IIf the genre ‘grime’ was a child, it would just be learning how to spell. So without irony, it’s worth mentioning that it originated in East London and was first publicised on mainstream radio etc., by Dizzee Rascal and his album Boy in Da Corner and Wiley’s Treddin’ on Thin Ice. People sat up and took notice when Dizzee’s album won the Mercury Music Prize in ‘03.
What defines grime, in addition to its two-step breakbeats and heavily produced aural constructs (wiki and some other writers roughly define grime as evolved out of hip-hop, dancehall and garage genres) is the fact that is largely MC driven and these guys are really, really young artists (some in their teens) making street music for their peers. Fat cat record labels are notoriously snooty when it comes to handing out deals to grime musicians and so a lot of the hype is generated by mixtapes sold at ‘sympathiser’ non-music-retail outlets and is played on pirate radio. This gives the entire movement a distinctly underground feel and the anti-establishment, overtly sexual, sometimes violent lyric content reinforces that.
Still, it’s gaining ground. Big boys like Snoop are helping push the genre, Dizzee is a household name now (in some households) and grime star Tinie Tempah played at Glastonbury and even covered Lady Gaga. If you’re doing a Grime-101, check out the acts Professor Green, Roll Deep, Tinchy Stryder and Lady Sovereign to start with. Then maybe get a couple of tracks and get the DJ at your local club to play them and you could be a partner in grime.