15/6/2015

All About the (Grime) Music

Grime music is at the heart of #ChipShoptheMusical.

Grime was central to the idea when I first pitched it to Freedom Studios.

It’s remained central to the story throughout and this show doesn’t exist without it.

I love grime music – its energy, its attitude, its fearlessness.

The best grime, like all the best songs, marries highly-personalised self-expression with bone-deep primal rhythms, innovative tempos and bold sounds.

Grime is so, so good.

When Kanye recently performed at the Brits with some of our leading grime artists, it was a key moment – not because we should feel privileged that he shone a light on British talent, but because he recognised what some of us long knew: our grime musicians should be celebrated and collaborated with. They are making incredible music.

It’s a total honour and a massive privilege for me to dip my toe into this world by writing a character that loves grime and who is driven to express herself through it.

It is my way of paying tribute to all those artists, MCs and producers slogging their guts out, finding ways to bring their music to an audience who are hungry for it, when the music industry can’t always see grime’s brilliant quality.

#ChipShoptheMusical is my love song to a few things (Yorkshire, fish & chips, my audience and more), but it is – most of all – a love song to grime music in all its bass-boom, triple-fast-spitting, lyrically-innovating glory.

Thank you grime and thank you all the brilliant music makers out there, who I listen to week-in, week-out.

I would not have written this show without you.

By Emma Hill – Writer, Lead Artist & Co-Producer, #ChipShoptheMusical