London Grime rappers Fredo and Dave have achieved some chart success this week with their new single together ‘Money Talks,’ reaching number 3 on the official UK singles chart today. The track has also been well received online, with the music video which was released on the 28th of January clocking up over 3 million views in just a couple of weeks. The success of this track reflects the status of UK Grime as one of the country’s top genres at the moment despite the controversial themes which are often discussed in the lyrics.

Dave, the Streatham-born winner of the Mercury Prize 2010, features on the track and his status as one of the leading figures of the genre has undoubtably boosted the success of this single. The track is taken from Fredo’s album ‘Money Can’t Buy Happiness,’ which can be streamed on all platforms or bought on CD from Fredo’s official store here. Fredo also has a number of t-shirts and hoodies for sale on his official store for fans who want to show their appreciation for the album.

The theme of the track is simple and critical of the materialistic society that values money over everything else. The video tells the story of the London underworld with scenes including prostitution and drug use juxtaposed against scenes of religious blessings with a narrative that money is present in every single scene. While the theme may be a simple one it is far from explicit exactly what we should believe after hearing the track and seeing the video.

While it at first might seem to be a critique of money and materialism, the video which shows money as the constant lifeblood throughout almost all activities in life, the viewer is much less sure what they should think. It is incredibly hard to tell whether the two Grime Rappers are telling us that money is bad, or simply shining a light on the which money is valued and also ultimately meaningless, since it is only attained in order to be exchanged for things which people value more.

This track from Fredo and Dave represents everything that makes UK Grime such a great genre and shows exactly why is has risen to become one of the country’s most mainstream and successful genres. While it is tempting to look to art and music to tell us exactly what is write or wrong or to be told exactly what we should believe, the greatest and must successful is always that which doesn’t actually tell us exactly what to think, but that raises more questions and simply shines a light on life in a way that we might not have seen it before.

There is certainly something different about this track when compared to traditional hip-hop, which has a definite materialistic streak, and the most obvious explanation is to see it as a rejection of that attitude. However, there is so much nuance and subtlety to the verses that it can not simply be summed up this simply, this a complex piece of art which may take a long time to truly be understood.