Channel U (UK)
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Channel U (later known as Channel AKA) was a British digital satellite TV music channel founded by Darren Platt that focused on the British grime music scene which ran from February 2003 to June 2018.
Channel U was the biggest channel, not only for musicians who are already known, but also for those who were just starting out, helping them gain fans. It helped artists such as Tinchy Stryder, Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal, Chip, Wretch 32, Devlin, and N-Dubz. Its content included "crude productions shot with handheld digital video cameras,"[1] and helped new musicians attract attention and build a fan base.[2] According to its website, "the aim of the channel was to highlight to the public, the raw and unsigned talent we have in the UK, and give them a platform from which they could perform,"[3] and it has been successful in doing so, as implied by the production and popularity of such compilation CDs as Channel U: The Album.[4]
Channel U was asked to make the first 'grime comedy',[5] an animated adult sitcom named The Booo Krooo.[6] The TV series ran for six episodes and is about on the misadventures of three young MCs trying to break into the music game, but often ending up worse off than when they started. The Booo Krooo was originally a cult classic to the people who read RWD Magazine and got the attention of Channel U after being co-signed by Missy Elliott.[7] The animation series was made by Matt Mason and Alex Donne Johnson with illustrations by Julian Johnson, a.k.a. Art Jaz.
References change
- ↑ Frere-Jones, Sasha (21 March 2005). "True Grime". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ↑ Leon, B. (3 September 2007). "Channel U: The Future Of UK Urban Music?". The Scene Magazine. Archived from the original on 28 March 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
- ↑ "The Channel U Shop: About". Archived from the original on 2009-02-08. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ↑ Macpherson, Alex (21 December 2007). "Various artists, Channel U: The Album". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ↑ Mcquaid, Ian. "Gone To A Rave: An Incomplete History Of Grime Comedy". The Ransom Note. Archived from the original on 2019-04-22.
- ↑ "'A massive game-changer': how Channel U brought grime to satellite TV". The Guardian.
- ↑ "the Booo Krooo Work It". Archived from the original on 2004-06-30.