Over the last few weeks grime artists have been coming out in their droves in support of Jeremy Corbyn. Whether it be JME saying that that for the first time he is seeing “someone that’s human” in the political system; AJ Tracey declaring that “It’s a Corbyn ting. Not a Tory ting”; or Stormzy calling Corbyn “my man Jeremy”, it seems that the music genre is almost universally lending support to the Labour leader.

Many of these artists have commented on how this will be their first time voting, and it’s hardly unsurprising as to why they have felt so excluded from the political process for so long. The last few governments have increasingly marginalised the voice of youth over issues ranging from housing to tuition fees, and this is particularly true for ethnic minorities. What’s more, this general election will be the first of many where the electorate are provided with a real choice to make, as Labour and the Conservatives have not been this far apart in policy and ideology since the 1980s.

“Since its inception grime has provided barbed social commentary in musical form, just as punk did in the 1970s.”

Contrary to ideas that the genre has been anti-intellectual and apathetic, grime has in fact always put an important focus on issues such as social and racial inequality. Therefore, we should hardly see their political engagement as a surprise, as many have chosen to react following the growing #grime4corbyn movement. Guardian articles which provide faint praise to this show of political interest fail to realise that grime has for a long time been engaged in political commentary.

When Stormzy chose to address mental health issues earlier in the year, there seemed to be a collective gasp across mainstream media as a black man addressed his struggle with depression, with liberals in particular lauding grime artists for their ‘newfound’ political engagement. While it may be rare to see a grime artist talk about these issues so candidly, a closer look at their lyrics shows that for years grime has offered reflection on the struggles the black youth face. When Dizzee Rascal rapped in his 2003 song ‘Sittin’ Here’, he described how “Cos it’s the same old story, shutters, runners, cats and money stacks... Yeah it’s the same old story, police investigate around the area”. Since its inception grime has provided barbed social commentary in musical form, just as punk did in the 1970s.

Fast forward to 2017, and we hear grime artist Dave’s ‘Picture Me’ questioning “But what about the yutes that ain’t athletes or rappers?”, as it has become a cliché to think of the successful black men as one of the two. When Dave goes on to say, ‘you could call me Schofield, Why? Cause I got prison in my skin’, he’s not just referencing the Prison Break character’s tattoos of prison blueprints, but rather the prejudiced association of black skin with criminality. Too often when we think of police brutality and racial profiling, we jump to the situation in the US, and fail to realise that the situation at home is not much better. This naivety is not something many grime artists had the privilege to experience, as their lyrics clearly show.

It’s too simplistic, however, to suggest that social inequality is the only concern of these artists. Akala has detailed in a lengthy Twitter thread how his decision to vote for the first time is based upon how he’s “openly ideologically opposed to the U.K. empire” and its legacy. In Corbyn he sees an opportunity to vote for someone who shares his deeply held hatred of colonialism, and who was ‘anti-apartheid back when the Tories had Mandela down as a terrorist’. Indeed, we only need to watch Akala’s Fire in the Booth video to understand how imperial history and global politics have always been a central feature of his music.

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Grime has proved itself over the last decade or so to be at the forefront of social and political issues, and it’s certainly refreshing that for once these artists feel represented in a political arena which otherwise overwhelmingly ignores ethnic minorities and takes pride over Britain’s imperial history. However, we should not mistake the previous lack of support for mainstream parties among many grime artists for apathy. For years grime has shown itself to be the sound of protest, and is now united behind something, and someone, these artists believe in