How two brothers helped propel grime into the mainstream

In 2005, brothers Joseph and Jamie Adenuga faced uncertainty after the disbandment of their rap crew.

While the other members began to reorganize themselves, the Tottenham-based brothers decided to pursue music on their own terms; It was a career-defining move.

The brothers are now better known as Skepta and JME, and the label they founded was Boy Better Know (BBK).

“They were so influential in rap in the UK, they showed us we could do it,” Lewisham artist Shaybo told the BBC.

At the time, grime was still a young and evolving musical genre emerging from the electronic dance scene.

Up-and-coming British rappers were signing contracts with major labels to produce songs the industry deemed more commercially viable.

In other words – not dirt.

But BBK’s ethos was to stay independent and stay true to who you are.

“These are incredibly stubborn people and they’ve probably seen the pitfalls of signing a deal,” says Dacre Bracey, founder of RWD magazine, which has been covering scumbags since its inception.

The label has other members, such as Frisco, Jammer and Shorty, but “the genius of BBK is the Adenuga family,” he explains.

The first sign of this genius were T-shirts with the Boy Better Know logo printed on them.

Bracey says these products, designed by JME, who will graduate from the University of Greenwich with a degree in 3D digital design, are sold all over the capital and helped fund the label in the early days.

“Everyone wore their T-shirts to school,” adds Shaybo.

“BBK gave you the confidence to be yourself without regrets. I was able to listen to music that I truly connected with.”

Another artist who felt the influence while still in his teens was rapper Capo Lee.

Although several years younger, he attended Winchmore School in North London like the Adenuga brothers.

“When you’re drowning in negativity, it’s hard to get out of it,” he tells the BBC.

“They gave us so much hope that anything is possible.

“I started DJing in middle school when I was 13. My friends would come over and we would try to recreate their vibe in my room.”

By the late 2000s, things were really starting to take off for the label.

They released dozens of well-received mixtapes, peaking with the song Too Many Man, which entered the UK singles charts.

But by 2010, the world of dirt looked very different.

“The excitement has faded,” says Bracey.

“The police really exploited the live event aspect of the grime, so you couldn’t perform and [government] Busted on pirate radio.

“A lot of people retired and moved on or changed genres.”

Dizzee Rascal, who once defined the sound of grime with his Mercury Prize-winning debut album Boy in da Corner, is now rapping more commercially with songs like Bonkers and Dance Wiv Me.

But Capo Lee still sees this commercial breakthrough as a positive development in terms of pollution.

“Music was very different in the 2010s, but [the public] “I’m used to seeing black men on screen,” he says.

Even when the pollution was so quiet, BBK continued to release music.

“JME has always had a very strong spirit of independence; it’s never fallen into the trap of fame,” says documentary photographer Simon Wheatley, who has known the Adenuga brothers for many years.

Skepta temporarily changed course and signed with Universal, releasing his third album, Doin’ It Again, to modest commercial success.

But her sound diluted and she left the label and returned to grime with 2014’s hit song That’s Not Me, about rejecting commercial pressure and designer brands being true to yourself.

The music video, which cost £80 to create, won the Mobo award and proved that Skepta could do it just fine on his own.

JME’s output culminated with his hugely successful 2015 album Integrity, which entered the UK albums chart at number 12.

“I think this album is a very apt title, considering the way it is,” says Wheatley.

The following year, Skepta released his own masterpiece, Konnichiwa. The album, with Pharrell Williams’ production sprinkled over undeniable filth, was awarded the Mercury Prize.

Released by BBK, it helped solidify grime as a genre driven on its own terms, free from the influence of major label executives.

Capo Lee told the BBC that it was this era of the label that “re-opened everyone’s eyes and ears to grime”.

Other artists such as Stormzy, Dave, Bugzy Malone would follow and take the genre in different directions, but they all started on the independent path established by BBK.

Even an artist like Shaybo, who doesn’t describe himself as a dirty emcee, says BBK has had a big impact on him.

“Grime was my foundation, they gave me the ability to rap and the confidence to embrace my heritage,” says the 29-year-old actor.

“When people hear BBK, they know it’s BBK.”

“These things could only happen through the fusion of cultures in London or the UK,” Bracey adds.

“That’s why BBK is wonderful, magical and special.”

Additional reporting by Connie Bowker