Grime is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) that emerged in London in the early 2000s. It developed out of the earlier UK dance style UK garage, and draws influences from jungle, dancehall, and hip hop. The style is typified by rapid, syncopated breakbeats, generally around 140 beats per minute, and often features an aggressive or jagged electronic sound. Emceeing is a significant element of the style, and lyrics often revolve around gritty depictions of urban life.
Maxwell Owusu Ansah, known by his stage name Lethal Bizzle, is a British rapper from Walthamstow, London, of Ghanaian origin. He emerged in 2002 as a grime MC as part of More Fire Crew, with their grime single "Oi!" charting in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. His debut solo single "Pow! (Forward)" attracted attention for its aggressive content, charting at number 11 despite being banned from airplay and clubs. Although known notably for his single releases, Lethal Bizzle released his debut studio album, Against All Oddz, in 2005, followed by Back to Bizznizz in 2007.
Kane Brett Robinson, better known as Kano, is a British rapper, songwriter and actor from East Ham, London. His fifth album, Made in the Manor was shortlisted for the 2016 Mercury Prize and won Best Album at the 2016 MOBO Awards. On screen, he played the role of Sully in Top Boy.
"Pow! (Forward)" is the debut single by English grime artist Lethal Bizzle. The track features guest appearances from a variety of underground grime artists. It was released on 25 October 2004 for digital download via iTunes and then released on 20 December 2004. It charted on 26 December 2004 at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and currently stands as Bizzle's joint highest-charting solo single, along with "Rari WorkOut" and "Fester Skank". It won a MOBO Award for Best Single.
More Fire Crew are an English grime crew from Waltham Forest, whose 2002 single "Oi!" with Platinum 45 was widely recognised as the first grime song to reach the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight and produced by Merlin.
Justin Jude Clarke-Samuels, better known by his stage name Ghetts, is a British grime MC, rapper, songwriter and actor. His music has been played on national radio stations such as BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Currently, Ghetts is signed to independent record label Disrupt, and released his debut studio album, Rebel with a Cause, on 9 March 2014. Known for his hard hitting lyrics and intricate rhyme schemes, he is associated and has toured internationally with such acts as Kano and was a member of NASTY Crew.
Jahmaal Noel Fyffe, better known by his stage name Chip, is an English rapper from Tottenham, London. In the past 14 years he has collaborated with the likes of Skepta, T.I., Meek Mill, Young Adz and many others. In 2009, he released his debut album, I Am Chipmunk, featuring four songs which peaked in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, including the chart-topping "Oopsy Daisy". In 2011, Chipmunk released his follow-up album, the American hip hop-influenced Transition. It included the single "Champion" featuring Chris Brown, which peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart.
Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr., known professionally as Skepta, is a British grime MC, rapper, record producer and DJ. Alongside his younger brother Jme, he briefly joined Roll Deep before they became founding members of Boy Better Know in 2005. With Boy Better Know, Skepta clashed with fellow MC Devilman for the video release Lord of the Mics 2, in what is remembered as one of the biggest clashes in grime history.
Jamie Adenuga, known professionally as Jme, is a British grime MC, songwriter, record producer and DJ who was born in Hackney, and raised in Tottenham. He is the co-founder of the crew and label Boy Better Know. He also serves as a sole owner and director of an associated company, Boy Better Know Limited, which he incorporated in 2008. He was previously part of the grime collective Meridian Crew and later Roll Deep alongside his older brother, Skepta.
"Pow 2011" is a song by grime MC Lethal Bizzle, featuring fellow grime artists Jme, Wiley, Chipmunk, Face, P Money, Ghetts and Kano – who are usually credited as 'Grime All Stars'. The song is a sequel of Lethal Bizzle's hit single "Pow! (Forward)" which was released in 2004. "Pow 2011" was released as a single on 6 February 2011 for digital download and was produced by Teddy, also known as Silencer. It was the first single from Bizzle's compilation album, Best of Bizzle. Soccer AM used the song for the background music to a part of the show called "Frimponged".
"Best of Bizzle" is a compilation album by grime MC, Lethal Bizzle. It was released on February 27, 2011 for digital download. The album features artists such as Mr Hudson, Donae'o, Dizzee Rascal, Tawiah, Kate Nash and Mark Ronson - along with Lethal Bizzle's fellow grime artists. The first single off the album, "Pow 2011", was released on February 6, 2011. The album consists of 27 songs.
No. 5 Collaborations Project is a compilation extended play (EP) by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was the final of five EPs he recorded with the hope of being signed by a record label, hence the title.
"Mind Spinning" is a single by UK independent grime artist Lethal Bizzle. It was released on 19 June 2011 for digital download. The track features chorus vocals by producer Shaun Barrett better known as Hypertone
Joseph Ellis-Stephenson, better known by his stage name Dot Rotten or Zeph Ellis, is a British grime MC, rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Lambeth, South London.
Ashley Charles, also known as A.Dot or Dotty, is an English rapper, DJ, and radio and television presenter. She is best-known for presenting on BBC Radio 1Xtra from 2014 to 2020 and co-presenting the BBC One show Sounds Like Friday Night alongside Greg James from 2017 to 2018.
Shakka Philip, known simply as Shakka, is a British singer, songwriter and record producer signed to Pitched Up, Columbia Records and Sony Music.
Krept and Konan is a British hip hop duo from London, consisting of Casyo Valentine "Krept" Johnson BEM and Karl Dominic "Konan" Wilson BEM, the son of Delroy Wilson otherwise known as 'Jamaica's first child star'. Their first major release was the mixtape Young Kingz, released on 2 September 2013. As of 3 May 2013, Krept and Konan signed a record deal with Virgin EMI Records.
Marc Veira, better known by his stage name Flowdan, is an English grime MC and record producer from Bow and Poplar, East London. A founding member of Roll Deep, he was responsible for naming the group and remained a member until its hiatus. In 2015, he founded his record label, SpentShell, which has since signed YGG and GHSTLY XXVII to its roster. In 2023, he featured on two songs which reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, and in 2024 he won his first Grammy Award for the Skrillex and Fred Again collaboration "Rumble", becoming the first grime MC to win a Grammy in any category.
Lord of the Mics is a series of recorded grime clashes, headed by Jammer and Chad 'Ratty' Stennett. Each edition of LOTM features grime MCs participating in recorded clashes, in which they 'battle' each other over grime instrumentals. Various notable grime MCs have participated in Lord of the Mics, such as Skepta, Wiley, Kano, and P Money. LOTM was originally launched in 2004. The first clash to be filmed for LOTM, Wiley versus Kano, was filmed in Jammer's basement. The series was originally only published on DVD. LOTM was the first platform that released filmed grime clashes.
Dean West, better known by his stage name Black the Ripper, was a British rapper, grime emcee, activist, cannabis activist, and entrepreneur from Edmonton, London. He ran his own record label, Dank of England, which expanded into a clothing line and cannabis accessory company. He was also known for his viral stunts of smoking cannabis in public places, which he hoped would lead to the outcome of legalised cannabis in the United Kingdom.
