Too Many Man: Women of Grime V2 – Ellie Ramsden (Photobook)

Here at Wordplay we’re big believers in championing artists and new music in an encompassing and egalitarian way, especially in times where the scales seem unbalanced. One of Wordplay’s most steadfast and prolific photographers, Ellie Ramsden is pushing the envelope with a new photobook; a continuation from Too Many Man v1; advocating more visibility for female grime involvement – including: DJs, MCs, radio hosts, producers, videographers, journalists and musicians – along with the accolades they deserve. We’ll leave it to writer Mireille Harper to preface the project with an extract from the foreward…

Grime has attracted critical acclaim for its stark social commentary on life in inner-city London, opening listeners’ eyes to the harsh realities of street life from deprivation, violence and gang warfare, to the intimacies of relationships, friends and family life, to showcasing the cultural backdrop of London’s Black diaspora. At the same time, grime has faced hostility from both the mainstream media and British government. The introduction of “Form 696”, a risk-assessment document required by city nightclub promoters to give details of music events, discriminated predominantly against grime, and was dogged by accusations of racial bias. In recent years, the arrival of UK drill has been linked to grime, with its associated controversies leading to tabloid media scapegoating grime musicians for both gang culture and violence, as well as over-policing of events and censorship of videos from the Met Police.

Whilst grime is having both a resurgence and evolution, with its colossal success and ever-growing reach, the same question arises. Why are women still a minority? In this male-oriented genre, we are continuing to see the veterans and trailblazers of the industry attributed to the male stars such as Wiley and Dizzee Rascal, whereas the same is not said of their equally brilliant female counterparts, such as Ms Dynamite, NoLay and Shystie. When grime is mentioned, names such as Skepta and Stormzy come to mind. Some may have heard of superstars such as Lady Leshurr and Nadia Rose, but what of the producers, managers, DJs, poets and even violinists?

Photographer and long-time grime aficionado, Ellie Ramsden highlights the lack of visibility and representation of women in grime in her second edition of Too Many Man. Named after the classic Skepta track in which the grime MC expresses his frustration over the ‘lack of women in clubs’, we see it re-conceptualised here as a comment on not only the club scene, but a wider observation on the genre itself. Ellie began working on the photodocumentary series in 2016, with the aim of illustrating the diverse and ever-growing pool of gifted women in the grime scene. Growing up in South East London, grime music was background music that gave an insight into life in the capital - the highs, the lows and everything in-between. Now the genre has been catapulted into the spotlight, attracting listeners and fans from far and wide for its raw originality. Ellie sought to highlight the diversity of women, who despite having helped shape the genre, had not received the same acclaim or accolades as their male peers.

Ellie’s deep appreciation and respect for the scene shines through even more with a host of new names adorning these pages. This edition of Too Many Man once again showcases the vast female talent across the music genre whilst continuing homage to all the women taking grime to new heights. An incredible body of work, it seems there is much more to come from the women of grime.

Too Many Man: Women of Grime V2 is a stunning new 144 page photobook with interviews, handwritten notes, portraits and landscape photography that ‘celebrates the talented women who have contributed to the scene, and helped make the genre what it is today.’ Available to order now and be sure to follow Ellie for the latest and check her portfolio site for a deep-dive into some amazing work!