D Double E approaches a mic the same way a boxer approaches a punching bag: ready to attack. A grime pioneer whose nimble rage and trademark catchphrases (“bluku!”, “bud-a-bup-bup”) helped set the tone for future MCs such as Dizzee Rascal and Skepta to follow, he first made his name in collectives Nasty Crew and Newham Generals in the early 2000s. He maintained his status as a kingpin of the scene with a series of hotly anticipated mixtapes and guest collaborations, dazzling new waves of grime fans with his formidable flow (actually slowed down from his early days as a drum 'n' bass MC).