The recent iteration of SXSW offered grime artists a chance to raise their profile on this side of the Atlantic. A new clip put together by Crowdmix followed several grime MCs around Austin. The short film contains conversations about the genre with Jamal Edwards, Ghetts, Lethal Bizzle, and Zane Lowe, plus footage from performances by Stormzy, Little Simz, and Skepta as they rip through their best known hits.
Lowe took the opportunity to plug Beats 1 Radio as an agent for the spread of grime: “The Stormzy broadcast on Beats 1… he plays into a 100+ countries,” Lowe noted. “The idea is to put artists on a global platform so artists can coexist in many different countries and have great careers. The idea is to break it out of that linear boundary. An influenced and informed environment; it’s very important that that exists.”
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In the clip’s most amusing moment, the interviewer asks Elf Kid & Blakie if Americans will understand grime. “I don’t feel like they have to,” replies Blakie. “We don’t understand what Young Thug says.” Watch above.
