Meet The MCs Taking Grime Into The Future

Some of this article was originally published on April 28, 2022. New entries for 2024 include Kruz Leone, Kibo, Jayahadadream, Namesbliss, Halo, Crafty 893, Jawnino, JoSoSick and Solsa.

Questions about grime’s vitality have been a major talking point online recently, and as a platform that has strongly championed the genre over the years, we took it upon ourselves to address some of it.

The sound’s popularity, outside of the diehards, has ebbed and flowed as much any genre, but with the exception of maybe UK funky, the naysayers hellbent on ringing the death knell seem unique to grime. We’ve heard it all before, though. It came at the end of the 2000s before MCs like P Money and the Birmingham lot—as well as the instrumental-led Butterz crew—gave it a shot in the arm, and then a few years later right before Meridian Dan, Skepta, Stormzy and a whole new wave of young, hungry MCs and producers took grime global.

That mid-2010s explosion was arguably grime’s biggest yet. It was a heady, incredible time, so when drill rose up and the mainstream’s attention shifted from grime, it’s understandable there’d be a degree of bitterness. But nearly a decade later, and in certain corners of the internet—i.e. on Twitter Spaces, such as #HarshRealityNosis and #NOBIAS—those wounds seem fresher than ever and there’s a loud and vocal contingent eager to rub salt in the wound and declare grime dead and buried. 

Granted, there aren’t as many eyes on the scene as there have been in the past, but since when was that indicative of quality?

Grime is now in its 20th year of existence, and from an artistic point of view, things are better than ever. We’ve got innovative MCs like Manga Saint Hilare and Novelist, producers like WIZE and Preditah, and DJs like Spyro and Oblig constantly pushing things forward. We’ve also seen elements of Afroswing, garage, jazz and more all stirred in, and no one can deny grime’s influence on drill. The Wrong And Strong crew are entitled to their opinions, of course, but grime cannot die at this point—its culture lives on in everything from drill to Top Boy—and musically, gems can be found if you look close enough.

Here are 31 MCs taking grime into the future. 

In 2024, the underground will prevail over all, and someone who has been doing the rounds on that circuit—both on radio and the live stage—is South East Londoner Kruz Leone, one of grime’s brightest rising stars. Last year, Kruz’s work-rate went into overdrive—dropping projects like O.T. Trips (The Re-Whip) and Top 3, a collab project with Duppy and Logan OLM, as well as delivering impressive freestyles for the likes of Sir Spyro’s Sounds Of The Verse on 1Xtra—to the point he was barring next to veterans such as Dizzee Rascal, Jme, and P Money. Armed and dangerous with his scattergun flow, Kruz’s animated stage presence translates to every track he puts out, capturing that live essence on wax for his locked-in fanbase and confirming what we’ve all been thinking for a while: he has what it takes to be a true grime great. Keep it locked to his socials all 2024 if you want to see where the future of this sound is headed. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson

One of the key figures behind Murkage Simulator, along with Chamber45, Namuh and M.I.C, Harrow-born Kibo is a key name in the radio frontier of modern grime. Self-effacing and often coming with an irreverent humour, he describes himself as “Kwengletarian” and two of his best freestyles are backed by grime refixes of the Pingu and Looney Tunes themes. Make no mistake, though, 2022’s FBFR (Fuego Baby Furtardo Returnz) mixtape proved beyond doubt how seriously he takes this. He’s since become a regular fixture down at Balamii, particularly the infamous Victory Lap sessions. He was there for Dave and Central Cee’s roadblock set and got the seal of approval from the former, who called him the “Victory Lap warrior”, adding, “This is you man’s hero, innit? This is you man’s king, innit? I feel you because he’s actually moving superhuman today.” With Kibo’s radio credentials sending shockwaves through the scene and a full-length project now under his belt, the stage is set. —James Keith

Cambridge-raised, Nottingham-based MC Jayahadadream is steadily ascending, a star in grime’s sky waiting to be fully discovered. With razor-sharp wordplay and unwavering flows, Jaya brings a fresh perspective to the scene—typically known to be dominated by men—manoeuvring with style and grace within it. Despite her focus on grime, she draws inspiration from lo-fi sounds and the raw, unfiltered authenticity of the hip-hop she grew up on. Jaya’s consistent freestyles on social media and regular performances at music events have garnered the attention of grime (and rap) enthusiasts across the country. 2023, in particular, marked an exciting period for Jaya as she released a Sounds Of The Verse freestyle for grime titan Sir Spyro’s 1Xtra show; she also featured in the BBC Introducing Cypher to much applause. Jaya’s slick and poetic storytelling approach, especially on tracks like “Force”, “Top One” and “Feeling Like”, makes her a refreshing and promising force in today’s UK music scene. —Naz Hamdi

