2014 has been massive for Ghetts. After countless years in the game, the veteran MC released a brilliantly crafted debut album Rebel With A Cause. Paralleling the rebellious spirit and energy of Grime and Punk, RWAC is a thoughtful and political record that really demonstrates how the culture can extend beyond singles into the album format. Not content there, he has recently unearthed his former persona Ghetto for the freshly released new mixtape Momentum 2 and has been on the road for a sold out three date mini-tour with his live band The Rebels.
We caught up with Ghetts on the phone to discuss the return of Ghetto, the current Grime revival, his plans for next year and his refusal to be overlooked…
You’ve just finished the Rebel Tour in the past week, how was that for you?
That was amazing man, we sold out all of the shows so it was a good turn out. Great to connect with all the fans that bought the album as well.
How would you describe the shows to someone who couldn’t make it?
Very energetic, very musical. It touches the soul more than a record would. I can’t really put it into words for you, you’d have to see the show, so make sure that you come down to the next one on December 2nd.
You were also in Channel 4’s Music Nation: Open Mic documentary last week…
I’ve not even seen the documentary yet to be honest. But I’ve heard very good feedback from it. It’s good that documentaries like this are now surfacing because it gives insight into the music and the history of the music that people are now in love with and listening to. So yeah, I’m glad to be a part of it.
How was making that, to look back at the history of Grime and how far it’s all come?
To be fair I wasn’t really asked such questions, it was more about the future of it. I’m not really with this whole ‘bring back the past’ thing. I’m not trying to recreate a golden era. I was more speaking from the perspective of what the future holds.
There are a lot of people talking about the resurgence of Grime at the moment, and it feels like they are trying to hail in a new Golden Era. What are your thoughts on that?
I can see the MC’s coming through that are giving the culture a new energy, which is always amazing. But as for people trying to recreate a golden era, that’s not going to happen, it’s impossible. To recreate what the music was when it was first heard, the feeling you felt when you first heard this new genre; that’s impossible to create. You can duplicate it but it’s never going to have that original feel.