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What’s On… 8 Bar: The Evolution of Grime

New to BBC4, BBC3 and iPlayer this week is a stunning documentary directed by seminal photographer, Ewen Spencer. 8 Bar: The Evolution of Grime provides 89 mins of subculture glory and includes commentary from scene stalwarts Kano, Ghetts, Wretch 32, Jammer, Lethal Bizzle, Slimzee, Geeneus, Devlin and UD’s own, Chantelle Fiddy

BBC Storyville: They called it young black kids’ punk rock – a genre that radio stations wouldn’t play and records that labels refused to sell. But grime would not be stopped. With machine-gun lyrics that shred the eardrums and syncopated electronics that pound the chest like a sledgehammer, grime was a product of social unrest, urban culture and disenfranchised youth colliding in early 2000s UK. It didn’t just rouse a grassroots audience, however. Today, grime is surging in popularity all over the globe and widely influencing the music charts. This is the story of the genre’s roots.

Watch 8 Bar: The Evolution of Grime HERE.
Ewen Spencer

“Whatever the Bronx is to hip hop is what Tower Hamlets and Newham are to grime.”

Ghetts

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