He Quit His Job at 37: Now He DJ's with Will Smith, Skepta & Burna Boy

27:09Hundreds. I firmly put you in that in that space. You have made the qualification 100 times over. but what I haven't been able to see why I was so excited for you to be here is to be able to ask you questions outside of music you know to understand how you think and how you feel so that's why I go to I love that but I don't know the answer to that question I honestly don't know the answer I knew I was always loved as a child my mum went bent over and backwards man to like give me things like latest kicks or if there's a game that i want should work to get it through to being at the table and we're having rice or whatever and she's eating the bottom of the rice you get me it's those little things that i now use with my family or kids or even my friends be like all right cool man look we can make it work do you You know what I'm saying?

28:09And we just, we share. So I think that's what they taught me in terms of blog. I'm hoping that answers your question a little bit. It does. It does. Can I share something with you? Of course. All right. I've got a gift for you. Okay. I like a gift. I like gifts. Ooh, a letter. A letter. If you could open that and read that for us. All right. Let me open this and read it. Yes. Let's have a look. A trip to Las Vegas for two. There it is. All right, there are some things in life that are so difficult to put into words because they are felt so deeply. Today, I want to try. I want you to know just how much of a blessing you are to me.

28:53Watching the incredible young man you have become fills my heart with more pride than I could ever express. You have grown into someone who is kind, thoughtful, dependable, and selfless. And I feel so incredibly lucky to call you my son. Thank you for always being there for me, whether it's picking me up for work without hesitation, making sure I get home safely or helping me financially when things have been difficult. You never made me feel like a burden. Instead, you make me feel loved, supported and cared for. Those acts may seem small to you, but to me, they mean the world. More than anything, thank you for being someone I can talk to.

29:27You listen without judgment. You come to me when life feels heavy. And somehow you always know the right thing to say. Knowing I have someone I can confine in gives me a strength I didn't know I had. let me frame this letter um as your mum I've always believed it was my job to take care of you yes somewhere somewhere along the way you show me that love comes full circle you become one of my greatest sources of comfort encouragement and support that is something I will never take for granted you have impacted my life in ways you may never truly realize you remind me that kindness still exists that family is everything and even during the hardest times I'm never alone you inspire me every day to keep going to keep believing and to appreciate the people who stand beside us i hope you always remember how deeply you are loved and how incredibly proud i am of you not because of what you do for me but because of the wonderful person you are wow this is amazing your heart is one of your greatest gifts and i hope life returns to every ounce of love generosity and compassion that you so freely give to others thank you for being my son my support and one of my greatest blessings no matter how old you get you always be my little boy and i will always be grateful that God chose me to be your mum.

30:31I love you more than words can say. That's beautiful, man. Big up my mum ten times, man. I love this. Yeah. That's so nice. Yeah, I thought that was beautiful. That's so beautiful. And this is a lovely letter. I really appreciate you, man. That's so, yeah, man, this is great, man. It's yours. I'll hold on to it. Yes. I'll give it to you at the end. Yes. What a great letter. Thank you, mum. Yeah, yeah. I thought that was so beautiful. That was dope. Hey, Paul, we've got a surprise for you. You do? All right. Who's it from? It's love from your listeners. We Need to Talk is sponsored by Claude Bionthropic, the AI for minds that don't stop at good enough.

31:10So we thought we'd use it to make Paul something special from you. Using Claude, we analyzed every comment left on all 102 YouTube episodes and then prompted it to turn that data into something beautiful. This design is 10-10. We talk to each other. 6 ,021. That's how many ongoing conversations were sparked in the comments of your episodes. Wow. Thank you for giving us the confidence to be as open with each other as your guests are with you. That is a lot of conversations. And that, I would say, has been my biggest surprise about We Need to Talk, is how many people continue the conversation from the episode into their lives with people they love, with their friends, with their family, with their partners, and how those conversations then help them to change their behavior.

32:07And so that's all I can ask. For delving deeper, get started with claude.ai.talk. That's claude.ai.talk. I want to go back to Tottenham. From what I've read is you used to take speakers, put them out your window to play music for everyone. Crazy. Right? So not for yourself. Nah, man. For everyone else. Catching a vibe, yeah. Why did you do that? I feel like I think it's from sitting with my dad And playing music And the feeling it gave me Through to being at my aunt's In South London So Deptford So being there And my aunt's cooking the food She's playing music I think music is just a great feeling And people are outside Like just catching a little vibe You know what I mean Just from the power of just A bit of electricity A little CD And just music But what was the feeling That you that overcame you watching other people catch that vibe no it's amazing because for me it's just like obviously I was young then so I didn't really I probably didn't understand it then I was just like I'm just having fun like but you're having fun as well so this is a great thing but I think for me looking back on it it's like you're helping to alleviate someone's pressure man because life is not easy maybe it's not meant to be easy but life is just not easy man it's tough and I suppose being on the council estate maybe it's not your ideal place to be you know and And we're just all trying to get by a managing little community together, man.

33:38And I love the togetherness of the block, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So when, that's Ash as a little boy, right? So that's, how old are you? So that's you, when you put out the music out the window, you are still? Probably the same age. Like, so my mom bought me my first pair of, like, CD decks. So Big Up Mumsy again. Okay. Yeah. So I probably would have been around 13, 14. I started to dabble in just having my own set up like a time where my mum used to give me five pound a week yeah she's like yeah you got five pound a week and then I had a choice I could either get the bus to school or I could save that money and do something with it I was walking to school I was walking I was walking how long was school then how far was it it's like half an hour a half an hour walk yeah that's a long walk though yeah it's like a half an hour walk so me and my brethren Dwayne big up Dwayne my brother we would just walk to school yeah he was a year older than me and we just walked to school and at end of the week i'll go to like yes i can get music i would go to our price or an equivalent store i'll go buy a cd these times cds are like 2.99 or 3.99 okay so i can only buy maybe like one a week if i'm lucky i might get a special offer where they do like a pack yeah i don't really want the pack but because i can get more cds out of it i'll just take the pack you know So yeah, I remember those times man, times of mum's giving me that money, I built up my CD collection, I get a new, as soon as I get back, I make sure I put that CD in, banging it out on the block, and just having a good time man.

35:12Did you think, did you consider yourself a DJ at that point? No, I just considered myself as someone that was playing music, having a good time. The CD that my mum bought me, you could mix with them, but I couldn't comprehend what mixing was. So I see my dad just selecting songs. So select, then take the vinyl off, then select. He wasn't really going from one to the other, mixing them up. So that wasn't a comprehension for me. So yeah, just selecting at that time. Okay. So now did you get into, did you like progress that and think, okay, you know what? I'm going to start mixing or I'm going to start writing.

35:50I'm going to start rapping. Like, did you think, or I'm going to start singing? Like, did you think about that? So when I got to sixth form, so I would have been like 16, My friends introduced me to Tupac I'd heard him before But my friends like Chris Like big up Chris Cargill Like they were listening to Tupac Heavy And Orrin as well and Sean And I was like let me listen to it And let's see what's going on And when I was unpacking Tupac I was like this is sick man Combined with At the time at my school Black the Ripper Rest in peace So he was a cold spitter man He was cold And he was going on to Heat FM And doing his thing so my friends were writing music I'm like let me try and write music as well so I left the DJing behind I just or select whatever I was doing I left it I just started writing and I kind of went into my writing rapper MC kind of stage Did you?

36:41I'm retired now God You retired? I retired How long was your career? Oh man to my early 20s Okay Yeah my early 20s man I released quite a few mixtapes don't try and find them Are you serious? You did? Yeah, I went on to radio. I had my radio stint. And then... What was your name? No, don't worry about that. No, don't worry about that. No, seriously. Ash, what was your name? My name was Nothing. My name was Nothing. MC Nothing. MC Nothing? MC Retired. Yeah, so kind of going through that journey of releasing music. I'm going to fire this day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're going to fire Nothing. So, yeah.

37:22So, breaking even. So, like, breaking even or losing money on projects. And then one of my friends, Scribbler, he was like, oh, big up Scribbler. He was like, oh, bro, you're not good enough. Like, he just told me outright. That was that American style. He's not American, by the way. But he's like, listen, bro, like, you're just not good enough, bro. And I had to just, I sat on that maybe for a few days. I'm like, you know what? You're right. Like, I'm not making money. Like, yeah, it's just not working. And then that's when I kind of started to dabble back into DJing again. Okay. Okay. So you were how old?

37:55that time so I probably quit well not quit but I just maybe I was 20 25 26 maybe okay yeah put no on the head so let me just stop so then at that age what were you doing for income I was always working so even from like my 16th birthday my first job was MACD's so I remember that's when I started 16th birthday and I thought I was like yeah am I going to wear the cap and I'm going to be the cashier and I was like yeah give me a burger give me the money And if it wasn't that, it was going to the toilets, bro. So, yeah. Why did they put you on the toilet? I don't know, man. Why? Listen, tell me why, managers.

38:33You know what's crazy? So, you know what one of my first jobs was? Wendy's. Oh, Wendy's, yeah. And I had to fight because everybody wanted the drive-thru cashier. The best job. That was the best, the drive-thru cashier. I had to basically, like, bribe my way to get to the cashier drive-thru. Right. It was the best. So, why didn't you get? I would imagine. I don't know, man. Man, listen, I'm going to talk to that manager, man. If you're still alive, you better DM right now and let me know. But yeah, so kind of that was interesting, working in Enfield Town. And for those people that know, Enfield Town, that was a tough place to be, man.

39:10A lot of racism there during that time. And I remember eventually I did get to the till after a few burns in the kitchen, like whatever, like just going through the process of making things. like yeah man like a group of people come in and they were like yeah monkey da da da da da and you got to at that age like not really expecting that you know because Tottenham's not that far away you know so that was that was difficult to deal with that and still go to work but I was doing mad hours man I was£3.75 an hour I would do my shift there like 6am and you were still I was still doing my thing man yeah still going to school what time was it was this what What year is this when that was happening?

39:53So I would have been 16, which is what? Was it 90s? It was in the 90s, yeah. Yeah. Because, you know, one thing, when you said that, you were like, all right, I had to deal with this racism here. One of the things that I don't think as Americans we realize was how much of a racial reckoning was happening in the UK in the 90s. You know, when I think about, oh, my gosh, what's the brother's name? He was Stephen Lawrence. Stephen Lawrence. Yeah. When I think about Stephen Lawrence, he was killed in the 90s. When I look at a lot of the protests and riots that were happening happened in the 90s. And it didn't, I never knew that in the States.

40:40and so I think that we have to understand that was the environment yeah that you were growing up in and to step back so for me it would have been early 2000s that that happened to me during that period maybe that's probably that's probably the first time that I had experienced racism at that time you know which is which is interesting yeah how does that then how does that then impact you uh i remember talking to my mom and my dad about it and just explaining what happened and i had to show a lot of resilience because i had a temper at the same time but you gotta think about like the reason why i took that job is because i wanted to take the pressure of my of my mom so she didn't have to struggle but i also wanted some nice things i wanted to get a playstation i wanted to get certain jackets and certain like my avarics jacket those are things that were in fashion then you know i knew maybe my mom couldn't maybe support me with but i wanted to take that pressure off her just like i can buy my own clothes i can buy my own thing i do xyz um so it was tough but you don't get fired because at the end of the day you're going to get fired so for me it's just like sticks and stones man keep it stepping yeah yeah and i think that's also one of the most insidious things about racism is that the victim is the one who always typically pays the price.

42:02Yes. You know what I mean? Yeah. And so I understand. So you had to just zip it up. Just got to zip it up. Keep it moving, man. Keep it moving. Cool, man. That's fine, man. If I'm a monkey, it's cool, whatever, man. Keep it moving. So yeah, like, it's just one of them things, man. It's unfortunate. So then lots of jobs in and around that time. So while you're working, are you then, do you consider yourself a DJ? No. Or no? Still not? I don't really consider myself a DJ until 2011. That's when it changes for me. So we go back. We go quite far forward. 2011, I'm working at TFL and there's a party.

42:37And one of the workers was like, bigger up, bigger up, bigger up, bigger up. Yeah, she's like, yeah, can you DJ? Now I've been collecting. I've been collecting stuff. I'm using virtual DJ at this time. For those of you who don't know what that is, a nice basic software. I've got a Hercules controller. That's where I started. So Hercules controller, virtual DJ. I've got my laptop and then I do this party. It's in South London, yeah? South London You love South London Yeah I love it man But it's going The party's going off I'm like Oh So man I can do this I can And I'm mixing tunes I'm doing what I'm doing And I'm like yeah man This is what I'm meant to be doing The emceeing thing is great But this Like giving people this feeling I could never do that as an emcee But as a DJ I can do it Okay So that's 2011 Yes You are how old?

43:27Oh Should we do our maths? Yeah yeah So in 26, that's 15. Because you were computer science. Yeah, 15 years ago. So I would have been, what, 25, 26? That's probably when I, yeah, that hits a nail on the head. Okay. I'm at TFL at that time, yeah. All right, so you're 25, 26. And TFL is what? Transport for London. Transport for London. Yes, I'm just about to leave that job. Yeah, that was an interesting story. I got fired from that. Well, I didn't get fired. I resigned. did you resign before you got fired yeah yeah i resigned i resigned i resigned so yeah i resigned and was it i mean was it like music related why you were nah resigned yes it was music related yes okay can you tell the story yeah so i was working for tfl and yeah this is bad i'll do yeah it is ways like we didn't we learn but um i had an event so i had events so i used to do because I needed money, yeah?

44:25So I was doing overtime. But what I would do is I would do the overtime in terms of the work. So I'd do the output, but then I'll sneak out and I'll go and sell my event tickets. Then I'll come back and then I'll carry on my work and I'll leave. So obviously you're claiming for time, but you're not actually there. You know what I'm saying? I see it. So yeah, someone caught me doing that. And then, yeah, it was like meetings, meetings. And then I was, before that even happened, because I was like, I'm done. like I have to resign I just resigned got out of there while you're working these places do you still think but my passion is DJing yeah yeah and I was still DJing so I was still DJing it was like house parties dingy club dingy pubs the darkest of pubs like but whatever you can still book me if you want anyway yeah pubs like clubs student events I love the student the student events were really really good man.

45:23Really, really good. Oh, we're halfway there. I will play what I need to play. You play anywhere. What do you think about the wildest place at that time that you had ever DJed? Where was it? Probably like there was a place in East London. I can't remember what the pub's called, but it was a pub. And what I loved about it is you had Romanians and Albanians. They kind of really had that pub on lock and they'll come over and be like, yeah, listen, I want this song. I'm like, what song is it? And they'll be like, oh, Florian Salaam, yeah? I'm like, yeah, cool, man, whatever, man. But bro, when I play that song, everyone's going off and the tips are flying.

46:06Oh, really? And all I'm thinking about is, yes, this is going to be for my shopping this week. Yes, this is going to be for the petrol this week. Yes. So yeah, but that was amazing and I got to learn about other music. So even like Florian Salaam, I would love to get him on the live stream. I think that goes off. You're going to see everyone step out for that. So I got to learn about culture, which I love about London, man. It is a true melting pot. Yes, yes. That's beautiful. Yes, that was crazy. Obviously, I've had other crazy times, but that's more with, like, female-related people going mad.

46:39But I always, like, take a step back. I mean, can we dabble into that a little bit? Of course. Because I'm never at your level. Come on, you're there, bro. No, no, no, no. Pasta. But especially for DJing too, in high school and in university, I DJ. And what I noticed about the DJ, the reason why I wanted to be a DJ is different from, I think, what brought you into it. Yeah. You are a supporter. Yeah. You wanted to be able to share the love. I'm a control freak. So I was like, I wanted to control the vibe of what was happening. But what I noticed, what I didn't realize is that the DJ gets a lot of attention, you know, from everybody.

47:26A lot. A lot of attention. So when you think about that, what was your experience? Well, you control the mood, right? You control everything. So I suppose you're going to have people gravitate to you, demand them gravitating because they want to be with the DJ because that looks cool, through to the women, the single ones, the ones that are not single. that want to be close because you're the vibe controller. So it's definitely interesting. Definitely has some interesting moments. Can you share an interesting moment? Just because there's a lot of folks who've never experienced that. Yeah, yeah.

48:02Hey, listen, be a DJ, man. If you're single, you're looking for a good time. But yeah, look, it's just nice in terms of even females. for me like I would even say there's certain females that you look at and you think I could never like get you I could never but being a DJ you've got you've got half a chance you know half a chance you've got half a chance maybe a bit more than that so yeah like it kind of definitely opens the doorways to conversations where maybe you think oh like maybe that person is a bit too I can't like yeah you're on a different level but then you can you know and music's the that's the entry point yeah and I would imagine it's the music but it's all it's your positioning positioning yeah because I feel like in a party if there's like a social structure in a party the DJ's like right at the top you're up there man it's whoever's even you could even be just as high as the headliner if there's a yeah sometimes yeah yeah sometimes wouldn't be like yeah you know yeah sometimes yeah sometimes sometimes sometimes yeah it's a nice place to be yeah obviously pressurised because you want to make people happy and if you don't if you get it wrong like you'll feel it you'll feel it on the dance floor you'll feel that you know but you also got to shift the music because you got to encourage people to go to the bar like there's a science to it's not just playing music there is a science to doing it interesting so you're saying that you will so what is that what is that science to shift people to go to the bar to control the mood yeah because I'm open format so I can play any I can play most genres of music so for me you might be playing you've got to know the times to play songs so you're not going to play all the hit records at 10 o 'clock you're going to wait till like 12, 1 to start playing the hits but you also need to feel the crowd so if you feel it's getting a bit too rowdy you'll go from, I don't know dancehall where people are staggering each other and you'll switch it up, maybe you play a bit of pop for a little while and that just eases it down and you're controlling the mic because when you're like listen, everyone listen make sure you get your drinks at the bar I know you got a thirsty from doing that mad thing and then people just chill through to the end of the night you're playing your slow jams because you're trying to get people down rather than going to, because you might play a bit in Nelly Dilemma.

50:14Like you might just, just nice. And then everyone's exiting and it's just good energy, you know? Gotcha. So when you think about the skills required to be a phenomenal DJ, right? And then you think about that time period too, from like 2011, as you now are entering your thirties. Yeah. Are you thinking that you have those skills and this is still a possibility for you? because in your 30s a lot of people are thinking oh man like i should have found my career by now yeah i should be in it yeah i should have like i should have found my place what from what i understand about your your uh your trajectory was that in your 30s you're djing part-time but you're still working full-time jobs correct so yeah i'm still working the same so i have one job now and that is still at that footsie 250 company okay and what's kept me there is i've been able to progress and progress and progress and i get to sales manager which is amazing um so i felt loved and i thought that was i thought that was my end job man i honest yeah i thought that was it i was like yeah i'm progressing i'm progressing progressing the last bit for me is sales director and once i get that where's it from where do i need to i'm good you know i'm saying then it is really blue sky thinking and i can start to write my own history into how i want this to go So obviously that didn't happen.

51:34My sales director left and they went external, which happens a lot of the time, you know. And I was really disgruntled about that. So that was disappointing. At the time, my son and my daughter were like, oh, go on TikTok. So I would have been, what, 37 then? So that's 2022. Okay. Like, yeah, go on TikTok. I'm like, I don't really want to do that. Yeah. But hold on though, Ash. Before you went on TikTok. Yeah. Tell me. Weren't you, weren't you, you were doing lives, but not on TikTok. Where were you doing this? No, I was doing lives on Mixcloud. On Mixcloud, that's right. Yeah, that's where the audience was like five people.

52:10They got Mixcloud, though, but it's a small audience for me, man. But all right, so this is big, though. All right, so you're 37. Yeah. You're DJing on Mixcloud live, and your audience was how big? Five, five, maybe eight if I'm lucky. It was small. 800? No. 8 ,000? Eight people, bro. and I'm giving it my all I'm like come on so obviously we're in the we're in Covid right now so no one can go out anywhere so it's like that's why I started Mixcloud I'm like yeah 8 people but I'm like make this work obviously not making no money not monetising via Mixcloud either it's just like rawr it's dark I said you know what I'm bored of this man let me just allow this so I was still putting out mixes I was still doing that I was like the life you know and then my kids were like oh like TikTok I'm like ah TikTok I'm like nah I don't want to do that because like dark People are dancing on there and I'm not here to be doing the trends, man.

53:00I just want to do my music. And I just started making content. I started off making gym, not gym, but outside content, doing push-ups. So I used to go to, I went to Tottenham first, obviously, hometown. Then my push-ups there outside. My son recorded. I was just going around, just doing fitness. I was like, why am I doing this fitness? I was like, what am I doing, man? Wait, hold on for a second. Yeah, I was going mad. For real? I was doing mad. So your son was filming you doing push-ups? Push-ups outside the stadium. And you were just post-it? I'll just post it. And I'm like, I don't know, why am I doing this?

53:30Then I posted a mix, a mix of like an R &B mix, like a little medley. And that went off. That got me enough followers so that I could then go live on TikTok. I just started going live, man. My kitchen, like in the mornings, going live. Then I'll go back to work. I was working remote. So then work. Lunchtime, back on TikTok. Work finishes, back on TikTok. And I just, for three months, I just went mad. Like I just, every hour I could give TikTok, I gave it. And I knew I could make, I was like, oh, I can make money, you know. And like the first few months, I was like, raw, first month, like$12 ,000.

54:06First month? First month, man, first month. So how did you make$12 ,000? Because people donate. People donate, right? Okay. So, and they like the old, it seemed to me that they're like, oh, they like old school music. But it's a combination of me DJing, but also sitting with the people just on my phone and be like, oh, you guys, you guys are right. And just building relationships with people. Obviously people would donate Now then it wasn't as saturated as it is now There's a lot more creators now It's a lot harder to do things But the first three months And TikTok to be fair to Bigot Harrison It gave me a push It gave me a push on whatever Giving me one-to-one coaching Even the look of my room Before when I started I used to have the camera to the side So I had to twist my neck to see what the chat's saying It's like bro why are you doing that?

54:52I'm like because that's what I see online And he's like, no, no, go front facing. So you can see, they can see you, they can see your hands, what you're doing. Like these little intricate things make a difference. And this is, the company TikTok literally was like, let me help you. They were helping me. That's incredible. That's incredible. So then that first month, you said you made$12 ,000. $12 ,000. Had you ever made$12 ,000 in your life in a month? Never. When I actually left, I think is when my emotion changed. So for three months, I could demonstrate that, yes, I could make money. so I could survive.

55:26And all I cared about was making enough money to pay my bills. That's all I cared about. As long as I'd done that, I don't care. Now, thankfully, I made more, which is fantastic. So I had a bit of a buffer. I got a little package from them. Big up for the little package. I didn't even fight for nothing big. I could have got a lot more. I just wanted to get out of there. But when I got out of there, I was like, rah, like, if I don't make money, like, people do not donate, yeah, I'm done. so there's a lot of sleepless nights my mum was very anxious and worried because I had a mortgage I've got kids like family so yeah she was scared man and I added a little bit of pressure to me because I'm like right I have to make this work but it was a good pressure because I'm like look I'm still doing hours man if I do the hours I will get 20 to be I've got the personality where people will gravitate to me I know they'll do that I'll play the music that people love as well I'm gonna make this happen and I made it happen but for the first maybe 12 months I had a lot of sleepless nights man there was a lot of fear there I'm at home during this period as well so this the outside life hasn't started yet it's more being doing the inside I'm doing forfeit challenges I'm eating chillies if I lose the games on TikTok if I so the game so TikTok it's like a people don't know but you'll play battles so it's you versus a co-host like it's me versus you so it's based on I'm tapping the screen.

56:53That gives you points like a boxing match. You've got the points that are swinging. It's a five minute game. And you've got that gamification. And then it's gifting. So if you get some of those gifts. There's been times where I've got less gifts, less of a score. And the fourth is you eat a chilli. You drink a dirty pint. Now a dirty pint. You ever had a dirty pint before? Never. Dirty pint. No. That's where you've got the phone like this, yeah? You point the phone to your fridge and that person is saying, listen, get the Fanta, get milk. Oh no, and mix it. get coffee granules mix it drink it garlic back that in there now drink it and you're doing that on live and I I'm having to like straight I'm doing it but it's just dead straight face I'm not giving you anything you're not you're not gonna know that I'm suffering like yeah yeah flower in my car like egg yourself like I've had to do crazy things man yeah get into a shower cold yeah do like star jumps yeah it's been mad man so while you're doing so you're you're 37, 38 doing that madness Right.

57:50Are you thinking to yourself like, damn, how'd I get here? I was actually enjoying it in a way. Okay. Yeah, because it was going from corporate to being able to throw away all my suits, all my trousers, to being in a tracksuit. I'm catching a vibe, man. Look, I'm having to do some stupid things, but I'm making money. I can support my family and everyone else on TikTok is having a good time. What's there to be upset about? I see it. You're free. I'm free from this matrix of being told what to do, how to do it, clocking at this time. Yeah, I'm free from that. Yeah. And that makes sense why you've become so successful because you enjoyed it.

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59:37Hey there. I just want to say thank you for choosing We Need to Talk. doing this podcast is one of the greatest joys of my life and I want to continue to share it with you so hit follow and the bell icon it takes just a second and it helps us to continue to grow this podcast

59:58So how do you go from inside to now outside? Because I feel like that's what you're known for, is being outside. So how did you make that move? So it's a year in, so 23, I saw another DJ, DJ Suat. We got DJ Suat. He has the dextract to him. Ah, okay. And he goes into town centers, shopping centers, and just create, he's playing his music, but he's creating havoc. He's got security running after him. I'm like yeah I said I'm bored of the inside now I made money but it's not about just the money I have to keep I have to feel like I'm pushing on and that's why I feel like I survived that job for so long because I was able to go like that or sidestep or go up and sidestep it kept it interesting so I replicated this set up we travelled to Stoke and I got Greg to make this set up now it wasn't exactly the same but it was a start right and we'd go outside I'm going like Wood Green to North London I'm causing havoc I'm doing a similar thing but I was like this don't sit with me man like why am I causing havoc now I had alright so help me with this though so you've been inside the entire time you never played outside do you remember the first after you got your outside set up the first outside set you ever played yeah yeah Wood Green was the first so going into like Sainsbury's and I've got the whole thing strapped.

1:01:25And this thing's heavy. This thing weighs about like 26 kg, man. This is not a joke. I'm only a small boy. I probably weigh what, like 70, 75? Well, maybe now. But yeah, like, so having to hold that, I'm not a gym girl either. I wasn't going to gym, so I wasn't strong. So I'm trying to hold it for that hour. And you're by yourself? I'm with Chris. So me and Chris and then Buffy would come as well. So he would hold a table. We'd carry a table behind us. So I've got the decks. He's got like a trolley and it's got a table in there. So when I get tired, he'll put the table up. And I get a re-mail, you know what I'm saying?

1:01:58You got the phone. So yeah, it's all going mad. We're going in there. And you went to Sainsbury's and you're just playing. We're playing. But Sainsbury is a supermarket, right? Yeah, so we're going in there. Stop. Play music. Cause havoc. Go outside. Go into the cine world. Like, cause havoc. Go into the shopping centre. Cause havoc. Then go outside on the main strip. And then we were doing that for a little while. We'd go to different places. And then one day, the thing was just too heavy, man. I couldn't carry this thing no more. I'm just like, I can't carry this thing, man. This is long. So we ended up stopping in the middle of the road in Wood Green.

1:02:29I just plonked it down. I was like, yeah, man, I'm done, man. So I was just DJing. But my viewer level went up. Oh, wow. So I'm like, I'm so hiding. I'm not causing havoc. Like, what's going on? But the reason why it went up is because how it looks, the buses are close. So they're waiting to see if I get hit by the bus or by a car. It's dark, innit? It's dark. Social media's crazy That's mad They're waiting To see if you can get hit by the bus I know they're waiting They're waiting They're waiting for that It never happens But it looks so tight on camera There's a bit more space But it looks so tight Yeah So I'm like Alright cool People still don't really understand What it is I'm doing Playing music But as long as I sat it down I really understood The power of what I was doing Because then you've got time I'm not worrying about my back hurting or whatever I'm now seeing things now so I'm seeing the homeless I'm seeing people that are on substance I'm seeing people that are going to work but they're upset about it like the mood is just mad and then you can kind of see the gravitation from them crossing the road to like them smiling they'll be like oh thank you for that music that's made my day like I'm like oh right okay actually there's something impactful to do here and then yeah I just kept going there man wow that's incredible until I stopped going there yeah that that's man that's that's so fascinating yeah that that's how it started yeah um because it almost felt like you were almost giving up like i can't even do this anymore yeah you put it down crazy and then all of a sudden so then after that moment happens right what's your thought in terms of the potential uh what could happen because you you've now gone to extreme heights so were you Did you have this vision then?

