I think there was a lot going on in London at the time of me writing this, and I wanted
to put it into a song and say how I felt about it.
There was a lot going on around things that I had said online.
I wanted to address some of those.
Make it clear as to what I was thinking and feeling, so that's how it came.
When I was younger, I was charged up.
I was mad like bow wow wow.
So, the lyrics are about violent things, and blah, blah, blah.
As I've grown up, and as I've matured, with things like “Hangman,” I'm trying to give
a viewpoint of the world and just say what I see and what I think.
I might make a song that's ignorant from time to time, but I've got the license to be ignorant.
Social media makes everyone seem really friendly until the situation happens, and then you
start to question all the people you're around.
So, that was me thinking that, and feeling that and putting that into the world.
When you're actually trying to do something, and when you want to say like, "Yo, let's
go out, and let's put in some work and build something for the future."
It takes long for people to respond.
But, if you say that you're having a party you can get everyone's attention instantly.
That situation is about a model from London called Harry who'd been murdered.
I made a tweet in response to that talking about police powers and stopping and searching
and knife crime.
Which was obviously in response to something that happened, but it was an emotional response
as to how upset it had made me.
Obviously, it takes effort for you to go and DM and artist and say, "The streets don't love you."
"Blah, blah, blah."
Man was talking like he was some super representative of the streets.
If you actually died today, like you, who's just DM'ed me this, I wonder what would happen
in response.
If the streets going to come together and make sure that you get a good funeral, get
a good send off.
Are you going to be missed and loved, the way that you imagine it?
Because a lot of people have got this warped reality of the things that they stand for
and represent.
Poet and Chuckie have a podcast.
Poet is like a personality influencer.Chuckie is a DJ.
And they're the same.
I know both of them personally.
That's slang in the UK.
“Rushed” is obviously slang for attack, or getting beaten up, and whatever.
My mum trying to wake me up is the only time that someone has ever rushed me.
But, not saying that anyone's invincible, untouchable.
I'm very far from that.
But, I see people twisting words, putting together dumb rumors, and saying things.
I just know people that have been smoking strains of weed, and it's changed them.
I've seen people lose their drive, lose their ambition, lose their sense of humor, their
hunger to do anything and just become different people.
And the only thing that ties it all together is the things that they've been smoking.
Back in the day, or before, if you put pressure on someone you just put pressure, and then
you would hear it through road, you would hear it through people.
But nowadays, it's like, if I want to do something to you, for everyone to know that something
has happened, I need to film it.
I need to send it to someone.
It needs to go viral.
It needs to be a bigger thing.
If you can be a yout, and you're going out, you're going to school, college, whatever
it is that you need to do.
Whether it's legal or illegal, you're doing it.
You have an ambition to take yourself out of where you are.
Helping the people around you.
Then that's gangster, innit?
So, obviously when you get a prison sentence they say, "You've got a bird."
My brother hasn't got, he never got six months.
He got a long bird, which was an ostrich.
I'm a huge Kanye West fan as well.
And this is
what I think about music, I think that, as musicians, when you're actually speaking and
giving thoughts and opinions outside of your music, it's so easy for you to get drawn out.
Say things that you don't mean.
Say things that you do mean, but the world shouldn't know.
The world shouldn't know everything that everyone thinks.
Boy, I can't even explain too much if you haven't watched ‘Peaky Blinders,’ 'cause
you might, it'll be a spoiler.
Tommy Shelby is a character from a TV show called the ‘Peaky Blinders.’
When you see the black hand, it will make sense.
Everyone takes everything you say so literally.
But, you're a rapper, so you've got the responsibility to put your message across.
So, it's trying to find the balance between actually being real to yourself and not stopping
yourself from saying the thing that you wanna say because of an image you're tryna give off.
And the better person that you're tryna be. But also, informing the people and the youth
as to what's positive. You know?