East London is home to many great rappers such as Potter Paper and J Hus. But what many people don’t know is, East London was actually the UK birthplace of that rap sub-genre, Grime.
The first generation of grime artists, first heard on pirate radio, included the pioneers Wiley and Dizzee Rascal.
Although this was over 15 years ago – today there are several rappers who were influenced by that generation. One example is UEL’s very own student Jordan Akpangni, who goes by the stage name “Jcee”.
When I asked Jordan why he started music, he told me: “I was dealing with some personal issues and making music was a way to channel my anger into something positive rather than putting that energy into something negative”.
“Seeing artists like Dizzee Rascal and Wiley come from the same environment as me and them making a name for themselves in music gives me the self-belief and confidence that I can too”.
Comparing the state of rap music 20 years ago to now, there’s a huge difference. A genre of music that started in deprived estates in East London, is now big business. There are artists all over the UK from London to Manchester who wouldn’t be doing what they are today if it wasn’t for the artists who originally paved the way for them.
I also asked Jordan what his thoughts were of the rap scene today. “It’s the strongest it’s ever been, for the first time there’s artists from the UK who are going to America and being authentic compared to before where they tried to mimic the US artists.”
“If the music scene keeps on growing as it has been the last 15 years, then UK rap is only going to keep influencing more people and be listened to all around the world.”
Edited by Clarisse Cornish.