Skeptacism

Busy conquering the world with his brash brand of UK rap, it would seem that grime king Skepta is untouchable. However, he still hasn't won over everyone. Georgia Marsh examines the tremendous social barriers still facing the seemingly unstoppable Skepta.

With his usual wild-eyed demeanour, Jarvis Cocker announced the winner of the 2016 Mercury Prize in a seemingly agreeable manner: “if David Bowie was looking down on the Hammersmith Apollo tonight… he would want the 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize to go to...Skepta!” In the immediate seconds following, if you were listening closely enough among the fury of cheers, you could hear the sound of old white men everywhere clenching their fists.

‘It should’ve gone to Bowie – disrespecting a legend’s legacy!’ they shouted the rooftops. ‘Don’t put words in a dead man’s mouth!’ their hands a blur as they quickly launched a Twitter tirade against Skepta and the Mercury Prize committee.

Twitter user Andy asks will “anyone be listening to/referencing [Skepta’s Mercury Prize-winning album Konnichiwa] in 20 years? 10 years? Next year?” In fact, Andy, I very much think they will.

Skepta’s music, as with grime in general, is quintessentially of and for the modern age: it captures the rich dub sounds that once rumbled through fabric and provides a compelling snapshot into the vibrant politics of urban youth. It’s creating a very mainstream dialogue for previously marginalised voices; something that no other genre – especially the incredibly diverse white-man-with-guitar rock that usually litters award shows – is doing.

However, while grime’s uncomfortable politicised stance is certainly playing a role in its inability to win over the more conservative music fan, it’s easily admitted that grime isn’t comfort listening. The dulcet sounds of Big Narstie are unlikely to sing you to sleep after a nice full-bodied glass of red wine. (Well they can, but multiple glasses may be involved…)

Because grime is bombastic and obnoxious, it’s easily mistaken for noise – and perhaps not the kind of noise that appeals to the kind of people who care about the Mercury Awards (e.g. a small pool of Guardian readers, BBC 6 Music listeners, people that collect vinyl for its ‘superior sound quality’, etc.). In short, Skepta doesn’t always appeal to the middle aged middle class, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t or it can’t.

A lot of the reception towards Skepta seems to be caused by knee jerk reactions to a black man in a baseball cap achieving success on a very public platform.

Thus, a lot of the reception towards Skepta seems to be caused by knee jerk reactions to a black man in a baseball cap achieving success on a very public platform. He’s an example of underground culture becoming overground – the kind of culture that fabric was seeking to keep alive, which Newsnight presenters smirk at because it’s not homogeneously high-brow, that Twitter trolls scorn at because it’s unashamedly young and black.

Related: Georgia Marsh discusses this article on Epicast

For God’s sake, a black man can’t even win a prestigious music award in this day and age without his mother being asked “did you ever worry about him being in this scene? Did you ever hope he’d have some other kind of job?” by so-called ‘respectable’ journalists. I dare you to call up Matt Healy of The 1975’s mother and ask her the same question. While Skepta plans to donate the Mercury Prize fund back to the Tottenham community who made him who he is today, Matt Healy has claimed that he would’ve spent the money on “endless, endless drugs”. Excuse me one moment, I have to go wash my hands; they’re covered in blood because I cut myself on Matt Healy’s edginess.

Grime is very aware that it lacks a place in mainstream public consciousness (see the spoken monologue in Skepta’s ‘Shutdown’ as prime example of this awareness). But where can it have a place if it’s shunned by the Brit Awards and told it doesn’t belong at the Mercury Prize despite being the most significant kind of music being produced by this country right now? This does nothing but highlight the diversity problems that constantly plague the entertainment industry and the blatant racism and classism that many musicians face.

Perhaps it’s none of this, and people are simply genuinely outraged by Bowie’s loss, but let’s put this into perspective. Blackstar is an incredible record and David Bowie will always be a legend, but this is not criteria for winning. Blackstar is an ending, a farewell, whereas Konnichiwa is forward-thinking and grime is the future – it’s the next big UK export and its innovators are destined for superstardom.

The Mercury Prize – though largely insignificant – is essentially a very middle class, middle English award that has been presented to an artist like Skepta, and we cannot overlook the significance of him being rewarded by a platform like this. Maybe, finally, the industry is recognising grime.

I’m not telling you to like grime, because by any means you don’t have to and no one wants you to pretend to. I’m just calling for a bit more respect for the movement that’s pioneering the UK music scene. After all, it was Bowie who always understood that “the only people in the music business who were being truly creative were the rappers”. And maybe we are putting words in his mouth, but I for one do believe he would’ve had no scepticism about grime.

Featured image: flickr / villunderlondon

What do you think of Skepta? A politicised force in pop culture or a load of old rubbish? Let us know below or via social media.

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