Shortly after the success of the Chupa Chups mixtape, Bashy released arguably his biggest single to date, an empowerment to Black people entitled “Black Boys“. At this point the natural progression would assume that Bashy would have entered a record deal. However as he described in his album Catch Me If You Can, he had a few meetings which amounted to nothing. In recent years he has elaborated that the labels were not putting up the figures which Bashy felt he was worth, as he said, “Last year we had to turn down Warner, they can’t afford us!”
After the release of Catch Me If You Can, Bashy took a step away from music. He did release some mixtapes after his album however nothing else surfaced. Having followed Bashy’s career, I was fully aware of Bashy’s stint at Brit School and his subsequent acting ability. This was evident in his first leading role in themovie Shank. After this he appeared in 4,3,2,1 and many other roles. However, one role he didn’t get was a role in critically acclaimed series Top Boy. Ashley later down the line posted on Instagram his disappointment at not getting this role, however he was given a role in the second season of Top Boy. With Superstar Drake having purchased the rights for the next installment all eyes are on whether Bashy will feature in the third season. Recently Bashy featured in Beowulf: Return To The Shieldlands and also the HBO series The Night Of. He’s since landed a super coveted role on American series 24.
Ashley Thomas has now established himself as one of the lead black actors coming out of the US. Apart from Idris Elba and John Boyega, there aren’t many more black British actors doing so. Ashley has managed to continue to make strides in the US, all the while maintaining his “Britishness”. Recently he has posted on Instagram picture with his name on the back of a Burberry card, suggesting that he may be a new ambassador of the brand. Burberry is arguably the most British brand around, and in a day and age where the essence of being British is confusing, this is important. With the split in the country following the Brexit vote, Ashley has emerged as a figure for ethnic minorities in Britain to look up to. In the last few years Ashley Thomas has proudly waved the British flag and become a beacon for young black males in the UK specifically. When we see Bashy in New York, with his very British fashion choices I immediately picture Sting’s “Englishman In New York” playing in the background.