Exercising the influence he currently has within UK culture, it is no surprise the Big Zuu commanded such a huge feature list for a debut album. Despite the amount of contemporary artists on the album, the track “Offline” has a particularly old-school feel, with grime veteran JME delivering a very straight forward chorus between grimey verses. Novelist, known for his old-school style, reinforces this feel, over a dub-like Sir Spyro beat. Truly we have travelled back in time to grime’s golden era.

The well-made video features stop motion versions of Big Zuu, JME, and Novelist each showing up at the houses of internet trolls to give them a proper thrashing. Bad-mouthed trolls are getting tied up, heads smashed in, and eyebrows shaved off by the three musicians, juxtaposing the childlike and juvenile style of animation with violence.

Video makers Edem Wornoo and William Child collaborated for the first time to produce the video for “Offline”. William Child’s studio, Gravy Mercedes, hosted Edem Wornoo for the first time. Edem Wornoo was highly complementary of Child’s attention to detail, telling llbonline that “he [William Child] should have his own TV show because every time his Claymation brought one of our scenes to life I genuinely laughed out loud.” Speaking on the creative process, William Child says: “It was my first time sharing directing responsibilities with someone else, meaning a totally different workflow to that I’m used to. Edem is incredibly talented and the clarity of his initial vision for the video made it super easy to understand and then execute”.

Listen to Big Zuu’s most recent album Navigate below:

Since making waves with Pa Salieu on the hit track ‘My Family’, has released many singles and has been featured on many more, with a total of 17 tracks he has been involved with up until the recent album singles. These tracks include a Daily Duppy, a feature on Ghetts’ acclaimed Conflict of Interest, alongside Salieu of course, and hit single ‘A Yo’ featuring TizzTrap and BG. Watch the ‘A Yo’ video below:

His style swings freely from drill to road rap to Afrobeats, and will happily blend genres in a manner unforced. ‘A Yo’, for example, released earlier this year and now features on the recent release, has Afrobeats vibes chopped into a drill beat. ‘Dark Place’ has a similar vibe, with floaty instrumentation over an aggressive drill format. It is perhaps this liberating blend of popular genres that has made him so popular across multiple audiences.

On the project, BackRoad Gee says: “After almost two years of hard work, blood, sweat & tears (literally), I can say I’ve had some of the craziest life changes which makes this mixtape mean so much to me. If you know me personally, this music and energy I give you is me from my heart. It’s not a job I go to or an identity I put on. Every word, every punchline, every ad-lib, I feel through the energy and the music is real, not a fairytale. This is I, King Brukz, Reporting Live From The Back of The Roads!”, as per Clash.

The sound of this project goes in a different direction from his previous EP, Mukta vs Mukta, which was much more drill oriented. While his new project contains a few drill tracks here and there, it is an Afrobeats-heavy project, giving us the party vibes going into the winter.

Listen to the new album below:

A Massive congratulations to all of our 2020 #MOBOAwards winners!

— MOBO (@MOBOAwards) December 9, 2020

Headie One scooped the award for Best Male Act, seeing off competition from nominees including Stormzy, J Hus and AJ Tracey. The  Tottenham trap star also picked up a second award for his collaboration with Young T & Bugsey on Don’t Rush, which secured the coveted Song of the Year title based on a public vote.

A night of MOBOs glory capped off an exceptional year for Headie One (real name Irving Adjei) whose debut album Edna soared to number one in the UK Albums Charts in October. In their review of the record, NME described the LP, which was named after Adeji’s late mother, as “a clear and persuasive bid for transatlantic stardom“; labelling the artist the “global King of drill.”

Leicestershire songstress Mahalia also enjoyed a memorable evening. The British-Jamaican singer, who made her second successive appearance in the US Adult R&B Top 20 this year with single BRB, was named Best Female Act on the night. The East Midlander also came up trumps in the Best R&B/Soul Act category, fending off WSTRN, Tiana Major9, Lianne La Havas and Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka. Mahalia told the RTÉ network that it was “an honour” to feature in an awards show close to her heart, saying “I remember seeing my first Mobos…As a young black female artist, it really is special to be here and to be recognised in this way.”

