Musical style
Roll Deep, a well known British grime crew, performs at the 2006 Love Music Hate
Racism festival.
Grime emerged from the rave culture in the late 1990s. It exists largely in an
informal economy: artists make their debuts on homemade DVDs on which they compete
with other MCs.[7] In many cases, rappers in the genre are teenagers living in
areas around and near Bow, East London.[1] The emergence of grime is intrinsically
connected to its origins on UK pirate radio,[1] with many performers honing their
skills and achieving underground success before approaching the mainstream. This
indicated the movement of UK Garage away from its house influences towards darker
themes and sounds. Among the first tracks to be recognised as grime were "Eskimo"
by Wiley and "Pulse X" by Musical Mob.[8] Grime has been a way to get noticed for
the poor multicultural inner city youths of the UK but with Gang culture always
associated with it alot of society has not taken to it.
Some grime recordings are produced independently, for example homemade DVDs of rap
battles. Many such DVDs are recorded at the home of producer Jammer, head of
record label Jahmek the World; homemade debut recordings are sold in record stores
and barber shops and played by independent radio stations [9] . An online profile
of a Jammer mix album bills it as "a UK assault on hip-hop" and emphasizes its
global appeal [10].
Dizzee Rascal and Wiley, former and current members of Roll Deep respectively,
were among the first to bring the genre to the attention of the mainstream media
in 2003, with their albums Boy in Da Corner and Treddin' On Thin Ice respectively.
Dizzee Rascal particularly garnered broad critical and commercial acclaim, with
Boy in Da Corner eventually winning the 2003 Mercury Music Prize.[1] Grime has
received a lot of exposure from television stations including Channel U, Logan
Sama's show on London station Kiss FM and the BBC's youth oriented digital radio
station 1Xtra.
Grime however is still in many respects considered to be underground music. It
exists in an informal economy where most artists make their debut's on DVDs[7]
that, like mixtapes are sold out of barbershops and make their way around the
city. These artists also receive a lot of help from pirate radio stations which
keep the public up to date with the music. Even though grime is very popular in
the UK, many recording labels have yet acknowledge its presence as a genre that
can compete in the global market. DJ Semtex, an A&R for Def Jam Recordings and
also Dizzee Rascal's DJ, says that "the biggest conflict I have is with major
labels because they still don’t get it."[2] He says that they just don't
understand the value of grime, and more so UK music a a whole as other countries
do.
As with many similar scenes around the world, the Grime scene has encountered some
criticism, especially from government officials like Home Secretary David Blunkett
who in 2003 called rap lyrics "appalling," or former Culture Secretary Kim Howells
statement that grime artists were helping to create a culture "where killing is
almost a fashion accessory."[11] Howells went even deeper into the issue, making
comments that many found to be "deeply racist," referring to popular artists and
crews as "boasting macho idiot rappers."[12] While the government offers one point
of view, the artists and listeners offer another. In an article by Jeff Chang in
The Village Voice, Dizzee Rascal’s often violent and sexual lyrics are heralded as
“capturing, encapsulating, and preserving” the life that he and his peers live on
the streets every day.[13]
[edit]Hip Hop Crossover
Some argue that Grime, although related to hip hop is very different and British
in its ways and content to avoid seeming parasitical [14]. Some media labeled
Black British Grime artist such as U.K. duo S.A.S. [15] (Streets All Salute) have
philosophically tied their struggle to that of African Americans in order to claim
hip hop as their own since hip hop is seen as music that grew out of the struggle
of urban African Americans [16]. Using this philosophical ideal as a stage they
have attempted to crossover into mainstream hip hop and attempt to access the U.S.
hip hop market. Such artist self identify as hip hop/rap artist when dealing with
the U.S. market although the media labeled them as Grime artist just by the mere
fact that they are U.K. based. These artists thus have strayed from rapping over
Grime beat patterns and preferred to rap over distinctly American hip hop beats.
In this context they risk being labeled as sellouts in their home land of the U.K.
