Music of The United Kingdom (2000s) - Hip Hop

Hip Hop

At the beginning of the 2000s a new style of electronic music, influenced heavily by hip hop and UK garage, and dubbed grime (sometimes called eskibeat or sublow), included acts such as Dizzee Rascal, Lady Sovereign, Wiley, Sway DaSafo, Ghetto and Kano. The eponymous debut album of Gorillaz, created by Damon Albarn in 2001, sold over seven million copies and earned them an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band. The success of The Streets' 2002 album Original Pirate Material drew the media's attention to lighter, more melodic rap as a form of pop music and this was followed by the success of Welsh rap group Goldie Lookin' Chain and acts like N-Dubz, Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk, dubbed "Brithop" by the press. Other successful Hip-Hop/Grime artists include Aggro Santos, Tinie Tempah, Professor Green, Bashy, Devlin and Skepta. The popularity of British rap has significantly risen over the past few years. 6 Number 1 singles were scored by UK rappers in 2009, and 6 Number 1 singles were scored in 2010. And previous to 2009, a British rapper had never topped the UK singles chart. Artists to reach the number 1 spot are Taio Cruz, Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder, Chipmunk, Tinie Tempah, Roll Deep and Plan B.