Everyone keeps writing grime's obituary. And every time, the genre proves them wrong. Here's why grime endures — and what the new wave sounds like.
TL;DR
Grime's underground scene is thriving despite the genre's absence from mainstream charts. Radio sets on Rinse FM and NTS, independent releases, and a new generation of MCs and producers are keeping the genre vital. Grime endures because its community values innovation over commercial appeal.
The 'Death of Grime' Myth
Grime has been declared dead more times than any genre in UK music history. After the initial pirate radio golden age of the early 2000s, it was dead. After the commercial peak of Skepta, Stormzy, and JME in 2015-2017, it was dead again. After drill emerged as the dominant UK rap sound, grime was definitely dead this time.
Except it wasn't. Each time the mainstream moved on, grime retreated underground and continued evolving. The genre's relationship with the mainstream has always been cyclical — periods of crossover success followed by periods of underground reinvention. And the underground periods are invariably when the most interesting music is made.
Grime in 2024 sounds different from grime in 2004, which sounded different from grime in 2014. The genre has absorbed influences from drill, Afrobeats, electronic music, and beyond while maintaining the core elements that make grime grime: the tempo (approximately 140 BPM), the MC-centric performance culture, and the raw, confrontational energy.
The Underground Infrastructure
The pirate radio stations that birthed grime have been replaced by legal alternatives that serve the same function. Rinse FM, which began as a pirate station, now operates legally and remains the home of grime radio. NTS, Balamii, and Reprezent all broadcast grime sets regularly.
Sets — the extended, improvised MC sessions over instrumentals that are grime's truest art form — thrive on these platforms and on social media. A well-received radio set in 2024 can accumulate hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube and X, reaching audiences that pirate radio never could.
Independent releases on Bandcamp and SoundCloud keep the music flowing without label gatekeeping. Grime instrumentals ('riddims') circulate freely, allowing MCs to record and release bars over any beat that inspires them. This open-source approach to production is uniquely grime and keeps the creative cycle spinning.
The New Wave
The new generation of grime artists brings fresh perspectives while respecting the genre's foundations. Young MCs who grew up listening to Wiley, Dizzee, and Skepta are producing music that's technically proficient, lyrically sharp, and sonically adventurous.
Producers are pushing grime's sonic boundaries further than ever. The traditional grime instrumental — sparse, aggressive, built on square wave synths and skippy drums — has been expanded to incorporate orchestral elements, complex sampling, and production techniques borrowed from across the electronic music spectrum.
Clashes — the competitive MC battles that are grime's most exciting live format — continue to draw crowds and generate viral moments. Lord of the Mics, the legendary clash DVD series, has evolved into a livestreamed event that combines the rawness of the original format with modern production values and global reach.
Why Grime Endures
Grime endures because it's a genuine community, not just a genre. The relationships between MCs, producers, DJs, promoters, and fans form an ecosystem that sustains itself independently of mainstream industry support. When labels lose interest, grime doesn't collapse — it just continues without them.
The genre also offers something that no other UK music form provides: a platform for raw, unfiltered self-expression. Grime MCs don't need studios, producers, or marketing budgets to participate. A microphone and a radio set (or a phone and SoundCloud) is sufficient. This accessibility ensures a constant influx of new talent.
Grime is also deeply place-based. Different London boroughs, different UK cities, have distinct grime identities. This geographic specificity creates loyalty and pride that generic genre categories can't match.
And fundamentally, grime is exciting. The energy of a great MC going in over a ruthless instrumental, feeding off a crowd's energy, improvising bars and clashing rivals — there's nothing else quite like it in music. As long as that energy exists, grime will too.