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Grime

During the early 2000s, garage rap grew as an unavoidable mutation of 2-step garage, with the role of the MC elevated from support to star. Groups like So Solid Crew, Pay as U Go Cartel, Dem Lott and Nasty Crew (molded in part in the image of rap crews in the U.S.) surfaced as the popularity of the relatively R&B-based garage scene waned in popularity, but one-man-group the Streets was the style's biggest star. Grime, garage rap's younger sibling, was relatively jagged and aggressive - it's where the legacies of hardcore rap and hardcore techno collide -- and is sometimes downright punishing. Though Dizzee Rascal became a breakout star and received moderate print exposure in the U.S. during 2003 and 2004, the style thrived on white label releases and was best documented by the Run the Road compilation.

Grime Album Highlights

Run the Road
Various Artists Run the Road
RWD: The Legacy
Various Artists RWD: The Legacy
Science Faction: Grime
Various Artists Science Faction: Grime
Run the Road, Vol. 2
Various Artists Run the Road, Vol. 2
Boy Better Know: Tropical 2
Various Artists Boy Better Know: Tropical 2
µ20
Various Artists µ20
20 Years of Fabric
Various Artists 20 Years of Fabric