We’re at a stage with music where everyone seems to be a grime fan!
Emerging from the London underground in the early 2000’s, well-known artists such as; Skepta, Wiley, Kano, and many others, contributed to the grime-scene through its ‘birth period’ and are still successfully supporting this genre in their careers today.
From Lord of The Mic’s clashes, to illegal pirate radio stations, grime was hitting the music industry from various angles but it wasn’t taking off in regards to gaining real publicity; grime at the start had a very small audience.
The BBC’s Tim Westwood & Charlie Sloth both opened platforms for upcoming UK grime and rap artists to boost their status’, & in 2014, Grime was reborn. Skepta released the track ‘That’s Not Me’, Dizzee Rascal and Fekky came out with ‘Sittin Here’, JME alone had his track ‘Man Don’t Care About All That’.
Remember in 2016 when Drake jumped out on stage during a Section Boyz event blowing up the media?
Being one of the biggest rappers in the world, Drake gave the UK grime scene publicity. A new icon needed to be introduced connecting to a wider audience than just those from London, but do you think bringing a U.S. rapper to the grime industry was a good or bad idea?
We’re in 2017 and grime’s bigger than ever. It’s finally entered the mainstream side of music and it doesn’t look like it’s leaving anytime soon! I’ve witnessed people who don’t even follow grime, but behave like they enjoy it the most when the odd track comes on in the club these days.
For us in Sheffield, many of you will agree that the nightlife revolves around house, bassline and indie music mainly.
Grime was once an east London thing, separate to the rest of the England, now it’s one of the most popular genres in the UK.
I decided to speak to some students around Hallam to see whether they thought introducing a night filled with grime and UK Rap would be a good or bad idea:
- Callum Wooldridge said: “Sheffield definitely needs one, because the UK grime and rap scene is the current voice of the youth today, especially with more mc’s being involved in politics and world matters.”
- James Crossan added: “I think it does! It has a huge following with young people and it’s a scene that’s rapidly expanding. For example, there’s a specific place and day to go if you’re into house or if you’re into indie and rock, these places have their respective target genres, so it would be beneficial to have a night like that to cater to the grime-scene and fans in Sheffield!”
- Lacey Wall said: “Sheffield nightlife is no doubt varied and vibrant, but lacks in grime and rap in my opinion. If there was a night focused purely on this genre, I feel like it would hit the roof purely because Sheffield’s diverse culture of people would support it!”
- And finally, Owen Kirton concluded: “With how big UK grime and rap is getting recently, and especially with the connection to politicians like Jeremy Corbyn, I can’t see why a night focused on a genre which is linked to current UK trends wouldn’t be popular.”
Well from the few comments we’ve managed to gather, it’s obvious that Sheffield students are in need of a grime night out!
Well guess what?
Thanks to Wolf Bandit Records, the Harley, every Tuesday will now be hosting a grime, hip-hop and afro-beat night called Double Yellow on from 10pm-4am. Make sure you get yourself down to Glossop Road (S10 2HW) for a night filled with quality lyrics and the best tunes about!
Wolf Bandit Records 