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Research

2. • https://timeline.com/these-photos-of-the-grime-subculture-in-east-london-show-youth-in-revolt-
and-on-the-mic-1be620dbc713
• Almost 20 years ago, a new sound began to emanate from London’s East End. A new type of homegrown
independent music was reaching the ears of young Brits via pirate radio stations and underground mix
tapes. Faster than hip-hop, harder than EDM, grime was a jarring introduction to the state of urban
youth disillusionment for mainstream British society. And it was about to blow up.
• Like its American hip-hop counterpart, grime music in the U.K. emerged as a youthful response to
socioeconomic conditions and entrenched working-class frustrations. East London’s neglected public
housing estates were an incubator for the minimalist beats and dark themes of grime—the music’s fast-
spit lyrics and pared down production an organic reaction to economic vulnerability and racism. That
grime is now a global phenomenon owes much to the genre’s originality and—like rap—its authentic
mode of storytelling.
• But while Grime was still coming into its own as a genre, the East End communities which inspired it
were all but invisible to a deeply xenophobic Britain. While politicians made awkward calls for racial
unity, the term “urban” had become a synonym in the media for “black.” It was in this context that
photographer Simon Wheatley, intent on pursuing a more truthful portrayal of youth street culture,
began work on what would become his 2010 book, Don’t Call Me Urban! The Time of Grime. The book,
along with its accompanying films and audio recordings released in 2015, is an attempt to visually
reconcile the harshness of life in East London’s council estates with the exotified blackness found in
popular media and the culture at large.
• “To be ‘urban’ is not a joke,” says Wheatley. “It’s an often harsh reality [which] the mainstream media,
and commerce, have tended to gloss over. My book is an attempt to go deeper into complex issues, and
particularly beyond the stereotypes of the right wing media.”
• Shot over twelve years between 1998 and 2010, Wheatley’s images are intimate, color saturated
alternatives to the council housed bleakness we have come to know from more superficial depictions of
English despondency. More importantly, they are nuanced in ways that allow for varied interpretations
of what it means to grow up poor, black, and talented. Pictures are variously humorous and sober,
shocking and banal, but above all they offer a deep take on some of the most misunderstood pockets of
the city and a demographic of young people necessarily at odds with the larger society. Wheatley’s is an
outsider’s perspective, ultimately. But it’s one hard won through patience, persistence, and, above all,
respect for the young Londoners living through the time of grime.

3. • If last year grime was on the rise, 2016 is the genre’s coming of age.
• As official proof, iTunes last week finally created a category for urban music’s hottest genre. Until now, grime artists had to make
do with being unsatisfactorily filed under labels such as dance, hip hop/rap and electro. But Apple’s iOS 10 update has now
made amends, and grime has its own home. Now fans will readily find albums and tracks from Skepta, Dizzee Rascal, Lady
Leshurr and Stormzy, among others, beneath the grime sub-section on the hip-hop/rap page of iTunes’ UK store.
• This year grime has been at the forefront of music news – and a book, This is Grime, newly published by Hodder & Stoughton,
tells its evolution from the underground raves, estates and pirate radio stations of London more than a decade ago to its
burgeoning commercial success and increasing mainstream status today.
• This year has seen grime clock up awards at the most prestigious UK music ceremonies – and not just those dedicated to urban
music and culture such as the Mobos.
• Skepta lands 2016 Mercury Prize
• Last month, Skepta won the Mercury Prize for his albumKonnichiwa, 13 years since a grime artist had last been nominated, that
being Dizzee Rascal whose Boy in da Corner won in 2003. Skepta wasn’t the only grime artist on the shortlist – there was also
east Londoner Kano for his March-released, highest-charting, Top 10 album Made in the Manor.
• Back in May, the Ivor Novellos recognised grime for the first time since 2011 with a nod for Skepta, and, last month, south
LondonerStormzy won the AIM innovator award, having become the first unsigned rapper to be nominated on the Sound
Of... poll, in 2015.
• And last year, in a nod to the genre’s rising popularity, a new award ceremony was launched devoted to showcasing urban
music, the Rated awards.
• Although grime’s origins lie in the underground, this is the year that grime has made strides towards the mainstream as proven
by the chart success of the likes of Skepta, Kano, Lady Leshurr and Giggs. Then there are the grime ticket sales, which have this
year been higher than they have been since 2011 and are expected to sell more than in 2012, 2013 and 2014 combined,
according to data from Ticketmaster. Giggs’s biggest ever headline show, at London’s Forum next month, sold out in two weeks.
And this year has seen performances from Lethal Bizzle, Big Narstie and Kano, with a UK tour from Lady Leshurr later this
month.
• Grime’s success is a notion echoed by BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ MistaJam: “Grime never really went away, but the music coming out
of the scene right now is really exciting. The last grime artist to win the Mercury was Dizzee Rascal back in 2003, and he’s still
going strong headlining dance festivals like SW4, so it proves that grime has longevity and can transcend different musical
tastes.”
• http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-rise-of-grime-genre-skepta-kano-lady-leshurr-stormzy-
dizzee-rascal-drake-itunes-mercury-prize-a7350236.html

4. • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grime_(music_genre)
• Grime is a genre of music that emerged in London in the early 2000s. It developed out of earlier UK electronic
music styles, including UK garage and jungle,and also draws influence from Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and hip
hop. The style is typified by rapid, syncopated breakbeats, generally around 130 or 140 bpm,[and often features
an aggressive or jagged electronic sound. Rapping is also a significant element of the style, and lyrics often
revolve around gritty depictions of urban life.
• The style initially spread among pirate radio stations (such as Rinse FM) and underground scenes before
achieving some mainstream recognition in the UK during the mid-2000s through artists such as Dizzee
Rascal,Kano, Lethal Bizzle, and Wiley. Other prominent artists include Ghetts, Jme, Skepta, and Prominent
grime crews include Boy Better Know, Newham Generals, Roll Deep, and Ruff Sqwad. In the mid 2010s, grime
began to receive popular attention in North America. Origins:
• Roll Deep, a well-known grime crew, performs at the 2006 Love Music Hate Racism festival.
• Grime emerged in the early 2000s in London's East End. It has origins tied with UK pirate radio stations such
as Rinse FM, Deja Vu FM, Freeze 92.7 and Raw Mission. At this point, the style was known by a number of
names, including 8-bar (meaning 8 bar verse patterns), nu shape (which encouraged more complex 16 bar and
32 bar verse patterns), sublow (a reference to the very low bassline frequencies, often around 40 Hz), as well as
eskibeat, a term applied specifically to a style initially developed by Wiley and his collaborators, incorporating
dance and electro elements. This indicated the movement of UK garage away from its house influences towards
darker themes and sounds. Among the first tracks to be labelled "grime" as a genre in itself were "Eskimo", "Ice
Rink" and "Igloo" by Wiley, "Pulse X" by Musical Mob and "Creeper" by Danny Weed. Development:
• Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Kano and Lethal Bizzle were among the first to bring the genre to mainstream media
attention in 2003–2004, with their albums Boy in da Corner, Treddin' on Thin Ice, Home Sweet
Home and Against All Oddz respectively. Dizzee Rascal garnered widespread critical acclaim and commercial
success with Boy in da Corner winning the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. Grime has since received exposure from
television stations including Channel U (now known as Channel AKA), Logan Sama's show on London radio
station Kiss FM, the BBC's youth-oriented digital radio station BBC Radio 1Xtra.[citation needed], in particular Charlie
Sloth's show which showcases various grime artists like Stormzy, Bugzy Malone and Akala (rapper) with his
popular segment "Fire In The Booth" and the MOBO Awards which launched its first 'Best Grime' category in
2014 (prior to this Grime had been merged with 'Best Hip-Hop' since 2011) when the show was being
broadcast on BBC One.

