Abstract
As a response to the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, austerity measures have been implemented which have had an enduring impact on the lives of young people living in urban multicultural settings. Between 2007 and 2012, I interviewed 40 people aged 18–40 who had grown up in ‘the ends’ in east London. In the UK, ‘the ends’ is a colloquial term used by young people to denote local, familiar neighbourhoods (Reynolds, Urban Studies, 50(3), 484–498, 2013; White, 2016b). The majority of the participants were involved in the production and dissemination of Grime music. Drawing on my empirical research as its starting point, this chapter will explore how young people use Grime music to construct a sense of belonging in ‘the ends’ or poor urban neighbourhoods. Given the challenging socio-economic changes in London, I explore what it means, to grow up in ‘the ends’. How are young people in this area positioned within the wider processes of social change? I conclude by suggesting that young people use music to construct identities and that despite chronic social issues, these identities may be a source of validation, comfort and recognition.
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Notes
- 1.
See for example, Wiley’s regular performances in Toronto (ninkyrooz, 2013), a Grime blog from Japan (Grime JP, 2014) and the annual Ayia Napa events (NSCProductions, 2009).
- 2.
Further details on Newham population characteristics can be found here: http://www.newham.info/factsandfigures.
- 3.
The Growth Boroughs are: Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. These boroughs hosted the 2012 Olympic Games and are deemed to have the strongest potential in the UK for economic growth. See http://www.growthboroughs.com/.
- 4.
- 5.
An unintended consequence of the control and curtailment of Grime music in London was that it spread outwards first to the suburbs and smaller towns in the UK, then across Europe (J. White, 2016b).
- 6.
The SBTV Better Place series features artists from London, Birmingham and Sheffield rapping about their area. More details can be found here. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzVbXC_F7Oh_ZLDJ-zmZww0FOyBDsEZan.
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White, J. (2019). Growing Up in ‘The Ends’: Identity, Place and Belonging in an Urban East London Neighbourhood. In: Habib, S., Ward, M.R.M. (eds) Identities, Youth and Belonging. Studies in Childhood and Youth. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96113-2_2
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