A veteran and trailblazer in the U.K. grime scene, London-born JME remained a pioneer of the genre throughout its two-decade-long growth. With an early role in legendary crews Meridian and , the Tottenham-raised rapper/producer kicked off his career in the mid-2000s with iconic grime singles like “P” and “Serious,” quickly forming the label with his brother, . During the genre’s mainstream transition in the mid-2010s, JME continued to define grime’s success. After featuring on flagship single “That’s Not Me” with his brother, the rapper/producer’s 2015 album Integrity> became a template for the modernization of the genre’s inimitable sonics.

“Born in Hackney, raised in Tottenham,” British musician JME (birth name Jamie Adenuga) grew up in a Nigerian family along with brother and fellow musician . Attending various schools in London’s Enfield borough, Adenuga swiftly developed a life-long love of both gaming and music, interests that coalesced as he began to produce beats on the video game Mario Paint. After graduating from the University of Greenwich with a degree in digital design, JME focused entirely on music, soon joining the legendary Meridian crew. The crew, hailing mainly from Tottenham’s Meridian estate, found their footing on pirate radio, with weekly sets hosted on stations like Deja Vu and Heat. Developing their production skills on rudimentary software like Fruity Loops, Adenuga and his brother soon founded the label () and recorded two 2004 EPs, Meridian Walk and Serious Thugz. Featuring dusty drum patterns and rugged synths, this early material had a marked garage influence, with occasional rap verses delivered by JME himself.

After Meridian disbanded due to legal troubles, the brothers continued to release on , dropping the joint Thuggish EP later that year. While handling the label’s rapidly growing clothing line, JME continued to release throughout 2005 and 2006, issuing the singles “Serious” and “Check It” along with three further EPs: The JME EP, Waisman, and Badderman. Having focused primarily on production thus far, ‘s self-titled first mixtape, Boy Better Know: Shh Hut Yuh Muh Edition, gave Adenuga a platform to test his rapidly developing rap skills; while billed as a label-wide project, 12 of the tape’s 16 tracks were JME’s. Over swaggering production of his own making, the MC delivered standoffish bars and scathing disses, yet took a unique stance in calling out MCs for their exaggerated narratives, and challenging the negative lyrics of his contemporaries.

In 2006, following the departure of members Roachee, Maximum, and Syer, grime crew brought the Adenuga brothers into the fold. While featured across the collective’s second studio album, Rules and Regulations (2007), JME kept his attention on , releasing 60 more tracks of his own over three mixtapes. After hosting five volumes of ‘s Tunnel Vision series, JME eventually decided to release his debut album, Famous?, in 2008. The project placed Adenuga’s unique rapping style over a collage of grime experiments, producing iconic tracks like “P” and “Punch in the Face” while also giving a studio release to essential singles like “Serious” and “A W O H.”