Grime: The British Musical Subculture
Fun Fact? Some of the first grime beats were created on gaming consoles.
The British rap that originated in East London in the early 2000s was inspired by hip-hop and dance music and draws elements from UK garage and jungle. Grime music legend, Wiley, aka The Godfather of Grime, was awarded an M.B.E for his services to music in 2018, planting Grime firmly into mainstream ground. Stormzy's Brit Award for best male secured its place.
Grime is set apart by a rapid breakbeat of 130 bpm, rapping and electronic sounds. The tracks include a heavy 'grimey' sub-bass, hence the name. It's arguable that Wiley's instrumental track 'Eskimo' was genre defining. Wiley's nickname is Eskiboy.
Equally influential was Dizzee Rascal's Boy In Da Corner, a groundbreaking album that secured Rascal as a teenage sensation. The album was a masterpiece as was it's artwork; monochrome tracksuit with hood up and Air Max 90s, perfectly representative of the Grime scene dress code of tracksuit and trainers preferably by Nike or Adidas. Boy In Da Corner won the Mercury Prize in 2003.
Other famous grime artists today include Him, Kano, Lethal Bizzle, Ghetts, Jme, Skepta, Stormzy, The Streets, Chip, Bugzy Malone, Novelist, and Akala. Check out the top UK Grime on Spotify.