zap! bang! Magazine

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• SW4 interviews: Wretch 32

• Wretch 32

• 2011-08-04

• Jermaine Scott is better known as Wretch 32, a North London rapper who has found char success and with an album release just around the corner. He’s playing this year’s South West Four weekender on Clapham Common over the August bank holiday weekend and we caught up with him in the run up to the annual festival of big basslines.

  Your track “Unorthadox” with Example was huge, have people started recognising you in the street yet?
  Since “Unorthodox” charted at number two I have started to be recognised in different places. As I have been doing mixtapes and music on an underground level for years now it is not something that is completely new to me but it is much more often than before.

  UK rap is blowing up at the moment with people like you, Devlin, Tinchy Stryder, Bashy etc. Why do you think it’s getting so popular?
  I think that is because we have all worked tremendously hard to establish a fan base and scene. At the time when I was recording my first mixtape it was uncool to play a UK grime artist’s CD in your car which shows the progress that has been made.

  Where else are you playing this summer?
  I have played at Wireless and Glastonbury then will also play at V Festival and have a tour in October with Loick Essien as my main support.

  When you grow up in the jungle and live to tell the tale and progress that is a success in itself.

  Have you got any album plans in the pipeline?
  My album will be released August 22nd and it is called Black and White.

  So many people that you grew up with are successful at the moment, who do you think will be next?
  My circle of friends are mostly successful in the own careers whether they work as a personal trainer or housing manager. When you grow up in the jungle and live to tell the tale and progress that is a success in itself. I think that Calibar or Shalo Kid could be next.

  How do you go about song-writing, do you have a method?
  I think about what the overall story of the record is then progress step by step to meet that goal.

  Why the name “Wretch 32”?
  Wretch is what my mum used to call me and 3 & 2 are my lucky numbers.

  Any plans to try and crack the US?
  If that comes along then that’s great but I am just focussed on the UK at the moment.

  For people who want to follow in your footsteps but aren’t sure how, where can they get the support?
  I am very active on twitter which is @wretch32, I also have a facebook fan page which is www.facebook.com/wretch32music and blog at www.wretch32.com.

  I grew up listening to reggae, hip hop and RnB. My Dad was actually a DJ.

  Which music really gets on your nerves?
  No music really gets on my nerves as I have HUGE respect for the art form. There are genres which I am still trying to get my head around like rock maybe because it is so adverse to.

  After the collaborations with Example and Josh Kumra have you got any more lined up?
  I have a few top-secret collaborations that will surprise a lot of people.

  If you could choose anyone, who would you collaborate with and why?
  I would collaborate with Bob Marley or the King MJ.

  There have been a fair few house tracks featuring rappers lately, would you ever consider it?
  I have been offered a few that haven’t had enough hip-hop in to work for me. I am a musician and open to things but it needs to feel right.

  Name 3 tracks your into at the moment?
  Emeli Sande – “Heaven”
  Ms Dynamite – “Neva Soft”
  Mann – “The Mack” (Feat. Snoop Dogg and Iyaz)

  Name 3 all-time favourites?
  Kanye West – “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”
  Bob Marley – “Jamming”
  Jay-Z – “Song Cry”

  Who else will you watch at SW4?
  I will be watching Yasmin, Magnetic Man and Annie Mac among others.

  For all the latest South West Four news go to www.southwestfour.com.

by Mike Barnard