Grime Music Guide: Understanding British Grime Music

Grime is an eclectic style of British rap music that emerged in London in the early 2000s. Evolving from the UK garage music scene of the 1990s in London, grime music also includes hip hop, rap, and hardcore techno influences. Grime music is characterized by fast beats, electronic sounds, UK accents, and frenetic energy. The grime music scene is made up of grime crews, collectives of musicians that produce music together and perform at nightlife venues, often those that are small-scale or “underground.”

Grime music emerged in the early 2000s when the popularity of UK garage—a percussion-heavy kind of electronic music—was beginning to wane in London. One of the rappers credited with setting the tone for the grime sound is Wiley, who rapped in icy-toned lyrics about his life in London to the sound of heavy beats, which he termed "eski-beats."

In 2004, Wiley released his first album "Treddin' on Thin Ice" which cemented Grime as a signature style with percussive beats and British-accented rhymes. Subsequently, the musician formed a crew of fellow grime artists called Roll Deep, which included musicians such as Danny Weed, Breeze, Jamma, Skepta, and Dizzee Rascal.

Aside from Dizzee Rascal, Grime musicians remained mostly underground, thriving as a music subculture geared towards young people, finding listeners on pirate radio stations such as Rinse FM. In 2016, grime music had a resurgence of popularity. New musicians like Stormzy and Bugzy Malone have brought grime further into the mainstream.

There are a few characteristics that make grime music stand out from other styles of music.

1. 1. Influences: Grime music was influenced by an eclectic collection of music, fusing hip hop with a number of UK musical subgenres that were popular in the 1990s, including UK garage music, techno, and jungle music—which is a kind of rave music influenced by a heavy backbeat.
2. 2. Fast beat: Grime music typically plays around 140 bpm, giving it a very fast breakbeat and driving bassline.
3. 3. British accent: Grime originated in London and was made to express the lives of grime musicians. Rappers in the grime scene typically have British accents, which distinguishes this kind of music from American hip hop.

From the origins of the scene to today, here are a few popular grime musicians.

1. 1. Wiley: Wiley is one of the pioneering musicians of grime music. He started making music in the early 2000s in East London, and later connected with other grime musicians to form his crew Roll Deep. His early song "Wot Do U Call It?" cemented the grime signature sound.
2. 2. Dizzee Rascal: Dizzee Rascal was an early member of the Roll Deep crew. His debut album Boy in da Corner won him a Mercury Prize—which is a UK award presented to British or Irish artists—and his career soared with hits including "Bonkers," "Dance Wiv Me," and "Holiday."
3. 3. Skepta: Skepta is a North London rapper, and another early member of the Roll Deep crew. He started his own crew Boy Better Know with fellow grime musician JME in 2005. He released his first album Greatest Hits in 2005, and his 2016 album Konnichiwa won a Mercury Prize, signaling a renaissance for grime music.
4. 4. Kano: London rapper Kano’s first single "Ps and Qs" from 2004 was an underground hit, and he released his first album London Town in 2007. His popularity grew in the 2010s, with his 2016 album Made in the Manor reaching number 8 on the UK charts.
5. 5. Ghetts: Ghetts is a British rapper who was originally a member of the grime collective NASTY Crew. In 2008, his own grime crew—called Movement—was nominated for the BET Award for Best International Act: UK.
   
6. 6. Lethal Bizzle: Lethal Bizzle is a London rapper who became a grime MC in 2002 with the More Fire Crew, alongside Ozzie B and Neeko. The group hosted a show on Deja Vu FM, one of London's most popular pirate radio stations. Lethal Bizzle's debut single "Pow!" became a signature song of the grime sound.
7. 7. Stormzy: Next-generation grime rapper Stormzy gained attention online for rapping over classic grime beats, with his freestyle rap "Shut Up" catching wide attention on YouTube. His debut album Gang Signs and Prayers from 2017 was the first grime album to win British Album of the Year at the 2018 Brit Awards, and it reached number 1 on the UK charts.

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