5 things you should know about the Sound of 2017 longlist

In case anyone was in doubt, grime's rise in the UK music scene continues apace, with a healthy representation on the longlist.

For the grime purists, AJ Tracey is a formidable force, laying down exhilarating lyrics over some of the fiercest beats you’re likely to hear in 2017. Nowhere is this more evident than on his stellar 2016 collab track, Thiago Silva, with fellow Londoner and Sound Of 2017 artist, Dave. Rap wunderkind Dave (aka Santan Dave) is evidently influenced by grime, but also mixes in elements of South Coast Hip Hop (amongst a variety of other things), revealing a style that is all his own.

Equally inspired by London grime, plus repping for the female MCs, Stefflon Don and Nadia Rose go in just as hard. East Londoner Stefflon Don’s quick-paced rhymes are full of wicked wordplay and patois, while features on tracks like Jeremih’s London have proved her musical versatility. Meanwhile Croydon rapper (and cousin to Sound Of 2016’s Stormzy) Nadia Rose has emerged as an MC whose verbal eccentricity, precision and wit are absolutely on point, as on this year’s banger Boom.

Not to mention Ray BLK’s distinctly London-focused RnB which has found a natural home alongside the lyrics of grime MCs like Stormzy.

There’s plenty here for the grime lover.

Which isn’t that surprising, really, if you look at previous Sound Of longlists. The average age this year comes out around 22, but four of the artists are under 20: Dave, Declan McKenna, RAYE and Jorja Smith.

Singer-songwriter Declan McKenna takes pride of place as the youngest artist on the list at the ripe age of 17 (not quite beating last year’s youngest, Billie Marten, who was 16 at the time).

Rag’n’Bone Man, on the other hand, tops the list for age (and wisdom) at 31, though Anderson .Paak isn’t far behind him.

However, crucially the age of the artists is not at all a clear indicator of the style and scope of their music, with many of the younger artists sounding so fully-formed that you'd be forgiven for thinking they were older.

What does it mean to be making music in 2016 (or 2017, for that matter)?

From Declan McKenna’s political take on FIFA in track Brazil to Jorja Smith’s commentary on policing in Blue Lights, the 2017 longlist artists on the whole prove to be astute commentators of real-world issues. These two in particular emerge as turned-on voices of a younger generation, but the theme extends to the whole longlist regardless of age.

Depending on your take on what "socially-conscious" means, Manchester five-piece Cabbage either take this theme and run with it or kick it into the dirt. The band have described their music as an “idiosyncratic, satirical attack in the form of discordant neo post-punk”. Their sound is blunt and uncompromising, and never before has the minutiae of everyday British life sounded so thoroughly exciting or potentially transgressive.

Grime aside, this year’s longlist owes a great deal to RnB, with Anderson .Paak, Ray BLK, RAYE and Jorja Smith all revealing obvious RnB influences. And these artists collectively reveal an assortment of flavours of the genre.

On one side of the spectrum, Anderson .Paak mixes his sound with a welcome dose of funk and elements of boom bap hip hop (see Come Down, featuring T.I.). On the other side, artists like RAYE cultivate a future-RnB sound that's fortified by electronica-inspired beats and pop-friendly melodies, as put to great effect on the Charli XCX/Noonie Bao co-written I, U, Us.

Not to mention Maggie Rogers, Rag’n’Bone Man, The Japanese House and Tom Grennan, all of which arguably have RnB sympathies.

Clearly contemporary RnB is a broad and multifaceted thing - and it sounds great!

By our count 7 of the longlist have been championed by BBC Music Introducing at some point.

Artists such as explosive Reading four-piece The Amazons have made an incredible impact in 2016, playing the Introducing stage at Reading + Leeds festival and even featuring in their own Maida Vale session. They exemplify what Introducing is all about: giving exposure to the freshest artists across the UK.

Find out more about the BBC Music Introducing artists on the 2017 longlist.