There were further gongs for North London rapper Nines – aka Courtney Leon Freckleton – who won the Album of the Year award for his third studio LP Crabs In A Bucket, which topped the UK Albums Chart at the end of the summer. Nines also pipped J Hus, Ms Banks, D-Block Europe, Krept & Konan and Potter Payper to the Best Hip Hop Act prize.

Elsewhere there was success for Hackney-born Jme in the Best Grime category; while Samuel Nwachukwu – known by his stage name of  Calledout Music – was named Best Gospel Act. The Nigerian-born, UK-raised singer is a rising star of Christian music globally, and has been touted as a prospective collaborator with Stormzy and Wretch 32 in the past. In a special feature on gospel music last year, The Big Issue described him as “a much needed breath of fresh air” on the scene, with an “infectious sound.”

Other award winners on the night included Lancashire rapper Aitch – who secured a top ten hit in the UK Albums Chart this year with his EP Polaris – in the Best Newcomer category; and Ella Mai, whose eponymous 2018 debut album was recognised as the best LP released over the two years that passed without a MOBO Awards ceremony. There was also a win for East London rap collective NSG in the Video of the Year category; while South Londoner Ego Ella May got the nod for Best Jazz Act. Stratford-based Jae-5 picked up the Best Producer award, telling Audio Media International: “It’s beautiful to be acknowledged and to win an award that promotes what I am.”

Meanwhile non-UK winners on the night included Nigerian Afrobeats merchant Burna Boy (Best International Act) and compatriot Wizkid (Best African Act). Jamaican dancehall veteran Buju Banton also bagged the Best Reggae Act award. The full list of musical winners at the MOBO Awards were:

Best Female Act – Mahalia
Best Male Act – Headie One
Album of the Year – Crabs in a Bucket (Nines)
Song of the Year – Dont Rush (Young T & Bugsey feat. Headie One)
Best Newcomer  – Aitch
Video of the Year – Lupita, NSG
Best R&B/Soul Act – Mahalia
Best Hip Hop Act – Nines
Best Grime Act – Jme
Best International Act – Burna Boy
Best Album (2017 – 2019) - Ella Mai (Ella Mai)
Best African Act – Wizkid
Best Reggae Act – Buju Banton
Best Gospel Act – Calledout Music
Best Jazz Act – Ego Ella May
Best Producer – Jae 5
Best Performance in a TV Show/Film - Micheal Ward (as Marco in Blue Story)
Best Media Personality - Chunkz
Inspiration Award - Steve McQueen

The continued absence of a category to recognise rock music was highlighted ahead of the awards ceremony by Londoners Nova Twins. The self-described ‘urban punk’ duo rightly pointed to the key role pioneers like Sister Rosetta Sharp, Chuck Berry and Little Richard played in the development of guitar music and rock ‘n’ roll as an overarching genre. The MOBOs judging panel responded directly on Twitter by saying they would “…continue to review potential category expansions for future Award ceremonies.”

Frisco is responsible for the single’s hook, and contributes a dynamic verse. BBK’s Skepta, JME, Jammer and Shorty all feature. These artist constitute Boy Better Know’s A Team, because they are the groups most dynamic talents. Therefore, ‘Red Card‘ bubbles with a variety of smooth flows, punchy lyrics and expert delivery. It serves as a showcase of BBK’s extensive abilities.

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THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN! My new single RED CARD Out Now EVERYWHERE P.s Big ups to @anniemac for making this hottest track in the world right now!

