The seeds planted in the noughties enabled grime to flourish as the sound of
Britain in this decade
Nearly two decades ago, in Bow,
London, a generation of innovative young MCs birthed a new chapter in Britain’s cultural story. One that went on to inspire
fashion, soundtrack films, appear on the most Spotify playlists and dominate main stages at the UK’s biggest
music festivals.
Unapologetically depicting the reality of street culture in London, grime spoke the language of black, working-class life and reeled listeners in with attention-grabbing writing that could gracefully switch between cutting humour and tender vulnerability, and a 140bpm tempo that feels unstoppable. A sister genre to
UK garage, grime’s roots derive from hip-hop and jungle with elements of dancehall and house. But by the late noughties and early 2010s, grime’s initial wave of success – driven by the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Lethal B, Kano and others – had quietened.