A few years ago, when I was visiting a friend abroad in Sweden. I was sat round the dinner table casually talking and catching up with my friend. (Who is a well-known Swedish rapper) and I noticed my friends’ son on the other side of the table fixated in this book. It was a colouring book, He was happily colouring away, tongue poked out the side of his mouth and super focused! So, I had to ask “what’s that he’s colouring in fam?”
He got up to show me and I saw a familiar face and was baft. “Rah that’s sick!…Is that your dad yeah!?”
My mate nonchalantly interjected “What, didn’t I show you this?”. I was like “Noo fam. This is Nang!”. I took the booked and flicked through its pages as he went on to tell me it was a colouring book full of Swedish rappers. (And some of the them I was familiar with) Page after page of dope art work and big legendary names from the Swedish rap scene. I was in awe and almost instantly inspired. And thought about how sick it was that this kid could be introduced to a world of rap, through art and was just casually colouring in his dad and all his mates.
I then realised that I’d previously seen this is in American rap a few times. And one of the books I’d seen was a colouring and activity book by the legendary Killer Mike. And then I thought about how I hadn’t seen this at all in UK music and culture. Where we, outside of going to shows, listening to their music and occasionally wearing the odd piece of merchandise. Don’t really celebrate our greats in the same way.
I said “Right that’s it. I’m making a book of the mandem!”.
I wanted to pay homage to those that had inspired me in my career and made and impact on not only me but a whole entire culture, generation and country. I wanted to highlight the greats. Who helped shape the sound scape of UK music and Grime in particular. As this was the scene that help raise me and so many others.
If not me, then who else? I thought. It was my way of championing these artists, and giving back to a culture that’s given me so much! And also immortalising them in the form of a COLOURING BOOK!
This one’s definitely for the culture. It’s Nang!