A post shared by Frisco (@bigfris) on Sep 2, 2020 at 1:51am PDT

‘Red Card‘ is a typical grime track. The instrumental has a home studio feel, which rolls over a chilling pipe sound and a fast-paced drum beat. The emcee’s are no strangers to the genre, and therefore it comes together with a vintage sound which will fill raves and dance tents.

Frisco released the track alongside a music video. The clip is simple. It depicts the rap group delivering their respective verses in front of Nelson’s column. It is a visual statement that affirms the rap groups iconography. This is because the group shot it in front of London’s most renowned landmarks. Through the clip, BBK essentially convey a sentiment that they are the Grime scene equivalent of the column; a towering beacon that represents London’s global influence.

Boy Better Know’s iconic squad of Grime artists flood ‘Red Card‘ with a potent sound. The recognisable deliveries of Skepta, JME and Frisco are iconic, and this is recognised by the music video which places them alongside Nelson’s column.

Jme – Grime MC

Spotify https://t.co/lLM1kXsAso

Apple https://t.co/t63h5Vz3dJ

Tidal https://t.co/CQE7Vio7Dd

Amazon https://t.co/Ke6FZZBwU4 pic.twitter.com/TShx0Hbmrv

— Jme (@JmeBBK) June 1, 2020

This follows numerous ‘Grime MC’ singles including ‘Nang‘ featuring older brother Skepta, released to all platforms earlier this year. So, why did the artist initially choose to keep his music limited to physical copies, and why has he changed his mind now? As he told SK Vibemaker in an interview, “If Youtube and Twitter and Spotify and all this stuff shut down I’m still gonna be spitting bars.”

Primarily, it seems that the reason for this change is that fans so desperately wanted JME’s album to be accessible in every way – especially after waiting four years for new music – and asked him for months. But the full album, uploaded 1st June, coincides with the riots and protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd and many other innocent African-American people at the hands of police. As JME is known for using his music to discuss current affairs and issues, perhaps he is now using it to highlight the social injustice taking place. JME took to Twitter after the tragedy, retweeting various posts and sharing a video of Phillip DeFranco explaining what happened.

Of the 18 tracks included on ‘Grime MC’, fan favourites appear to be ‘Nang‘ and ‘Issmad‘, which have both reached over 600,000 streams on Spotify. With half of the album’s songs being released as singles, all of these have been accompanied by a music video, most recently ‘Live‘ featuring Merky Ace, which shows JME and his collaborator hosting the news. In just over a week, the video has gained 150,000 views.

JME released his first LP ‘Famous’ in 2008 via his own record label Boy Better Know, having spent years in the music industry writing ringtones and working with Skepta. He is now an MC, songwriter, producer, and DJ and has collaborated with many different grime artists.

This comes after a string of the songs off the album have been released due to the fan outcry to release the songs onto streaming services. Initially, it was going to be just released on physical copies but the rapper went onto release it on iTunes so fans could listen to it online.

Grime MC was highly sought after with it being 5 years since fans had heard new music from JME. With his fans having to make do with features from him on his brother Skepta’s album. 

NANGhttps://t.co/TgvlnPUsxS

— Jme (@JmeBBK) May 13, 2020

This follows his 2015 album “Integrity” which was very well received and ‘Grime MC’ has been received just as well being called ‘his best album to date.’

JME not releasing more music as a lead artist is seen as a big loss to the world as his lyricism and overall ability are easy to see from just a preliminary listen. 

Along with the streaming release, he has also been releasing the music videos for the songs onto YouTube. Check one out below;

More recently, JME has been heavily involved with the YouTube powerhouse the sidemen. With this he has featured on some KSI songs and featured in their videos as well. This, no doubt, surprised his fans as they would’ve preferred to see releases rather than FIFA skill videos.

Event promoters and license holders in the UK are asked to fill out  a ‘Form 696′ before an some events featuring DJs and MCs. The intrusive form requests the names, stage names, addresses, and phone numbers of all promoters and artists at an event.