North London’s Namesbliss is a bit of a difficult one to pin down. In the past, he’s got stuck into both rap and grime—2021’s grime/rap/drill hybrid “Ruffian” is a prime example and a banger I’ll keep going back to for a while—but lately he’s been pushing a more fluid sound. For the past year or so, especially, he’s been experimenting with different flows, often running over lines in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way, and working with producers on a more jazz-inspired style. Last year’s Parkland-produced “Stages” dug into that combo well, but it’s his partnership with enigmatic producer scruz that’s proved particularly fruitful. “Iniesta Flow” is probably the best example of this, but “Last Week” from November is just as potent. The beats are dreamy, driven by hypnotising, clipped melodies and his delivery’s evolved to suit. The lo-fi grime movement that’s been taking hold lately is clearly a big influence too and it’s pushed bliss’ pen—which was already versatile and quick to adapt—into surprising new places. This new era of Namesbliss is not to be missed. —James Keith

Halo is by no means an angel, but he’s ready to share his redemption story. The East London MC returned home last summer after a bid behind bars and he hasn’t wasted any time in getting back to the music at hand, with comeback single “Who’s Halo” impressing the masses. A close affiliate of the legendary D Double E, Halo is an ‘if you know, you know’ type of artist—search and you’ll find a barrer with a passion for the craft of lyricism that goes beyond just the borders of grime. Expect more of Halo’s youthful flair on-mic, relaying his many trials and tribulations via grime, drill and rap, as the year unfolds. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson 

South London MC and producer Crafty 893 has been tirelessly working away in the underground for a number of years now, proving his mettle on all fronts. During grime’s quieter years, Crafty was still there and still innovating. Now that there’s a new school of MCs and producers, putting their own spin on the sound, it feels as if the world’s beginning to catch up to Crafty893. Take the Boot It project from 2022: tracks like “Easy Nuh”, with its rumbling low-end and melodic touches, and the title track, with its Eastern flavours and drilly 808s, are the work of an artist moving in his own direction. That whole project was sorely underappreciated when it landed. Grime flows and drill influences made good bedfellows and it gave us probably the most succinct example of drill being folded into grime to make an exciting future for both sounds. Having spent the following year on stage and on radio, everything’s in place for Crafty to put everything he’s learnt and achieved to good use at a time that couldn’t be better suited to a CR takeover. —James Keith

Jawnino is one of the most intriguing players in grime right now. The South London native has mesmerised audiences with a fine blend of traditional grime and a leftfield production style that has gained him a cult-like following. This has established the mysterious one as a key, forward-thinking MC in the genre’s evolution. Initially recognised for his presence on radio sets for Noods Radio and Victory Lap, his growing catalogue has also attracted people to his unique approach to lyricism and his enigmatic persona. Jawnino’s sonics are heavy on the synth-loaded electronics (in a similar vein to CASISDEAD) and he possesses a philosophical delivery filled with quotable one-liners—a quality noticeable on songs like “It’s Cold Outside”, “Scr33ntim3” and “2trains”. It won’t be long before the masses latch onto his futuristic soundscapes and introspective rhymes that touch on everything from relationships to the shady environment around him. —Naz Hamdi

There’s something timeless about JoSoSick. Tracks like “Piece Of Cake”, with its choppy, space-age riddim from Lolingo, sound right up-to-the-minute, but the subtle garage smoothness he often laces his flow with, even at his most gruff, could come from any era. What really sets him apart, though, are his untouchable live credentials. As great as he is in the studio, there’s something about the fight-or-flight pressure of live shows and radio sets that really brings the best out of JSS. Whether he’s going back and forth with new-school sparring partners like Duppy (an MC he has a natural affinity with on the mic) or holding his own next to hardened veterans and innovators like Bruza, he’s unflappable. No wonder he’s such a regular fixture at Pyro Radio. —James Keith

