The ongoing debate over whether the UK or US has the better rappers has prompted yet another UK music legend to throw his hat into the ring. Grime pioneer Wiley has stepped in to defend fellow UK heavyweight Giggs, after the rapper publicly challenged other prominent UK grime artists for embarrassing the scene and speaking out on behalf of genres they allegedly don’t represent.

In one of his signature self-recorded car videos, the 42-year-old “Talking the Hardest” rapper declared that the days when Americans didn’t “respect” or “appreciate” UK artists were long gone. He said:

“Americans love Giggs. Americans love Skepta, Central Cee, Dave…”

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Whilst it’s undeniable that the rise of UK urban music in the last two decades has had global implications, including growing American fan bases for many artists such as 26-year-old rap prodigy Central Cee. Central Cee, who according to The Sun earned a staggering £16million in 2024, recently concluded his successful world tour after filling out shows across Britain, Europe, America and even Australia. 

Although American audiences have largely welcomed UK artists in recent years, the suggestion that UK artists can out rap American ones has largely been met with mockery from US artists and audiences alike. The ongoing debate was initiated by one of the biggest names in UK scene, Grime hotshot and pioneer Skepta kicked things off on X on July 3rd, tweeting: 

"I wanna clash an American rapper anyway, finally get this UK/US rap debate sorted."

The debate was fuelled on a global level after Toronto-based megastar Drake co-signed UK rappers while performing at Wireless Festival. He stated:

“No disrespect to America, but nobody in the world can out-rap London rappers,"

However, Giggs, known for his distinctive flow and longstanding career, has been the first big name to make the distinction between UK rappers and Grime artists. He clarified that Skepta isn’t even a rapper in the traditional sense, but a grime MC, saying:

“Not one rapper has… opened their mouth from the UK and said we want to clash the US. Man respect the US”.

He doubled down, seemingly addressing Skepta directly:

“I don’t know what man’s talking about, like it’s 5–10 years ago,”

…referencing how much more appreciated UK music is today in the US.

Giggs made clear that while he’s made grime tunes, he considers himself a rapper, and draws a clear line between grime MCs calling for rap clashes and those like him who respect the US hip-hop “hierarchy.” He even saluted Dr Dre and 50 Cent, saying:

“If these bredders didn’t exist, we wouldn’t exist. So why’s man pretending like we need this respect… what do you mean, work for the respect!”

Giggs’ argument that Grime MCs are “not rappers” and as such should not be weighing in on Hip-Hop has since been co-signed by controversial Grime icon Wiley. His endorsement of Giggs' message carries significant weight, given his status as the “Godfather of Grime” and his foundational role in establishing the UK’s unique hip-hop identity.

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Wiley stated that he would not be the one to tell the public “I told you so” again, after a long history of being one of the UKs most vocal artists, he adds “why do I know this and why does Giggs know this” he argues that other MCs are “acting” like they don’t know that rap and Grime are distinct categories.

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Whilst one could argue rap and Grime are as distinct as oil and water, both useful liquids which serve different purposes and have been fortified by different processes, that doesn’t negate them from being comparable and it certainly doesn’t rule out the possibility of clashes and cyphers amongst multi-media artists. Perhaps a clash is the only way to confirm once and for all that UK rappers and MC’s can hold their own in the ring, no matter their opponent. 

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