Artist: RWD



Since he was last in the mag, Giggs has managed to sell out all copies of his debut album Walk In Da Park on it’s first day of release. He’s also been nominated for a BET award and has also caught the interest of quite a few big names in the scene. Rajveer Kathwadia puts your questions about being a role model, breaking the US and Barbra Streisand(?!?) to the south London spitter. Image By Jake Green

POPT: How did you get big? You have no video, hardly any promotion but people on the street know who you are.
That’s just through our own promotion; flooding the streets with mixtapes, giving them out for free everywhere we go, just making sure everyone gets a CD. If they don’t listen to it now, they’ll listen to it later. Some people had a Giggs CD and they didn’t even know it.

RWD: How did you feel when all the copies Walk In Da Park sold out on the first day of release?
I was p*ssed about that cos I didn’t wanna sell out - that’s a publicity stunt. A lot of people went out to get my album and they couldn’t get it. I was like ‘What the f*ck’s going on’, but after that, it got sorted out it was a good look after that.

Allen: Have you been approached by any major labels in the UK or US after the success of your mixtapes and latest album?
Not yet, but it’s not something that interests me really. I’m just trying to do my own thing and keep it moving it like that. But I wouldn’t mind being in the US where the real money is. There ain’t no real money in this country. It’s all pretend here – if you’re not doing what they want you to do, then they don’t want you to do it at all. I’m just trying to break through all that.

RWD: How does it feel to be up for a BET award?
I’m just happy to be nominated still. I wanna go out there but obviously (makes non-committal shrug) but I’m gonna try anyway!

RWD: We here you were politicking with Russell Simmons recently...
His assistant and my manager spoke. Me and him had a brief conversation and he said he liked my music, and just the fact that someone of that stature has heard my music is a good look still. It didn’t go much further at the time, but we’ll see.

Stinga: What is your next project?
The SN1 Mixtape – just for the streets cos my next album will probably drop next year. I wanna go out to the States and try and do a mixtape there and get that street buzz over there.

Gk RWD: Have you heard any other Giggsism’s about? I recently heard a guy try to chirps a girl with the line ‘Talk to me darling.’
(Laughs) My bredrin was on the bus and he said that some girl was arguing to her friend and she goes ‘That girl thinks she’s talking the ‘ardest,’ which made me laugh. It feels mad but it’s all love.

POPT: How true are your lyrics?
It’s all true really. Obviously I change bits and pieces cos I don’t wanna get nicked, but it’s always truthful.

Invincible: How do you feel about the responsibly of the effect you have over youth in the UK?
I don’t even want any responsibility. How can I be a role model when everyone knows that I used to be a criminal and that I’ve done bad things in my past? Perhaps if you look at it in a way that I’ve tried to put all that behind me. Hopefully a lot of kids might hear me and then want to go to the studio and record some music instead of being on the streets or whatever. There’s positives and negatives in everything but people seem to just wanna focus on the negatives with me.

Invincible: What do you hope to achieve through your music?
I’m trying to break down that hate and get us through the door and help to get youts off the street, cos when the industry holds me back they don’t see the big picture of it all. If I can do well off of it – like really well off of it – then the kids might see there’s something for them to look forward to, where they can use their talent to make a future for themselves. It’s much bigger than just me.

Yusuf Lover: Yo, do you feel that having your brothers around you has contributed towards your success?
You need your family and everyone around me is like family. That’s the way it is in the hood. No-one’s really got dads and a lot of people ain’t even got mums or brothers or anyone so the man dem are the closest some people have got to family.

Long1: Will you sign an extension to your current contract with Man U?
(Laughs) We’re in discussions at the moment but they’re not offering enough money!

Nick: What team do you support?
I don’t even watch football. I don’t even watch TV really. I just watch Heroes and Prison Break (laughs).

RWD: What’s the better out of the two?
Break innit! It’s the ‘ardest.

RWD: Everyone’s hyping The Wire...
Nah you have to watch like four seasons for it to get good. I don’t like it. Prison Break - that’s a must. It’s kind of like what’s going on with me and the industry – trust me. I’m like Michael Scofield and the industry’s like the company; secret organisation with secret meetings (laughs)

EZZZZZZ: Do you really believe you are a good MC or are you just delusional because your voice, flow, delivery, wordplay, metaphors, similes and lyrical content are all poor?
I might be buzzing more time still so I guess I am kind of delusional (laughs)

Long1: Giggs is sh*t. His tracks are boring! I don’t get the hype. I’d rather listen to Barbra Streisand taking a sh*t.
Who’s Barbra Streisand? I’m gonna get her album – it must be ‘ard. I might even put her on my next album.

Walk In Da Park is out now. MySpace.com/trapstargiggs

RWD Magazine

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