Maximum (GB)

Boy Better Know consists of JME, Skepta, Frisco, Shorty, Jammer and Maximum, and along the way has housed other grime artists like Chip, Wiley and Solo 45. Many MCs but just one DJ and that DJ is (and always has been) Maximum. Originally from Roll Deep, Maximum splintered off alongside Wiley, JME, Skepta – something that Maximum emphasises was “no hard feelings, everyone’s still family”. At that time back in 2006, BBK too over from Roll Deep’s radio slot on Rinse, hosting the weekly late night Grime show and continuing to push the witty, energetic, high velocity MC-led Grime that is synonymous with the BBK sound. “I don’t think Grime would be the same without Pirate radio, [it] literally made Grime what it’s known for. All the classic clashes, everything that’s happened in the history of grime, the majority has come from pirate radio stations.” Though the radio show ended some years back when Maximum’s schedules grew increasingly hectic, the live sets in clubs weren’t too different to the radio sets for which he’d become so notorious with Boy Better Know– fast paced, intense and with plenty of vocals and grime mc’s free-styling or PA’ing over instrumentals. Whether on radio or in the rave, Maximum could for years be described as an MC’s DJ, with his sets always heavily MC-oriented. These days, alongside the advancement of the scene, his own craft and position within the culture has shifted a pace. Whether standing behind Skepta, JME or Frisco on a stage in front of 100,000 fans or DJing solo at fashion events, core club nights and festivals , Maximum is firmly established now as one of few longstanding Grime pioneers and musical curators