There are a few ways to make your name in grime—radio sets, studio releases, live shows, or in Solsa’s case, you can jump in feet first and kick up a stink. He’s had disputes online with Frisco, Subten, Funky Dee and half a dozen others in the past 12 months. He’s not making too many friends, but for everyone who complained that the spirit of competition was fading from grime, you can’t deny Solsa’s breaking up the niceties. Away from live shows and on-air bust-ups, he’s got a growing catalogue. Last year was a prolific one for the East Londoner, including two EPs. His debut, Anticipated, arrived in May with features from Logan, So Large, Doller, Loon and, funnily enough, Funky Dee, and then four months later came the Let Me Reintroduce Myself EP, which also featured So Large, as well as Wiley, Chronik, Kruz Leone, Stana and E3 Breaks (aka Slimzee and AS.IF KID). Solsa kicked off 2024 with “Back Road G”, and it was recieved well. If he continues to focus on the music over the the beefs, he could become one of the scene’s top rated. Time will tell. —James Keith

So Large is no newcomer, but the last two years have seen him really come into his own. Known underground as being a close affiliate of the seminal Ruff Sqwad, he was there pretty much from the beginning of grime, tearing up radio sets with his raging delivery. But while his circle was focused on creating timeless riddims, he was more concerned with making bank and investing. Now, though, in 2022, he’s ready to run it up. “There’s two sides of our scene: the clean side and the dirty side,” he says. “The dirty side is full of MCs who put people off by the way they behave, and their appearance, and this creates a major disconnect.” Through grime’s many ups and downs, So Large has been an avid supporter of it—which is unlikely to ever change. “I feel like grime is as important today as it was two decades ago,” he adds. “It just needs to be represented by the right people. Some of the rejects at the forefront of the scene couldn’t exist in other genres, and I feel like the bar has to be raised and certain guys need to be put on time out.” Watch out for his new project, Clean Sheet, coming soon. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson

As a self-proclaimed “new generation grime scene leader”, it’s only right that Willesden native Logan gets a mention as one of the MCs pushing the scene forward today. I first started noticing him on the radio circuit about four years ago when I gave him, namesbliss and JoSoSick their own show, The Otherside, on Radar Radio. Logan didn’t really have the yardman style of MCing back then—looking back, it’s changed a lot since he appeared on the first of my Hell In A Cell royal rumbles back in 2017, but he’s gone from strength to strength ever since and now he’s virtually unmissable on the airwaves. Putting yourself out there on sets as much as Logan does can be a risky move, but he never disappoints. He’s gone on to clash Armz on Lord Of The Mics, secured international bookings, and ventured into different styles of bass music, working on dubstep with The Bug, garage with Y U QT, drum and bass with Voltage from Kings Of The Rollers, and even UK funky with Kouslin for Idris Elba’s YARDIE movie soundtrack. He’s also come into his own as a producer this year, as we’ve seen in his recent beat clashes on the #NOBIAS Twitter Spaces. And if there were any doubters before, everyone’s taking him seriously now as both a producer and an MC. —DJ Argue

In South London MC Renz, you get the best of both worlds: pure nostalgia and a look into the future. With a penchant for skippy flows and cartoonish ad-libs, he could have easily come out in the mid-2000s Channel U era, but his energy on the mic is as fresh as it comes. There’s a hunger Renz brings to current-day grime that gives you hope this scene will be A-OK. “When people say grime’s dead, from when I know I’m not washed and neither is any of the people around me, how can it be? Also, when people discover my music, that’s the opposite of what they say,” says Renz. “But people saying all this just motivates me to go that much harder so my music reaches out and I show everyone what’s good.” Renz added that his “WhoopDiDiDooTape is causing a lot of noise in the scene, and it’s not even out yet. The new Mob Set tape’s about ready to drop, too, so stay tuned.” You heard him. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson

Consistently releasing music and performing for the last six years, 20-year-old SBK is one of the most experienced young spitters in the game. Seeking out opportunities to showcase his rhymes to the scene as 14-year-old from Stevenage, grime has always been the sound for him. “I’m not really sure why I started at such a young age,” he says. “I think it’s because my dad pushed me to do music and the music that I could identify with the most—coming from council housing and basically coming from nothing—was grime. I could relate with it more than any other type of music. My vision when I started out was to just pick up the mic and spray! Big up Jme. Watching sets online with D Double E, Wiley and Skepta, it made me want to be right there with them.” After a string of singles and EPs, in 2021—during the height of lockdown—SBK released his debut album, Serenity, exclusively through his own website. Utilising his skippy flow over a range of experimental sonics, he released arguably one of the best projects that year. SBK’s aim, from the very beginning, has been “to get out of poverty, make it out and make sure that no one else in my family ever has to struggle again.” Off the back of music, he’s been able to do just that. “Grime is my life,” he says. —Logan Sama

