Grime watch: how SBTV, Link Up and GRM Daily propped up black British music

“In 2007, grime was everywhere, and yet nowhere. The MCs spitting and battling on cable curio Channel U, or the Risky Roadz and Lord of the Mics DVDs, became A-list famous on the streets of certain areas of London, but were seen as intimidating in the eyes of the mainstream. Gang warfare was rife, and Operation Trident set up to tackle it; the recently withdrawn 696 form, where promoters had to state the ethnic makeup of their anticipated crowd, stifled black music events. Stars such as Skepta, Chip and Tinchy Stryder were rushed into the mainstream, given pop-dance tracks, and bled of what made them so unique in the first place. In this hostile environment, black music moved away from mainstream media, and headed online.”