Grime is a British music genre that arose in London in the early 2000s, absorbing elements of garage, jungle, drum and bass, and hip-hop. It is a distinctive phenomenon of British urban culture with its own language, energy, and aesthetic.
Grime is characterised by a fast tempo (around 140 beats per minute), jagged, “synthetic” electronic beats, and above all the energetic, defiant chant of the MC, often improvised. The lyrics reflect the realities of life in London's working-class districts. Key figures of the genre became Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, and Stormzy. From a purely underground phenomenon spread by pirate radio, grime later reached the big stages and won recognition as one of the most original and important achievements of contemporary British music.