5. • http://ambitionuk.org/page/Youth_Clubs
• Youth clubs have been around for more than 150 years
• The activities they offer may have changed a little, but their purpose remains much the same. In 1863, Rev
Arthur Sweatman said youth clubs provided “evening recreation, companionship, an entertaining but healthy
literature, useful instruction, and a strong guiding influence to lead young people onward and upward socially
and morally”. The language may be old-fashioned, but youth clubs still focus on the same vital things today.
• What is a youth club?
• Youth clubs give young people a low-cost place to go outside of school, offering them a sense of belonging. The
activities and support from club leaders and volunteers allow young people to learn new skills and build
confidence and resilience for the future, as well as have fun. Young people choose to go there, with youth clubs
open to all young people.
• There are around 11,000 youth clubs in England.
• What do youth clubs offer?
• Relationships are also at the heart of youth clubs - both with friends and the adults who work there. For some
young people, their relationship with their youth worker or club volunteer may be the only meaningful
relationship they have with an adult – and it can be life changing.
• Youth clubs offer something for everyone. We want to make sure every young person in the UK has access to a
club that’s right for them.
• Youths in Britain are more likely to drink, take drugs, have sex, join gangs and get into fights than almost
anywhere else in Europe, new figures show.
• Published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), they come just as the government announces its
new 10-year youth strategy to tackle teenage delinquency which calls for a youth club in every neighbourhood.
• The lack of "somewhere to go in the evening" is a stock grievance among many teenagers and often cited as a
reason for them going off the rails. But research shows simply giving them a base to meet and socialise can do
more harm than good.
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6917077.stm

6. • http://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/music-film/grime-music-is-now-the-sound-of-british-youth-and-things-are-
only-beginning-a6747216.html
• Despite a new generation growing up with grime, fans may not even be aware of how things have developed for the music
genre over the past two years. This year alone, a handful of artists have collectively contributed to what is now, undoubtedly,
the sound of the British youth. Last year played host to significant moments which helped to spread the music and, more
importantly, the culture. But, right now, this is only the beginning.
• The exciting prospect grime presents is growth. With a generation of teenagers growing up without it, to them, the sound is
new, exhilarating, and energetic. Above all, it’s different. There’s a new school of MCs striving to help the scene grow, to help
fans gain an insight into what it means to the individuals helping to move the culture even further. Elf Kid - of South London
grime collective, The Square - shared his thoughts on how things are progressing.
• So, what has made grime culture so accessible to new listeners? What has truly boosted its growth? The 18-year-old MC
explained how broad the culture is for him, adding that it’s all got to do with far more than the music. In fact, the music seems
to be a small part of it. He said: “Grime culture is everything [to me]. It’s from clothes, to attitude, to the hood, the estates -
Britain itself. Grime is like punk - a bunch of kids that are just into this whole thing. Grime makes the connection between
everyone in the UK for me.”
• Grime never died. But, it’s pivotal to acknowledge the genre and the culture has been injected with an array of new energies. A
key figure in this resurgence is Skepta, of course. The North London MC went back to his roots as he states in his hit song,
‘That’s Not Me’, which told a wider story than the immediate concept.
• Whilst discussing Skepta with Elf Kid, he highlighted how Skepta “made it comfortable” for MCs to wear tracksuits again. He
added: “It put everyone in the position of thinking: ‘He’s wearing a tracksuit, so we can as well’. Everyone feels like they’re a
part of it. It’s the culture.”
• The editor of GRM Daily, Caroline SM, also spoke out on the matter and stressed how important another young MC has been
performing within the rise of the grime-in-youth culture. She said: “Stormzy is the perfect character to be the underdog coming
through. I feel like anyone young can relate to him. Even if you don’t come from that background and you’re not in that world,
you can relate to him.”
• While reflecting on Stormzy’s success, SM spoke of his headlining show at KoKo in October and explained the change in scene:
“The demographic was mental. At Stormzy’s show, it was all university kids and teenagers, which is such a different vibe to what
you’d expect.” It’s unquestionable the demographic has changed. Reflecting on the past year, Elf Kid, himself, was quick to
describe the new wave of fans as “a breath of fresh air.”
• Without a doubt, grime has taken the younger generation by storm. With the amount of talent that is coming through radio
sets, or even a one-off freestyle video, next year looks set to deliver even more.What will come next, though, we don’t know. Elf
Kid, too, vaguely prophesied on what could happen and said: “Within the next year, it could only get bigger and better.”