Will the UK Grime/Hip Hop scene be accepted like a US state?

This is a concept that I feel is edging closer and closer. UK Grime and Hip Hop has been working its way to becoming a recognised genre in the UK after years and years of artists setting pace. Every year I seem to find myself saying that the scene is so healthy.

UK Hip Hop found it’s origins many years ago and artists such as Rodney P, Ty, Roots Manuva, BlackTwang, Jehst, Klashnekoff, Eurogang, Skinnyman etc helped to set the foundations for the rappers of today. For a long time UK Hip Hop did not recognise Grime and to some extent this is still the case, but thanks to artists such as Giggs who has collaborated with quite a few Grime MCs, this barrier is constantly being broken.What we have seen of recent is that UK Grime and Hip Hop is establishing itself in the UK charts. There have been chart hits before, some that were a lot more poppy, but now we are reaching a stage where organic UK Hip Hop and Grime is hitting the charts. Giggs, Nines, Wiley, Kano and Skepta hitting the charts with albums plus Stormzy initially hitting the charts with freestyles and having a number 1 album is a great example of this.What we have also seen over the years is US artists collaborating and discovering UK artists. Again these foundations began years ago, Dizzee Rascal and UGK, Ty and De La Soul, Monie Love and Queen Latifah and the list goes on here too. We have also had major US Hip Hop artists like Jay Z recognise Kano and have had Kendrick Lamar do the same with Little Simz. However, with the recent wave and the flag that Drake is flying, the growth has taken quite a big step.The idea of UK being accepted like a US state might be premature, you can argue that despite Drake being the front runner for Canada it has not been accepted like a state in US Hip Hop yet. They have however had Kardinal Offishall, K’naan, Tory Lanez, The Weeknd and PARTYNEXTDOOR come through.

With the talent that there is in the UK and the grounds that are currently being broken, I feel it that is definitely possible that the UK could make an impact in the states that changes things.

It will take time just like it has taken time for artists outside of London to get shine in the UK. It will also take time for the accents to be accepted, but that’s the same with anywhere else. New York, the city that birthed Hip Hop took it’s time to embrace the accents from the West and the South.