I never gave up rapping – it gave up on me. There was no industry and no appetite for UK rap back then and I had a daughter to feed. I couldn’t keep doing something full time that didn’t pay the bills.
I’d always written rhymes but I was scared to share them. They stayed on paper or in my head, until I started going to watch battles and eventually thought to myself, “I’m definitely as good as some of these guys, and maybe even better than them”.
While I was rapping I was always involved in youth work – I ran music workshops for teenagers and young offenders all the time and also ran a charity for refugee kids for a time.
I try not to make social consciousness a massive part of my music or comedy because I prefer to be an entertainer first and foremost, then do actual grassroots work when I can.
If you are successful because of Hip Hop, which I am, then you have to recognize that Hip Hop is nothing if not a product of the street, therefore you have to give something back.
I try not to be influenced when it comes to being creative, just in order to sustain my own voice and character. However, I do have many inspirations from the worlds of literature, music, comedy and film.
I’ll just keep going till people get disinterested. It’s what I was born to do and thankfully, people have shown an interest. I never do anything to be famous.
With this kind of camera-phone madness we have got, moments are diluted into self-contained edited experiences.
Breaking up monotony is key to life and it doesn’t matter whether I’m stacking shelves or writing songs, if I was doing the same thing every day I just couldn’t take it.
I think I’ll always be linked to comedy. There is something about it that’s such a beautiful thing. The world of drama sneers at it because people assume that it’s easy but it’s not at all; it’s incredibly difficult.
In terms of a comedy plan I don’t really have a list of what I want accomplish. I’m just riding the wave! I think I will always come back to stand-up and comedy in all its forms. I just don’t think it will ever be the one sole thing I do.
I just love the subversion of dialogue in sitcoms, stand-up is monologue and that is entertaining for a lot of people but personally I find it a bit trying, which is a weird thing to say as a stand-up! I love people aping normal conversation and twisting it so it becomes hilarious.
There is no better education than rap battling in terms of performance. It makes you fearless.
In show business, never underestimate the power of saying “no”.
My shows will always be inspired by hip hop culture and my upbringing within it.
When I slid into comedy, naturally the first thing I said was, “hello, I am a washed up rapper.”
I’m proud of most of the stuff I’ve put out and I hope my kids will look at it long after I’m gone and go, “hey, Daddy was cool once!”
I got into music via the competitions; the first time I ever performed was in a kind of rap battle, competing for money.
I think everybody wants to be the best at what they do and for me I was never really there, plus it was in a time that just preceded the insanity of internet promotion around 2005 and 2006. Obviously through the digital revolution things have moved very quickly and a lot of artists got left behind.
I respect anyone who’s honest to themselves and able to bring that into their work in an entertaining fashion.