Born in Tottenham and raised in Essex, it’s easy to see how rising star Jordy flaunts both of these influences as he carries himself with the street smarts know-how of a Londoner, infused the witty charm of an Essex geezer.
Jordy’s energy is infectious, and the rapper is wholeheartedly charismatic, however, understandably so considering he constantly surrounds himself with those closest to him. Jordy purposefully keeps a tightknit group around him, with his circle being both his biggest critics and also his most loyal supporters, but in return, Jordy has flourished as an incredibly grounded and captivating artist.
The rising rapper has grown exponentially in such a short amount of time through his storytelling skills and musical ability, traits that ensure listeners are captivated throughout and clinging on to every word. Jordy’s debut project ‘SMH’ saw him labelled as ‘One To Watch For 22′ by the likes of Complex, Hypebeast and Wonderland, and with the release of his latest project ‘KMT’ he is showing everyone exactly why.
Through the likes of ‘Enemies’ and ‘Peak’ off the latest project, Jordy is once again proving his Midas touch when it comes to penmanship and displaying his worth once more as an exceptional storyteller.
Clash sat down with Jordy to discuss the brand new ‘KMT’, what he’s been up to outside of music, and life’s important questions.
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First off obviously with the recent local elections, on the topic of politics, what would you do if you were Prime Minister?
If I was Prime Minister … yeah, I would make a lot of things happen. So, first of all get rid of foxes, foxes are evil. Either that or they have to go and get work. What else? What other things, I think everyone should be allowed to have free travel and free parking on your birthday. I think they’re my main three policies, and the rest just comes after.
The rest just comes naturally?
Yeah, oh and no one can say the word brazy. I don’t like that word no more.
What’s brazy done to you?
Everyone’s using it, man. It’s disgusting.
Okay, fair enough. And moving on to music, being listed as one to watch for 2022 by the likes of like Complex and Wonderland, as an artist that is gaining a reputation for your hard work, how does it feel to have this kind of recognition?
It feels like, I don’t know what the word is, I feel it’s justified. Like your hard work is the fruits of your labour. I’m not doing this for nothing. But there’s still more that I’m going for, so I don’t like to let it cloud anything, I just keep going.
Yeah, for sure. But surely that’s the best way to be, just to keep moving on your own path?
Yeah, it’s lovely to know people after me, but if anything, it just means for me, I’ll have more people to prove myself to.
So, you’re known for your honest, straight-talking and emotional approach to music, is this something that’s come naturally to your artistic style or is it something you’ve actively worked hard to achieve?
No, it’s just my personality, really, and I think my personality comes across in my music. So, everything I do is authentic, and I pride myself on that. So, whatever you’re hearing, I’ve probably worked on it, but it was always there If you see what I mean.
When you are making new music, is this something that you do try and get into your lyrics?
I probably always go into a song with a thought and then try to work towards getting that thought out, but that’s about it.
And so, the way in which you deliver your lyrics and going back to what we just discussed, you’ve moulded yourself into such a storyteller through music, and of course, transitioning from Tottenham to Essex at such an early age experiencing so much life from the off, do you think that this played a big part of you getting to where you are now?
I mean, listen, when you’re in London, you think you’re around every culture and to a certain extent you are, but it isn’t until you go to Essex that you’ve seen like a whole different side of culture, I felt like I was part of two worlds. When you’re on the estate in London, there’s a little bit of everything Somali, Turkish, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Jamaican, like you name it – it’s there, but there isn’t, where I was, anyway, a lot of English, and when I went to Essex and it was all English, I was learning about them lot, so yeah man, I’m almost bilingual.
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And a bit about you, obviously from your Essex past, what a lot of people don’t know is that you are actually quite a bit of an Essex geezer when you want to be?
Yeah, I do all of that, I hate beers, but I love pub for sure. I can drink, but my guys here hate it, they can’t keep up with me the London.
And aside from that and going back to the music, in a scene where it can be quite hard to be vulnerable, especially in the London music scene, were you quite sceptical about opening up so much on ‘SMH’ and for the upcoming project as well?
No, opening up is not gonna scare me man, I don’t see why it should. I don’t really care what you think about me, it’s me innit. How can you come over here, listen to my stuff, and then be annoyed about it … get out of here!
Because it’s people judging you for doing so, isn’t it?
I know, yeah. But you know what … You signed up for this life, it’s occupational hazard. It doesn’t matter what it is, if it’s football, music, anything in the public eye, you’re open, so you open yourself to criticism, you got to be razor sharp and sturdy.
That’s fair, that’s quite a good way of thinking about it. A lot of people don’t, so surely that’s quite a good mentality going forward?
I mean, I’m human. There’s times people hear from me, but I don’t jump out the window, no one can really get me out of my skin like that, no way.
I guess that’s basically what the new single ‘Enemies’ is about isn’t it though?
Yeah, so a lot of what ‘Enemies’ is about is how the ‘new age warfare’ as I see it is to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. I think you’ll find your biggest hater is probably closer to you than you think, and I’m not saying I know who it is, but I’m just doing that thing you know when you just smoke out the house and let them run out. So, I’m calling it, whoever’s hiding in plain sight just know, I know you who are. But its common man, haters are everywhere.
Yeah, for sure, and so going back to your old project, obviously one of your hit singles is ‘Feel Right Now’, but are there any artists that you are feeling right now?
