DJ Oblig‘s reputation has spread like wildfire over the last few years, quickly establishing himself as one of the top DJ’s in Grime, alongside being one of the leaders of the evolution of the sound by incorporating Drill, Trap, and other alternative music styles into his sets. Since his debut on Rinse in late-2017, Oblig has been responsible for some classic sets, so at Keepin’ It Grimy we’ve decided to compile our top 10 DJ Oblig sets (honestly these were impossible to rank so I didn’t)! Check the list below, and let us know on Twitter (HERE) what your top 10 are!:

Oblig with S1 – 31/05/2019

Oblig‘s Rinse FM journey kicked off a little differently than most, as the selecta showed from the start that he won’t be boxed in as just a Grime DJ, with a drill set featuring S1. Oblig bridges the gaps between Drill and Grime in this set, using the tek he’s honed from spinning the latter to introduce the Drill MC to the world of radio sets while flinging out instrumentals from both genres.

Oblig with Mic Ty – 06/11/2019

6 months after his debut show, Oblig‘s levels were clear to see and his name had quickly gained a lot of weight, making it impossible for Rinse FM not to take notice, rewarding the DJ with a primetime residency slot on Friday’s from 7-9 pm. In celebration of this huge achievement, Oblig called on East-London barrer Mic Ty for a set brimming with greeze, with even Mic Ty acknowledging that “Oblig is channelling some mad energies“.

Oblig with Faultsz & Crafty893 – 02/01/2020

Oblig‘s first Rinse show of 2020 kicked off with pure venom, with Oblig featuring two of Grime’s toughest MCs in the form of Crafty893 and Faultsz. The duo ooze with talent and aggression, with Oblig matching this energy from behind the decks by dropping endless heavyweight riddims to let the pair fire off their hardest bars for the entire set.

Oblig with Kish! & Kibo – 13/11/2019

“DJ Versatile” should be Oblig‘s next stage name, as he shows off how adaptable he is by inviting UK underground starboys Kish! and Kibo for this rollercoaster of a set, with Oblig mellowing out the energies with smooth jazz-inspired instrumentals, then flipping the switch and charging up some of the heaviest Drill and Grime tracks. The two 237 members on the mic match Oblig‘s energy with their unique MC’ing style, resulting in a dynamic rarely seen on “conventional” Grime sets.

Oblig with Snowy, Kyeza, Jayeye, Rawza & LC – 06/08/2019

Even though our list is currently very London-heavy, don’t let this deceive you, as Oblig has often reached to all corners of the UK to bring forth some of the best MCs onto his Rinse set, this time looking up North and calling on the #GreezeTeam from Nottingham, with a heavyweight lineup of renowned MCs Snowy, Kyeza, Jayeye, Rawza and LC. Living up to their name, the #GreezeTeam brings forth nothing but greeze for the entire half-hour set, as Oblig fires off countless through-balls for the crew.

Oblig with M.I.C. & Jawnino – 23/06/2019

Another non-conventional set with two exciting underground artists, Oblig hails M.I.C. and Jawnino for a set that is sonically different from most other sets, whose transformation of the Grime sound matches up beautifully with Oblig’s beat selection, giving the outspoken vocalists the perfect opportunity to showcase the evolution of the 140 sound.

Oblig with Sox, AK, Blazer Boccle, Tempo & MT – 29/01/2020

Once again looking north-bound for more talent to host on his show, Oblig reached out to Sox, AK, Blazer Boccle, Tempo and MT for a cross-country link-up of pure Grime energy. We already know that MCs from outside of London have a special hunger in their approach to Grime and mixing that with Oblig’s unique lineup of RnG and Drill instrumentals, of course alongside some of the best Grime tunes around, this set is truly special in shining light on the talent prevalent across the UK.

Oblig with Micofcourse & Razor – International Grime Day

In celebration of the first International Grime Day, a day created by Rinse FM in celebration of the monolithic UK genre, Oblig hailed frequent collaborators Micofcourse and Razor for a power hour that honoured Grime in the purest form. It’s also fitting that this set dropped on New Years Day of 2020, as all three of the guys involved had a massive 2019. Even the MCs involved recognise the levels of the man behind the ones and twos, both honouring Oblig with their opening bars.

Oblig with JME, K9, Lioness & Queenie – 05/02/2020

This list so far is full of newer faces in Grime, but it’s important to note that Oblig‘s abilities have also earned him the respect from true veterans in the scene, as he’s joined in this set by K9, Lioness, Queenie, and JME. The group have at least a decade’s worth of experience each, but despite his relative newness to the scene, Oblig still introduces the MCs to something new, whilst still keeping up with the skilled veterans throughout the entire set, showing that his ability is up there with some of the best.

Oblig’s Christmas Showcase – 30/12/2020

Rounding off our list in the same way Oblig rounded off his 2020, we have Oblig’s Christmas Showcase, 140 minutes of  140bpm excellence from the best underground MCs in the scene, with a massive lineup consisting of M.I.C., Melvillous, Micofcourse, K9, SBK, Duppy, Logan, Razor, Faultsz, Jammz, Joe Fire, Tintz, and Lyrical Strally. We’ve touched on Oblig‘s versatility throughout this list, but there is no better example of this than the amount of through balls sent by the DJ, matching the distinct energies of each MC while still keeping them on their toes for such an extended period of time. If there was any single set to prove why Oblig has garnered the high reputation he has, this would be it. Legendary settings.