Wiley? Bashy and Chronik - Grime as i see it

Whilst the amount of commentary on Grime rose steadily throughout the year the amount of quality releases decreased dramatically. 2007 is looking a little bit scary for fans of the scene. With Wiley retiring the streets have surely lost one of their most audacious, intelligent and innovative ambassadors. Certainly 2006 was a year when Wiley ‘put the work in’ – a total of 5 Tunnel Vision mixtapes released out of a promised 10 (which was more than I expected), and amongst this relentless effort there were plenty of gems to be found; 16 Bar Rally, Crash Bandicoot, Night Bus dubplate, Nan I am London… with some careful choice an amalgamation of the choice cuts of the 5 Vision’s could’ve resulted in an amazing Grime Album – shock. Dizzee sold god knows how many copies of Boy in da Corner, he’s set for life off that. Assuming this is the level Grime artists aspire to, it should be a no-brainer to put quality before quantity. This is not to say I feel Grime should restrain itself in any way, its raw energy and unashamed honesty is almost its total appeal in my eyes, but rushing mixtape after mixtape is never going to bring the sort of levels Dizzee set. No matter how shit any of his stuff is now, he’s unfortunately/fortunately set the precedent for Grime, which to date has not been matched. I was sad the day I heard Wiley’d quit. For me he was the hope – he seemed to be pushing the scene into a much more self focussed, self promoting direction, and with the album still to drop on Big Dada I wonder how much of a wasted opportunity that will be for Grime if Wiley’s lost his drive.

2006 was a year when people got sick of beef, and Grime got a taste that feuding amongst its own was extremely limited in appeal. I guess Wiley is mostly to blame, sending for everyone by the end of the year got very boring very quickly. Logan lost credibility by putting out the War Report, as if anybody cared about these petty, rigged arguments. It was a sad moment when Grime resorted to WWE style tactics to keep its listeners locked. A lot of Grime heads don’t like UKHH, im not one of them – I love the intricate wordplay, the rhymes and the level of intelligent demonstrated in uk hip hop – yet I feel that it lacks the energy and tinge of desperation that Grime brings. Personally I feel that the mc’s have understood that beef is not the way to expand the sound, its just a shame that it took them a few years to do so, there’s plenty of inspiration mc’s can draw from the streets and improve their lyrical attacks. In a year when the beats seemed to be maintaining high levels it was the lyrics that suffered. That said, early 2007 proves promising with the release of Bashy’s Chupa Chups mixtape.



This is probably the best mixtape ive heard in a long long time. Bashy achieves just the right balance between diversity of subjects dealt with, artistic integrity and lyrical play – not to mention he’s spitting on some sick beats, and Masterstepz hosts really well – ie he doesn’t talk much – and when he does he sounds bothered (Logan). Highlights for me include My Nightmare – a tense and chilling narrative masterfully delivered over The Streets – Blinded by the Lights beat, Never see me Fall – over a brand new Lowdeep beat – and in a same vein to My Nightmare, Death is Just a Page Away – on a DaVinche beat (god its good to hear something from him again!)
Bashy’s appeal lies in his relentless honesty, he doesn’t big himself up ridiculously, check this lovely lyric,


slip not me bro,
might catch me from time to time in Harlesden
coppin a meatloaf
its nuts in the manner bro
nuff man are like fuck carnival
but catch man on the Harrow road

Bashy – North West music

And that’s part of Bashy’s appeal – he’s separated from the traditional East zone – and as such brings a new touch to the scene. He’s a symbol of Grime diversifying past the East London Wards. Grime is intrinsically locked with locality and I feel that you have to be in living in London to ‘get it’, and even then its not easy. I read somewhere an interesting description (i think Logan said it here) – listening to Grime requires effort – to be able to appreciate it you have to attempt to immerse yourself in the life of the mc – for people who aren’t living in London estates that means a complete lifestyle barrier. Grime is viewed as hostile when at times it can be compellingly tender, emotional and honest. Yes Grime is aggressive and can make good music to dance to – but its real appeal lies in the honesty of its depiction of life in London for young urban people, unable to escape.



One cd I have not been able to get out of my hi-fi is Chronik’s Blaze Mor Dan U Mix CD. For the past 2 months ive listened to this over and over again, its just an absolutely massive Mix CD. Chronik makes very clear the distinction between this – he says this is a Mix Cd, not a mixtape, not an album – and sets himself up to deliver on all 3. Its such a shame hes in prison, the man is a talent limited by his own violent lifestyle. When he spits, you believe everything he says. He’s got conviction in his voice – and that’s instantly transmitted across to the listener. Of course, he’s harsh, violent – not easily intelligible and basic (at times) but none of this seems to matter to me, he could scream “I blaze mor dan u” over and over and It’d still keep me fixated (like Wiley’s “I eat lamb curry an roti”).
The pace at which Chronik delivers his flow is also

I’d just leng a man down
Hop out the whip and just leng a man down
Jump out the car and just leng a man down
It’s a lenging man war
I’d just leng a man down

Chronik over Ruff Sqwad's No Bass

He then repeats this again – Chronik capitalises on the sounds of words, repeating them into a frenzy (check tribal music – chanting – repetition) – on the surface this repetition can appear basic, but his alliteration is an established poetic technique

Its hot my block, my block’s hot, boy

Chronik’s mix cd needs to be heard more than once. Aside from the devastating power of his verse and the charm of his slurred delivery, it is the level of intricacy in which he treats the word structures (not necessarily the words) makes this cd one of the most powerful and enervating aural experiences I have had. He literally drives you into a frenzy as the mixtape progresses, and is a marvellous example of the power Grime can have over its listener. Here’s hoping he gets released soon.