Grime (music)
Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Kano, and Lethal Bizzle were among the first grime musicians to gain mainstream media attention in 2003-2004. Their albums Boy in da Corner, Treddin' on Thin Ice, Home Sweet Home, and Against All Oddz were the first to gain popularity. Dizzee Rascal gained a lot of acclaim and commercial success with his album Boy in da Corner. In 2003, Dizzee Rascal was able to win the Mercury Music Prize because of the album. However, many other grime musicians were not able to gain mainstream popularity. To help advertise lesser-known musicians, Jammer (from the group Boy Better Know) created Lord of the Mics in 2004. Lord of the MIcs was a yearly DVD series, which provided a platform for lesser-known musicians to promote themselves. The musicians on Lord of the Mics showcased their talents by competing in battle raps (also called "clashing"). The DVD also contained interviews with grime musicians. The DVD was at first sold by Jammer himself, but he was later able to sell it via ukrecordshop.com which helped the DVD rise in popularity. The DVD helped many lesser-known grime artists gain popularity, and also helped grime gain a fanbase on the internet. Before the DVD, many grime artists only gained fans by performing live in pirate radio (illegal radio stations).