Skepta and JME: How two brothers helped carry grime into the mainstream

In 2005, brothers Joseph and Jamie Adenuga have been going through uncertainty after their rap crew disbanded.

While the opposite members started to regroup themselves, the Tottenham-based siblings determined to pursue music on their very own phrases – a transfer that may outline their profession.

The brothers are actually often called Skepta and JME, and the label they created was Boy Better Know (BBK).

“He was so influential to rapping in Britain that he showed us that we could do it,” Lewisham artist Shabo tells the BBC.

At this time, grime was nonetheless a younger and growing style of music rising from the digital dance scene.

Emerging British rappers have been being signed to main labels so as to create what the trade thought of extra commercially viable songs.

In different phrases – no filth.

But the ethos of BBK was to be impartial and keep true to who you’re.

“They're incredibly stubborn people and they've probably seen the pitfalls of signing deals,” says Dacre Bracey, founding father of RWD journal.

There are different members of the label – like Frisco, Jammer and Shorty – however “the genius of BBK is the Adenuga family,” he explains.

An early indication of this expertise was his T-shirt printed with the Boy Better Know brand.

Designed by JME – who would go on to graduate from the University of Greenwich with a level in 3D digital design – they have been bought all through the capital and helped finance the label within the early days, says Bracey.

“Everyone in school will wear their T-shirt,” Shaibo provides.

“BBK gives you the confidence to be unapologetically yourself. I can hear music that I really connect with.”

Another artist who felt the affect whereas nonetheless in his teenagers was rapper Capo Lee.

He attended Winchmore School in North London, similtaneously the Adenuga brothers, though he’s a number of years youthful than them.

“When you're drowning in negativity, it's hard to get out,” he informed the BBC.

“He gave us a lot of hope that things are possible.

“I started as a DJ in secondary school when I was 13. My friends would come over and we'd try to recreate their atmosphere in my room.”

Things really started to take off for the label in the late 2000s.

He released dozens of well-received mixtapes, culminating in the track Too Many Man, which charted in the UK Singles Chart.

But by 2010, the world of grime started to look very different.

“The excitement had died down,” says Bracey.

“The police really took down the live event aspect of shit so you couldn't perform, and [government] Pirate radio was cracked down on.

“A lot of people have retired and moved on, or changed styles.”

Dizzee Rascal, who once defined the sound of grime with his Mercury Prize-winning debut Boy in the Corner, is now creating more commercial rap with songs like Bonkers and Dance Wiv Me.

But Capo Lee still sees this commercial success as a positive for Dirt.

“Music was very totally different within the 2010s, however [the public] We're used to seeing black folks on display screen,” he says.

Even during this quiet period of shit, BBK continued to release music.

Documentary photographer Simon Wheatley, who has known the Adenuga brothers for many years, says, “JME has at all times had this very sturdy sense of independence, he by no means gave in to the temptation of fame.”

Skepta temporarily changed course, signing to Universal where he released his third album Doin' It Again to modest commercial success.

But his sound waned and he left the label, and returned to grime with the 2014 hit That's Not Me, a song about being true to yourself in the face of commercial pressure and rejecting designer brands.

The music video, which cost £80 to make, received a Mobo Award – proving that Skepta can make it look good on his own.

JME's output culminated in his highly successful 2015 album Integrity, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number 12.

“I believe it's a really aptly named album, contemplating the best way he’s,” says Wheatley.

The following year Skepta released his own magnum opus, Konnichiwa. With a sprinkling of production from Pharrell Williams over its undeniable grime core, the album was awarded a Mercury Prize.

Released by BBK, it helped solidify grime as a genre operating on its own terms, away from the influence of major label executives.

Capo Lee told the BBC that it was this period at the label that “opened everybody's eyes and ears once more”.

Other artists – Stormzy, Dave, Bugsy Malone – would follow and take the genre in different directions, but they all started on the independent path forged by BBK.

Even an artist like Shabo, who doesn't describe herself as a grime MC, says BBK has had a huge influence on her.

“Grime was my basis, it gave me the abilities to rap and the boldness to embrace my heritage,” says the 29-year-old.

“When folks hear BBK they realize it's BBK.”

“These things could only happen in London or the UK, through a melting pot of cultures,” says Bracey.

“That's why BBKs are nice, magical and particular.”

Additional reporting by Connie Bowker