NEWS
EVENTS
UK Grime: Raise The Bar
RnB/Hip Hop | Monday 23rd November 2015 | Joe
If Zdot's latest release 'Raise the Bar' is anything to go by, the future of the UK grime scene is in safe hands. Produced in the two weeks since Red Bull Studios' open mic session to celebrate their 5th birthday, the track is bursting with fresh talent straight off the UK streets.
The Producer
Zdot has rapidly become a household name in the business as a musician, songwriter and producer. His two most successful partnerships thus far have undoubtedly been with Stormzy and Lady Leshurr - two of the leading lights in grime's popularisation through various social media channels over the past two years.
Certified Spurs fan and instrumental magician, any track stamped with the tag 'Zdot on productions' is sure to be moving in future. And so it proved again on his head-nodding beat for 'Raise the Bar'. Chatting to the various artists who attended the session, they all agreed that it was a killer base to flow over. Suiting every style from spoken word to double-time triples, Zdot is onto another winner here.
The Artists
Out of 46 hopefuls, only 5 made it onto the final cut. More than just the depth of the scene right now, the day gave me the impression of the diversity of grime in the UK. For those of us who got into grime on the basis of the London godfathers: Wiley and Dizzee etc. - this track should be a real wake-up call. This ain't just a London ting any longer.
1) Eyez: Originally from Derby, Eyez flows first on the track with his signature clean and crisp vocals. Already a favourite with Zdot - who recently prodcued 'Midnight' featuring the young talent - Eyez impressed all at Raise the Bar. Certainly one to watch, keep an eye out for his performance in the upcoming Fire in the Booth Cipher 2015. For more, get at him on twitter.
2) Uncle Mez: At only 18, Mez, who hails from Nottingham, has time as well as talent on his side. Coming into the booth with a bundle of energy, and treating everyone to some of his favourite lines in the waiting area beforehand, Mez immediately caught the eye at Red Bull Studios. Don't let his youth fool you - here is someone making serious movements on the scene. If collaborations like this one with Zdot can continue, there are no limits to where this guy can go. Here's his twitter.
3) Dubzy: Coming hard in 3rd on the track is Dubzy of Manchester. Known as much for his headwear line 'Snazzbacks' as for his lethal spitting, Dubzy is a name familiar to many on the scene. He's formed a tight relationship with Eyez, and looks set to go harder in 2016. Twitter
4) Snowy: Another off the Nottingham production line of young and talented MCs, Snowy had a while to wait as hopeful after hopeful went in before him at Raise the Bar. Perhaps the most meaningful lyrics of the lot, Snowy's 16 spoke about his rise as a grime artist. In such a short space of time, it is telling that he managed to get a proper message across. Serious talent. See more on twitter.
5) Row D: With such a talented field of artists, it was always going to be difficult to predict the five finalists. Yet, if there was one guy that oozed professional class in the booth - it was Row D. This is probably not surprising, the London-based spitter is further along on his career path than most others on this track. A regular on Rinse FM and elsewhere, Row D never fails to deliver with tight rhymes, impeccable flow, complicated word-play and properly funny disses. His calling out of XP in the LOTM7 hype session was pure class, and this is more of the same. A proper way to end a proper track.
Here's the track in full:
