Trim - Soulfood

[Chris]

Uh-oh, on come the backpacks. Where's Poisonous Dart?

Not to hijack the thread... one quick question, from an oblivious American's perspective...

Is there a "backpacker" equivalent to grime in the UK? or is the scene still too new to have splintered off into different idealogical camps? Like has the scene produced any "The Message" style message songs yet? I'm not suggesting it's even necessary, just curious.

 

[mos dan]

Not to hijack the thread... one quick question, from an oblivious American's perspective...

Is there a "backpacker" equivaelent to grime in the UK? or is the scene still to new to have splintered off into different idealogical camps? Like has the scene produced any "The Message" style message songs yet? I'm not suggesting it's even necessary, just curious.

not yet thank god.. there's not the audience for it: there are only ten white middle class grime fans in the uk, and they're all on dissensus. i'm kidding. mostly.

as to 'conscious' grime, err, there's purple. but that's it, i think.

 

[Sick Boy]

not yet thank god.. there's not the audience for it: there are only ten white middle class grime fans in the uk, and they're all on dissensus....

...and one of them doesn't give a flying fuck if a backpacker element evolves or not.

Am I the only person here who isn't offended in the slightest by the term "gash" and the idea of someone wanting to "penetrate that"? Am I the the only person who regularly uses homophobic slurs to insult people totally regardless of my target's actual sexuality?

I can't be. Come on everybody, let's be real here.

 

[Grievous Angel]

I thought the line on Celebrate was "non stop gash, generate cash, the album went silver, celebrate that". Which is alright. If I'm wrong and it's "penetrate that", well, it's not particularly offensive in and of itself. It's just the sheer monotony of only ever referring to women - unless it's a "gyal tune" - as gash that's irritating.

Similarly Trim disses people for being a batty boy on, what, a third to a half of the tunes on Soul Food. That's homophobic - not terribly homophobic, and it doesn't stop me buying Trim's music, but if that's the best he can come up with it's not terribly impressive in terms of vocal inventiveness.

Or do grime artists now have to use homophobic or sexist taunts to show how "street" they are?

If so... well, get real...

 

[Sick Boy]

I thought the line on Celebrate was "non stop gash, generate cash, the album went silver, celebrate that". Which is alright. If I'm wrong and it's "penetrate that", well, it's not particularly offensive in and of itself. It's just the sheer monotony of only ever referring to women - unless it's a "gyal tune" - as gash that's irritating.

Similarly Trim disses people for being a batty boy on, what, a third to a half of the tunes on Soul Food. That's homophobic - not terribly homophobic, and it doesn't stop me buying Trim's music, but if that's the best he can come up with it's not terribly impressive in terms of vocal inventiveness.

Or do grime artists now have to use homophobic or sexist taunts to show how "street" they are?

If so... well, get real...

1. You're confusing the original version with the video version

2. It's funny you say that because this whole thread has been about Trim's vocal inventiveness regardless of the fact he uses homophobic language

3. It's not a proof of how "street" you are to use that kind of language. Most young people (if not just people in general) all over the world use it. It's just common and completely colloquial. Basically, as "real" as it gets.

 

[DJL]

I don't see a problem with 'gash' or 'batty' or even 'penetrate'. They are only slang words in this context. Words like those prick the ears of certain listeners. If it was a full scale pre-meditated anti-gay or female song then maybe there is a cause for concern but it isn't.

The more an 'offensive' word gets used the less offensive it becomes over time so you could argue that by singling out their use here or anywhere you are promoting anti-gay or female values.

 

[elgato]

for me gash is a very very grim word. aside from the obvious violent tone in which it sets a woman's genitalia, when used to describe women (as opposed to their parts), by implication it reduces them to no more than the sum of their potential sexual value - they are simply walking vaginas, only worthy of note in so far as they can pleasure the man...

cant really put my heart behind that one

 

[john eden]

I don't see much hatred in there really, especially compared to JA stuff - he's just using it as an insult, not "bunning fire", calling for gay people to be dropped out of helicopters, or whatever.

And I think (regrettably) it is some kind of generational thing - "gay" is now a de rigeur insult for uk kids of a certain age.

