Top Ten Grime Albums 2018
Ghetts – Ghetto Gospel – The New Testament
The second instalment of Ghetto Gospel, nostalgia aside, definitely boasts the same level of complexity, detail and versatility that Ghetts showed on the first, while naturally shaping the overall sound to match the 2018 aesthetic, displaying typically airtight versatility throughout.
Manga Saint Hilaire – Outsiders Live Forever
With renowned producer Sir Hiss also on the buttons, Outsiders Live Forever is an extremely impressive project. Containing the right mix of hype and smooth sounding tracks; you can enjoy this album whether you’re enjoying a smoke with friends, doing your daily run or for the more energized tracks party to. It covers a palette of grime flavours – probably owing to the fact that Manga has been doing it for a long time and has always had people high up in the tiers of the genre seeing his worth and place.
Jammer – Are You Dumb vol 5
Jammer dropped volume 5 of his Are You Dumb collection and it didn’t disappoint, it’s Grime at it’s purest which is exactly what you’d expect from the man who pioneered Lord of the Mics, oversaw some of the hardest clashes in the scene and has had most of the rawest emcees in the game in his basement.
Wiley – Godfather 2
Grime moves fast, though, and although some of Godfather II stays true to a classic sound – see the authoritative I Call the Shots, feat JME – other tracks, such as Certified, feat Shakka (a banger), are unabashed lunges for the mainstream.
P Money/Little Dee – BACK 2 BACK
Starting off with Coldest Flows you know the EP is going to be hard, “If you don’t do music then you couldn’t relate!” P Money & Little Dee bounce off each other in rapid fashion to the point you know it’s not boasting but genuinely just stating facts.
Chip – Ten10
A decade after Chip’s (then Chipmunk) arrival on the scene as winner of Best Newcomer at the 2008 MOBO awards, Ten10 is an album on which the rapper, still only 27, uses all ten years of his experience and knowledge to deliver a super-concise album of ten razor sharp tracks.
Jaykae – Where Have You Been
The eight track EP is much more versatile than I anticipated; throughout Jaykae continues to show why he’s one of the best MC’s in the country, showcasing a versatile flow across a range of beats but keeping true to his straight-talking raw style on every single one of them.
Big Narstie – BDL Bipolar
Nothing’s off the table – struggles with mental health, the grime life, his daughter’s difficult birth – and there’s an authentic intensity to his bars, overcoming technical flaws. The album peaks early with the sparse, frazzled single 5am, a chilly moment of introspection amid tail-thumping bangers.
Novelist – Novelist Guy
The young Novelist came up aggressive, with a high-speed, take-no-prisoners flow that recalls much older iterations of the genre such as Dizzee Rascal, allied to a bounce that makes the vast majority of Novelist freestyles into instant dance music.
President T – Theres Only One
One of the most common reactions to this album (besides general positivity) is “new Big H bars!” but it’s also worth crediting this album for his inclusion of some rap and UK drill elements — most notably on the “Intro” and “Drivers” — in amongst the grimey badness we all love him for.
