Grime is on the rise. Grime artists are producing hit after hit, selling out shows and collaborating with some of the biggest names in music. Two of the scene’s hottest rising stars, Krept and Konan are set to release their debut album in July, having already released a top-20 mixtape, Young Kingz, in 2013. For Cayso “Krept” Johnson, part of grime’s appeal is its ability to intrigue those with different backgrounds to their own.
“I feel it’s a bit like saying, ‘why do we enjoy action movies so much?’ We’re not used to something. So people telling you something that you can’t quite fathom or can’t quite relate to, it’s interesting. It’s like the situation that happened with Konan. To some people that’s just like, ‘Oh my god. That’s crazy.’ It’s like a film. I feel that people, even if that don’t relate to it they can understand it. It intrigues them and makes people want to buy into it more.”
In 2011, a gang pursuing Konan killed his stepfather in his mother’s house. The experience of this tragedy made its way into their autobiographical song ‘My Story’.
“It draws people into the artist to understand their story, their struggle and their hardship. It’s a pain thing as well. It might be someone else’s story but it’s painful to hear about people’s situations like that.”
Having been at such a low in 2011, the South London duo have entered the charts, their single ‘Don’t Waste My Time’ has scored six million YouTube hits and they are now touted as one of the hottest UK grime acts. For Krept, the reality has not quite sunk in.
“It’s surreal,” he says emphatically. “Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves, like were we just on stage with Kanye West at the Brits? Did we just go and pick up an award in front of Pharrell? Am I really in the studio with Ed Sheeran and Rick Ross? Am I really here chilling with Wiz [Khalifa] backstage? It just goes to show that no matter where you’re from, if you work hard enough it’s possible. Nothing is impossible.
“But I also want to branch out to Europe and perform worldwide. There’s so much more to do, so much more to accomplish and a lot of ground to cover in the UK.”
Although grime still has ground to cover, the music is certainly spreading. “A few years ago, you wouldn’t see a song like ‘Don’t Waste My Time’ on the Radio One playlist. But because we did it, and we made it so big, they had to succumb to it. I feel like it’s all a part of making UK grime and hip-hop really well respected. Americans are taking to it now: Kanye brought everyone out at the Brits, Drake starts following everyone from the grime scene on Instagram. It might take time, but I feel that it’s eventually going to make it to the States. What will be the thing to cross there, I don’t know. But I feel its getting closer as it’s getting more accepted here.”
At the Brit awards earlier this year, Kanye West performed with a group of at least forty UK grime artists to premier his single ‘All Day’. Krept and Konan were part of Kanye’s company. “I feel like it was a sign of appreciation from Kanye. For him to say, ‘Let’s get some of the youth and people from the scene to come on stage with me at the Brits,’ meaning that he’s appreciating our scene.”
We did it and made it so big, they had to succumb to it
Although Krept is grateful for Kanye’s appreciation, his performance signifies a broader problem for grime in the UK music scene. “I feel like it’s a shame it took Kanye West to get our grime scene to the Brits. Our scene still isn’t accepted there. You wouldn’t see someone from our scene performing at the Brits. If it wasn’t for Kanye West, you wouldn’t even see us at the Brits. None of us got invited. It took him even to wake up our own country and say that there are people from our scene doing their thing and bring them on stage. They’re appreciating what we’re doing over here. It’s not going unheard. He’s come over to our country and reached out to people from our country saying, ‘I want you people to represent with me on my first single at the Brits.’”
As much as British artists are crossing the pond and influencing their American counterparts, Krept and Konan’s recent single ‘Freak of the Week’ has been called American hip-hop for its glossy sound with Jeremih’s vocals and distance from the grit of grime music. Krept does not think that is the case. “What’s weird is that people say it’s American hip-hop, but the sample’s actually a Jamaican song, ‘Playground Riddim’. The only thing American is Jeremih on the hook. I feel like it’s a fusion of Jeremih bringing his US appeal, us bringing our rap and vocals with a sample in there.”
Krept believes that the music video is the reason people think the song sounds American. The music video has been released on YouTube and has over two million views, and the single is due for release on 28th June. But this attitude further demonstrates grime’s marginalisation in the UK music scene. “It’s the quality of the video – the glossiness. It’s a bit sad for people to say that the quality of it mean it looks American. It means that people aren’t used to seeing videos from England of that quality, that glossiness. People think there isn’t much quality over here. But we wanted to show that we can do the quality stuff over here as well.”
Their debut album, The Long Way Home, is due for release in July. The title has a double meaning. “Home is where we are, and how long it’s taken to get there. It’s never been easy, never been straightforward. It’s been a long way for us through so many trials and tribulations just to get to where are today. Home is success and the long way it takes to get there. It also stems from when you’re in the car, listening to music and you’re nearly home but you want to listen to the next song. You’ll take the long way home just to listen to the rest of it.”
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