As we so commonly see MC’s blowing up in the space of a single tune, any ones-to-watch lists written in January runs the risk of being outmoded by the time February arrives. Having said that, it is a clear demonstration that the UK scene is flourishing, with new creatives drawing from various genres and styles, grasping elements from afro-inspired sounds to even the grittiest of drill.
2017 was a year that really grew out the foundations that were laid down in the year prior; a year, which really saw the emergence of UK music in the mainstream circuit and in turn, a newly formulated worldwide appeal. Since, the industry has seen a number of new faces from a variety of backgrounds and age groups, all contributing to the pool of culture, which makes up the British scene.
Enter 23, the Hackney born rapper who only started recording and releasing music in late 2016, but has now become one of the hottest artists on the scene ever since his unorthodoxly produced and delivered club banger “Ain’t Bothered” caught a buzz. Since then, tracks like “Can’t Tell Me” have also received acclaim, leading to an upturn in fans as well as a presence which has accelerated him to a position which now has him on red alert as fans anticipate what is to come next from the young hit maker.
It all started in 2016 with a track entitled “The Debut”, where he tells his story over a more American type beat, describing life in East London as he is pictured in one scene on a sofa alongside Yxng Bane. Though his earlier music remained more under the radar, it was his track “Ain’t Bothered”, that he released in the summer of 2017, which was single handedly responsible for his now position in the game.
We were able to sit down and converse with 23 to talk about his journey so far, his influences, as well as his life outside of music.
Where did the name 23 come from?
“I own a lot of trainers, the main ones being Jordans and I came up with the name because I wanted something that would represent me. I didn’t want something basic but I wanted something that’s close to home as well. You see how with Beckham, well Michael Jordan’s number is 23 too and he’s known as the best basketball player which made the number become so iconic. I want to be the best in my field too you get me. I’ve always been into Jordans, then again, I’ve been getting into Yeezy’s a lot more recently, I actually got my first pair the other day.”
A lot of people talking about your flow, especially on “Ain’t Bothered”, do you think this was a factor to your success?
“Everything about it was so different, even the beat. I remember my producer, who’s also my manager, saying it’s not even something he would normally make, so even from that alone I kept saying to myself that this is the one. To switch the flow on it as well, at the time we were trying to find our sound, so I was just testing the waters. The thing about “Ain’t Bothered” is that I actually tried melodies out, because really I’m a hardcore rapper. I usually rap the whole song before I even think about laying down a chorus, so with this one I thought I would experiment and I guess it paid off. From there, I used the same formula on “Can’t Tell Me” which has actually surpassed “Ain’t Bothered” on YouTube. Its actually just hit 4 million views, that’s crazy.”
You only began dropping videos late in 2016, which is not too long ago considering how much you’ve blown up; can you take us back to where it all started?
“There’s a studio, which my manager owns and Not3s was going there at the time, plus we have a lot of mutual friends cause we’re from the same ends. There was some free time and we just started freestyling and that where it all started really. I remember during school times, I would freestyle but my friends always used to tell me to take it more seriously. Back then I was like nah, I’m not too sure about it [laughs]. Also, I feel like music is all about life experience and cause I was still at school during these times, I just didn’t have that much to talk about. But that day kind of changed it all. But I owe a lot to my producer/manager N2theA. He’s worked with a lot of people; Kojo, Sneakbo etc, so just with that alone I was like yeah this makes sense and it kind of just fell into place.”
Being from Hackney, East London, a place, which has a rich history, especially in its contribution to where UK rap music is now; growing up, did your environment influence the music you make now?
“Growing up, I used to listen to a lot of American music, your Drake’s and Rick Ross’, but now that times have changed and our scene is so healthy, there are so many artists to listen to and draw influence from, just in my surroundings alone. Just being here really whilst its all taken off is crazy, like seeing my peers grow. I remember being with Not3s when he made “Addison Lee” in the studio and then to see how much he has grown as an artist; also just generally seeing people around me become successful really does inspire me.
“I think East London in general is really blowing up, everyone’s killing it; Bane, Kojo, J Hus, Not3s; it just shows that there’s a lot of raw talent coming from here.”
On “Ain’t Bothered”, you talk about coming up with your brothers. How important does friendship play in your life?
“My friends are my family, man. In my area we don’t say we have friends, it’s a family thing. Given the type of job that I do, everyone around me has to be 100 and in check at the same time; we all have to be on the same page you know.
“See how these days its almost like its easier to fall out with people and have people switch up and go left, but everyone that I’ve been with has been with me for over 10 years now; even my boy who is with me today, we’ve known each other since I was like 9. It’s the same faces, the same people in the videos and now that I’m doing well with my thing, its uplifting them at the same time and I always try and offer advice and encourage them with their things.
“One of the main things for me is to be true to myself and true to the people around me. My boys always tell me how this whole music things hasn’t changed me, I don’t know, it just doesn’t phase me.”
Your music is quite experimental and fuses a number of genres, how important do you think that is?