Clarity is one of the most important things to have as an MC, and newcomer Duppy has it in spades. The young barrer is among the newest school of grime bringing raw energies to the game and keeping things exciting. Producing much of his own material, he’s already at an advantage and it’s only a matter of time before the industry at large taps in. “To me, grime in 2022 is like a big pool of talent,” says Duppy. “There’s a bunch of sick MCs, sick producers, sick DJs, engineers, videographers, photographers. It’s a healthy community. There’s so many names to mention: Mez, Renz, Cadell, SBK, Logan OLM, Crafty 893, Squintz, Tia Talks, JoSoSick, Manga Saint Hilare, Silas, Grandmixxer, Conflict, General Courts, DOK, Sir Spyro, Oblig, J Beatz, Selecta Impact, and the list goes on. The fact that I can name an abundance of talent just goes to show how much the grime scene is alive and well. I just think that the more music we’re able to put out, the more we’ll be able to thrive.” Word to that. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson

K9 first appeared on SBTV 12 years ago. He was invited by his friend who was shooting a video with the channel’s late founder, Jamal Edwards, and was then offered his own opportunity to do a freestyle. When his best friend passed away, K9 changed his thought process and the pain began to fuel the music; it was at this point he began to take music seriously. But his journey started even further back: in 2005, he performed on stage at Notting Hill Carnival with Skepta, Dynasty Crew, N.E, Blacks and Messy; in 2006, he was invited onto DJ Garna’s show, and this is where he began to get noticed for his mic-spraying talents. With influences ranging from reggae and jungle to R&B and UK garage, the West London native—who bars with a burning fire in his belly—brings something fresh and exciting to the scene. Continuing to evolve over the years, both in terms of his flow and his pen game, K9 has also gone on to work with household names such as Big Zuu, Wiley, Kozzie and Silencer, and with a new EP in At Your Own Risk set to drop in a matter of weeks, he could soon be joining that list. —Janaya Cowie

Mob Set member Squintz is the definition of a grime kid. He grew up on the greats, and he’s performed on stages blessed by them too, most notably the Boy Better Know Festival at the O2 in 2016. Fast forward to today, and he’s putting out tunes for fun, spraying on old-school beats like Macabre Unit’s “Sense” and Jme’s “96 Bars Of Revenge”, while at the same time moving things forward with tracks like “Dem Man” alongside Scrufizzer and Jammer. That featured on his first project, 2021’s Nuen Ain’t Gang, and there’s a whole unreleased Mob Set project parked off too. More than just an MC, he also makes his own beats and shoots his own videos, all of which are done to a high standard. Grime’s in good hands with Squintz around. —DJ Argue

Making a splash on 2019’s Lord Of The Mics 8 for his super tense bout with Yizzy, Micofcourse’s machine gun fire flow was built for clashing, and it’s served him well so far. He’s a rowdy presence on radio sets, both physically and lyrically, and he’s given us plenty of memorable moments over the past few years. The West Londoner caught a lot of people’s attention because of that intense, rapid-fire style, but sometimes he likes to surprise us. Like with last year’s TomInTheChamber-produced “Backroads”—a proper treat complete with its slow-and-low style and lurching bass. Micofcourse is stepping into his light, and we are here for the elevation. —James Keith

With a sinister flow that can put the spooks on most, Reece West is one of grime’s most unique characters. He’s been on the circuit for quite a while now but he’s really elevated in the last few years, working with some of the biggest names in the scene like P Money and Bruza, making appearances at Grime Originals raves, and even licensing his garage track, “More Than A Lot”, to Conducta’s Kiwi Rekords. Consistently releasing high-quality material and shutting it down on sets, he’s also unafraid to take on any opponent, with his face-offs against F.o.S on Lord Of The Mics and Saint P on Rude Kid’s infamous Kiss FM Christmas set just two examples of his recent clashes. Even though he’s been keeping his head down while spending time between Spain and London, he’s had war dubs flying at him from every direction in recent months and has held his ground with some great replies of his own, like “Wiley’s Brother (E3 Reject)” and “North London Flows 3”, however “Pinocchio” might be his best one yet. Get to know. —DJ Argue

