Wiley 54%
Ghetto 24%
Skepta 16%
Tinchy Stryder 4%
With Wiley taking over half the votes, it further confirms his claims that he is the current 'king' of grime. Thanks to all that voted, a new poll will follow soon.
So after all the hype, I thought I'd go and grab Skepta's Greatest Hits. HMV: Sold out, Virgin: Sold out. Now I know this is a big mixtape but that was unexpected. Still, it bodes well for Skepta if the rest of HMV and Virgin are the same nationwide. Whilst I was in Virgin, Big Smoke magazine caught my eye with no other than Wiley plastered all over the cover. There's a good in depth interview with the Godfather himself on pages 36-39 which I have transcribed below (apologies if this is old news)....
"'I've made about £250,000, maybe more, out of the back of my car boot' he says with an air of nonchalance, shrugging and leaning back on the sofa. 'But its how much I'm worth. I'm not getting shitter at what I do. I'm getting better. All the money I've spent, I've cried about before, I can't cry anymore, it's how much I've shelled out. Now I've got to earn money back and not spend it so in 10 years I can say 'oh shit, I've been working for 10 years and still have money left from 2008'.
Wiley on his daughter
'When I first had her I thought 'Yes, get mature' but at first I got madder, out clubbing and drinking...but then you realise you don't want your child to grow up and hate you, your child to grow up and resent you, your child to grow up and be like 'Dad, where was you?' You don't want your child to do that and it makes you not as judging towards parents. Families are the only things that are constant, they bicker but they're blood and they'll always be a connection. I've got a big family, when you're growing up as a child, as long as you're being tended to and getting to play with your cousins you're happy but when you get into the real world is when you're not happy. Money makes me happy now."
Read the full interview in Big Smoke magazine, available now in Virgin Megastores nationwide.
People within the scene (including myself) can see how much musical talent we hold but there seems to be a wall between the artist and the record company. The issue is, if a person decides to buy an American artists album, it could potentially stop the next UK artists chance of a deal as they will find their path blocked as despite what many believe, there is a size to the current 'urban' market and we find ourselves literally swimming against the tide.
These guys I feel, are a shining example for any new artist to follow who are finding support difficult to come by.
At this point, I have to give props to BBC 1xtra. Despite their recent upheaval of their dj lineup/show schedule, they continue to air the 100% Homegrown shows with Ras Kwame and Twin B respectively. Credit also has to go to Kiss FM's Logan Sama (he host's the UK's only legal grime show), and again 1Xtra dj's Target, DJ Q and Cameo
With support such as the above, grime can only become bigger and better and be as profitable and successful as the US Hip Hop industry has been over the past 15 years.
I've got to say, I like Ghetto. There's a lot of talk about whether he's repping Grime or UK Hip Hop but I feel this is irrelevant. The main thing is that he is making good UK music. I bought Ghetto Gospel after hearing 'Top 3 selected' and the remix that followed. My opinion is that this mixtape was one of the best releases this year alongside Tinchy Stryders 'Star In The Hood', Wileys 'Playtime Is Over ' and Skeptas 'Greatest Hits '. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fully paid up member of the grime club but am an overall fan of real UK street music. I've followed Ghetto since his days in Nasty Crew and was genuinely excited when I first heard him spit on Kano's Typical me and Mic Check remix so I feel qualified enough to provide my opinion on his productions. His style is unique amongst many so called mc's within grime, hitting your eardrums with real venom, each syllable almost over pronounced as if he beleives your not getting the message. Some people see himself and The Movement as 'bait hip hop' but personally, I feel that he is the future of grime alongside Skepta, JME and Tinchy Stryder.
Check my video selector and click on Mercston's Good Old Days to see why I rate Ghetto so highly. Alternativley, goto www.myspace.com/ghettomc
Many of you will already heard of Lauren, as she has already worked with people like Wiley, Scorcher, Bless Beats and Target. Her self styled 'blondie grime' is providing a fresh perspective to the scene. As her myspace declares "Lauren writes simple songs about complex things. Phrases turn, emotions connect & melodies soar." and gives the same effect as when producer Davinche collaborates with such females as Sadie Ama and Katie Pearl, resulting in a soft edge to the harsh gritty beats. Hailing from Essex, this new artist has the potential to gain new fans to the scene, especially females (due to her tones and lyrical content) as many find that this is a predominatly male driven genre.
She also has her debut mixtape entitled "keepin it blonde" due around December time.
For more info, check www.myspace.com-laurenmason1
'Clashing' is an 8 mile style (hate referring to it as that) rap battle in which mc's uses their lyrics and flows against each other in competition. This is a well known way for an mc to gain hype as an artist (especially if they have an upcoming mixtape/DVD to promote). The king of clashes has to be the Godfather Wiley, but a lot of credit has to be given to producer/mc Jammer who arranged and recorded the majority of these clashes in his basement studio. Personally, I'm not a fan of clashes, I prefer to listen to the music that these clashes inspire.
Here are a few select ones to give you an idea and to make your own mind up...
Bashy v Demon
Wiley v Lethal B
Wiley v Kano
Wiley - My Mistakes
Tinchy Stryder - Something about your smile
Mercston - Good Old Days
JME - Serious
Roll Deep - Celebrate
Tinchy Stryder - Underground
