Introduction

Grime of the Earth (GOTE) has sat on the peripheries of the UK music scene for close to a decade. Biding their time, waiting for the opportune moment to scorch their red-hot brand into the thick skin of the industry. The collective has built up an impressive array of credentials from original music videos to sharing the stage with internationally known artists. As a group of individuals GOTE are connected through many years of making fresh, unflinching music about life in the grimier areas of the UK and telling their own stories and experiences. With Liverpool 8 as their launch pad, claiming the Earth is their objective.

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Takin’ it back…

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The beginnings of GOTE go as far back as Grime itself. A small but dedicated and notorious Grime crew called G-fam began to form in 2005 when Rugz, the founding father, arrived back in Liverpool after living in London. Hood hits such as ‘Toxteth Youts’ and ‘Hickory Dickory’ could be found on
Samsung Walkman playlists across the city and propelled G-Fam to the forefront of the Liverpool music community. In 2008 the young artists took their first professional steps and signed off on their first album, the fatefully named “2000 and Papez” featuring a remake of the legendary Beatles song
‘Let it be’.

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By 2009 the group had dissolved but artists such as Rugrat MC (Rugz), Soulja (Ronnie Biggz), Rasta Child (Gullyman Dredd) and M16 (Illicit) began to work on their own individual styles in terms of lyrics and artistic brand. Kuzounds was a project undertaken by Rugz and Gullyman worked on
joining forces with Beyond Average producing tracks such as ‘Takin’ it back’. Meanwhile Ronnie Biggz was working on his own projects and produced some hard-hitting real-life freestyles such as ‘All Bets’ and ‘Moment 4 life’ with a UK Hip Hop flavour. Illicit was working on projects in his town of
Crewe and established a large and loyal following there as well as nationwide. He signed a single deal with (record label) which saw some success and further widened his fan base.

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By 2013 Rugz was in the process of creating something new. Grime of the Earth was coming into being and with enthusiasm and support from his long-time accomplices’ things began to take off. Collectively the group was made up of many artists such as Jepardy and Big O of Beyond Average, Ctwo, Whatface, Wavy Joe and a plethora of other artists and producers. Their self-titled breakout track ‘GOTE’ was an introduction to the flamboyant new flavour that came together when these hardened artists brought their experiences back together. They breathed fresh life into the scene
and began to experiment with visual art an example of this being ‘Back in the trap’. They made music that presented their strong work ethic with tunes like ‘Since the morning’, ‘Boxes’ and ‘Cash calling’. Always pushing for something authentic and exclusive animated music videos such as ‘Track
and Field’ and themed tracks such as ‘Jet Li’ have allowed the group to branch out and step outside of the box and the comfort zone.

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Showin' 'Em

As part of the rise of GOTE a trilogy of events were planned and executed that allowed the group to come face to face with their fan base. In venues such as 24 Kitchen Street and Buyers Club, GOTE came together with their associates and gave their client base a taste of the showmanship and
performance quality that only many years of being on the stage can provide. Fans from as far a field as Hungary and Dubai came to show their love, a strong student following could also be observed skanking raucously on the dancefloor. The energy and raw physical showmanship were part of their
appeal when they were booked to support such huge artists as N-Dubz, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, Chipmunk, Black the Ripper and Bugzy Malone.

It's Dat Time

As far a paying dues and perfecting a trade goes GOTE have literally done it all. Now they have their eyes on the big stage and are ready to subdue the big league, as always, they plan do it with the flair and panache that has been apparent in all of their ventures to date. So, keep your eyes and ears on the socials and be ready for the gate of the industry to be breached because Grime of the Earth is coming.