Who am I feeling right now, In the US, I love ESTG that’s my favourite rapper right now. Who else do I like right now? There’s a guy called Frank Ekwa, he dropped a song called ‘365 Days’ he’s part of Ambushes group of friends, I like ShaSimone, I like SB she’s wicked, Mowgli, I like him. Actually, scratch all them names. I’m sorry, I like Elt Cheekz. Hola, Elt Cheekz. That’s my cousin. And everyone’s gonna call me bias but when you hear him, you’ll know.
Okay, okay. So, none of them guys, just Elt Cheekz?
Elt Cheekz. None of them guys are better for me, I’m sorry.
Yeah, that’s fair enough. And going back to ‘KMT’, it’s essentially based around the premise that you only have people in your circle that you believe aren’t going to be detrimental to you or your career. How do you think this attitude has helped you in your line of work?
It hasn’t slowed me down. I don’t think my friends will allow me to slow down, unless it’s absolutely necessary. Slowing down because you’re getting complacent and being lazy is not really something the boys will allow you to do, and when I say allow you to do – it’s not like they are going to stop you and say, ‘what are you doing?’, you’re just going to see a massive gap. They’re still going. That’s the type of thing that me and my people are on. We’re all adults, man, we all got bills to pay. We are all going to keep going, and if you can’t keep up, you’re gonna see a big gap between us.
And in the past, you’ve worked with the likes of JME, Ghetts and Kojey Radical, how useful is it learning from these guys, and just listening to them and hearing what they have to say?
I mean them lot are on the bigger platforms than I’m on, so I got to know what I’m in for. Being in the studio with Ghetts, I saw the writing process, and he actually changed the way I write music too you know, steel sharpens steel init. So, I like to be around the best and learn from the best, and that’s what that’s what I’m aiming to be around.
What is your process like now having learned from them guys?
Honestly, it’s very flexible. I can do a bit of everything. I can work from home, I can write in the studio, I can write with people around, I can write with no one around. Small room, big room, it doesn’t matter to me, only because I think you have to be adaptable. I don’t like the idea that if something’s missing, I can’t make a song. My creative process is pretty easy, man. Just get the beat going and if I like it, I’m going to pace around for a bit, and then before you know I’ll have something for you.
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Because for a lot of artists, it’s the case that it has to be a perfect setting, perfect mindset, all of that to get into their creative process, you’re just good to go, anywhere?
Honestly, I’ve done ‘Peak’ in my bedroom, but on ‘Enemies’ we did that in one of the biggest most beautiful studios. I can do anything anywhere.
That’s cool. And so aside from music, you’re also part of the Filthy Fellas crew, if you were stuck on an island with one of them, who would the best person to be there with?
Probably the hardest question you’ve asked, I think they’re all shocking. None of them are helpful. I don’t think anyone of them could get me out of a situation, I think all of them might annoy me. In the end, I don’t think I’d have anyone I’d pick, so pass.
Who would be the worst?
The worst to be stuck on an island would be Poet. He would just film, film for his Instagram story, and then his phone would die … And now he’s talking to you. Get him out.
Okay, fair enough. And as an avid football fan, with the Qatar World Cup coming up, would you be keen to do England’s World Cup song?
Would I be up for it? I mean, you know what, I’m open to it, but I think Steve-o kind of took that market anyway. He done the Euros song and I’m sure he’s got a World Cup song ready, he kind of took that market, he didn’t even ask me if I wanted to get on it. That’s his own thing. But I’m thinking if I even want to back England this time around. They annoyed me in the Euros, man.
Who would you back?
Who am I gonna back for the World Cup? let’s be different and go for Canada, I’m gonna back Canada.
So, going back to the upcoming project, are you excited about the world hearing ‘KMT’?
I’m keen for everyone to hear it, I want everyone to hear the new stuff. I’m always, always, every time before I drop, I’m shitting it, every time. I embrace that feeling because it means I’m trying something new. And I’m always trying something new, organically new, but new. So yeah, I’m keen to hear what people think, I just want to get it out because I’ve got plans for the year, man.
Surely, if you’re shitting it, that’s because you know you’ve done a good job, if you see what I’m saying. Because you know you’ve done a good job, you want people to hear it, that’s why you’re so nervous for it to come out?
Yeah, man, I’m always shitting it before a release. I can’t speak for every artist, but I think this should be a feeling you have, otherwise it means you didn’t really try nothing new that you just know your formula. So, I’m just hoping that what I went for comes across when it comes out.
So, you’re saying you’re not playing it safe on ‘KMT’?
I’ve never played it safe. I’ve never played it safe, every time I drop a song it’s different from the last, always incredibly different. So, I don’t know, I don’t think that I have a signature sound, I just do what I want.
But that’s surely a good thing though?
It is a good thing, but it could also be a bad thing. You don’t want to be known as like a jack of all trades, master of none, but that only comes across if what you’re doing is not organic. You’re constantly trying to do something different just to be different.
And aside from ‘KMT’, what else can we expect from Jordy this year?
You can expect from me this year a joint tape between myself and Elt Cheekz, that’s coming. That’s actually done.
What else have you got going on?
Well, listen, if anything, I’m still working on music. As it stands, I’ve got everything for this year done. I’m working on next year’s stuff and I’m working with a few more rappers now, I didn’t used to a lot, I’m working on getting people in the studio, and we’re chopping it up. I’ve done guest verses, and Filthy Fellas, Filthy Fellas to the world, we got World Cup stuff coming.
So, any gigs or festivals booked in?
Nothing that I can shout about now, but there’s definitely talks. It’s very exciting times.
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‘KMT’ EP is out now.
Words: Ben Broyd
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