Does Grime really support Jeremy Corbyn?
With Stormzy and Wiley coming out in support of Jeremy Corbyn on social media, it’s clear that Grime has some Corbynites amongst the ranks of its leading stars. Yet support for the politician is not universal amongst the genre — and too often onlookers succumb to generalisations that all Grime musicians are Corbyn supporters. As is the case elsewhere, the Labour leader’s lack of popularity with the general populace has raised a few eyebrows amongst musicians — and some believe that he’s not the right “man to take the party forward.”
Likely, the association between Corbyn and Grime first emerged with the #Grime4Corbyn movement in 2017. The campaign, backed by Stormzy, Novelist and Jme helped solidify the “youthquake” of support that came out for Corbyn — despite the fact that this was counterbalanced by a surge in Conservative support amongst over 55s. The association between Labour and Grime then is one with clear advantages for Labour; but what did MCs get out of it?
In 2017, Dizzee Rascal was asking just that question. “Grime 4 Corbyn? I just don’t know what I’m supposed to feel about that – does he even listen to grime?” he asked, speaking in conversation with NME. “Did he say anything about grime onstage at Glastonbury? No? Well, there you go.” Rascal is right; Corybn is benefiting off of Grime but not giving anything back. Skepta, has also voiced scepticism about the hype surrounding #Grime4Corbyn and this unequal relationship, saying; “They use us – them, not me – for what they wanted to use them for and they’re back doing their bullshit. They need to understand we’re human beings.”
In the build-up to this year’s election, it would have been expected for #Grime4Corbyn to taper off — particularly after Lethal Bizzle publicly asked Corbyn to stand down. However, the movement renewed itself for 2019 with musicians like Stormzy and Novelist reiterating their support in an open letter.
As Cat Park, a PR who reps the likes of Jammer, Boy Better Know and other key Grime musicians, explains, the danger in a movement like #Grime4Corbyn is that it can obscure the diversity of opinions in a politically engaged genre such as Grime. “#Grime4Corbyn is a specific movement but the term is being widely used to describe various music artists and their political preferences and opinions,” Park explains.
“The strong feeling amongst a lot of artists is that any Labour supporter within Grime is being pigeonholed under the ‘Grime4Corbyn’ umbrella. A number of artists don’t think this heading correctly represents their views.” However, support for Labour isn’t necessarily support for Corbyn. “A lot of artists do have strong political views, with their own preferences based on their own research. Grouping them in with this movement feels a bit gimmicky to them and takes away from the credibility and independence of their own voice.”
Speaking to Nottingham MC Snowy, he believes that Grime’s links with the Labour party aren’t to do with any specific leader but rather the party’s tradition of representing working class interests against Conservative austerity. “Labour is a working class party and Grime is the voice of today’s working class youth. I can only identify with what I identify with.” Rather than throwing in his support for Corbyn as a leader, he’s attracted to the policies that the politician and his entire shadow cabinet have come up with for this election — a manifesto that promises a potentially fairer society. “I’m voting in favour of Labour’s plans to put more money into the NHS and welfare services. Labour are pledging money for social care, homelessness and inequality and mental health services,” he says.
“I don’t see how you can know about the cuts, and the pressures people have been facing because of these cuts, and still vote Conservative in 2019. And let’s face it, Tories don’t care about Black people.”
