For the first time since emerging from East London in the early 2000s, grime is threatening to break out Stateside. In the past year, British rappers have toured the US, Kanye West has appeared on stage with a cohort of grime MCs, and Drake even got a ‘BBK’ tattoo in admiration of UK record label and collective Boy Better Know.
But the prospect of going global is making some uncomfortable. Perhaps the memories are too fresh of America’s embrace of dubstep, which gave rise to the thoughtlessly abrasive ‘brostep’ (epitomized by Skrillex) and effectively destroyed the UK’s interest in a genre it had created.
Drawing musically from 90s jungle and garage – and lyrically from inner-city life in Britain – grime’s re-interpretation overseas may threaten its founding essence. But for one of the scene’s most respected DJs and producers, Royal-T (real name Mark Taylor), it's an exciting opportunity for UK music.
“If [American interest] was to kill grime it would be our own fault, because we have the attention of the world right now,” he says. “It is definitely a dream for me. I was just happy when ‘Wearing my Rolex’ [by Godfather of Grime’ Wiley] got to No. 2 in the UK charts back in 2008. But I thought that was going to be the peak – I never expected this.
“Having said that, when it comes to America, I don’t necessarily think it’s the music that is blowing up – it’s grime culture that has become popular. It might sound like I’m bitter or hating, but it’s the complete opposite. It’s a dream come true that we have all this attention.”
Taylor speaks as a long-time fan of grime as well as part of its scene, having followed the genre since his teenage years. Although he grew up a little over 100 kilometers from London (less than the distance between the farthest points of Beijing), Taylor’s interaction with the capital’s music scene was largely limited to record stores and the Internet.
“You could get to London in about two hours in a car, which doesn’t seem that much. But in England, it is. Also, there’s a massive difference in the music scenes. In Southampton, we like to think we’re close to Londoners, but we’re not.
“Instead, I’d go and buy as much grime as I could in shops. I was obsessed with the whole genre. It was like my little secret thing I that I’d found and no-one knew about. This was pre-social media, so I’d go to school with a menu of mixtapes to show people. That’s how I knew I wanted to DJ. I had this obsession with finding and spreading music.”
The opportunity to do so professionally arose when, as a 17-year-old, he was first noticed
by DJ duo Elijah and Skilliam, founders of the influential grime label Butterz. Soon he had a regular show on Rinse FM, the UK’s most influential underground music station.
If, as Taylor suggests, the recent popularity of grime stems from its culture, then Rinse must take a huge amount of credit. Operating as a pirate station between 1994 and 2010 (when it finally obtained a broadcast license), it has championed the genre since its inception.
“I felt quite cheeky that I was part of the whole Rinse thing,” Taylor explains. “I hadn’t
been DJing for a such long time, and there were lots of DJs who had been with the station
in the early days, when it wasn’t legal. I felt I had to prove myself, ‘cos I was just this random guy from a random city. I wasn’t there when people were climbing tower blocks and putting up [illegal transmitters], so I felt I had to earn my spot.”
It was through the station’s label that Taylor released his first full-length album, simply named Rinse Presents: Royal-T. In addition to instrumental grime and a collaboration with South London rapper P Money, the 2012 record displayed a range of influences from across the grittier side of British electronic music.
Four years later, Taylor is still exploring music beyond the confines of grime. His new side project, TQD (alongside DJ Q and Flava D, who toured China back in January) sees him making – and playing – more clubcentric bassline house. But as the Royal-T sound broadens, Taylor still feels part of grime’s imminent global reckoning.
“Grime’s always going to be here – it’s resilient,” he says. “We just need to be careful about how we approach the next couple of years or so. It’s time for the musicians to take a stand and really bring the sound forward. It’s a massive opportunity for us.”
Beijing: July 7, 10pm-late, RMB60. DADA.
Shanghai: July 8, 10pm-late, RMB80-100. Arkham.
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