Grime music has always been at the heart of UK culture for as long as I've been able to understand properly. It is essentially Great Britain's equivalent of Trap music (or the closest thing to it in my opinion), and although it hasn't had as much exposure as other genres over recent years, 2014 saw the Grime wave build once again with releases from legendary figures such as Skepta and Wiley at the forefront of this. A lot of people called this a 'Grime revival', but I refuse to label it that as it's always been around, it's just now people are sitting up and paying attention to it.
One of Grime's new kids on the block is a teenager named Novelist, straight out of the South East of London. What he lacks for in age he certainly makes up for in lyrical prowess and a water-like flow that rides the beat so easily. His partner in crime, talented producer and fellow Londoner Mumdance has been making huge strides himself over the past couple of years, with a string of strong releases under his belt.
When the two come together, sparks fly, and their latest release "One Sec" is testament to that. The minimalist instrumental conjured up by Mumdance still manages to pack a dark, murky punch, with deep kicks and snappy claps providing a grimey backdrop for Novelist to step onto. With lyricism that takes the listener straight onto the streets of London, Nov shows why he's seen as one of the hottest rappers on the scene right now, with a slick flow that straddles the beat so subtly yet still manages to have a huge impact on the track. This is a promising beginning to a career for Novelist, and the teen who celebrated his eighteenth birthday last week is quite rightly in high demand, and the fact XL Recordings (home to The xx and FKA Twigs) have signed him & Mumdance up to release their 1 Sec EP, is a sure sign that the UK has some talented artists amongst the Grime scene.
You can peep the video for "One Sec" below, and you can buy the 1 Sec EP from iTunes now!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaG2RyDxQlk[/youtube]