Hello. This is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning
English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Sam.
In this 6 Minute English,
we're talking about music.
What sort of music do you
like listening to, Sam?
Well, I wouldn't say I have
one specific type. My taste
in songs is more eclectic - a
word that describes taste
which includes a wide
ariety of styles.
Well, in this programme, we're
talking all about grime - a
style of music which originated
in London specifically in
the tower blocks of east
and southeast London.
Yes - the artists are
predominantly young black
men and often cite the
decaying tower blocks they
grew up in as an inspiration
for the urban style of music.
Well, before we continue
talking about grime music,
I have a question for you,
Sam. Stormzy is one of the
most famous grime artists,
but what is his real name?
Is it: a) Michael Omari,
b) Martin Owusu or
c) Marvin Appiah?
I think I might know this
one - I'll say a) Michael Omari.
We can find out if you're
right at the end of this
programme. For many people,
knowing the origin of a type
of music helps them to
understand more about the
style and lyrics.
Here's writer Jude Yawson
talking with BBC journalist
Andrew Marr about his
experience growing up on
an estate in southeast
London on the BBC Radio 4
programme, Start the Week.
Yes, so I lived like on
an estate. It's, it's in
Annerley, near Crystal Palace.
And for me growing up with
this experience was like
literally acknowledging the
different cultures and
peoples that lived within,
like this state. And it
was around the age of about,
say, seven or eight - that's
when things for me and my
particular estate started to
get a bit more contentious
with the other people that
were moving in. Kids were
coming of age, becoming
more like free and
venturing out and around
the estate. And, you
know, police
kind of, like. harassing, but
So you've got different
cultures knocking into each
other and the
police knocking
into everybody else.
So Jude Yawson describes his
upbringing. He used the word
contentious - likely to cause
or create an argument - to
describe life on the estate.
Yes, and he said the kids
were coming of age - meaning
transitioning from a child into
an adult. In his interview,
he goes on to say how a
teacher gave him the advice
that if he ever got stabbed,
not to remove the knife - as
he would bleed to death.
He says that at the age of
14 when he was told that, he
felt grateful and that the
teacher was looking out for
him, but in hindsight
questions why a teenager
should receive that information.
What this does give us in an
insight into life and the
background of life that led to
some people, like Stormzy,
creating grime music. He says
that it started off in the
bedrooms and basements of
tower blocks and homes in
these areas of London, with
many artists' works being
broadcast on pirate
radio stations.
That said, for some people, this
type of music represents
something different. There are
some who think the hard-hitting
lyrics and strong beats glorify
violence. They see it as an
aggressive and violent
form of music.
However, Jude Yawson, speaking
with Andrew Marr on BBC Radio 4
programme Start the Week, has
a different interpretation of
what grime music is all about.
I describe grime as like a
soulful shout there's literally
a necessity in getting all
this content out of yourself.
One of the most predominant
grime artists, Wiley, basically
the first person who created
this sound - 140 beats per
minute. That's such a raw tune,
but the chorus literally chants
like 'there are lots of signs
in life, some that you may
not realise' - I was
listening to that as
like an 11- or 12-year-old
and it's very existential.
He used the word predominant,
which describes the
strongest or most important
thing, to describe the artist
Wiley. That's who Jude Yawson
says was the first person to
create the grime sound.
He also used the verb
chants - sings repeatedly
over and over - to talk about the
chorus from one of Wiley's songs.
And he described the
experience of listening to it
as being existential - relating
to human existence.
Which inspires me to go and
listen to some grime music
after today's show, but
before we do - I asked you
a question about the
real name of the
grime artist Stormzy.
You did. And being a fan
of many different music
styles - I think I know
this one! I said
a) Michael Omari.
You really do know your
music, Sam. You're right.
In fact, his full name is
Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo
Omari Owuo Jr. I think that
I'll have to make the next
question much harder
for you! So, before we
leave today, we should recap
today's vocabulary,
starting with eclectic,
a word which describes
taste which includes a
wide variety of styles.
Contentious means creating
or causing arguments.
We also had coming of
age - transitioning from
child to adult.
Predominant refers to
something that is the
strongest or most important.
Chants is a verb which means
sing or repeat the same
thing over and over again.
And existential means
relating to human existence.
Thanks, Neil. Well we
certainty learnt a lot
about grime music and
its origin, but that's
not the only thing we can learn about, is it?
Nope - there are lots
more 6 Minute English
programmes to enjoy on
our website at
bbclearningenglish.com
which talk about a range of topics, an eclectic mix
to use one of today's words. You can also find us on
social media and on our free app. Thanks for
listening and goodbye.
Goodbye.