Ghetts shows a ‘Conflict Of Interest’ on new album
The London rapper drops off some new tunes.
Over fifteen years into his career, London artist Ghetts is a veteran of the scene. Although he’s widely considered one of grime’s best lyricists, his popular image/profile has never managed to matched the praise. This is partly due to his (in hindsight, wise) refusal to engage with grime’s pop crossover in the late 2000’s, but it’s also because he’s never quite managed to nail the perfect ‘comeback’ album in the way that Skepta managed with ‘Konnichiwa’, or Kano with ‘Made In The Manor’.
However, his brand new album Conflict Of Interest just changed all of that. The album certainly showcases a high quality UK talent at its best.
Weighing in at over an hour long, it’s a lengthy and ambitious project where singles like the previously released “IC3” (featuring Skepta) ties into the near seven-minute retrospective storytelling of “Autobiography.” Ghetts did a great job linking up with newcomers Pa Salieu and Backroad Gee to deliver the proper heat on “No Mercy” with its catchy hook stitching the three different styles together on display.
Speaking with NME regarding the project’s title, here’s what Ghetts had to say: “At first I was trying to present just one version of myself — But then I got halfway through the album and realized that I’m a very conflicted human being. I had a real moment of clarity where I realized that all these different qualities make you who you are, from anger to joy to pain. This album helped me learn to embrace that.”
At the start of his career, Ghetts was a spitter known as Ghetto. Over the years he’s shifted into a more mellow rhymer who has already proved himself. Yet there remains a tension between the two personas, this is what makes Ghetts the rapper everyone knows and loves today. When he recounts his hardships on the Ed Sheeran-assisted record “10,000 Tears,” you won’t doubt him for a second.
Tap in below and let us know your thoughts!