The Rise And Rise Of Grime: A History Of The UK Genre

1. The Rise And Rise Of Grime.

We break down the key moments in the history of Grime that led to the genre spreading around the world...

2. Wiley became frustrated with Garage music and created 'Eskibeat'.

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. Picture: Instagram

3. Then encouraged the best MC's in Grime to join him at an event called 'Eskimo Dance'.

The UK’s biggest ever live Grime event called “Eskimo Dance’ was set up in 2002. It featured a number of the scene’s best MC’s clashing and going back to back.

4. Channel U rose to prominence and kept us glued to our TV screens.

A channel was launched on British satellite television in 2003, which was dedicated to playing Grime and UK Hip-Hop. It was home to early music videos by future stars such as Tinchy Stryder and Wretch 32.

5. Before Dizzee won a Mercury Prize with 'Boy In The Corner'. Is this the best Grime album ever?

Dizzee Rascal released his debut album 'Boy In The Corner' which won a Mercury Prize in 2003. The LP heavily shaped the sound of genre and is still regarded as one of the best Grime albums of ever.

6. Lethal Bizzle made his first mark on the charts.

Led by a young Lethal Bizzle, Grime collective 'More Fire Crew' reached Number 7 in the Official Singles Chart with their Grime single "Oi" in 2004.

7. Jammer released 'Lord Of The Mics Vol. 1' and changed the game.

Jammer released ‘Lord Of The Mics Vol. 1’ which was a video series featuring lyrical clashes between the biggest MCs in the scene.

8. And then a song we all remember...

Lethal Bizzle and a collection of the biggest MCs came together to create a Grime anthem called 'Pow (Forward)' in 2004. The track reached Number 11 in the Official Singles Chart and remains one of the biggest songs in the genre.

Shystie Diamond In The Dirt Album Artwork

9. Shystie dropped her 'Diamond In The Dirt' album and went silver.

Shystie was one of the most prominent female MCs in the scene and released her major label debut 'Diamond In The Dirt' in 2004, which went silver.

10. Kano dropped 'Home Sweet Home' album and became famous.

Kano released his debut album 'Home Sweet Home' in 2005 which was critically acclaimed and saw the East London MC quickly rise to fame with hits such as 'Typical Me' and 'Brown Eyes'.

11. Which may have encouraged Roll Deep to go more commercial with their album 'In At The Deep End'.

Grime crew Roll Deep incorporated a more commercial sound on their debut album 'In At The Deep End' in 2005. Singles including 'Shake A Leg' and 'The Avenue' earned the group Best Album at the Urban Music Awards.

12. Then America began to take notice...

Twista added a US twist to Grime track 'What We Do' featuring Lethal Bizzle and Gappy Ranx. He was one of the first US rappers to feature on a Grime song.

13. Lady Sovereign signed to Jay Z's Roc-A-Fella Records.

Jay Z began searching for urban talent in the UK and signed Lady Sovereign in 2006. The video to her track 'Love Me Or Hate Me' became the first by a UK artist to achieve a Number 1 on MTV's 'Total Request Live' show. Picture: Getty

14. But then the UK decided to grab control, led by SBTV.

Entrepreneur Jamal Edwards set up online youth platform 'SB.TV' in 2006 which allowed artists express themselves without the restrictions of radio and record labels. Picture: Getty

15. Jammer released 'Lord Of The Mics Vol.2'. Was this home to the greatest Grime clash ever?

Jammer followed up his successful 'Lord Of The Mics' franchise with a second instalment, which featured a legendary clash between Skepta and Devilman.

16. The police created the 696 form which blocked Grime and Hip Hop events.

In 2006, the police put forward the 'Promotion Events Risk Assessment Form 696' to target violence at live events. However this negatively effected the scene by blocking many Grime and Hip-Hop events.

17. Then a fresh-faced JME entered the scene...

JME quickly became one of the prominent figures in the Grime scene after releasing his debut track 'Serious'. He also began using the slogan Boy Better Know.

