Grime: Documenting the scene's rise and reign

Experience the 140BPM beating heartbeat of grime as told by a pioneer of the scene - not just as a music genre, but as a living, breathing culture that continues to thrive, inspire, and boldly challenge the status quo.‘There are very few better placed than Roony to document the Grime scene - and he does so perfectly' - ROMESH RANGANATHAN

“Grime is a way of life, a voice for the ambitions and dreams of the inner-city youth. It's a vessel for our creativity and a way to express ourselves. It's a rebellion to the system; to those who said we can't or don't deserve to want more. It's a culture, it's the heartbeat of the UK's underdog story for this generation; it's our punk. It's acceptance across the world for the music we make and the respect we've commanded. It's the evolution of the sounds brought to England and the culmination of cultures: the black, the white, the Turkish and the Asian, the working classes, the poor and the wanting more. It's that little voice inside you that says, ‘go the extra mile and don't give up'.”Starting as a fan armed with a handy cam, Roony's RiskyRoadz series captured a new energy which blew up when YouTube emerged, cementing him as an integral part of the genre's visual identity. GRIME is a portal into this gritty, authentic world, offering a front-row seat to modern history: the social history, the personalities, the tracksuits, the tunes - and the reality of a revolution that shaped a generation.

About the author

Roony Keefe, aka 'Risky Roadz', is a trusted name when it comes to documenting the early grime scene's nitty gritty. After starting out as a fan with a handy cam and his seminal Risky Roadz series, Roony Keefe has gone on to direct some of the most iconic videos in grime. His grandmother is viral sensation, Grime Gran.