In a move that will delight many, Spotify have now officially classed Grime as its own genre, which should subsequently now make the music of this once underground turn mainstream sound more accessible to its users and wider public. With the creation of numerous Grime playlists on the streaming giant by artists, affiliates and fans, this move will be welcomed by many but seen well overdue by many more.
The past few years, the genre has been spearheaded and pushed forward by new school talent like Stormzy, Bugsy Malone and AJ Tracey as well as veterans like Wiley, Skepta and Chip. With interest also found in related genres like UK Rap and Afro-Bashment, it has gone from strength to strength as we have seen more top charting albums, more collaborations, more accolades and greater international appeal.
Spotify senior Austin Darbo cleary must have had some involvement and took to Twitter to shed some light on the decision.
We spoke to some grime legends about the imagery we used around the genre. Overall they felt the council block / pirate radio origins was a good way to represent it – and it will evolve.
— Austin (@AustinDarbo) January 2, 2018
Here’s to the continued growth and success of Grime and its artists as honest representatives of the UK’s urban population.
#Peace.Love.Grime