18. Dizzee Rascal achieved huge success with 'Maths + English'.

Dizzee Rascal's third album 'Maths + English' went gold in 2007 and boosted Grime into the commercial spotlight. However some accused him of abandoning his roots to achieve success.

19. Before a group of amazing MCs got together and created a DVD.

A collective of Grime MCs became frustrated by a lack of radio play and formed a group called ‘The Movement’. They created a groundbreaking DVD in 2007 documenting the Grime scene. The group consisted of Wretch 32, Devlin, Ghetts, Scorcher and Mercston.

20. The police had another look at that 696 form.

The 696 form which blocked many Grime and Hip Hop events was revised in 2008 after questions were asked about the ethnicity of the attendees and the artists being targeted.

21. And then there was huge success.

In 2009, there were five Number 1 singles from different Grime artists including Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk (pictured). However some criticised them for abandoning the genre to achieve success.

Skepta Puff Daddy Hello Good Morning Video

22. So much success, Diddy came looking for talent...

Puff Daddy asked his Twitter followers which UK artist he should collaborate with and received a unanimous response: Skepta. The two collaborated on a Grime remix of his single 'Hello, Good Morning'.

23. Lethal Bizzle decided it was time for another 'Pow (Forward)'.

Lethal Bizzle once again collaborated with the biggest artists in Grime for a 2011 version of his breakout single 'Pow (Forward)'.

24. Wretch 32's achieved massive success with his major label debut.

Wretch 32's major label debut 'Black And White' reached Number 1 in the Official Album Chart and was responsible for 3 top 10 singles, 'Don't Go', 'Unorthodox' and 'Traktor'.

25. Which helped him win a BET.

Wretch 32 won a BET Award in 2012 for 'Best International Act', proving that Grime was beginning to make its mark on the global stage.

26. Chipmunk decided to leave the UK and met T.I.

Following the release of his second major label album 'Transition', Chipmunk changed his name to Chip and signed to T.I's label 'Hustle Gang' in America alongside artists such as Iggy Azalea and B.O.B.

27. Skepta changed the game with his 'Blacklisted' album.

After a lengthy hiatus, Skepta returned with his Grime album 'Blacklisted' in 2012, which sounded very different to any of his previous projects. It was a purposeful move away from commercial-sounding songs and received little radio play.

28. Then a young MC called Stormzy was awarded on the global stage.

Following a strong 18 months, Grime MC Stormzy was awarded 'Best International Act' by BET in 2015, following in the footsteps of Wretch 32. Picture: Getty

29. Chip returned to the UK with a bone to pick...

Chip returned from America and dissed Tinie Tempah for allegedly calling him out in a radio freestyle. This confrontation sparked a number of MCs dissing each other and helped to boost the scene.

30. Skepta went back to basics with his video for 'That's Not Me'.

Skepta took it back to the days of pirate radio with the sound and look of his Grime track 'That's Not Me'. The MC continued his theme of avoiding commercial-sounding music.

31. Then this happened...

Kanye West invited a host of Grime MCs and rappers onto the stage at the 2015 Brit Awards, to add extra authenticity to his performance of 'All Day'. He also publicly thanked Skepta for organising it and made the performance the official music video for the track.

32. Drizzy decided to 'Shut Down' the scene when he got Skepta involved in his headline Wireless slot.

After posting many Grime-related photos on Instagram, Drake invited his now good friend Skepta to perform alongside him while at Wireless Festival 2015. What a moment.

Skepta Tour Boy Better Know US Canada Flyer

33. Then Grime went global...

After being given recognition from the likes of Drake and Kanye West, Skepta maintained his momentum by going on a worldwide tour alongside his crew Boy Better Know.

34. May 2016: Skepta releases his new album 'Konnichiwa'.

Skepta's long-awaited Grime album doesn't feature an appearance from Drake but its on course to be his first ever Number 1 album.

Skepta winners of the Mercury price 2016

35. September 2016: Skepta winner at the Hyundai Mercury Prize 2016

Skepta becomes the first Grime MC to win the Mercury Music Prize since Dizzee Rascal back in 2003. Picture: Getty

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