19 Mind-Blowing Grime Facts
We present 19 little known but incredibly interesting facts about Grime music and the amazing artists that make it.
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1. Jay Z once recorded a remix of Lethal Bizzle's ground-breaking Grime single 'Pow'.
According to Lethal Bizzle, Jay Z once recorded a verse for his 2004 Grime single 'Pow'. The New York rapper apparently loved the song and added his own flavour to it however it was never released because of the content of Jay's verse. Hov is claimed to have dissed another huge rapper but changed his mind about putting the song out. One of Jay Z's close associates DJ Green Lantern is rumoured to own the only copy.
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2. Drake first discovered Santan Dave by browsing YouTube.
Drake revealed that he first came across South London rapper Santan Dave by randomly browsing YouTube. During an OVO Sound Radio interview, Drizzy said he came across a compilation of the "best new songs from London", which included 'Wanna Know'. From there, he tracked down Dave and the rest is history... Picture: Instagram
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3. Stormzy achieved 6 A* GCSEs.
Before his days as a Grime MC, Stormzy was actually a whizz in school. During his 2016 lecture at Oxford University, he revealed that his teachers were actually pushing him to go to the prestigious university.
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4. Chipmunk reportedly paid Chris Brown £90,000 to appear on their collaboration 'Champion'.
According to The Guardian, Chipmunk splashed out £90k to get Chris Brown to appear on his hit single 'Champion'. At the time, Breezy was facing heavy criticism over his infamous incident with Rihanna in 2009 and addressed the situation on the track.
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5. Skepta's MOBO Award-winning 'That's Not Me' video only cost £80.
After his 'That's Not Me' video won Best Video at the 2014 MOBO Awards, Skepta revealed to Capital XTRA that it only cost him "80 English pounds" to make. Astonishing!
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6. Dizzee Rascal was first Grime MC to win the Mercury prize.
Dizzee Rascal became the first ever Grime MC to win the prestigious Mercury Prize back in 2003. His now-classic album 'Boy In Da Corner' received critical acclaim for its originality and creativity.
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7. Chipmunk's hit single 'Oopsy Daisy' sold over 2 million copies.
Chipmunk's 2009 pop single 'Oopsy Daisy' sold an astonishing two million copies and was at the top of the UK charts for five weeks! The song still stands as one of the most successful songs in his career.
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8. Drake's second album 'Take Care' was heavily influenced by South London rapper Sneakbo.
Drake has never hidden his love for UK music and previously admitted that much of his 2011 album 'Take Care' was influenced by UK rappers such as Sneakbo and Ard Adz. In a 2012 interview with Max, the rapper said that his flow on songs such as 'Cameras' and 'Take Care' were inspired by the way they "dance" through beats.
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9. Skepta and JME are brothers.
As well as being in the same crew Boy Better Know, Skepta and JME are actually blood brothers. The Grime MC is three years older than his sibling. They also have a brother called Jason, who produced three songs on 'Konnichiwa', and a sister called Julie who is a radio personality. Picture: Getty
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10. Kano is Jay Z's favourite Grime MC.
During a 2010 interview in UK, Jay Z claimed that Kano was his favourite Grime MC. Jigga reportedly bumped into a Kano at a Gorillaz show in Madison Square Garden and became a big fan. Picture: Instagram
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11. Lethal Bizzle's 'Pow' was initially banned from venues because it caused too much mayhem.
In 2014, Lethal Bizzle's Grime anthem 'Pow' was banned from a number of venues around the UK and even some commercial radio stations because it allegedly caused too much mayhem in public settings.
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12. JME is a proud and committed vegan.
Boy Better Know founder JME is actually vegan and will play himself in an upcoming movie about a vegan utopia. The film will reportedly premiere on BBC's iPlayer in Spring 2017. Picture: Getty
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13. Wiley invented the term 'Grime', in reference to UK music.
Wiley began producing Grime music in 2002 and created 'Eskibeat', which is widely considered as the first ever Grime song. Previous to this moment, the genre was roughly seen as style of Garage music. Wiley then began referring to the sound as "Grime".
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14. Skepta with Puff Daddy in 2011 on a song called 'Hello Good Morning'.
Skepta's first huge international collaboration was with Puff Daddy. The pair linked up for a special Grime remix of Diddy's single 'Hello Good Morning'. However they cut ties after Skepta reportedly wanted to fight another guest at his pool party in 2011.
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15. Tinchy Stryder signed a business deal with Jay Z in 2010.
Tinchy Stryder and Jay Z reportedly signed a business deal back in 2010 aimed at breaking new talent. According to The BBC, the contract saw Tinchy's management company Takeover Entertainment and Jay-Z's team Roc Nation work together. However it's not clear whether anything came from the deal. Picture: Instagram
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16. Dizzee Rascal once collaborated with James Corden on a song for the England football team.
Back in 2010, Dizzee Rascal collaborated with James Corden on a charity song called 'Shout For England'. The Grime MC linked up with Corden for the unofficial anthem for England's 2010 World Cup campaign.
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17. Krept & Konan's 'Otis' freestyle gained 5 million views in 5 days.
In 2011, they posted a cover of Jay-Z's and Kanye West's 'Otis' on YouTube and it blew up. The video reached a staggering five million views in its first five days of being uploaded, however, after receiving pressure from Jay Z's legal team the video was removed from the duo's profile.
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18. Ed Sheeran worked with Grime MCs on his critically-acclaimed EP 'No.5 Collaborations Project'.
Before being signed to a major record label, Ed Sheeran released a special collaborative project with a number of Grime MCs. The 'Shape Of You' singer made songs with Devlin, Wiley, P Money, Ghetts, JME and more.
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19. Kanye West brought out a number of Grime MCs and UK rappers at the 2015 BRIT Awards.
Kanye West shocked fans when he brought out Skepta, Giggs, Stormzy, Krept & Konan and more at the BRIT Awards. The epic performance became the official video for Kanye West's single 'All Day'.
