Unearthing Grimes Roots
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UNEARTHING
GRIME'S ROOTS
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Music
Words By: Conrad Clarke
Illustrated By: Tom Shotton
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Over the last few years, grime's popularity has increased to levels unimaginable to the majority of its creators almost 2 decades ago. Before I get into the quick history of the grime scene, check the link above and although I recommend watching the full 22 minutes of gas, 17:36 onwards is what I want to focus on.
Participating in that 60 minute takeover were some of the grime scene͛s biggest contributors, the likes of Skepta, Lethal B, JME, Dizzee Rascal and Tempa T. The awe shown by these grime pioneers when General Levy stepped up on stage and grabbed the mic, as well as their immaculate recitation of Incredible (1994) showed their appreciation of an artist and genre that paved the way for them and the grime scene.
The 3 main contributing genres to grime are seen to be Jungle, Ragga and Garage, with additional influences from Dancehall and Hip-Hop. When looking up the definition on Urban dictionary, the most fitting was this: 'Grime is not garage, grime is not jungle, grime is not hip hop, grime is not Ragga, it is the mix between all of these with strong hard hitting lyrics from inner city London'. It is this combination of flavours that gives grime its unique feel, and has driven its immense population.
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From its modest beginnings in east London, where Rinse FM, a pirate radio station at the time, was formed. Created by ex Pay as u go cartel members Geenus and Slimzee while at the same time another ex-member, Wiley went on to alter old beats and riddims eventually coming up with ‘Eskimo’, one of the most famous instrumentals of all time.
Wiley has earnt the pseudonym of the ‘Godfather of Grime’ over the years, so let’s delve into the godfathers influences, what led him to grime? Wiley’s’ father personifies the multi-influenced nature of grime, his father himself was part of a ragga band which exposed the young Wiley to many of the sounds that would find their way into his later work. His home environment also exposed him to other sounds from different genres including hip-hop. Artists like Wiley and D Double E started off their journeys MCing on Jungle tracks, and after paving the way for many artists of today, they are still some of the biggest names in the grime scene decades since their emergence.
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Illustration By: Taylor Trotman
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Illustrated By: Taylor Trotman
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Fast forward a few years and Rinse FM were getting shut down multiple times by the authorities due to its popularity, leading to Slimzee getting an ASBO. Only in 2010 did it get its broadcasting licence meaning it was no longer regarded as a pirate station but certified and official. Building on Rinse’s contribution to the grime scene was Channel U, later known as Channel AKA, enabling grime to force its way into the mainstream music market. Rinse most likely has the closest relationship to Grime’s inception as it started out with jungle, then moved towards garage and then progressed onward to grime in 2001. As is the case with reggae and dub, the sound systems are a highly important and integral part of the delivery of a grime track hence why events like Sub Dub in Leeds always combine either Dub and Drum and Bass or Dub and Grime during their events.
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Lastly, we can’t mention grime in the UK and not mention the Donny Tim Westwood. Tim helped promote it on BBC radio 1, a mainstream radio station that increased grime’s popularity within other demographics, it allowed grimes reach to spread and reach ears that had never before heard the riddims of grime. It was the birth of crucial freestyles like Chipmunk and Icekid as well as Skepta’s in 2007/2008. This is still going on today with Charlie Sloth’s Fire in the Booth, Link Up’s Behindbarz using a similar blueprint giving established and not yet established platform. In the more recent years, artists like Drake and Kanye West’s support and close collaboration with the grime scene has seen the genre blow up to crazy levels
Grime’s rise comes with caution. Due to the increased commercialization of the industry, there is a potential for the grime scene to lose its originality and free thinking, but as Austin Daboh, senior content editor at Spotify, put it when speaking to the Guardian; ‘The streets are still the gatekeeper’ ‘It’s in prisons, barbers, chicken shops, that’s where young people go to congregate – they decide whether something is hot or not. We’re just a conduit of what’s going on in the street and the rest of the public’.
Peace
Further Viewing:
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Words By: Conrad Clarke, 2nd May 2018
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