Genre
Grime
3 artists
What is grime? Grime is a British genre born in East London in the early 2000s. It's fast, raw electronic music with MCs who rap in their own accent and slang about life in the city.
Where it comes from. Grime grew out of UK garage and jungle, on pirate radio stations and in MC clashes. Wiley, the "Godfather of Grime", and Dizzee Rascal led the way; Dizzee's Boy in da Corner won the Mercury Prize in 2003. Kano, Skepta and later Stormzy made grime a mainstream force: Skepta's Konnichiwa won the Mercury Prize in 2016 and Stormzy's Gang Signs & Prayer went to number one in 2017. Dave, who mixes grime with UK rap and storytelling, belongs to the generation that grew up on it.
The sound. Around 140 BPM, square-wave synths, cold bass and sparse beats. MCs ride the beat at speed, often in short bars passed between several voices.
Key albums
- Boy in da Corner, Dizzee Rascal (2003)
- Home Sweet Home, Kano (2005)
- Konnichiwa, Skepta (2016)
- Gang Signs & Prayer, Stormzy (2017)
- Psychodrama, Dave (2019)
