What song reminds you most of your childhood?
Actually, there's a few. There's one that's like “Ting-a-ling a ling, school bell a ring” [Ting-a-Ling by Shabba Ranks], that's one of them. When I was younger, I lived in Dominica for a little while, because my dad's from Dominica and my mum's from Jamaica, so I was listening to a lot of Beenie Man and there's one song called... is it called “Memories”? Whenever I hear that, I just feel like I'm a kid again.
I would say that for my teenage years, there are two songs that really bring me back and it's “Gabriel” by Roy Davis Jr. and Peven Everett, that’s one of my favourite songs of all time. And then another song is “What U Do” by Stephen Emmanuel and Eska, on Ice Cream Records. Oh man, that takes me back to being a teenager - around 14, 15, when we used to have these sort-of-raves in West London. Garage music shaped those years for me. I loved that time, loved it - that's where my love of garage was really nurtured I think.
What was the first physical record you remember buying?The first record I actually remember buying was Jadakiss, Kiss tha Game Goodbye. That’s the first one where I took my own money and went and bought it. I also loved R&B music, so I probably bought some early Usher around that time, but Jada was definitely the first. |
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What song is the best representation of your hometown?
This is such a hard question, but I'm going to say “P's & Q's” by Kano epitomises London at a very specific time. It's like a perfect snapshot of London, with his cadence and choice of words; “No whip, out the manor linking chicks, that's slipping.” This was our voice when we were 17 and 18 years old. The video feels like London, it looks like London. Grime, produced by DaVinche, sounds like London. It's a timeless record.
What songs remind you of traveling to a specific place?
Ah, there's loads. Wiz Khalifa “Black and Yellow” always reminds me of being on tour with Gorillaz in LA, and whenever we were driving around that song was always playing on the radio.
And then Drake, “One Dance” reminds me of a time when I was just starting to get some acting success in America, and I'd been cast in the series 24, which was a massive deal for me at the time. I was going to be away filming for six, seven months, so I had this leaving party with my closest friends and family at my friend’s bar called Trailer Happiness in Portobello Road, right by where I grew up in Brunel Estate. I remember “One Dance” was playing, we was all dancing and the lyrics hit me man. I was just mad emotional, I was so happy in that moment. That line “Nobody makes it from my ends," I was like “rah, the environment that we're coming from, it's so difficult to get out of that.” I was thinking of my childhood, of so many people, how many little situations I was in where I literally nearly never made it out. And it all dawned on me in that moment.
What song do you wish you had written?
It’s got to be a Bob Marley song for me, man. I just need to think of which one. Maybe it's “Natural Mystic” ... or “Could You Be Loved?” That's a mad song.
What’s the best song to play at a house party?
Ooh, what always gets the house party jumping? It depends where it is, it depends who's there. When someone's giving me the aux, I'll always draw for Bob Marley, but I've already said Bob for the other answer so I'll do something else. Do you know what’s mad - “Work” by Rihanna always goes off whenever you're in a little house party and there’s ladies about, if you just play “Work,” everyone will hear the start of that song and start vibing. Or, if you’re around some of my friends and family and you play Monsta Boy, “Sorry,” it's going off.
You’re abducted by aliens, and when you wake up on the spaceship, they pass you the aux. What is the song you’re playing to convince them not to destroy Earth?Bob has got to save the world, innit. It's “Jamming”, bro. “I hope you like jammin’ too,” because you want the aliens to dance and be at one with the world. |
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Bashy’s new album Being Poor Is Expensive is out now, and available here.