Three is the magic number. That’s why the third year of the GRM Rated Awards sponsored by KA drinks is sure to have something real special in store. GRM are back at the Roundhouse in Camden for an evening dedicated to celebrating the whole host of excellence alive in the urban music scene right now. It’s been an undeniably momentous year in the game with project after project receiving both underground and mainstream acclaim. Now it’s time to celebrate the best of the best in an evening like no other.
Just to really remind you of how iconic the Rated Awards really are, here’s a breakdown of some of the best moments from 2015 and 2016. It’s sure to get you more than gassed for what’s coming next Tuesday.
Kano’s closing performance 2015
The awards’ premiere year exploded into existence with a night jam packed full of awards for those making major moves. Arguably the most important award of the night is the Legacy Award, which celebrates consistent achievements in the industry that just have to be recognised. 2015’s winner was the one and only Kano, who marked the win with a closing performance no one could forget. The MC ran through tunes from his hefty catalogue, treating the audience to everything from “Flow Of The Year” to “Layer Cake” to the classic “Ps & Qs”. It’s an unmissable performance, the guy wrote the book on stage presence and an audience’s reaction to “Ps & Qs” will never get old. The clip below includes reactions from Bonkaz and Eyez’ who were as hyped as the rest of us. Remind yourself of the greatness below:
Tim Westwood sending for Charlie Sloth 2015
A little bit of controversy never hurt anyone, did it? The first year of awards saw man like Tim Westwood spit fire at fellow DJ Charlie Sloth when presenting the Artist of the Year Award. As you probably know, Westwood is Charlie’s predecessor at 1Xtra from which he left in 2013. The living legend took offence to Charlie’s speech earlier in the evening when he won an award for best DJ, in which Sloth did the humble thing of declaring himself the best DJ of all time. Although Westwood didn’t mention Charlie by name in his comeback speech, the whole thing unravelled to be a major part of the evening, with the audience more than happy to provide their reaction when the guys were on stage sending shots. It was a talking point of the night to say the very least.
Ray Blk performing My Hood 2016
Songstress of the city Ray Blk took the stage with a mesmerising acoustic version of “My Hood”. The stripped back performance only highlighted the real ability in her voice. Without a doubt she is continuing to kill it at the moment, with more projects in the pipeline you know its only up from here. Get hypnotised by her voice once again:
Skepta picking up award 2016
After missing out on collecting his award in 2015 Skeppy came through for the 2016 awards in style. He picked up an award for Best Video for “Man” and had a pretty inspirational acceptance speech as you’d expect. As a true legend of the scene who has always persisted to ensure grime gets the recognition it deserves its always worth noting Boy Better Know’s influence. The man himself coming through equals nothing but greatness.
Giggs’ Closing Performance 2016
Giggs has had achievements this year that no one could have predicted back in 2015. He’s currently sitting at number two in the UK album charts with his mixtape Wamp 2 Dem, he is receiving a notable amount of attention stateside through his collaborations with mega-artist Drake and is still consistently making banger after banger that’s embraced by the streets. All that whilst sticking true to the sound he’s been making for years, it’s the definition of iconic. His closing performance at the 2016 awards demonstrates why he’s one of the greats. Just check the energy. The stage invasion by so many people from the scene just ended the evening in suitable style. Here’s a recap on all the madness:
Ghetts’ 2015 Performance
If Ghetts doesn’t get you gassed, you may need to check yourself. The ultimate hype bringer did exactly that at the 2015 awards. His performance had everyone up off their seats and provided a boost to the show proceedings. He’s nominated for an Artist of the Year award this year, showing that he’s still coming through with that consistency in 2017. Proof of why he’s one of the greatest is clear to see in his performance from twp years ago:
There’s so many more moments not mentioned it’s ridiculous, however lucky for us there’s so many more to come.
The GRM Daily Rated Awards are happening next Tuesday 24th October,so keep your eyes peeled for everything from the celebration of the culture on the site in the next few weeks. Greatness only!