My Journey Into Grime

I'm not good at taking a hint.  I am filled with cynicism and I am too naive to pick up on them.  You have to come straight at me.  Hit me over the head with it if you will.  Most people know this.  As a matter of fact, this was a recent conversation in my house with my 15 year old son.

"Dad, are you familiar with Grime?"
"The artist Grimes?"
"No, the music genre Grime."
"I can't say I've heard of it."
"It originates from England and is a mix of rap and electronic dance music.  You should Google it...and write about it.  Have you started your blog back up or what?"

 Point taken.

I love that my kids introduce me to new music.  What makes it even better it it's an entire genre that I did not know.  The next day I had a long drive for work and I did a quick Google search before hand. Grime is different from American rap.  Instead of being grounded with heavy bass drums it is played up high with a sub base line and electronic melodies.  It's a little darker musically.  The vocals are done in 8 bars and are disjointed against it's musical backdrop.  It makes you uneasy.  It's very similar to watching Elaine dance on Seinfeld.  I jotted down a few of the artists associated with the genre and off I went.  Here are a few that stood out to me.

Skepta

Skepta is an English rapper of Nigerian descent that is so cocky that he titled his first album 'Greatest Hits'.  He disses every Grime artist, not to mention American rap in general.  All this and he is one of the top artists in this genre.  Not my favorites but not bad.

Wiley

Wiley also goes by the nickname Eskiboy.  This name given to himself because he is cold-hearted.  This is more my speed.  Probably because it close to American Rap.  He has the stab wounds to prove it.  The beats are catchy and the lyrics are inventive.  If you like this one there are plenty more.

Dizzee Rascal

Dizzee is by far my favorite.  He is less angry than the others.  Actually, he is quite funny.  He successfully combines the skill, humor, and groove to keep you either laughing or dancing.

Dizzee's mentor was Wiley and you can hear the influence. I like that he mixes other genres into his music.  You get bass, you get an island vibe, and you definitely get rap.

You never know what you are going to get with him.  I like that in an artist.  It is a good trait.  You can laugh or shake your ass.  Or Both.  Take video and share it with us.


There are plenty more to explore so I suggest you do a google search of your own and explore away. That was not a hint.

See you when the needle drops!

Fran


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