This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/23/skepta-mercury-win-vindication-grime-konnichiwa
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Skepta’s Mercury win is vindication for grime, the soundtrack of my generation Skepta’s Mercury win is vindication for grime, the soundtrack of my generation | |
| (2 days later) | |
| Skepta’s self-released album Konnichiwa is storming back towards the top 10 after winning the Mercury award last week. According to the Official Charts Company, it has jumped 44 places after a 50% spike in sales. | Skepta’s self-released album Konnichiwa is storming back towards the top 10 after winning the Mercury award last week. According to the Official Charts Company, it has jumped 44 places after a 50% spike in sales. |
| Konnichiwa beat the bookies’ favourite, Blackstar – the final studio album from David Bowie – and fellow grime MC Kano’s Made in the Manor to the £25,000 prize. Watching Skepta, who was born Joseph Junior Adenuga and is 34, accept the award sent chills through my body, especially after the Brit awards in February failed to recognise the contribution to music made by him and many other grime acts. This week’s Mobo nominations are further cause for celebration. Grime was introduced to the awards for music of black origin as an individual category two years ago, so that acts no longer had to share a platform with hip-hop. This year the judges are spoilt for choice across all genres. | Konnichiwa beat the bookies’ favourite, Blackstar – the final studio album from David Bowie – and fellow grime MC Kano’s Made in the Manor to the £25,000 prize. Watching Skepta, who was born Joseph Junior Adenuga and is 34, accept the award sent chills through my body, especially after the Brit awards in February failed to recognise the contribution to music made by him and many other grime acts. This week’s Mobo nominations are further cause for celebration. Grime was introduced to the awards for music of black origin as an individual category two years ago, so that acts no longer had to share a platform with hip-hop. This year the judges are spoilt for choice across all genres. |
| For me, it’s not surprising a generation has fallen at Skepta’s feet. His bars resonate with me more than the words of any politician. We millennials are a generation full of hustlers and DIYers. Skepta’s work ethic mirrors this exactly and he created Konnichiwa, an album full of the sounds of protest, independent of a record label. A self-described activist, Skepta plans to use the prize money to help disadvantaged young people. He has already started to build a recording studio on a Tottenham estate. | For me, it’s not surprising a generation has fallen at Skepta’s feet. His bars resonate with me more than the words of any politician. We millennials are a generation full of hustlers and DIYers. Skepta’s work ethic mirrors this exactly and he created Konnichiwa, an album full of the sounds of protest, independent of a record label. A self-described activist, Skepta plans to use the prize money to help disadvantaged young people. He has already started to build a recording studio on a Tottenham estate. |
| His Mercury win is a milestone for grime, which has somehow overcome the many hurdles placed in its way. The music began in the early 2000s and was the local sound of east London. Often misinterpreted as hip-hop, grime owes more to garage, jungle and reggae. MCs form part of crews and speak in slang, often freestyling on the spot. When they perform live, the crowd’s reception determines if they get a wheel up (replay of the track from the beginning). In its early days grime relied heavily on pirate radio stations such as Rinse where artists could say as they pleased with no filter. | His Mercury win is a milestone for grime, which has somehow overcome the many hurdles placed in its way. The music began in the early 2000s and was the local sound of east London. Often misinterpreted as hip-hop, grime owes more to garage, jungle and reggae. MCs form part of crews and speak in slang, often freestyling on the spot. When they perform live, the crowd’s reception determines if they get a wheel up (replay of the track from the beginning). In its early days grime relied heavily on pirate radio stations such as Rinse where artists could say as they pleased with no filter. |
| Dizzee Rascal’s legendary Boy in da Corner won the Mercury prize in 2003 and is hailed as the album that took grime mainstream. Its popularity is still evident more than a decade later, as an online petition for him to perform it in its entirety means he will take to the stage next month. But although grime’s resurgence is largely a mythical concept, created by those who have jumped on the bandwagon since Drake signed the petition, it is true that grime is enjoying the most commercial success it has ever seen. | Dizzee Rascal’s legendary Boy in da Corner won the Mercury prize in 2003 and is hailed as the album that took grime mainstream. Its popularity is still evident more than a decade later, as an online petition for him to perform it in its entirety means he will take to the stage next month. But although grime’s resurgence is largely a mythical concept, created by those who have jumped on the bandwagon since Drake signed the petition, it is true that grime is enjoying the most commercial success it has ever seen. |
| Last year, BBC Radio 1Xtra held a Grime Symphony in the Royal Albert Hall backed by an orchestra, with performances still racking up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. This summer Boy Better Know, the grime crew founded by brothers JME and Skepta, headlined the Wireless festival, while Stormzy was well received at the traditionally rock-oriented Reading. | Last year, BBC Radio 1Xtra held a Grime Symphony in the Royal Albert Hall backed by an orchestra, with performances still racking up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. This summer Boy Better Know, the grime crew founded by brothers JME and Skepta, headlined the Wireless festival, while Stormzy was well received at the traditionally rock-oriented Reading. |
| Key album drops this year, from the scene’s pioneers Skepta and Kano, were not only nominated for the Mercury, they managed to make it to the top 10 in the albums chart. But less well-known artists still rely on smaller venues. The recent closure of London nightclub Fabric is a huge loss as it was one of the few places that supported them. While Eskimo Dance – the influential rave and brainchild of grime godfather Wiley – has toured the country, fans of the genre don’t have the luxury of regular club nights they can attend. | Key album drops this year, from the scene’s pioneers Skepta and Kano, were not only nominated for the Mercury, they managed to make it to the top 10 in the albums chart. But less well-known artists still rely on smaller venues. The recent closure of London nightclub Fabric is a huge loss as it was one of the few places that supported them. While Eskimo Dance – the influential rave and brainchild of grime godfather Wiley – has toured the country, fans of the genre don’t have the luxury of regular club nights they can attend. |
| The notorious form 696 used by police to assess risk is still a barrier not just for grime music but for other genres that have black roots. It has been shown to target black music nights and is one hurdle grime is yet to overcome. But I have no doubt it will. Radio 1 boss Chris Price recently called grime Britain’s “big cultural export”. For a group of musicians that had so much standing in their way, and every reason to throw in the towel, grime artists have achieved so much. I can’t wait to see what happens next. | The notorious form 696 used by police to assess risk is still a barrier not just for grime music but for other genres that have black roots. It has been shown to target black music nights and is one hurdle grime is yet to overcome. But I have no doubt it will. Radio 1 boss Chris Price recently called grime Britain’s “big cultural export”. For a group of musicians that had so much standing in their way, and every reason to throw in the towel, grime artists have achieved so much. I can’t wait to see what happens next. |