At the same time, there are many connections between grime music and dancehall
reggae, especially because reggae and hip hop are so interconnected. Because of
England's position as a former colonial power, controlling much of the West Indies
including Jamaica, and the long relationship between the U.K. and the U.S. it
seems inevitable that through pre- and post-colonial migration patterns many of
the producers and consumers of black music in London would be of Caribbean
descent, or at least exposed to the culture as it has been transferred to the
neighborhoods of London. Jeff Chang writes that U.K. music critic Kodwo Eshun felt
black music had been "shackled," [17] a clear reference to the legacy of
colonialism and slavery that informs much of reggae, hip hop, and now even grime.
This attests to the interconnection of all three styles of music, due to patterns
of migration, forced or otherwise, and attempts at localization and authenticity.
New York Times music critic Kelefa Sanneh notes that at many grime shows, MC's
will interrupt tracks, asking the DJ to rewind the backing track or to go on to
the next one. Sanneh notes, "This is a grime tradition borrowed from dancehall
reggae" [18] . On one grime blog, the author goes from critiquing grime artists to
dancehall artists in the same page, crossing between British slang and Jamaican
patois. When discussing grime artist Jammer, he notes "I love all these little
fleeting connections between grime and reggae. When Goodz or Trim just drop a line
into their lyrics about their Dads doing stuff with soundsystems or whatever it
just reinforces the links which are self evident. “Lyric Maker, from England not
Jamaica” indeed…" [19] . These connections between grime, reggae, and hip hop are
part and parcel of the historical connection between the U.K., U.S., and the West
Indies. Musicians are slipping bits of history into the pot, and mixing up new and
old.
[edit]International growth
Audio sample:
"Pussyole (Oldskool)"
[edit]Notable Artists
A very important artist in Grime music is Wiley. The producer and MC considers
himself the Godfather of Grime. He was an important figure in the growth and
exposure of Grime music. He released a pair of strong albums during the early
2000s -- 2004's "Treddin' on Thin Ice (XL)" and 2007's "Playtime Is Over (Big
Dada)." [27]
The most famous artist of grime is Dizzee Rascal. Dizzee was the first of the
emerging grime merchants to release an album in America. So far, Dizzee is the
most successful Grime artist. Songs like "Fix Up, Look Sharp" and "Dream" make
Dizzee Grimes first real star.[28]
Lady Sovereign is the Queen of Grime music. She is the first non-American female
rapper to be signed to Def Jam and that is a huge accomplishment, not only for
Lady Sovereign but for Grime music. Her first single "Love Me or Hate Me" became
the first video by a British artist to reach number one on America's MTV Total
Request Live. [29]
Lethal Bizzle (also known as Lethal B) has also made a large impact most notably
for it's international success. '“Pow,” a song by Lethal B, and grime’s biggest
hit to date, has made its way to New York, where it is currently being played on
Hot 97 by the influential d.j. Funkmaster Flex. The American m.c.s Stat Quo and
Pitbull have already recorded new verses for the track."[30] Lethal B has a
particularly interesting perspective on Grime and what has really attracted him to
the genre and the movement. "It's also about freedom of speech - one of those
genres where you say what you think, talking about real-life situations. And there
was no rules - anybody could do it." [31]
[edit]Female Artists in Grime
In addition to Lady Soverign--the internationally known Grime and Hip Hop artist
(and incidentally the only white female artist to gain popularity in Grime)--there
are several other female artists making a name for themselves in this genre, which
like hip hop, has often been dominated by men. Other female artists include: Lady
Fury, No Lay and producer, Mizz Beats.[32] Lady Fury began her music career at the
age of 16, and became famous for her "murk dem riddim." Now at age 19, she works
with youth, encouraging the creativity of young MC's while continuing to perform
and record her own music.[33]
[edit]Sets & Clashes
In addition to the grime scene some of the artists sometimes made barz (lyrics) up
about another artist. The artist will probably mention the barz in a Set or a
clash. The artist who is provoked by the barz will reply to the one who provoked
with a 'Slew Track' or just a ordinary set freestyle. If the artists agree they
will have a clash and will spit barz about each other until one of them wins.
Theres also wifey riddems where grime artists make tracks about the girls they
love.