The pro's and cons of Grimetube
Through Upfaders i've been engaging hard to reach young MCs expressing their struggles by spraying bars - beats and bars is a proven combination, self-expression is undoudtedly healthy, The Youtube platform has empowered Grime culture, but is it all postiive?
Rap is old. I grew up in the 80's through its burgeoning era, and can vaguely even recall its 70's roots in the Gap band, Sugarhill (yep, i'm that old). I embraced the hardcore gangster stuff from TimDog, 2LiveCrew, NWA, Snoop et al and also the deeper more thoughtful stuff from the likes KRS1. On the Upfaders project,now 12 years old, rap has always been a key element, from the machine gun style of Happy Hardcore and D&B MC's to laid back and party US styles and now to UK grime....and finally we have taken the lead for a moment rather than following the states, so what's the problem? Well referring back to TimDog....his debut record "Penicillin on Wax" was pretty strong stuff, the themes were as shocking as we'd heard, a pretty graphic album in terms of profanity, violence and sexual/sexist material. It was a pretty nasty lyrical painting, but then paintings don't have to be pretty to be beautiful and this really was a strong new aesthetic backed with rugged, funky beats. Coming from the Bronx it felt exotic, exiting, and while as teenagers we emulated the fashion and even bits of the language, but it was all pretend. We consumed it as art.
So fast forward 25 years and we finally have our own credible rap scene that even the US are respecting. Grime is raw, it's real, it's not glam, it's from the streets and its ours. And so the problems begin - the combined effect the Grime 'sending' and the powerful platform of youtube have created the perfect platform for young MC's, but also the perfect storm....
What we're seeing after a few years of Grime developing is the depiction of a lifestyle that the artists themselves aren't selling and long to escape, but younger, more impressionable people are buying anyway. Young people who are anything but grimey are drawn towards the lamp of criminality and the grittiness of the culture, seeking validation. It's laughable to see priveledged kids trying to be bad, but its anything but funny to see a naive, vulnerable, impressionable, pre-pubescent UK child spitting bars about rape. It's depressing. Even the seasoned hardcore MC's who are really living the road life shake their heads in dissapproval at the endless sends made by children who not only have no lyrical prowess, but also no context, no support and no guidance, and are actively pursuing a Grimey life that the real MC's strive to escape. The youtube platform has mobilised an army of would-be grime children missing the context and learning a talk they can't walk.....it's an influence that is maybe just a bit too close to home, a bit too real, a bit too accessible, and often being taken completely out of context. Suddenly those "Parental Guidance" badges don't seem enitrely silly.
I think what's especially risky is Youtube commenting - this anti-hero worship is leading child keyboard warriors into very deep water - we've all seen the effect of the internet on peoples attitudes in communication; people have spats about a review of a washing machine or the best way to peel a potato, innoccuous conversations seem to spontaniously combust!....but when the subject matter is violent already and young people feel empowered to get involved and say their (entirely out-of-character) inflamatory piece to a complete stranger who may live two streets away and may be very real.....what happens when they meet outside Costcutter on the wrong night?