Cliche or not, the homophobia is in the greater culture...

Plus, come on:

"shh hut yuh muh neil armstrong! waaaaaayceman! abwout you went to the moon! cha! man tryna say he went to the moon and there's flags waving and shit! neil armstrong you're a batty!"

Tell me that isn't the funniest thing you'll read today!

 

[viktorvaughn]

I can think of only that one instance of homophobic language on the tape anyway. A small amount in Grime is pretty standard I guess. I’d rather it wasn’t there but it’s not going to stop me buying them.

The track slewing Sniper really is a sustained assault on his sexuality and is pretty distasteful to be honest.

 

[benjybars]

it's the words penetrate and gash together that doesn't do it for me.

also, anyone know anything about the etymology of the term gash? i mean, it doesn't take a genius to work out the meaning but when did it start. it is horrid and the way it's become so generic a term in grime arhg. i mean cunt is less offensive.

yeah but lassie-gash is alright thoug innit..

 

[mistersloane]

lassie-gash

That made me laugh out loud. Me n my mates regularly use batty and gash, and half of them are gay.

 

[DJL]

anyone know anything about the etymology of the term gash?

Don't know the true etymology of the term 'gash' but pretty sure I first came across it (yes lol) in pornographic magazine fiction as a school kid. Upon this first discovery and for some time afterwards I thought it was one of the most dirty and offensive words possible but my reactionary attitude towards it has dampened considerably over the years. Sexually expicit content is now so easily available to the younger generations in the UK (due to the introduction of the internet) that this kind of thing is nowhere near as shocking to them as it was/is to older generations.

 

[elgato]

sexually explicit is one thing, but this is very violent language surely? immediate thoughts for me are of war wounds

i would be interested to hear women's thoughts on it, all that i know hate it, but they're probably of a relatively sensitive disposition

whats also quite interesting is that in the north i only ever heard it as slang for 'of poor quality' - that tune is gash, that player is gash etc - i dont think its used at all in reference to women

 

[rockypoppy2]

as to 'conscious' grime, err, there's purple. but that's it, i think.

bashy would be one to throw in the hat some of the time, and there are others who do the odd politically conscious track but no-ones militant enough despite the perceived socio-economic stereotype of grime artists. then again it isnt ukhh

i have no problems hearing the word gash, or battyman or whatever, i wouldnt personally use them to refer to anyone but i know a lot of people that do. Arent they trying to ban "nigger" in New York now that it seems to have come into fashion amongst the black community. People take on words from what they hear other people saying and dont necessarily give much thought as to the connotations that these words conjure.

 

[rockypoppy2]

whats also quite interesting is that in the north i only ever heard it as slang for 'of poor quality' - that tune is gash, that player is gash etc - i dont think its used at all in reference to women

heard this in london aswell, although it could be taken as a male dominance thing, woman (gash) inferior to man, therefore lower, poorer. although i wouldnt be able to back that idea up at all, just a thought

 

[elgato]

heard this in london aswell, although it could be taken as a male dominance thing, woman (gash) inferior to man, therefore lower, poorer. although i wouldnt be able to back that idea up at all, just a thought

but that would require it to have developed out of the other usage, which im unsure has occurred in the north... but obviously i dont know

 

[viktorvaughn]

Yeah it's proper slang in some parts (inc. Scotland i think?) just to mean rubbish. That is obviously complicated by it also referring to women.

 

[mos dan]

Tell me that isn't the funniest thing you'll read today!

where did you find that (totally hilarious) jme diatribe against neil armstrong?? i swear i remember transcribing it from the rd rinse show, but yknow it was quite a while ago..

 

[john eden]

where did you find that (totally hilarious) jme diatribe against neil armstrong?? i swear i remember transcribing it from the rd rinse show, but yknow it was quite a while ago..

I remembered reading it and googled it to here.

So I owe you one - it's absolutely top stuff.

 

[gabriel]

gash meaning rubbish is also quite common in the west country i think, at least i knew a few people from bristol and gloucester that use it, i think it's completely unrelated to the other meaning gash

this kid i know recently referred to how he was going to "whack out some gash", he was 16 at the time. that's a pretty horrible way to talk about women