Representing Top Valley in Nottingham, 25-year-old Snowy is one of the most hard-working MCs from outside London. Being based up North hasn’t slowed down his creative process one bit, but he feels the barriers are still there for an artist to progress their career. “I feel like I do get left out of things and I don’t know why that is,” he explains. “I don’t know if people think it’ll be a hassle getting someone from outside London on a show or what—it’s nonsense, really, because I put in the work and I do my thing, but everything has its time.” Rising through the ranks on the tail-end of grime’s second wind in the mid-2010s, Snowy has proven track after track that he has what it takes to stand next to grime’s top players. His catalogue of music reveals an artist willing to take grime into new spaces, working with top producers in UK garage, jungle and house, and his aim whenever he steps into the booth is to “always make a banger.” —Logan Sama

Like a lot of MCs, XP has been battling since his youth club days, but unlike most, he seems to always come out on top. Some of my favourites include his Lord Of The Mics clash with North London’s Row D, which was tense; that time he went up against Fire Don from Birmingham on Who’s Da Boss; and who can forget his winning appearance as the Manchester team captain on Red Bull’s Grime-A-Side? Now representing BURSTGANG down south, XP is super active on the radio circuit right now. He’s been making appearances on grassroots stations such as Empire and Mode FM ever since grime’s resurgence in the mid-2010s, and he’s always posting clips of his freestyles on Twitter, which do solid numbers. It’s safe to say XP is putting in work. —DJ Argue

One thing that separates Mez from the rest is his charisma and eccentric stylings on the mic. Making his presence known on pirate radio in an era where it was easier to showcase your talent through SoundCloud uploads, the Nottingham native carries the cultural traditions of grime set by his predecessors into the new generation. Trying to build a reputation as a noteworthy mic-man from outside of London can be challenging, but that didn’t stop him from shelling down shows up and down the land, working his way from local stages to touring with D Double and working with the likes of P Money, Jammer and Flirta D. With a number of well-received EPs under his belt, it’s clear Mez’s best is yet to come. —Claudia Cagna

Hailing from Croydon, Tia Talks only started MCing late last year, and already she’s proving to be one of the brightest young talents in the grime scene. She initially started her career in music as a radio presenter and producer for local stations such as Trickstar Radio, Platform B, Croydon FM and NTS, where she also has a YouTube series called Wings & Wine. But after featuring on a song with friends, “Send Man Gulag”—a track full of banter—she decided that she wanted to give the MCing thing a proper go. And it’s paying off: Tia’s she’s shelled on sets for the likes of Sir Spyro and was recruited by the Godfather himself, Wiley, to appear on his “Tourbus” remix alongside D Double E, Kozzie and Keedz. You can hear more of Tia’s boss girl bars on her upcoming debut project, as well as live in the flesh at September’s Outlook Festival. —Janaya Cowie

If anyone’s ever summed up the DIY foundations of grime, it’s Northampton powerhouse FFSYTHO. “Bop Through Ya Manor” was an explosive debut and she’s been an unstoppable force ever since. She hasn’t stuck solely to grime, but in spirit, she couldn’t be more grime. It’s not just her punchy, in-your-face delivery, it’s her whole approach, from the alliances she makes (her friendship and ongoing collaborative partnership with Jabru being a shining example) to the DIY approach to getting her music out there and building real connections with fans both online and with a really clever and stylish merchandise line. FFSYTHO is just the full package. She’s studied what came before and taken extensive notes on what works and what doesn’t, she doesn’t limit herself with the productions she jumps on—if anything, she pushes herself to jump on more and more out there instrumentals—and that’s the kind of risk-taking we need more of. —James Keith

One of the best things about Cadell is he’s not afraid of a good scrap on the mic. Since day one, clashes have been grime’s crucible. It’s where scores are settled and it’s given us some of the most talked about bits of mythos in grime history. Cadell, to his credit, has been right in the thick of a lot of it. During the Christmas/New Year period between 2019 and 2020, Stormzy and Wiley had a pretty entertaining back and forth and, naturally, Cadell jumped in for his older brother on “World War III”, going straight for the jugular with barbed rhymes about mums and ex-girlfriends. More recently, he got into it with PK, Subten and Reece West. These conflicts have been at least partly tied up with the ongoing chaos on Twitter Spaces, but thankfully it didn’t stay there and he took it into the booth to give us a war dub for each of the MCs, plus three more to create the #NOBIAS EP. If you like your grime hardcore, Cadell is definitely your guy. —James Keith

