2015 has been a great year for UK Music! It’s definitely felt like several prominent artists here have made noticeable steps to try and reach that next level musically and we can tangibly see the effects of it across the scene. This can be seen even in places that didn’t embrace UK sounds before such as the US, where many UK artists (and especially Urban UK artists) are beginning to carve a name out there. Out of all of the great UK projects that have come out this year I have chosen to write this post about one that particularly embodies what I love about the UK music scene and one of my favourite albums of all genres to come out this year. In my opinion, this is a modern example of what UK sound and culture blended together in a package should sound like. I’m referring to JME‘s latest album release titled “Integrity“.

Now I’ve given my first impressions from when I first heard this Album so that should tell you everything you need to know. My opinion of it has only grown over time.

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Firstly, the fact that this album was released independently and still charted shows the brand power and connection that JME has with his fans, but what it also tells me is that this album wasn’t watered down by record labels or anyone else; no need for a “radio single” in order to give a green light for a release. Whatever JME wanted to say or do with his music, he was free to do. He simply put out the music when he wanted and whilst listening to the album you can clearly tell that every word, every beat, every song was what he wanted. You hear so many stories of artists releasing albums with songs they were forced to do by management to reach wider audiences and the overall album quality suffers for that, I didn’t feel that from Integrity. The authenticity shone from start to finish which I appreciate and which lends to a sound that was cohesive throughout.

Musically, the sounds were as true to Grime as I’ve ever heard an album be and as JME has his roots in this genre, the album sounded like it could have come out in 2006 as much as 2015 (which is a good thing). Integrity was JME sticking to what he knows but doing it in a way that still feels fresh. The beats felt like a modern throwback to the days of old. Integrity embodies the UK scene to its core.Integrity had everything I wanted to hear from an artist from the UK, in album form. Great storytelling in songs such as “Game“, “Money“, “Integrity“, along with songs to get you hyped such as the Giggs featured “Man Don’t Care” and everything in between. There were quotables that you’d even remember right after your very first listen: “96 F**kries” and the Big Narsite featured song “Break You Down” were loaded with them. Every artist who featured, delivered.

I like Integrity because it’s an album I can show someone who has never listened to Grime before and they would get it. The sound is original. In a previous post, I explored the idea of UK artists incorporating American styles in their music and Integrity doesn’t have a trace of that in any song. Integrity is an example that 100% UK sounding music can do well in 2015 and beyond.Integrity shows that you can dare to be different which is what the UK scene is all about and was built on. Having fun, entertaining, creating your own style and not worrying about what everyone else is doing. In a time that many artists in the rap/hip hop/grime genre are delivering projects that are underwhelming and have limited replay value, Integrity doesn’t fall under the same categories as them because of all the reasons stated in this post. You can tell when music embodies an artist’s personality and JME – Integrity does that perfectly. I sincerely hope that more UK artists look at JME’s success and largely positive critical acclaim and try to replicate that in their own albums. The future success and direction of the UK scene will widely be determined by the albums that come out so if we get more albums with the authenticity that Integrity had then we will definitely be alright.

Words by @TalkWithTonte

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