The Staying Power of Grime: chasing the art, or the art of futility?
As an avid grime fan, I have written several blog posts documenting the scene and it's evolution from the early days to its position as one of the most important musical genres in street and popular culture. This particular post was exploring the potential positive impact of cosigns from the biggest rappers on the other side of the Atlantic.
Much can be said about UK grime as a genre. Its gritty, oft aggressive sounds may not be for the feint hearted but that, as one may expect, has not stopped it amassing a cult underground following. What is more surprising is that the genre is once again pushing and shoving its way past Taylor Swift and other bubblegum artists to the forefront of the music scene. And it is doing so with a reckless abandon that screams defiance and rebellion; in the way only a sound of its kind can. From Kanye West’s showing his respects to the scene at the Brit Awards, to the endorsements from Drake, 2015 is the year Grime has truly become relevant once again. But the question remains whether it can cement itself in the limelight and become a landscape altering genre in the way Hip Hop has been for as long as anyone can remember in the US.
It is not the first time that grime has found itself in the public eye. In 2001, So Solid Crew topped the UK charts with “21 Seconds”, a UK garage track that paved the way for its younger, more MC focused cousin. “21 seconds” was Garage but not in the easy listening, fan friendly way that Craig David’s music was. It meshed the catchy riddims of the genre with the street culture that birthed the artists and the British public loved it. When grime grew from the buzz that So Solid Crew and other artists of that ilk generated, it allowed artists like Wiley, Lethal B, Kano et al to break into the charts. Between 2003 and 2005 it was not unusual to see a grime artist in the top 40. The underground was not so underground anymore. As a kid growing up, grime became as central to my musical upbringing as Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz and soul. It was beautiful in an angry, rage-against-the-system type of way. But it did not last.
Around the era of “Wearing My Rolex” and “Oopsy Daisy”, grime artists had to sell out to make their money and seeing a grime artist in the charts inspired a completely different reaction – namely “what the hell is this? This isn’t grime, man!” It was a time where grime artists had to please the masses to make their money. And the masses didn’t want to hear the dark, aggressive beats because they didn’t know or live the same lives that original grime fans of the time did. But, as Wiley himself said, the difficulty became balancing selling the records necessary to get the respect of the radio and the Brits with promoting the sound and keeping the real fans on your side. Wiley put it candidly to us; “you won’t sell millions without pleasing the masses and if you please the masses the underground doesn’t love you anymore.” This was the struggle and, ultimately, when the mainstream lost interest grime was kicked out of the charts again.
Fast forward back to 2015 and the scene is manoeuvring its way back into the ‘hot’ category. Skepta is headlining festivals at home and abroad, Stormzy is the man of the hour and JME’s album has sold immensely well. But can the genre remain in the daylight or is it just a matter of time before it fades back into the background and gets shoved back into the underground?
Call me an optimist but I have hope that this time can be different. For one thing, the leading men on the scene are older, wiser, wealthier and have a deeper understanding of the music industry. Even more importantly, they are doing things on their own terms. “They have to come on my wave,” Skepta told Fader in his cover interview and this attitude shift shows in the singles he’s released. All have been unapologetically grimy and all have gained him acclaim at home and across the atlantic. In the wake of “That’s Not Me” he was scheduled to record with Drake and, though this was postponed, Drizzy bringing him out on Friday (July 3) at Wireless implies that this may have become a reality.
However, not everyone thinks that the recent cosigns from the USA are a good thing. Their links to the recent success of the genre, the argument goes, is actually indicative of why grime can never be a mainstay in British music in its own right. Grime, at times, does not appear to exist without American urban music. These cosigns could be seen as demonstrative that the culture only has popularity as a fad and that once the Drakes and Kanyes of this world lose interest then the growth over the last 12 months will fizzle out.
The potential futility comes from exactly this argument. In a world where the USA is the Babylon of our time, the whole concept of urban culture in any other land has to submit its request for acceptance to the States for approval. And the issue with needing such validation is that fans there will probably never understand the subtle nuances and stylistic differences that make our urban culture and our urban music different. One only has to look at the Twitter reaction to Chipmunk’s “The End” net video as evidence.
So how can we legitimise our sound and our culture and prevent history repeating itself this time around? There may be no simple answer or easy fix. It will, however, start with us as fans going out there and supporting our artists. We need to sell out shows, buy mixtapes/albums and keep talking about grime. Artists need to take control of their destiny and support each other in a way that possibly has not been common to this point. Artists who have the sway and influence to do so need to do more to bring through British talent (Tinie, Dizzee, you’re up). Wiley has taken a bold first step by starting his own record label ‘Chasing the Art’ and we wish him the best of luck. There’s no reason why now, if artists and fans alike strike while the iron is hot, we cannot sear our culture into the music industry and enjoy the recognition that we deserve.