Newham Generals

Newham Generals

Newham Generals are a UK grime group from Newham in east London. The act forms in late 2003 and is made up of Footsie, D Double E and Monkey, with D Double E and Footsie as the best-known members. The group comes out of the NASTY Crew scene and is associated with the expansion of grime from London’s street-level circuits into a wider UK audience.

Background

The group’s name comes from a D Double E lyric describing himself as a “Newham General”, a reference to their shared area. D Double E and Footsie grow up in Newham, and D Double E and Monkey attend school together. D Double E also knows Dizzee Rascal from pirate radio, after meeting on Flava FM in 1999.

Recordings and releases

Newham Generals sign to Dizzee Rascal’s Dirtee Stank label. Their mixtape Welcome to Newham Vol 1 is made with Lord of the Decks. Their debut album is Generally Speaking, and the group also contributes production to Dizzee Rascal’s third album.

Individual members

Footsie and D Double E each have established reputations within grime before and alongside the group. Footsie is associated with the “Scars” riddim featuring Wiley. D Double E appears on Skepta’s “Thuggish Ruggish”, Terror Danjah’s “Cock Back”, and his own track “Signal”. He is also known for supplying the hook on Dizzee Rascal’s 2004 track “Give U More”.

Style and profile

The group is known for contrasting vocal styles: Footsie’s delivery is rough and direct, Monkey’s is clipped and rigid, and D Double E’s is fluid and heavily stylised. Their music is described as reflecting life in Newham, with references to crime, nightlife and the local environment. They tour the UK with BBC 1Xtra’s Semtex, Dizzee Rascal and other label acts, helping to introduce their sound to a wider audience.