Grime - by Roony Keefe (Hardcover)

About the Book

This is the extensive legacy of grime, as told by a pioneer of the scene. Experience the 140BPM beating heartbeat of grime - not just as a music genre, but as a living, breathing culture that continues to thrive, inspire, and boldly challenge the status quo.

Book Synopsis

This is the extensive legacy of grime, as told by a pioneer of the scene. Experience the 140BPM beating heartbeat of grime - not just as a music genre, but as a living, breathing culture that continues to thrive, inspire, and boldly challenge the status quo.

'There are very few better placed than Roony to document the Grime scene - and he does so perfectly' - Romesh Ranganathan

"Grime is a way of life, a voice for the ambitions and dreams of the inner-city youth. It's a vessel for our creativity and a way to express ourselves. It's a rebellion to the system; to those who said we can't or don't deserve to be involved, be better, or to want more.

Grime is the way you carry yourself, the way you talk, the way you wear your clothes. It's a culture, it's the heartbeat of the UK's underdog story for this generation; it's our punk. It's acceptance across the world for the music we make and the respect we've commanded. It's the evolution of the sounds brought to England and the culmination of cultures: the black, the white, the Turkish and the Asian, the working classes, the poor and the wanting more. It's that little voice inside you that says, 'go the extra mile and don't give up'."

Roony 'Risky Roadz' Keefe stands as a trusted chronicler of the grime scene's early days. Starting as a fan armed with a handy cam, his RiskyRoadz series captured the buzz of the time, and blew up when YouTube emerged. He later directed iconic music videos that defined the genre's visual identity. Legendary status runs in his bloodline; his grandmother is non other than 80-year-old viral sensation, Grime Gran.

GRIME spotlights the people and places that shaped the genre: from its inception in the early 2000s, to today. It's a portal into the gritty, authentic world of grime, offering a front-row seat to modern history; the beef, the social history, the personalities, the tracksuits, the tunes - and the reality of a revolution that reshaped a generation.

Review Quotes

'There are very few better placed than Roony to document the Grime scene - and he does so perfectly' - Romesh Ranganathan

'Reading Risky's book, you see how the narrative strands of his life are woven into the very fabric of the Grime scene. Listening to Grime music, it's impossible not to hear the reverberations of his life and the indelible contributions he has made to music culture in the UK. As grime continues its movement across the globe, RiskyRoadz remains part of both its unshakeable foundations and its evolution' - Will Poulter

About the Author

Roony Keefe, aka 'Risky Roadz', is a trusted name when it comes to documenting the early grime scene's nitty gritty. After starting out as a fan with a handy cam and his seminal Risky Roadz series, Roony Keefe has gone on to direct some of the most iconic videos in grime. His grandmother is viral sensation, Grime Gran.