Grime: Music from architecture - 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning

English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Sam.

In this 6 Minute English,

we're talking about music.

What sort of music do you

like listening to, Sam?

Well, I wouldn't say I have

one specific type. My taste

in songs is more eclectic - a

word that describes taste

which includes a wide

ariety of styles.

Well, in this programme, we're

talking all about grime - a

style of music which originated

in London specifically in

the tower blocks of east

and southeast London.

Yes - the artists are

predominantly young black

men and often cite the

decaying tower blocks they

grew up in as an inspiration

for the urban style of music.

Well, before we continue

talking about grime music,

I have a question for you,

Sam. Stormzy is one of the

most famous grime artists,

but what is his real name?

Is it: a) Michael Omari,

b) Martin Owusu or

c) Marvin Appiah?

I think I might know this

one - I'll say a) Michael Omari.

We can find out if you're

right at the end of this

programme. For many people,

knowing the origin of a type

of music helps them to

understand more about the

style and lyrics.

Here's writer Jude Yawson

talking with BBC journalist

Andrew Marr about his

experience growing up on

an estate in southeast

London on the BBC Radio 4

programme, Start the Week.

Yes, so I lived like on

an estate. It's, it's in

Annerley, near Crystal Palace.

And for me growing up with

this experience was like

literally acknowledging the

different cultures and

peoples that lived within,

like this state. And it

was around the age of about,

say, seven or eight - that's

when things for me and my

particular estate started to

get a bit more contentious

with the other people that

were moving in. Kids were

coming of age, becoming

more like free and

venturing out and around

the estate. And, you

know, police

kind of, like. harassing, but

So you've got different

cultures knocking into each

other and the

police knocking

into everybody else.

So Jude Yawson describes his

upbringing. He used the word

contentious - likely to cause

or create an argument - to

describe life on the estate.

Yes, and he said the kids

were coming of age - meaning

transitioning from a child into

an adult. In his interview,

he goes on to say how a

teacher gave him the advice

that if he ever got stabbed,

not to remove the knife - as

he would bleed to death.

He says that at the age of

14 when he was told that, he

felt grateful and that the

teacher was looking out for

him, but in hindsight

questions why a teenager

should receive that information.

What this does give us in an

insight into life and the

background of life that led to

some people, like Stormzy,

creating grime music. He says

that it started off in the

bedrooms and basements of

tower blocks and homes in

these areas of London, with

many artists' works being

broadcast on pirate

radio stations.

That said, for some people, this

type of music represents

something different. There are

some who think the hard-hitting

lyrics and strong beats glorify

violence. They see it as an

aggressive and violent

form of music.

However, Jude Yawson, speaking

with Andrew Marr on BBC Radio 4

programme Start the Week, has

a different interpretation of

what grime music is all about.

I describe grime as like a

soulful shout there's literally

a necessity in getting all

this content out of yourself.

One of the most predominant

grime artists, Wiley, basically

the first person who created

this sound - 140 beats per

minute. That's such a raw tune,

but the chorus literally chants

like 'there are lots of signs

in life, some that you may

not realise' - I was

listening to that as

like an 11- or 12-year-old

and it's very existential.

He used the word predominant,

which describes the

strongest or most important

thing, to describe the artist

Wiley. That's who Jude Yawson

says was the first person to

create the grime sound.

He also used the verb

chants - sings repeatedly

over and over - to talk about the

chorus from one of Wiley's songs.

And he described the

experience of listening to it

as being existential - relating

to human existence.

Which inspires me to go and

listen to some grime music

after today's show, but

before we do - I asked you

a question about the

real name of the

grime artist Stormzy.

You did. And being a fan

of many different music

styles - I think I know

this one! I said

a) Michael Omari.

You really do know your

music, Sam. You're right.

In fact, his full name is

Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo

Omari Owuo Jr. I think that

I'll have to make the next

question much harder

for you! So, before we

leave today, we should recap

today's vocabulary,

starting with eclectic,

a word which describes

taste which includes a

wide variety of styles.

Contentious means creating

or causing arguments.

We also had coming of

age - transitioning from

child to adult.

Predominant refers to

something that is the

strongest or most important.

Chants is a verb which means

sing or repeat the same

thing over and over again.

And existential means

relating to human existence.

Thanks, Neil. Well we

certainty learnt a lot

about grime music and

its origin, but that's

not the only thing we can learn about, is it?

Nope - there are lots

more 6 Minute English

programmes to enjoy on

our website at

bbclearningenglish.com

which talk about a range of topics, an eclectic mix

to use one of today's words. You can also find us on

social media and on our free app. Thanks for

listening and goodbye.

Goodbye.