Lethal Bizzle talks ahead of rare Wolverhampton gig

He first blasted on to the scene with East London collective The More Fire Crew and their club banger ‘Oi’. Since then, he has released albums and singles as a solo artist, including the Grime anthem ‘Pow (Forward)’; become a MOBO award winner; and embarked on two sold out headline tours in addition to supporting the likes of The Enemy and Babyshambles on tour, performing regularly on the UK festival circuit and appearing at the final Live 8 concert in 2005.

Alongside his career as an MC, Lethal has also graced the silver screen (with a cameo role in the film Adulthood), and proved himself to be a thriving entrepreneur, with the founding of his own imprint Dench Records, the launch of clothing line Stay Dench with ex-Arsenal footballer Emmanuel Frimpong, and the international expansion of his Dench Party club nights.

Lethal was brought up in Walthamstow and released his first album, Against All Oddz, in 2005, having released Pow (Forward) a year sooner.

He started recording at a grass roots studio on the outskirts of London.

“My first studio session was in a bedroom in a house in Leytonstone and it was quite weird because I never about recording studios. It was just like a little room. I took the mic, put the headphones on and spoke in the mic. I recorded and I remember listening back thinking ‘cool, cool, cool’.

“I remember just sitting there thinking it’s really weird. It was a little bedroom in a house, which later on we made Oi in the same room.”

Since Lethal emerged, a new generation of grime acts have emerged. He’s proud to have forged a path for other new artists.

“There’s a new generation. It’s all good. Welcome to the party. When you’re young, you’re into what you’re into. When I was coming up, I was into Wu Tang. I respected Run DMC and Rakim, but a bit before my time.

“But people couldn’t tell me to listen to Run DMC. I listed to Wu Tang and Naz. That was what I’m into. It’s the same now. As much as I’d loved fans to do research, I don’t think it’s the way to force feed them. I think it’s up to themselves if they want to do the research.

“In my shows, I always do some of the old stuff before they’re the classics. But music is free and I think you should just let people vibe with it.”

Lethal returned in late 2016 when he announced his first album in eight years – following up 2009’s Go Hard. The album, Lennox Rd, followed the single Round Here and EP You’ll Never Make A Million From Grime.

He’d been busy in the intervening years on TV and film projects, including a role in the BBC Three comedy drama Bad Education and an unexpected stint on Match Of The Day 2, after being hired to report on an Arsenal versus Norwich City game.

He’s changed his name over time – calling himself Lethal Bizzle and Lethal B at different times.

He adds: “Lethal B is a different person to Lethal Bizzle. He’s the guy that was in the pirate radio scene, on the streets trying to get money while trying to do music. He was young, coming up, reckless and wild.

“Lethal Bizzle was when I became an adult and decided to switch it up. It was about being more strategic and carrying myself a bit differently. You know, same person but two different attitudes. From 2005/6 is when I started that transition. Lethal B was young, wild, reckless and didn’t know I could make a career out of this music thing.”

Lethal has experimented with different types of music, particularly dance, dubstep and house. He’s remained at the cutting edge as grime has moved forward, embracing new sounds. And as well as his music, he’s also remained active on social media, so that he can communicate directly with his fans.

“Everybody kept saying no. I couldn’t get a look in. So I had to find other ways to engage to my audience. I did a blog on my YouTube channel, talking about something, because I wanted to tell the people this story.

“It got this mad response. People really liked it. When you hear songs like Pow, people thought I was some crazy maniac. But the blogs showcased this different side.

“I caught people’s attention who thought I was cool and funny. I started to analyse that and see how I could showcase my music or clothing. The social media thing started happening then.

“When Pow came out, there wasn’t any Twitter. You had to go to HMV to get that.

“But I realised that going viral is a good thing. You want your stuff to go viral. I understand that. If radio won’t play me, I’ll find another way. All the ‘no’s’ I got from TV and radio were a blessing because I charted without them.

“I was getting to number four without being on any radio station. I was charting and I kept doing it and kept doing it. I don’t mind if people don’t support me, I’ll find another way. That’s where the social media focus came from, from getting my music out there.”