Great Brit(ish) Music

Turning austerity into anthems, the stars of the UK’s thriving underground rap scene redefine what it means to be young and British today

EZRA OLAOYA

London shifts direction like the wind. On a seemingly weekly basis, high streets change, music venues shutter and independent businesses cling on for dear life against endless apartment-block constructions. As inequality continues to rise in tandem with soaring living costs, prospects feel increasingly bleak, leaving many young people questioning what we have to look forward to. Perhaps we can take heart from the fact that Britain has always created innovative art in spite of – and often in response to – its precarious socioeconomic circumstances. Lover’s rock was the soundtrack to the Caribbean community making a home for themselves in the UK in the 1970s. In the early 90s, jungle underscored a generation disillusioned by years of Thatcherite cuts to government spending. Grime was the defiant spirit of the city’s…

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Dazed & Confused (Digital) - 1 Issue, Spring 2025

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