Look, there are some things you just can’t blag, and there’s not a way in hell that I’m likely to convince you that I know Jack about Grime. And why should I? I’m in my early thirties, I have a young family, I have a nice house, I live in the remote wilderness of the Scottish Highlands and I’ve spent about as much time on the street as a paraplegic hooker. It’s not in my soul and it’s not ‘where I’m at’. So let me tell you what I do know.
First emerging in London in the early 2000s, Grime belongs somewhere between the sparse and minimalist 2step breakbeats of UK Garage, electronica and the fast, aggressive, double-time rap occasionally referred to as ‘spitting’. It’s experimental, it’s hard, its dark, and in contrast to its soulful breakbeat predecessors, its growling, incendiary beats are likely blow your sub-woofers should you play at a level inconsiderate to your neighbours. There’s also a deliberate dub-element to the music, which might explain its predominance on the BBC’s Asian Network and 1Extra. Bazooka Bhangra might best describe it. Gangsta with extra cumin and coriander.
And are there any names we might recognise? Well Dizzee Rascal and Roll Deep are at the top of the list, but as it’s a genre that tends to pull away from categorisation (hey, aren’t they all?) then further names like Wiley, Jammer, Kray Twins, Flirta D, Regal Players, Crazy Titch, Fire Camp and D Double E are unlikely jog your memory unless you’ve been down the local youthclub in E17 at least once in the last 12 months.
On Semtex’s ‘Grimewave’ influential DJ Semtex – recently nominated for ‘Best DJ’ at the forthcoming MOBO Awards and DJ of choice to Dizzee Rascal, Jay-Z, and Wyclef, Mos Def – has done us retards a favour and compiled a rapid-fire introduction to this anti-genre, providing a showcase for established practitioners and newcomers alike. Highlights includeMercury Music Prize winner Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Stand Up Tall’, the award winning ‘Pow!’ by Lethal B, Wiley’s underground smash ‘Gangsta’s’ and D Double E’s track, ‘Jammer’s’. There’s also a ‘Semtex Special’ edit of Jammer’s club hit ‘Murkle Man’.
It’s a blast.