While Brexit's become a living nightmare for Britain, one 20-something rapper from the UK
is making his musical dreams come true.
It's slowthai.
His debut record, 'Nothing Great About Britain' is an open attack on the current state of the country
and a retelling of a troubled youth spent in Northampton.
It's a message that's captured the minds of many.
I wanted to find out why.
I'm in Australia, come down here to enjoy a beer.
- You got ID, bro? - Nahhhh (both laugh)
- Marty, what's happening? - Come this way.
Do you want a Carlton?
Do you get down to your boxers every time you get on stage?
- Not every time. - Not every time.
Only if they're giving me 100% and if it gets hot, I get to my boxers.
Is this true? I heard when you were younger you had Tony Blair come to your school?
Yeah, yeah he flew in on a helicopter.
Like, literally, I was in science I remember and you see the helicopter come in and land on the Astroturf.
No one ever comes! I think, to another school, Hagrid from 'Harry Potter' he went to their school.
I was like, "Why the f**k we got this guy?". Then at lunch all the other kids were just looking through the window
like, "Who is this d**khead?".
So now, Boris Johnson is your Prime Minister? How you feel about him?
F**k him, man.
"F**k Boris"
That was like a metaphor, innit? I think people always want to jump the gun and be quick to say.
Like people were saying that it was terrorism and this and that...
People accused you of terrorism?
Yeah, yeah, people were trying to say that it was a hate crime.
But it's like, it's a mirror, I'm just showing people the reflection of how we're being treated.
What he's doing to the people. Like, he can't be a voice for the people that he's cutting off.
You have merch where he's literally f**cking Great Britain, right?
Yeah but that's the truth, that's the reality of things.
"slowthai, with his own views there."
Awww, the chickens! Zombie chickens!
You spend much time in pubs growing up?
Yeah, a lot of my youth was in pubs - I didn't have a choice, just kinda had to go.
Like on my estate there wasn't much more than a pub and a bookie.
You're from Northampton, is that right? What was it like growing up in a place like that?
I dunno, it's similar to any other kind of town, it's not a city. Everyone is kind of close minded.
It's five years behind most cities, like people don't want to do anything, they're happy to stay on the dole.
You can't see past the flats, you can't see past the area. No one thought they could be anything.
You must have faced some challenges growing up, you lost your brother when you were quite young?
Yeah, really young, I think I was about 8 or 9.
I think being that young and being faced with it. It taught me a lot about life.
Like we all are going to die and it's not such a negative thing.
Before my brother died, my stepdad sat me and my sister down in our room, cause we shared a room.
And he said, "Your little brother, he's gonna die."
It f**ked me up cause you don't ever think, when someone tells you this person is not going
to be here anymore.
It's kinda like how do you take that?
For a long period of time I was angry. I still can't, to this day, feel how my mum would have felt
because I've never had a child.
I suppose there can sometimes be like a masculine facade to rap music, right?
Yeah, we're all trying to put on this bravado and be like "ohhh, yeah having a laugh."
"Be with the boys" but it's like bulls**t.
When you go home, you're the only person that lies in bed and deals with what's in your mind.
People cry, man. I don't matter if you're a man or whatever, it don't matter what you are
we all have emotions.
I feel like at one point in my life I was just so cold to everything.
Then one day, it all just hit me and it all come crashing down like everything I've been blocking out.
At that point I was like, "This is bulls**t" cause I felt lower than I've ever felt in my life
living up to expectations that weren't my own.
What's one thing that you wish wealthy people or the wealthy class knew about people on welfare?
That people are all the same, it don't matter how much money you got.
In the end, we all end up in the same size box in the ground.
Don't judge people because they have less or they have not.
Just see people for what they are, have fun, have a laugh.
You never know what someone's going to teach you, you know what I mean?
Dude, thanks so much for having a chat.
Yeah thanks for having me, bro.