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 <strong>UK</strong> 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
“I don’t think I’d be having the success I am now if I hadn’t got rid of my ego. There’s no room for ego when you’re trying to be great” THE RED BULLETIN 69
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