5 Reasons Why Hattie Collins’ ‘This Is Grime’ Is The Book For You

There are only a handful of names you can trust when it comes to journalism and grime, and Hattie Collins is one of them. The celebrated writer and editor from Birmingham, England, was one of the first—alongside Chantelle Fiddy and Martin Clark—to put pen to paper on all things grime in 2002, writing for titles such as TOUCH and The Guardian and holding down esteemed positions at RWD and i-D magazines. Currently Features Director at i-D, Collins—even during grime's rocky period—has always championed the genre and has now taken her love for the culture a step further by releasing a book titled This Is Grime (out today).

Across 320 glossy pages of images—shot by award-winning snapper Olivia Rose—and words from the MCs, DJs, producers, photographers and writers themselves, we're given first-hand accounts of how the grime scene grew from the deep, dark depths of Bow in East London to being one of the most talked-about sounds in the world right now.

Complex hit up Hattie Collins and asked her to sell her book to us in five points—which also includes some exclusive shots from the book. If this doesn't scream BUY IT! TODAY! NOW!, we don't know what else will.

"Rather than me banging on about what I think grime is and why grime is so brilliant, I decided to let the originators and innovators tell the story. I love the medium and style of an oral history, which worked brilliantly for Lauren Martin's look at dubstep. And, as journalist Martin Clark notes in This Is Grime, it turns out memories aren't reliable after all—so you get this great conversation of hazy anecdotes, conflicting recollections and often very contradictory opinions. The beginnings of grime are still a pretty murky area, with varying ideas how, when and why the scene came into existence. What I took away mostly from doing this book though is that, essentially, grime was a bunch of mates from school and college who wanted to make music and express themselves in a way that hadn't been done before. Key figures such as Wiley, Footsie, Jammer and Terror Danjah took huge influence from their parents, many of whom were in bands and ran soundsystems. Add into that the culture of pirate radio, the death of UK garage and a post-911 world, and it's no wonder something so brilliant emerged."

"Via several letters sent by snail mail, archive interviews, several phone-calls and one official visit, Titch recalls setting the scene on fire upon his release from jail in January 2003, just in time for D Double E's birthday party. His arrival was immediately explosive as he, pretty much, fucked the scene up. In other parts of the book, people that knew the MC disseminate his divisive personality and incendiary nature that at times tore the scene to pieces as he blew his way through clashes with Dizzee, fall-outs with his brother—the MC Durrty Goodz (who also features in This Is Grime)—and the terrible circumstances that led him back to jail in 2006. What also emerges is a man who has a heart of proverbial gold and whose impact on grime can't be overstated. Titch still keeps up with the culture from inside, pointing out his absolute favourite is Stormzy, who he believes is keeping the scene alive by retaining its original spirit."

"A large part of grime was the surrounding culture; the managers (Richard Thomas, Nick Detnon), the A&Rs (Nick Huggett, Dan Stacey), the booking agents (Rebecca Prochnik), the photographers (Cleveland Aaron, Tim & Barry, Simon Wheatley, David Tong) and the bloggers and journalists—including Complex's own Joseph 'JP' Patterson. As Titch points out in This Is Grime, it's all very well making the music, but what good if no one hears it. A part of contextualizing the culture was looking at the characters around it who helped to contextualize it from the beginnings, taking into account their involvement in helping to inform, influence and disseminate the scene. It might be no huge surprise to learn that some of the most erudite, interesting, perceptive offerings come from the scene's scribes such as Patterson, Fiddy, Hyperfrank, Martin Clark and Prancehall."

"The Adenuga's dominance over the scene can't be overlooked; Jamie, Julie, Junior and youngest brother Jason are a familial force to be reckoned with. While Skepta proved to be the hardest person to track down for the book ('I don't like taking photos anymore Hattie,' he protested, several times), This Is Grime provides a fascinating insight into this family's inner-workings. From playing 'tunnels' and building their own bikes as kids, to signing rap legends to their label, the Nigerian quartet go from strength to strength, proving that humble beginnings never held greatness back."

"Although This Is Grime follows Simon Wheatley's Don't Call Me Urban! and Ewen Spencer's Open Mic, both brilliant books, neither focused too much on the story of the scene itself. While Olivia and I can't claim that our offering is the definitive book on the genre—that would take years to achieve—we hope that we've created a solid offering that documents this beautiful music and its surrounding culture. The intent of the book was always this; to make something that people can pick up in a library 100 years from now. When we're all dead and gone, the future should know what happened, when, why and how. The scene deserved documenting and we hope that This Is Grime truly does it justice."