For its inaugural exhibition, the V&A East traces 125 years of Black British music

When Dizzee Rascal took to the stage at the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony, it marked more than a career milestone; watching a Grime MC from east London on the world stage signalled something greater – the global reach of a music that was unapologetically Black and quintessentially British.

Now, little more than a decade later and just a stone’s throw from that landmark moment, V&A East Museum opens its doors with its first major exhibition, ‘The Music is Black’. Exploring 125 years of Black British music, it traces the resistance, resilience and joy that has fuelled it.

Running until January 2027, the show brings together more than 200 objects spanning fashion, music, painting, film and sculpture, and of course, sound. The V&A is an institution with its own colonial legacy, and lead curator Jacqueline Springer remarks: 'Music has a unique ability to hold up a mirror; there's a real sense of worthiness that this music and this culture deserve this loud and trumpeting celebration.'

From the outset, the exhibition lends itself to an intimate auditory affair, as headsets provided deliver curated soundtracks that respond to your location within the gallery – underscoring artefacts, films, and paintings with a sonic experience that feels personal.

Sidestepping a strict chronological timeline, the exhibition unfolds in two distinct yet interconnected halves. The first traces the African origins of Black music, the birth of the Black diaspora and its transatlantic imports such as Jazz and Reggae. The second turns to what is distinctly Black British, exploring eight key genres – including Grime, Jungle, and Lover’s Rock – leading up to the present day.

Charting the initial strands of a musical culture beginning in Africa, traditional bow instruments take pride of place at the exhibition entry, a symbol of the foundational underpinning of Black diasporic music. Not shying away from discomfort, works such as The Evolution of Swing, by Raymond Steth, represent a musical journey from Africa, through violent enslavement, to the sprawling metropolises of the US.

'Black music took this country in a different musical direction through the texture of sound and the texture of rebellion,' Springer says. In reference to what she terms ‘creative illegality’, works such as Police in Blues Club by Denzil Forrester capture, in a sparse yet intense charcoal sketch, the moment law enforcement enters a dancehall, reflecting the risk of collectively enjoying and sharing music.

In contrast, a quieter register of sanctuary emerges in Sonia Boyce’s Lover’s Rock, which embosses the lyrics of 'Hurts So Good' into wallpaper, evoking the tenderness and intimacy of music within the domestic space.

Ingenuity comes further into focus through technological improvisation: dub legend Metro’s pre-amplifier, which revolutionised dub sound systems, sits across from Grime MC JME’s Nintendo console, used to produce music before he had access to professional software, one of the many appropriated tools that shaped some of Grime’s most iconic instrumentals.

While 'The Music is Black' is extensive, it's not exhaustive. A little over a decade on from that Olympic stage, the global recognition of Black British music feels less like an arrival and more like an apt point of collective inflexion. Lovingly looking back at the growth of musical strands across generations, continents and diasporas. A reminder of the unique unifying quality of music possesses and its continual ability to speak truth to power.

The Music is Black' at V&A East, opening on 18 April 2026, until January 2027

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