Grime rappers
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Grime music
Genre of electronic dance music
Not to be confused with Grimes discography.
Grime is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM)[3] that emerged in London in the early 2000s. It developed out of the earlier UK dance style UK garage,[4] and draws influences from jungle, dancehall, and hip hop.[2] The style is typified by rapid, syncopated breakbeats, generally around 140 beats per minute,[4][1] and often features an aggressive or jagged electronic sound.[5]Emceeing is a significant element of the style, and lyrics often revolve around gritty depictions of urban life.[6]
The style initially spread among pirate radio stations and underground scenes before achieving some mainstream recognition in the UK during the mid-2000s through artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Kano, Lethal Bizzle, and Wiley. In the mid-2010s, grime began to receive popular attention in Canada.[7] The genre has been described as the "most significant musical development within the UK for decades."[8]
Though they
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Skepta, Dave and Stormzy
Rap in the UK started in the early 80s, not too far from the birth of Hip Hop when, in an attempt to garner a wider audience, rappers there would rap in an American accent. Thus, it could be said that actual UK rap didn’t really begin until the London Posse emerged in the mid eighties, as the group decided to rhyme in their own voices. Since then, it has gone through many iterations and influences. Now, it’s solidified itself as a major part of the Hip Hop cannon. Here are 23 male rappers that are essential to pay attention to in the contemporary rap scene across the pond.
1. Skepta
There is no modern UK rap without Skepta’s influence. This is not limited to his delivery and tone, but extends out to his style. The tracksuit has become a uniform within the space and Skepta cemented the Nike version for UK and US audiences in his video for his iconic single “Shutdown.”
It’s safe to say that he’s become internationally certified. Even if you haven’t heard his solo music — which
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Artists such as Drake and Kanye want what money can't buy - ice-cold authenticity. Even Adele is hopeful some of grime's cool cachet will rub off on her squeaky clean image. When she performed at The O2 in April she dedicated "Make You Feel My Love" to Stormzy.
Ever since the Beatles, UK artists have always dreamed of breaking the US. Coldplay did it. Take That? Not so much. Yet in an almost unprecedented move, UK grime artists, including Omari, are being wooed and courted on their home turf by some of the US's biggest music stars. Grime mc Lethal Bizzle, beaming with pride, told me how when he went to this year’s South by South West festival in America, he heard an American singing Stormzy’s ‘Shut Up’ in a British accent. Chris Price, head of Radio 1, has gone as far as to say that grime could become Britain's "next big cultural export".
Riding shotgun for the day with Omari, conversation is punctuated by fleeting fits of road rage. "I hate being back in the ends," he says. "You know everyone." The ends (home), for Oma
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