Red Bulletin UK 5/21

Ghetts
Playing the long game isn’t for everyone. But, for Ghetts,
patience and determination have been key components of
a career built to last. Our first taste of the British rapper’s
raw, whip-smart wordplay and magnetic charm came in 2005,
when – under the name Ghetto – he guested on the track
Typical Me by Kano, a fellow member of east London collective
NASTY Crew. That 42-second introduction signalled the
arrival of a grime heavyweight in the making – even if it was
to be a slow and steady ascent to prominence.
Born in Plaistow, east London, Ghetts – real name Justin
Clarke – began taking his career as a rapper seriously soon
after being released from prison for a series of minor car-crime
offences in 2003. His debut mixtape, 2000 & Life, was released
at the tail end of 2005, followed two years later by his second,
the acclaimed Ghetto Gospel. Packed with big ideas and diverse
subject matter, conceptually the mixtape was ahead of its time
in the grime world and highlighted the depth and range of the
then 22-year-old artist. Known as the MC’s MC, for years Ghetts
stood by and watched as a number of his grime contemporaries
broke into the mainstream and were lauded as the leaders of
the new and exciting cultural uprising he was helping to create.
But finally the agile wordsmith is enjoying his own moment
in the sun. Ghetts has been nominated for awards – including
a place on the Best Contemporary Song shortlist at the Ivor
Novellos for Black Rose, a rousing celebration of the strength
and beauty of Black men and women – and has worked with
artists such as Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Emeli Sandé; he can
also count the likes of Drake and Kanye West as fans. Then,
earlier this year, he scored a first UK top five hit with his
critically acclaimed third album, Conflict of Interest.
Although this path has been longer for Ghetts than for
others, he says that the journey has taught him lessons on
what true success means. According to the now 36-year-old,
humbling himself and choosing to be thankful has contributed
to him making the best music of his entire career and, in turn,
is the reason why he’s now earning the acclaim he so
desperately hungered for.
the red bulletin: Compared with
many other artists, your success
has been a long time coming…
ghetts: It really has. And it’s been a bit
overwhelming, if I’m honest. For a long
time, I felt like my back was against the
wall when it came to making music and
putting it out, like I had to constantly
prove so many people wrong. Whereas
recently it’s been the opposite; I’m now
at a place where I’m having to prove
people right – but that’s not a bad thing.
Why do you think people are
connecting with you more now than
they did before?
I think my songwriting is the best it’s
ever been. I’m at a point where I feel
like I’m becoming more of a wellrounded
artist. As a lyricist, you can
sometimes go overboard and just rap
a bunch of bars, but you’ve got to know
when to put your foot on the brake
and when to take it off. That was
something I had to teach myself. I don’t
think I would be having the success
I am now if I hadn’t got rid of my ego.
Was that hard to do?
At times, yeah. But there’s no room for
ego when you’re trying to be great. I can
definitely say I find it easier to do within
music than in real life. When you’re
having an argument with your partner
and you swear you’re in the right, it’s
harder to say, “You know what, babe?
I’m in the wrong.” But it shouldn’t be
that way. Removing your ego from both
work settings and reality settings is really
important – at least for me.
What made you want to get rid of it?
I started to see things that I don’t like
about other people creeping into myself.
There was a time when I was super
68 THE RED BULLETIN