Over the past few years, Grime Music has seen a number of new stars rising through the ranks with Stormzy, Scrufizzer and Krept & Konan all having good years in 2014. Artists such as Skepta, Big Narstie and Ghetts have all gained commercial success and reached larger audiences, helping the scene to flourish as a whole, however, a common theme with all these artists is that they all originate from the same place – London. While the capital is considered the birthplace of Grime, it is no secret that the scene has been adopted by cities far and wide.
TRAPPED brings you the hottest artists’ repping grime from outside of the M25.
1. Blizzard
One of the biggest names in grime in 2014 was Manchester born Blizzard (real name Bradley Green). Coming off the back of huge success on the Don’t Flop battle Rap circuit and appearing on Lord of the Mics (battling Big Shizz), Blizzard proved he was here to stay with his ‘Testing the Water’ EP. Featuring a number of tracks showcasing Blizzard’s skills on the mic (and the piano!), the EP went on to sit within the iTunes Hip Hop chart Top 20 for a number of weeks and the lead track ‘Kids of the Night’ currently has over 50,000 views on YouTube. Blizzard himself featured in the Fire in the Booth cypher 2014 alongside UK legends Akala, P Money and Nolay showing just how far he has come in a matter of years. In a now famous F64 for SB.TV, Blizzard dropped a lyric that couldn’t be more fitting;
“They say that my accent’s funky, why would you care? Grime should be cross-country!”
2. Eyez
Speaking of cross-country, another rapper flying the flag for grime in the last year was up and comer Eyez. Derby born Eyez also gained attention through the Lord of the Mics platform (his match with D2 from Invasion is a must see) and has gone from strength to strength ever since. Eyez had been building a steady fan base in the North through a string of videos released via online channels such as JDZ Media and decided it was time to take things to the next level. Part of Eye’s success is down to his versatility on the mic, whether that be dropping melodies and hooks or spitting rhymes and punchlines. His latest mixtape, ‘Woi-Oi’ featured a number of tracks that could have easily fitted in with some of the early grime classics and included cameos from other northern MCs Mystic and Roly. With an album on the way and a MOBO Unsung nomination in the bag, it seems like Eyez is planning a take over in grime and looking to put Derby on the map.
3. Sox
2014 was also a big year for the Birmingham grime scene with honourable shout outs to artists such as Lil Choppa, Preditah, Jaykae, C4 and Saf-One (of the Stay Fresh crew). But no artist in Brum shone brighter over the last 12 months then Sox. With a co-signage from BBK legend Jammer, Sox has gone on to release material that some would say rivals many MCs from the capital. His summer smash ‘Birmingham to Ibiza’ released via SB.TV has had over 750,000 views since July and is a perfect display of his lyrical capability on the microphone. While many have criticised his accent and native tongue, others see it as a trademark of his personality on every track which in any case makes Sox’s music as unique as they come. Sox’s dedication to the grime scene was reflected with a nod at the MOBOs after being nominated for Best Grime Artist alongside veterans JME, Lethal Bizzle and Wiley. Whatever 2015 holds for Sox, we can all agree that the music levels are definitely being set up in the Midlands.
4. Merki Waters
While most of the aforementioned artists are relatively well known within the grime circuit, the final spot on this list goes to an artist from Liverpool who has been showing consistent development year after year, featuring on SB.TV no less than three times. Merki Waters is a reminder that while grime originated in the LDN, it is artists like himself who are willing to develop it and give it a whole new audience. While searching through his YouTube channel (Lab TV, which he helped set up to promote other artists from Liverpool and beyond), its clear that grime is what Merki does best and he delivers a mix of hard hitting punchlines and quick schemes over furious beats which you cant help but re-load. Liverpool itself is producing a strong line of up and coming MCs such as Aystar (USG), Beyond Average (consisting of Big O and Jeopardy) and Jamie Broad and 2015 is the perfect time to let them loose on the grime scene.
This range of home grown talent goes to show that whatever city it may be, Liverpool or Manchester, Birmingham or Derby, there is a thriving grime scene which echoes the same values as the underground scene that began in the noughties. Regardless of area, accent or association, MCs are coming together and collaborating on tracks, supporting a movement of music that doesn’t look like it’s slowing down any time soon.
Words: Nathan Tuft ( @Natz_AO )
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