“It’s like a fine wine man, it’s getting deeper and deeper…”It sometimes feels like we’re living in D Double E’s world.
The veteran MC has given us so much joy over the years, but like fine wine, he keeps getting better with age. It’s been a couple of years since his last album, but the Newham General has been featuring on tracks and steadily releasing singles since. He’s even teamed up with Pepsi so create a track for their ‘Challenge Your Taste’ campaign. What’s more apparent is that it seems that the artists is enjoying himself, not restrained to one genre. Which is a compliment to his versatility.
Clash had the chance to speak with the legendary MC, to talk through recent releases and collaborations.
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The past year I feel like there’s been loads of releases from you which have all been great. Have you not struggled creatively during the past year during lockdown?
Yeah that’s all you could be, is be creative. Trying to think about the next steps and how things can get better. It’s better to be in the process of making work instead of waiting for things to open up again.
So it’s a period of plotting the next steps too.
I’ve been going crazy on production, producing a lot of beats and singles. Like the Pepsi advert too. It’s given me time to do other things.
Was the Pepsi project something fun to be a part of?
Yeah man it was fun, I was given enough of a creative license too as well to do what I wanted on the track.
How did you bring the Pepsi track to life?
They gave me a rough example of a beat that had a lot of energy. So I had to find ways to find that energy. So we remade the beat that I originally had to work with the advert. Then we had to match it up with the advert which was a fun process.
The end product is sick, the video is sick as well man, I’ve seen all the adverts on the bus stops and billboards, it’s getting about now man. I kinda wish I put more echos in there, and the ‘Oooer oooer’ to put my stamp on it, but that’s if I was being picky.
You’ve done similar adverts in the past, like with IKEA too. Why do you think you get chosen for it?
Basically, I think I’m good at these sorts of jobs. I’m good at subjects and topics and making music with them. I got the opportunity along with a few artists, but they chose me because I was more on point.
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When you hear a D Double track now, it’s exciting because of your versatility. It can be over a number of different styles. Have you enjoyed developing your sound over the years?
I’m enjoying doing what I want to do. It was always there, but I was surrounded by people who were doing one thing. So when I started out it looked like I was just a drum and bass MC or grime. I was just surrounded by it. But my original skills were just hip-hop and reggae type bars. So I’ve always been doing different styles. Like now, I’m around wider circles which means I can make more of what I like.
So this is the real me right now, this versatility. It’s not like I’m trying to be this person. It’s just good to be able to prove it man and go back to my original way of looking at music, and enjoy making different types of music.
Because the UK scene is still progressing, is it easier for artists to not be put in a box for their style? Or do you think that’s still the case?
I think the UK music scene loves music. As a kid, you loved music and the scene today is kids that love music. You can’t stick them in a room and make them listen to one genre all night long. UK kids of today are just making what they love, which is what we should’ve done. So when Wiley did ‘Boasty’, for me that’s not anything different, he’s been doing those sorts of tracks before, because he’s got them styles. I can do these styles and it’s not a surprise.
For me I’m just trying to express it more, and not just do one thing. You don’t know what’s gonna come next, and that’s how I like it man.
Out of everyone in the UK, there’s no one that gets the crowd going like D Double. You must be looking forward to feeling that energy from a crowd again right?
I am ready to feel that energy again, it’s gonna be immense man. The reason why is because when clubs open, you get to see the growth in the crowd. Some of the music I made I haven’t been able to perform. I haven’t performed the track with Kano, or my track ‘Don’ with Skepta yet. But when I do perform it, the way people are going to be singing it because they would have learnt it. It’s like a fine wine man, it’s getting deeper and deeper. So when things open, everythings getting lapped up.
And if there’s people in the crowd that don’t know the words, they’re super slow, boy.
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Words: Joe Hale
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