When PK first emerged with his YGG brothers-in-arms Saint P and Lyrical Strally, it was a noisy time with a lot of competition, but they came from leftfield with an explosive energy and tight bond that quickly shot them up to the top. They clashed, they had radio credentials, endless quotables, and a degree of playfulness and cheek that sometimes gets overlooked in favour of crud and machismo. The trio are still active today—signed to Flowdan’s Spentshell—but for the last couple of years, they’ve been focusing on their solo work—solo work which has seen PK toy with some new takes on the grime blueprint, including the Brazil-inspired “Favela” he made with producer Izco. PK also likes to mix it up with some good old-fashioned beef. His recent square-off with Cadell was controversial to say the least: it was personal, outrageous, and another show of his deft skill on the mic (and who can forget that epic 2015 freestyle?). —James Keith

Essex-born Tommy B is one of grime’s most promising new acts. Taking it back to his debut EP, 2018’s Racing, he introduced himself to the world with a tireless flow and crystal-clear diction, with the absence of features proving his ability to hold his own. He maintained this vigorous flow on the follow-up project—2019’s The New Dimension—this time with appearances from grime veterans Devlin, President T, Syer B and Discarda. Since then, Tommy B has consistently demonstrated a high level of lyricism and experimented with genres outside of his grime roots, merging those different sounds on his 2020 EP, Man Up. With a new project due soon, the sky’s the limit for this young MC. —Claudia Cagna

Without looking beyond the M25, we wouldn’t have Devilman, Virus Syndicate, Kamakaze, Jaykae, Shogun and countless others. Adding his name to that list is Wellingborough MC Rawza. He’s jumped on drill, he’s jumped on rap, but he’s got a lot to give in the grime world. He’s put the work in with a healthy stock of freestyles and radio sets and he’s done all the groundwork every grime MC has to put in before they can even call themselves an MC. In 2019, Jammer apparently thought the same because he booked him in for Lord Of The Mics 8 where he was pitched against East Londoner Gen. The smart money was on Rawza and he lived up to every expectation; brutal, fearless, domineering, it was a real masterclass in setting pace for your opponent and making sure they’re always playing catch-up. If Rawza leans more towards the rap or drill side, that would hardly be unwelcome, but the grime scene would be worse off if he moved away from it completely. —James Keith

Chey is a diamond in the rough. Born and bred in East London, her sound is as gritty as it gets, but she’s also able to catch most off guard when she drops in a melodic bar or two. Chey uses her real life experiences to deliver hard-hitting lyrics and you believe every. single. word. Growing up on a diet of hip-hop and gospel music, she found grime in her late teens and used everything she grew up on to carve out an authentic sound for herself. Chey recently came down to the Igloo—a space put together by Wiley for MCs to create—for a Female All-Stars event, and as soon as she touched mic, it became clear to the room that she was a star in the making. —Janaya Cowie

Subten’s name has been thrown around a lot lately, particularly on Twitter Spaces, but he’s contributed a lot to grime over the years. Rising up the ranks as part of Shoddy Crew with Chip, Double S and Vertex, Subten has had plenty of big moments of his own. 2016’s “Mazza” with Double S and fellow North Londoner Capo Lee was huge for him and he’s been a consistent force in grime ever since. What makes a good MC a great one is versatility. The first wave of grime MCs cut their teeth on either UKG or jungle, and it’s what gave everyone such widely varied flows. That’s clearly not lost on Subten who started 2021 with his D&B debut, scoring a big hit in that world with Hospital Records producer Whiney on “Headlnes”. His steady-handed flow lent itself well to Whiney’s pulsing rhythms and it set the tone for a versatile year, jumping on dubstep with Dizzee and then closing with the singer AFREINE on a garage number. If he can incorporate that agility back into grime in a way we haven’t seen before, then Subten could bring the scene some pretty interesting innovations. —James Keith

M.I.C (the Master Of Inane Conversation) isn’t limited to grime, but it’s the 140BPM chuggers that gave him his start. Those tapped in will have likely come across the North Londoner via one of Tim & Barry’s Just Jam sessions; armed with some hilarious 16s, M.I.C has injected some fun back into the scene, and he’s not afraid to stand out with his dress sense either. He recently put together a solid joint project, You Can Achieve Anything, with Croydon FM host and instrumental drill champ Nammy Wams. Coming at grime from pretty different perspectives, it made for a fresh and inventive take on grime that felt more like the lawlessly inventive days of the early-00s. As he continues to push the boundaries in every sense, M.I.C is the grime maverick you need to know right now. —James Keith