The genre took off in 2002 with MCs battling on the mics reminiscent to that of 8 Mile, using various nightclubs scattered around southern England. Eskimo Dance are the pioneers in this movement, and clashes have been fought in various other locations such as abandoned warehouses, in community youth centres, on the road, and in a basement. The artists are on very varying levels of lyrical skill, from outstanding, to amusing, to embarrassing, to absolute rubbish! Too much time would be taken up in discussing the phonies of the genre.
The real "kings" of grime - these five MCs have been the topic of much heated debate
Dot Rotten By far one of the most lyrically gifted and versatile MCs, Dot Rotten is a true heavy hitter of the grime scene. He's had various beefs, with Wiley and UK rapper Giggs among others. Dot Rotten is known for his emotionally driven tunes and the "realness" of his persona, as witnessed when he walked off the Logan Sama Show for "dodgy mixes".
P Money Erupting on the scene in 2005, P Money is most noted for humiliating Ghetto in various 'War Dubs', and has been regarded by many as the best MC on the circuit. Has collaborated with Dot Rotten, the best known track being "Super Sublow", wherein every weak MC in grime was systematically 'slewed'. They also continued this theme with "Sounds and Gimmicks".
Durrty Goodz One of the elders, Durrty Goodz has used his lyrical and vocal talent on various tunes across a wide range of genres, from grime to hip hop to bashment to jungle. Famous for his versatility and for clashing with the "King of Grime" Wiley and beating him at an Eskimo Dance. Although he has somewhat distanced himself from the grime scene, Durrty Goodz has still made various War Dubs, including "Name Out", in which he 'slewed' Wiley and Giggs over an ongoing beef.
Devlin From Dagenham, came through the ranks in 2006. Drawing on his experiences growing up in Essex, Devlin is regarded as one of the most talented MCs on the circuit. Wiley has on been the receiving end of his tight bars.
Crazy Titch The original "hype man" who has spawned a plethora of imitators since his rise to fame, Crazy Titch made good use of comedy and brutal lyrics against many MCs, most notably Wiley. Has appeared in various self made videos on You Tube expressing his views on other artists, the lead target of his verbal assault being Dizzee Rascal, followed by Wiley. Now in prison on a life sentence, the grime scene just does not seem the same without him.
These grime artists have proved beyond doubt that they do indeed "run tings" in this genre. With the amount of commercial sell outs (too many to mention) and the downright piss poor artists (too many to mention) crowding the genre, these five have stayed true to grime and what the scene is really about, although it really is an acquired taste for the UK underground music connoisseur.
Marlon Zenden - I'm a freelance writer in my spare time, I like to write about things that inspire me or have empathy for in some shape or form. Grew ...
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