The second wave of grime overcame mainstream suspicion in large part thanks to three web platforms that relentlessly promoted the genre – and even found time to boost Ed Sheeran
In 2007, grime was everywhere, and yet nowhere. The MCs spitting and battling on cable curio Channel U, or the Risky Roadz and Lord of the Mics DVDs, became A-list famous on the streets of certain areas of London, but were seen as intimidating in the eyes of the mainstream. Gang warfare was rife, and Operation Trident set up to tackle it; the recently withdrawn 696 form, where promoters had to state the ethnic makeup of their anticipated crowd, stifled black music events. Stars such as Skepta, Chip and Tinchy Stryder were rushed into the mainstream, given pop-dance tracks, and bled of what made them so unique in the first place. In this hostile environment, black music moved away from mainstream media, and headed online.
Fast forward a decade, and black British music is at an all-time high, thanks to a new generation of artists – Stormzy, J Hus, Dave et al – who have broken into the charts, awards and demographics way beyond the inner cities. This is thanks in a large part to SBTV, GRM Daily and Link Up TV, the online music platforms that propped up and launched this new generation of MCs.
Continue reading...from Music | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2A1WGyz
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