Grime Pays w/ Twenty'8, Lorry, Plain Jane, Luis Rico & 07AY - Apr 2025

·24 min·2 clips

A self-proclaimed pilot from east London paints sets and eases ball, claiming to be the first when shots fire.

The episode is a freestyle rap session with multiple artists contributing verses in a continuous flow, lacking traditional interview or narrative structure. It opens with confident boasts about flying over east London and painting sets, setting a tone of gritty self-assurance. Artists reflect on personal hardships, including family dysfunction, grafting in flats, and sleeping in unloving environments, while carrying the weight of England on their backs. References to meeting Jammer the Merkle man and Dunlap, along with FIFA and circle culture, highlight connections within the grime community. The performance touches on themes of selling out, with artists asserting they won't compromise despite seeing others do so. Internal conflicts are explored through metaphors like Jekyll and Hyde, describing mental wars and feeling drained by loved ones who become parasites. There are mentions of council housing, old towers, and the risk of diving into mountains, emphasizing a background of struggle. Artists discuss wearing brave faces, ignoring naysayers who question their flow and money, and seeing the game from a distance to avoid choking. The lyrics include raw admissions of PTSD, crying in the face of body bruises, and dealing with racist invasions and colonization. Shifts in tone occur, with moments of empowerment in spitting rhymes and disempowerment when others don't listen. The artists reference specific locations like North West London and South London, grounding the performance in UK urban culture. They talk about making hits without giving their hand, dropping projects like 'Stop Looking', and freestyling versus written verses. There are boasts about turning Hondas into Benz, getting MCs dead, and being expensive when stepping on the step. The performance includes reflections on friendship waste, cutting off people who don't care, and dealing with confidence issues from a young age. It ends with a focus on truth, asking for honesty in a game of truth or dare, and bringing the truth up in here. Throughout, the DIY ethos is evident in the raw production and unfiltered delivery, capturing the essence of grime music's roots.

As heard by us

A raw cypher-like episode where hard boasts, family wounds, and the demand for truth keep crashing together.

The episode runs on collision: boasts, threats, and confession keep pushing into each other until status talk gives way to damage. Flying over East, painting sets, carrying England, and wanting the map sit beside family hurt, survival, PTSD, and the need to get truth into the…

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Why you'd press play

You want grime that can swing from east-side bravado to family hurt without losing its pulse.

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