“Rap, Bashment, definitely picking from the scene at the moment as well as some old school influences, like you’ll see that on the Not3s track “Naughty”. There is a lot of influences, man; even the afro influence, that comes from my producer, he’s Ghanaian so he’s definitely got that afro sound about him and he’s grown up producing that style of music his whole career. Now that we’ve got that chemistry, I don’t want to rely on that afro side too much, I want to be freer to fuse and experiment with other sounds.”
Once upon a time a million views was something extraordinary, nowadays its almost like getting 10,000 views, do you think this has increased the competition within the industry?
“The craziest thing is that when I started making music my friends would always say to me “this ones going to bang” or “this ones going to hit a million”; and I was just happy that people were receiving my music to be honest, like 100,000 views to me would be mad, cause at the time I never would have thought I’d reach a million on a video, its crazy.
“My boys are mad [laughs], but now the way the scenes going with everyone doing numbers and even charting, it just shows you that anything is possible nowadays, you don’t have to be the most known rapper in the scene, like you can be low key and get a lot of support and views on your art.”
I read that you became the first artist under the PlugHouse roster, how did this all come about and what does this mean for your music?
“PlugHouse is the name of the studio that my manager owns, which then turned into his own company, so being the first successful artist in his eyes under his own label really just paves a way for other artists to be encouraged to do the same. Because I’m so busy and life’s hectic, he probably isn’t looking to manage anybody else but it just makes it easier for him to bring someone on board now that we have the platform.
“In all honesty, I just feel honoured to be the first to bring success to the table for him.
A couple of days ago you tweeted “Shit was more fun when I was broke”, can you elaborate on that?
[Laughs] “It’s a Nines bar [laughs]. Nines is like my favourite rapper. I was in the car listening to that song and that day it just hit me in the sense of, like when we weren’t as financially stable as we are now, I found a lot more things were fun and less stressful, just naturally enjoyable. Now, with the success and everything, comes wealth and with that, I’ve noticed that people move a little different, thinking they can get free things etc. It’s a tough one, cause they don’t understand that essentially we’re running a business now; like you wouldn’t go into JD and ask for free shoes would you… [laughs].
“But yeah, it was a relatable lyric and it’s all come full circle really, life’s been moving fast”
This year I said to myself that I’m taking no L’s, just lessons. What would you say are the biggest lessons you have learned since achieving commercial success?
“Stay grounded; never lose sight of what you want no matter where you are at the time. Also, don’t burn bridges. You don’t have to keep them, but just don’t cut everyone off for the sake of it cause you never know people could come of aid, it could be tomorrow or it could be a year from now. Having said that, I’ve learned how important it is to keep relations with people who are important. I learned that especially since everything’s blown up; cause my schedule leaves me with less time to spend the people I care about the most.”
Apart from your own music, which artists are you feeling at the moment?
“Nines man, like I said, he’s my favourite UK rapper, but I’m still waiting for him to drop something new ever since the album came out. I loved “Stacey Adams” on One Foot Out the beat is absolutely crazy. I actually met the producer of that track the other day and I said I need something like that for myself [laughs].
“The funniest thing is I saw Nines at the GRM Christmas Party and I didn’t know he knew me, it was only when he came up to me and said ‘Yo! Banging song man, I’ve been playing it in the ends”. It’s mad cause everyone around me knows how much I mess with Nines so they were like ‘rah its sick that he actually fucks with the music’. it was mad humbling.
“I’m a fan of everyone really, obviously I admire Not3s work, I was on his tour, so I’ve heard a lot of stuff that he’s been working on that hasn’t dropped yet and I’m telling you….it is fire.”
I was scrolling through your Instagram and noticed you support Man City. Aside from the music how do you like to enjoy your time? What are your other hobbies?
“Thing is, before this music thing I just used to love partying, I used to go to a lot of house parties. But now with this whole music thing, I don’t even party that much because now when I got out, I have to take pictures etc and don’t get me wrong I appreciate the support so much but sometimes I just want to enjoy myself, but I don’t get to.
“I’m also a massive football fan. You know what, I’m still just a normal guy [laughs]. I like going to my boys to chill, watch football and play some Fifa, not much has changed.
“I like to be able to look after my family too. Even though we were generally ok growing up, I like to be able to treat my brother and take my family shopping. Just making sure everyone around me is having a good time when I’m with them, that is what it’s all about. My boys’ lifestyles are different to mine, you see; they are either working or at University, so it’s nice that so when we chill we can all have a good time, you know.”
What can we expect from 23 in 2018? Can we get a GRM exclusive?
“There are a few surprises; I’ve been working on some remixes with a few artists. I’m also working hard on my own music too and we hope to drop an EP in the summer. It’s pretty much ready and there’s going to be 10 tracks. With this one I wanted to experiment and make sure there’s tracks on there like “Torn”, but also have some turn up, club bangers on there as well; just to really allow the project to have that ‘body of work’ sound.
“We could do an EP now, but I really want to take my time with it and from there, I also want to go on a headline tour of my own and really give the fans what they deserve.”
Is Nines going to be on it?
[Laughs] “I would love for him to be on it and the track would sound like a Nines tune, for the streets, you know. With Nines, it almost sounds like he doesn’t care, but content wise it’s so meaningful and can easily go over your head. It would be sick to have him on the EP.”