Meanwhile… across the pond…
The folks at Jump Off TV UK – the online urban sports/entertainment/lifestyle UK magazine I introduced on S&A a few weeks ago – just shared another edutaining discussion on their YouTube channel… this time asking the question: Has UK Hip Hop Lost Its British Identity?
I read that and the first thing I thought was… I'm no hip-hop scholar, but I'm a hip-hop music fan (though I haven't been keeping up with the latest and greatest), and I didn't realize hip-hop in the UK had its own *identity.* I figured, hip-hop is hip-hop.
And then I watched the entire discussion/debate and listened to the panelists talk about "Grime;" Grime being essentially a style or extension of hip-hop as we know it here in the USA, which combines UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop. Can't say I'm too familiar with Grime either.
I'm learning… (in my Sergio voice) I can't keep up with what you kids listen to these days.
In the 9-minute video, the group asks whether the UK does have its own identity in Hip Hop, if British music is becoming more *Americanised,* if Grime is now a form of Hip Hop, whether the UK has turned its back on Grime, if it's acceptable for artists to make music with a fake accent, and more…
Watch below, and feel free to subscribe to the Jump TV UK YouTube channel HERE. I watch their video discussions weekly.