
The close friends said being on the show was a “surreal experience”.
“It’s an achievement we are very grateful for,” they said.
“We have both individually been grinding in our crafts for over a decade, through failures, financial losses and moments where we questioned why we were even doing this.
“To stand on stage at the Apollo in London and freestyle to thousands inside and millions at home is a moment that says people see your passion and connect with you - making our journey all worth it.”
From Rivals to Partners
Delby started as a stand-up comedian who incorporated freestyle rap into his comedy sets.
He later performed in a live show called Comedians vs Rappers, where comedians would battle freestyle rappers on stage, which is where he first met Macshane.
“I had to battle Macshane and always lost,” Delby said.
Macshane remembers Delby as one of the toughest opponents in the show because of his ability to win over any crowd with comedy and quick punchlines.
“We had to battle each other and win the audience with laughs” Macshane said. “Challenging a comedian is hard. He was always one of my toughest opponents . . . thankfully we’re mates now!”
After going their separate ways, they reconnected a year later when they realised their chemistry went beyond rap battles.
Instead of roasting people or relying on crowd humiliation, they wanted to build something more collaborative, playful and audience-driven.
“We decided to unite our powers for good,” Macshane said. “Delby’s comedy skills mixed with my rap background created something fresh and original.”
What began as two performers trying to outwit and surprise each other on stage eventually evolved into the interactive freestyle comedy format that became Whose Rhyme?
Upcoming Shows and Future Plans
Perth fans who want to witness some of the BGT greatness can watch the duo in person at their upcoming Comedy Lounge show on June 6.
They also plan to take the show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year and are looking at doing UK tour dates as part of this.
