JME and the 2015 PokéRap

I love hip-hop. It’s a genre with colourful characters who cover a number of hilarious topics. The subject matter is what keeps me coming back. Whenever a new rapper emerges on the scene; they often feel obligated to answer certain character questions about themselves. Almost always, these questions are:

It’s rare to find a rapper who goes against type. JME is one such artist, the Tottenham-based MC/producer, largely shies away from the Money, Cash, Hoes side of hip hop. He prefers to discuss the more important things in life, like Pokémon cards.

Man don't care

According to the virgins over at Bulbapedia, in 2016 there are 721 different Pokémon, from seven generations of video games. To illustrate the vastness of the universe these days, here’s someone rapping all 721 in nine minutes. Kudos if you can make it to the end.

Just for fun here’s what the starter Pokémon look like on the latest games, Pokémon X and Y.

You might think that hip-hop and Pocket Monsters don’t mix, but you would be wrong. Rap Genius lets measure the frequency certain words appear in rap songs over time.

As you can see, Pokémon references in rap are at an all-time high. Of all words used in 2016 hip-hop, 0.00036% of these are “Pokemon”. Of course this pales in comparison to more familiar words in the rap lexicon.

This is where JME comes in, as he is one of few established rappers who has dedicated an entire song to Pokémon. Here’s a breakdown of typical JME topics.

This is what makes JME a lovable and interesting musician, he’s a gigantic nerd who raps about video games. He is also the first person I’ve ever heard put the word “pescatarian” into song.

This isn’t news, JME has been a big name on the UK Hip-Hop scene for over ten years. He got started when he co-founded the independent label Boy Better Know with his brother, Skepta. Unlike Skepta, JME chose to remain largely underground and has never flirted with the mainstream, aside from a few features. Integrity alert.

JME fucking loves Pokémon. Here are his framed Charizards, he got them by trading a gold vinyl version of his latest album.

I am of course, using mockery to cover my burning jealousy.

Quick aside, I recently learned there is a three minute version of the original theme; featuring the fabled second verse and a excellent J-Rock guitar solo. There’s so much cheese I went into a lactose induced coma. 

"The Very Best" is a pretty good song with a great sample loop and JME has some interesting things to say. It is more than just a list of Pokemon references.

That’s why we love JME, he’s a humble dude who enjoys the simple things in life. He likes rapping and playing Xbox. He stays in his lane and writes songs about Pokémon.

It’s only right we close things out with the original PokéRap. JME is good, but you can't beat someone rhyming all 151 pocket monsters in one catchy song.