FEATURE:
Drama and Common Sense
IN THIS PHOTO: Dave won the Best Album prize at this year’s BRIT Awards for PSYCHODRAMA on 18th February
The Dominance and Importance of U.K. Grime and Rap
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IT was the BRIT Awards earlier in the week…
IN THIS PHOTO: Lewis Capaldi won two awards at the BRITs
and there was a mixture of surprise and the expected. On the expected side of things, there were some great performances – including Billie Eilish premiering her new Bond theme -, and Lewis Capaldi walked away with a couple of awards - he won the Best New Artist award, and he won Song of the Year for Someone You Loved. I was surprised Mabel won Female Solo Artist as, nominated alongside her, was Charli XCX and FKA Twigs. I have nothing against Mabel, but I think FKA Twigs was more deserving. Perhaps it was a Brit-appropriate win as, in terms of music, they tend to go for the more commercial artists rather than those who have released stronger, deeper worker. This BBC article rounds up the winners and highlights:
“Mabel won best female artist, and was congratulated by her mother, Neneh Cherry, who took home two Brits exactly 30 years ago.
Billie Eilish choked back tears as she accepted the award for best international female, having been overwhelmed by the audience's response to her performance minutes earlier.
"I felt very hated recently," said the 18-year-old, who had earlier told the BBC she had stopped reading comments on social media.
"And when so was on the stage and I saw all you guys smiling at me… It genuinely made me want to cry. And I want to cry right now, so thank you."
Best male artist went to Stormzy, who performed a stunning medley of songs from his second album, Heavy Is The Head, accompanied by more than 100 performers, including a gospel choir, a saxophonist, and Nigerian artist Burna Boy.
The night opened with a brief tribute to Love Island host Caroline Flack, formerly a backstage presenter at the Brits, after her death on Saturday.
"She was a kind and vibrant person with an infectious sense of fun," said the show's presenter Jack Whitehall.
"I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say our thoughts are with her friends and family."
There were several references to the lack of female nominees at the ceremony; with Paloma Faith and Foals saying they hoped for better representation at next year's awards.
Whitehall also acknowledged the imbalance as he introduced the award for best female, saying: "Environmental issues have been a big theme of awards show this year. And in the spirit of sustainability the Brits has been recycling all the same excuses for why so few women were nominated".
It was a night of fun on Tuesday (18th), and there were no massive upsets or any real surprises. That said, many expected Lewis Capaldi to win Male Solo Artist and Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent to scoop the Mastercard Album of the Year. It is good that, unlike previous years, there was diversity in regards the type of music celebrated.
It is not all about chart-based Pop and, in a year that is still having to answer criticism of gender imbalance, the fact that several black artists won awards, is a positive step. A couple of things struck me about the change of tide at the BRIT Awards. Before I explain, here in a piece that reacts to a standout performance from Dave:
“Rapper Dave performed a politically charged version of his song Black at the Brit Awards, before picking up the biggest prize of the night for his album Psychodrama.
The 21-year-old accused Boris Johnson of being "a real racist" in additional verses, before touching on the Grenfell Tower victims and the Windrush generation.
He also criticised the media's treatment of the Duchess of Sussex, and paid tribute to London Bridge terror attack victim Jack Merritt as "my brother in arms".
"It is racist whether or not it feels racist/The truth is our prime minister's a real racist," he rapped, later adding: "Now if you don't want to get it then you are never gonna get it/How the news treats Kate versus how they treated Meghan".
Maybe the lack of progress – regarding female artists not being nominated – and few shocks/surprises (there was not a lot of controversy or rebellion) meant that, in many ways, it was business as usual. The most extraordinary and powerful moments came from Dave and Stormzy.
It got me thinking about how music has changed and how the words ‘popular music’ have also shifted meaning. When I was growing up, popular music was dominated by Pop artists and Rock bands. These acts, largely, put out feelgood songs, with hooks and big choruses. Although Mabel and Billie Eilish won awards on Tuesday, listen to the type of music they make, and it is very different to Pop of the past. Eilish makes slightly darker music, more reliant on atmosphere and innovation rather than epic choruses and a big sound. Mabel is a commercial artist and, whilst her songs appeal to a certain demographic, they do not necessarily appeal to a wider audience and stay in the head. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I am not a fan of modern Pop music (as a genre), and I find a lot of it rather boring and forgettable. I am also not a fan of Rap and Grime – not as much as I used to be –, but one cannot deny its importance. In many ways, the dominance of Pop and Rock has been replaced by Rap and Grime. If Pop, Rock and other genres were the biggest scenes in years past, they are not necessarily as powerful as they were before. Artists right across the spectrum are bringing politics and important themes into their music, but it seems that artists like Dave and Stormzy are representative of modern times and needs.
Even though the music is angrier and less melodic than popular sounds of years past – which is why I only occasionally dip in and out of Grime and Rap -, it shows that music fans want truth and artists who speak about the big things. From rallying against racism and the Government, to addressing gentrification and crime, artists like Dave are doing what Pop, Rock, and Punk artists used to do before: get people standing to attention and staying in the mind. Maybe the fact we are responding to more urgent and political music reflects a troubled time. Even though I hanker after the positive Pop of my youth, one cannot ignore young artists doing their own thing and producing music that resonates and connects. Rather than appeal to big Pop markets or to labels, the best Grime and Rap artists of today are speaking to and for those without a voice and, with no barriers, sending their message out to the masses – one can throw in artists like slowthai and Little Simz, who are also producing some sensational music. The burgeoning British Grime and Rap scenes are speaking volumes and moving people in a way that modern Pop and Rock cannot. The shift in tastes is not really a surprise. Whilst I do think music of the 1980s and 1990s was stronger because of its memorability and positivity, one has to accept that the 2010s (and 2020s) were defined by other sounds and lyrics themes. The finest Grime and Rap artists of today are more truthful and inspiring than most politicians and, in these tough times, they are…
IMAGE CREDIT: GQ
BRINGING people together.