Victoria Derbyshire’s radio programme even found that some police forces are asking about the ethnic make-up of both the audience that will be in the event’s attendance, and of the music genre involved with the event. These regulations are still in place despite these questions being removed from the standard form after a review in 2009. However a further investigation using a Freedom of Information request has revealed that 16 other police forces use similar wording and similar versions of the form.

Police have defended themselves, stating that the form has helped to reduce crime and disorderly behaviour at these events, but the effect that their actions have had on the genre over the years has been telling. in 2010, Giggs had to cancel an entire tour following police advice, and even as recently as 2016 has claimed that he still faces “so much nonsense” when it comes to organising live shows. Boy Better Know member JME has been incredibly vocal about his dealings with the police in the past, and even took part in a 2014 documentary on the subject, which you can watch below.

Grime MC P Money also spoke to the BBC on the matter recently, finitely claiming ‘Form 696′ to be “a race thing”. P Money suggested that police deliberately targeted the grime genre above others, due to stereotyping, claiming “we know they’re just trying to shut down grime, because if it was anything else they wouldn’t have this issue,” he said. “If, for example, Ed Sheeran had a show and a fight broke out, he’s not going to do a 696 on his next arena tour.”

A statement from the Mayor of London’s  office on the matter read”We have supported a number of events that bring together the Met, music venues, and promoters to try to improve the understanding of when and how Risk Assessment Form 696 should be used.”

Grime first came to the music scene in England in the late 90’s/early 2000’s and was seen as a combination of drum and bass, UK dancehall and garage which was developed into what we know today as Grime. It quickly garnered interest from fans and critics alike with it’s icy synths, lyrically sharp bars and interesting use of bass – it was new, exciting and inspiring as it was seen as a form of expression against the oppression the young voices of the time faced daily.

The artists mentioned before have risen from performing at pirate radio stations, raves and youth clubs to sharing a stage with Kanye West and Drake to crowds of thousands who share the same passion for their music. And now the time for the recognition they deserve has come as the British artists who pioneered the genre as they receive their biggest public encore at the MOBO Awards.

The MOBO Awards which will take place on Wednesday night, is a night of celebration for the music of black origin and was established in 1996 by Kanya King and Andy Ruffell. The MOBO awards are held annually in the UK to recognise artists performing music of urban roots and is continuously growing into a highlighted awards show. For the first time since it was created, the MOBO’s have created their own documentary following their history. Since it came to place, the award show has not recognised grime to it’s full extent until 2014 when they introduced a specific grime category, won by Stormzy. However now 2015 is believed to truly be the year for the revival of grime.

Nominations include Skepta’s ‘Shutdown’ nominated for best song, while Lethal Bizzle’s ‘Fester Skank’ and Stormzy’s ‘Know Me From’ are both nominated for best video. Early pioneers of grime Skepta and JME are up for best male act whilst Wiley and JME have picked up nominations for best album. Wiley is also guaranteed to receive the MOBO paving the way award – a recognition to his ongoing influence as one of the founding members of grime. A full list of the nominees for MOBO awards and more information on the MOBOs can be found in a previous article done on mxdwn which you can find here.

Earlier this year, an iconic moment was shared on stage at the Brit Awards as Kanye West was joined onstage by Skepta and twenty-five grime MC’s during his performance. This was seen as a step in the right direction as grime was getting recognised not only on stage with an iconic artist of this time but also at a prestigious award show. Now, with the nominations of these grime artists, grime can finally be seen as a genre worth categorizing.

Croydon-born rapper Bonkaz – nominated for best newcomer at this years MOBOs stated his opinion to the guardian, saying how he felt it was “about time” the impact of these artists was acknowledged by the awards panel.

“I think it is amazing that grime is being recognised and I think it is very necessary for UK culture as a whole,” he said. “If we are going to tell the story of the UK in 20-30 years then there’s no way we could miss out the story of grime.

“It is important that these people – JME, Wiley, D Double E, so many more – are getting the recognition they deserve and the props for what they’ve done for the scene and for UK culture.”

Grime started to go downhill in the music industry when grime artists were signed and given a more commercial sound alongside the fact that raves and pirate radio stations that pioneered grime were shut down. However over the past year, a wave of revival has surged across cities in the UK from London to Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham for the genre as old and new grime artists return to the roots of the DIY genre. Now you can hear the likes of JME and Skepta when you walk into your local shopping centre and on the radio constantly which proves that grime is definitely setting its place in the music industry.

The nominations reflect the recent resurgence of Grime in the mainstream, with genre accounting for 27 of the nominations. Grime heavyweight JME is up for four awards, while the current hype surrounding Skepta has helped him rack up three nominations and rising star Stormzy who tallies at three nominations too.

Grime Godfather Wiley also makes an appearance on the list under best album, and has been gifted the Inaugural MOBO Paving the Way award, to honour his legacy in pioneering the genre. The MC has elected the stone to be placed at Bow school in Tower Hamlets, east London, where he and his father attended.

Hip Hop duo Krept & Konan are tipped for four awards: best male, best hip-hop act, best song and best album, and lead nominations alongside JME. FKA Twigs, who is set to perform on the night, has received three nominations, two being for her videos for “Pendulum” and “Glass and Patron”. Meanwhile, further abroad, Kendrick Lamar is in competition for best international album with the likes of Drake and Dre.

The 2015 MOBO Awards will be broadcast Live on ITV2 on 4th November, in the meantime you can view the nominations below:

Best Male :

Skepta

Mark Ronson

Krept & Konan

JME

Stormzy

Best Female :

FKA Twigs

Little Simz

Ella Eyre

Lianna La Havas

Jess Glyne

Best Album :

‘The Long Way Home’ – Krept & Konan

‘Integrity’ – JME

‘Blood’ – Lianne La Havas

‘Snakes & Ladders – Wiley

‘In Colour’ – Jamie XX

Best Song in Association with First Direct :

‘Uptown Funk’ – Mark Ronson Feat. Bruno Mars

‘Shutdown’ – Skepta

‘Not Letting Go’ – Tinie Tempah Feat. Jess Glynne

‘Man Don’t Care’ – JME Feat. Giggs

‘Freak of the Week’ – Krept & Konan

Best Video :

‘Know Me From’ – Stormzy

‘Pendulum’ – FKA Twigs

‘Body On Me’ – Rita Ora Feat. Chris Brown

‘Fester Skank’ – Lethal Bizzle

‘Glass & Patron’ – FKA Twigs

Best Newcomer in Association with Virgin Trains East Coast :

Bugzy Malone

Section Boyz

Nao

Bonkaz

Nick Brewer

George The Poet

J Hus

Snakehips

Sinead Harnett

Yungen

Best International Album :

‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’ – Drake

‘2014 Forest Hill Drive’ – J. Cole

‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ – Kendrick Lamar

‘Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre’ – Dr. Dre

‘Beauty Behind The Madness’ – The Weeknd

‘Black Messiah’ – D’Angelo

‘Reality Show’ – Jazmine Sullivan

‘Ego Death’ – The Internet

‘Black Rose’ – Tyrese

‘At. Long. Last. ASAP’ – A$AP Rocky

Best Grime in Association with BBC Radio 1Xtra :

Bugzy Malone

JME

Lethal Bizzle

Skepta

Stormzy

Best Hip Hop :

Akala

Krept and Konan

Nines

Little Simz

Lady Leshurr

Best RNB/Soul Act :

Kwabs

Andreya Triana

Shakka

Lianne La Havas

Joss Stone

Best African :

Fuse ODG

Davido

Wizkid

Patoranking

Moelogo

Yemi Alade

Aka

Mista Silva

Shatta Wale

Silvastone

Best Reggae :

Stylo G

Chronixx

Omi

Popcaan

Protoje