Grime is the most important British musical movement of the last four decades. Not since punk has a sound emerged so fully formed, nor revolutionised the landscape around it so thoroughly. It was grime that finally moved UK rap music out of America's shadow and made stars of Dizzee and Skepta, Stormzy and Dave.
Ghetts was there at the beginning. The rapper was among the scene's founding figures and remains one of its most chameleonic artists, pushing UK rap into new and increasingly innovative directions. His 2008 mixtape, Freedom of Speech, was released just as grime's first commercial flush was moving it away from its roots, and was vital in steering into a darker, more authentic direction. Many have followed, few have matched its heights.
Since then he's put out two acclaimed albums and lent his inimitable flow to collaborations with some of the genre's biggest names, appearing alongside the likes of Stormzy and Giggs, as well as putting out music with Skepta earlier this year. That single, 'IC3', is the first hint at a new album that will land in early 2021.
Fraser T Smith came in a little later, from a very different background. Originally a session musician, he started his career in Rick Wakeman's backing band, before shifting behind the mixing desk to produce records by Adele, Sam Smith and Gorillaz. In recent years, he's become the go-to producer for UK rap's most exciting artists, and his list of collaborators includes a who's-who of grime and hip-hop dons: Kano (Made in the Manor), Stormzy (Gang Signs and Prayer), Dave (Psychodrama).
He's helped introduce a lusher, more expansive sound that still feels unmistakably British, unrepentantly of the streets. Now, he's brought that approach to his first project under his new, solo moniker: Future Utopia. The album, 12 Questions, is released on 23 October, and seeks answers to a dozen head-scratchers, calling on experts ranging from Kano and Kojey Radical to set designer Es Devlin, poet laureate Simon Armitage, and Albert Woodfox, the Angola Three inmate who was wrongly held in solitary confinement for 40 years.
The album also features Ghetts, who offers a lyrical take on the question 'Nature or Nurture'. A puzzler indeed, which is why we decided to sit the pair down as part of this year's Esquire Townhouse @ Your House in partnership with Breitling, to discuss the state of the rap scene, their history together and their new music. Smith will also performed a track from the album, 'Do We Really Care?', with Tom Grennan and Tia Carys.
The pair spoke to DJ and broadcaster Georgie Rogers from BBC Radio 6, to paint a picture of the music scene from the perspective of two artists at the forefront of music's most exciting and explosive genre.
For information on all the other talks at this year's Esquire Townhouse, as well as highlights and behind-the-scenes content, make sure to sign up to our newsletter.
