The urban music scene in the UK is under serious pressure. I would go further and say that it is actually in terminal decline and sinking in a quagmire of its own making.
There are some serious young artists out there who are multi talented, committed, all round entertainers who write great lyrics, make really good beats and know how to pull off great stage performances. The problem is that the Grime scene that most of these talented young boys2men choose to express themselves in, does not lend itself to grooming them for any sustainable career outside of the very narrow, largely underground UK grime scene itself.
Is there any one out there over the age of 25 who can name me five successful grime artists? Can you name me three? You would have to be a die hard grime fan or someone involved in the industry to do that. So my question is what future is there for grime music? Does it have any legs and will people be raving about it in twenty ten or even five years time?
I constantly tune into London urban radio to hear what's going on and get a feel for new stuff or emerging talent. To be honest 99 times out of 100 I leave not only unimpressed, but disillusioned. The problem for me with grime music is that it all seems so samey samey. I watch satellite tv, searching for up and coming indie artists who are saying something, and end up depressed with the derth of talent that doesn’t-shine-through. They all seem to be the same. Same words, same licks, same bad boy posing off against everything outside of his homey's endz and the crew. Again and again, just a different rhyme order, a different camera angle. Same game just another name.
This unfortunately (some would say appropriately) named grime music is our home-grown young black boy inner city created genre; by young blacks for young blacks ... and what do they do with it? Slag each other off run each other down, cuss each other out. All the while underlining every slur with a convincing rhyme on the violence that will be meted to anyone who stands in their way or even looks at them out of turn.
I love rebelious music, but rebel music should have a cause. These poor lads I view as rudderless and all at sea. There is some great music being produced here in the UK, I am however, anything but enthusiastic about the lack of musical or stylistic development from our inner city young Black British youth. Urban music is in a parlous state. Their raison d'être is I say again: obsessed with attitude over content. Saying very little that is new but saying it fast furious aggressive and very very loud.
Yes! There is talent out there, but this talent seems to have stagnated in its self enforced ghetto, incestuously feeding off itself and its claustrophobic environment. It stays defiantly impervious to any and all positive influences that might make it more palatable on a bigger (international) stage. There are really only two exceptions that I can think of - Bashy and Sway - who buck this trend …. And do you know, I know that even as I write this; the hard core fundamentalist grime aficionados are frothing at the mouth and spitting “HeDuntKnowWhatHe’sFuckin'bumbuClaatTalkin’AboutDuzzHeBredrin?"
When are we going to see someone emerge from the maddening mass (or should I say morass), step up and represent? Black kid, white kid, I do not care, just someone please Step Up!
I have seen very few artists and fewer bands/crews over the last 3 years who have got anything going on. A couple of years ago I came across a crew called Trinity and Rukus coming out of Derby, who I thought were absolutely brilliant. I would have sworn at that time that they would sweep all before them conquer Britain and rule the world, but alas they do not seem to have made much commercial headway. I hope those guys are still together and out there struttin' their stuff because they rock. I would have loved to say “Grime” but it just doesn't have the same ring about it … Does it?
