Is the rise of Grime the big story in 2017 Music?

[theblueboy]

I was very interested to see Grime and UK hip-hop acts being well represented at this years Mercury Music awards shortlist (and last year's winner, Skepta, is a Grime artist). There was also a big sea change at this years Glastonbury with Grime acts on main stages getting huge crowds. Stormzy in particular has been hugely successful in 2017.

Just wondered what other people's take is on this? Is the rise of grime the most interesting thing to happen to 2017 music? Should Grime albums be higher up on BEAs year lists for 2016/2017? Is Grime broadly accessible to eclectic music fans or is it mainly a UK South London scene that is just for young people? Is Grime getting better or is it just getting more recognised?

(BTW I know literally nothing about this genre! But I like the charisma of the performers and it seems fresh, energetic and quite funny from what I've heard, so interested to know what other people think. There is another interesting thread called 'Grime Time' but it is closed)

[Skinny]

I've been listening to grime for about 15 years, so it feels strange to see somebody talking about "the rise of grime", but in the last few years (beginning with the surprise success of Meridian Dan's 'German Whip') it certainly seems like grime has become more widely appreciated than ever before, which is especially refreshing given that the genre's big names no longer have to make the pop compromises that they used to in order to attract mainstream attention. Maybe the genre has become more palatable because it shares a tempo with the prevalent trap style of hip-hop coming out of Atlanta, or because of its attitude and vocabulary being lovingly co-opted by terrestrial sitcoms like Channel 4's Phone Shop or the BBC's People Just Do Nothing, but whatever the case the genre is certainly experiencing a much deserved Indian summer.

In terms of my favourite rappers to have come out of grime, there are the obvious big hitters like Wiley, Dizzee, Skepta, but I've always had a lot of love for those with a more idiosyncratic style, like Trim, Chronik, Flowdan, Flirta D, Devilman, Big H, D Double E (Our Lord and Saviour; to Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity), and in between the initial boom and the current resurgence guys like Giggs and P Money always held it down. Of the new crop of MCs, I'm a particular fan of AJ Tracey and Novelist, and also have a lot of time for MIST, Stormzy, J HUS, Elf Kid, Avelino. Oh, and Blay Vision's Turner Ave. is one of my favourite albums of 2017 in any genre, so everybody should check that out.
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[theblueboy]

Thanks for the recs. Good to hear from someone with some expertise on the topic ill check that album out. Yep, I'm very naive on the topic of grime but became interested when this year's coverage of Glastonbury was dominated by the genre. I know it's been around for a while now but I was meaning the mainstream recognition of grime when I said "the rise of grime". It's been nice to see a distinctive sound in the UK generate a buzz amongst young people at least.

Lol I love phone shop and people just do nothing. Hadn't made the connection to the increased interest in Grime before.