In Celebration of Channel U
Launched in 2003, Channel U changed the landscape for independent artists and Black British music forever more, as remembered by Chris Kelly.
Poster on billboard showing nostalgic love for Channel U by One Thousand WordsTRENCH
When the satellite TV station Channel U (later known as Channel AKA) launched in 2003, founded by the late Darren Platt, it collided with the explosion of grime and, together, the two changed the landscape of British music forever.
As the sound of grime detonated out of East London’s council estates, it brought a tsunami wave of young talented MCs and rappers desperate for exposure.
These were pre-YouTube days, and before the launch of Channel U, their best chance of gaining exposure and distributing their music was through pirate radio stations like Rinse and Deja Vu (which had a limited transmittal reach).
There were also grime rave venues like the Stratford Rex, clashing on Lord Of The Mics, freestyling on Risky Roadz DVDs and selling their music—CDs!—directly from the boots of their cars.
Channel U shifts the landscape of UK music
When Channel U launched, it instantly became a game-changer for young Black music artists, who now had a platform to broadcast their music to a national audience.
Grime was broadly ignored by mainstream radio and TV stations, and Channel U championed the sound, which would take the mainstream media outlets almost a decade to catch up with.
The channel is credited with being instrumental in the careers of grime and rap pioneers such as Tinchy Stryder, Chip, Wretch 32, Lethal Bizzle, Kano, Giggs, Shystie, Lady Sovereign, and many more.
Pop-rap trio N-Dubz began their road to fame on the channel and got signed by a major record label off the success of their "Better Not Waste My Time" music video, which debuted on the channel.
Apart from being the home of established artists, it was a voice for unsigned artists.
It quickly became the spiritual home of DIY music videos—filmed with shaky, handheld digital cameras and close-up shots of the "mandem"—all set to the backdrop of tower-blocks that depicted Black working-class life.
For young viewers of the station, it was the first time they saw themselves fully represented—in New Era hats (brim sticker intact), Akademiks tracksuits and Avirex jackets.
Poster on billboard showing nostalgic love for Channel U by One Thousand WordsTRENCH
Grime and UK rap got its own version of MTV with Channel U, and in the process, it captured the zeitgeist for Black youth culture and became a cultural phenomenon that we will never forget.
This digital work has been produced in collaboration with PRS Foundation and POWER UP. The article first featured in TRENCH x Union Black's Chapter One: Game Changers zine.
Words by Chris Kelly
Photography by One Thousand Words and Laura Brosnan [Frank Archives]
Videos by Link Up TV, Troy Miller's Media Gang, Ace & Vis TV, Chipmunk, GrimeStarTV, NDubzSupport, N Dubz, Dirteestank17, Dizzee Rascal, Neekodevinchi.
Commissioned by TRENCH
