WALK
Grime’s easy to dismiss. When its first mutoid beats started booming their way out of east London council estates in the early noughties, it sounded like alien music. The lyrics were in a language that most of us didn’t understand. When Dizzee Rascal shouted at you to ‘Fix up, look sharp’, you thought: ‘What’s he fixing? And I hope he’s careful with that sharp thing!’ Grime is something you can listen to and think: Bit shouty. Don’t like it. Not for me.
But that would be to miss the point. Grime is, in fact, the greatest music our city has ever, ever produced. Better than any other music from London, and that’s that it’s about much, much more than just music.
It’s about community. Before a small-ish crew of Londoners struggling on the fringes of society decided to get together and talk about what their life was like, a huge section of London (and British) life was just glossed over by the mainstream. Now, a previously mute generation of Londoners has a voice. Its there own music create from the heart.
In 2004, Wiley released his first album “Treddin’ on Thin Ice” which cemented Grime as a signature style with percussive beats and British-accented rhymes. Subs equently, the musician formed a crew of fellow grime artists called Roll Deep, which included musicians such as Danny Weed, Breeze, Jamma, Skepta, and Dizzee Rascal. Aside from Dizzee Rascal, Grime
Rinse FM. In 2016, grime music had a resurgence of popularity. New musicians like Stormzy and Bugzy Malone have brought grime further into the mainstream. Grime music was influenced by an eclectic collection of music, fusing hip hop with a number of UK musical subgenres that were popular in the 1990s, including UK garage music, techno, and jungle music—which is a kind of rave music influenced by a heavy backbeat.
Dizzee Rascal was an early member of the Roll Deep crew. His debut album Boy in da Corner won him a Mercury Prize—which is a UK award presented to British or Irish artists—and his career soared with hits including “Bonkers,” “Dance Wiv Me,” and “Holiday.”
“I grew up on the pirate radio scene which started out as drum ‘n’ bass music.
U.K. grime picked up and got bigger on the back end of that.”
Dizzee RascalPlaytime Is Over, Wiley. 2007 Hoodies All Summer, Kano. 2019 Tongue N’ Cheek, Dizzie Rascal. 2011 Konnichiwa, Skepta. 2016
Originally designed for performance running, Air Max trainers deliver support and comfort that has been loved by athletes for three decades. The first trainer to use visible Air Max cushioning in the sole, you don’t just feel the bounce – you can see it. Combined with a springy foam midsole, the Nike Air Max 90 provides lightweight cushioning that propels each step. Stitched overlays offer durability while adding classic ‘90s detailing for ultimate street style. Rubber Waffle outsoles provide next-level traction and grip, so you can step, run and jump with speed and focus.
From its humble pirate radio origins to the chart-topping genre that it is today, grime’s ascent over the past 20 years has been nothing short of spectacular. And with Nike’s latest Air Max 90 Garage/ Grime collection celebrating two of the UK’s most renowned underground sounds.
A celebration of two of London’s most important music cultures, Nike share the “Garage & Grime” pack.
NIKE AIR MAX 90 “GARAGE” & “GRIME”
Two decades ago, the Air Max 95 changed footwear with forefoot Max Air cushioning and a human anatomy-inspired design unlike any sneaker before. The design took shape via cues from the human body, with a lacing system inspired by a set of ribs, a spine-inspired outsole and a mesh and suede upper
representing muscle fibres. This bold inspiration called for a layered upper construction with synthetic suede, stitched and compression moulded for maximum support without bagging out over time. Mesh overlays provided breathability throughout the entire top of the foot, along with the Air Max 95’s “Speed-Lacing”
eyelets, designed to wrap the wearer’s foot from top to sockliner. The shoe’s colours proved just as iconic as its design inspiration. First released in grey paired with bright yellow accents, the Air Max 95 wasn’t the first runner to employ a neon hue according to Lozano. The neon yellow was not new it was our colour palette.
The Nike Air Max Plus, released in 1998, is one such shoe. This unique addition to the Air Max dynasty defined the era in which it debuted as well as those that followed. On sale somewhere in the world for close to two decades without any downtime and released in hundreds of colorways and variations in construction that include leather editions, Ultra makeovers and slip-ons, the ultimate accolade for the Air Max Plus was an unofficial rebrand — in some territories
it’s better known by the two letters, “Tn,” that represent the Tuned Air it debuted — and the moniker is now standard issue at street level. While the silhouette’s cult stature is well known, its origin is less established. Designed by industry veteran Sean McDowell, the shoe combines an unlikely aesthetic influence with a trio of never-before-employed manufacturing techniques. This is a shoe that will never been forgotten.
“I wanted to put some emphasis on the top-down view.”
Sean McDowell