1:04:23No. And we didn't have artists then. So it was just literally me just outside DJing. But then you get certain moments. So I would, in a day, play R &B music. Then the school kids come out, play popular music. And they all come in and say, oh, you want TikTok? I've got thousands of people in there. But what I like about it is it was also showing the kids love. And they need that love, man. So I was showing them love to the point where it's Easter. We're giving them Easter eggs. like just doing little things that they were it's a little touch point maybe you might remember in the future or it's Christmas we've got advent calendars I'm dressed as Santa like just having a you know what I'm saying we're just creating moments in the community to me just like doing sports day I'm like listen hop on one leg I'll give you two pound if you do it like we're just having fun man like just trying to bring them in as well but I never foresee it being what it was Chris then said to me he's like bro like get artists on like nah I don't want to do that man these are times where I'm dealing with a lot of pressures outside trying to manage tiktok and with tiktok as well during that time there was a bit of there was racism there as well so i could see the n-word flying up on the chat whatever black this whatever whatever because i'm dealing with a lot man to then have artists on that's nothing i need to worry about but credit to him because he was right right and we tried gave it a go got a few local artists to come on i just passed through so just walk across or be like, yeah, I MC.

1:05:45All right, cool, man. I'll just play with him for you, man. And then, yeah, we just started to build that side of it. And I guess the rest is history. Now, all right, at that point, was there anyone doing that? Because when you hit my radar, it was like 2024. Yeah. And you were the first DJ that I've ever seen do this, like to be outside with the people, with an artist. Yeah. Was there anyone else That you knew of I'm like I'm sure at some point DJ's been doing it There must have been people Yeah But were you aware Of someone who was doing it On a regular basis No Like you Yeah Because it feels like You pioneered this space Not like me Now I've heard And I've seen So Wiley was outside as well During COVID Doing stuff And But I'd never seen him do it It wasn't until after I started doing my ting And people were like Oh like You know Wiley was doing this before I was like Oh I didn't even know Didn't even know he was doing that Okay I suppose sound system culture, people always used to string up sets outside, but never, obviously no digital presence.

1:06:49So maybe it's the first time that I've seen digital presence of me being outside with multiple artists. And not just the big ones, but up and comers as well. Yes, because I think what makes it so unique as well is that you're playing to the digital audience. Yes. You know, you have the massive audience with you in real time, or should I say in person, but you're playing to the digital audience. Which makes it entirely unique. It's crazy, man. You're trying to juggle a lot. You want to keep them happy because they're helping you power this, man. Without them gifting and helping and supporting, you're done.

1:07:27So through to the outside, you're trying to navigate. And I didn't have security then, so you're trying to navigate. You're trying to make sure that you're safe. Like, you know what's going to happen. So, yeah. So what were some of those things that happened? Because I've read, like, you've been egged and it's been crazy. So what are some of the more dangerous, terrifying things that have happened to you outside? I think, yeah, the egging in with Green was, that was disappointing, man. But I get it. They didn't pretty understand what I was trying to do. So I understand that. Fireworks in Brixton being let off.

1:07:58And that was dangerous, man, because that could have hit anyone in the face. So it was let off while you were playing? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dangerous, man. I think there's kids doing stupidness. So I had that. I had silly things like people touching my decks. Obviously, that can be quite dangerous just because as a DJ, you don't want no one touching your stuff in it. Don't touch my equipment. So you've got to really try and keep calm during those moments. You know what's wild is I did see a clip of you. Yeah. A mixed up. I think you put it out of people touching your decks. Yeah.

1:08:30And you say.

1:08:34and you responded to them yeah man yeah not all the time but sometimes it's like you can't always be that pushover person you have to put your foot down so with a couple people I had to like get a bit physical just a little push a little shove say listen it's not that time and I'm making sure I repost this so other people know you might see me as this like ha ha ha but I'm from Tottenham there's another side to me man so So we have to just temper that. Anyway, yeah, so bro, so that, been arrested in Shoreditch. That's a play of music. Oh, yeah. What happened there? So I was just playing music, man.

1:09:10So I think maybe a couple of weeks prior, I was in Shoreditch in a different location. And I had like community officers, police to say, oh, you can't play here, whatever, whatever. So I was like, all right, cool, safe. I was going to keep it moving. I think I posted that online. That went off, whatever. A couple of weeks later, I went back in a different location. And I was playing there for a little while. And then some community officers came again and said, listen, I can't play music here, whatever, whatever. And I'm like, why can't I play music here? I'm not in any residential area. I'm by Box Park.

1:09:41They haven't got a problem with it. I'm underneath this passageway. What am I actually doing? That's wrong. And they're like, oh, if you don't move it, we're going to call the police. I just said, call the police then. Like, call the police, man. Let's see how this goes. So the police came. And they're like, yeah, listen, need to stop. I'm like but what rules am I breaking Just so I know So we're online now This is just going off I've kept the stream on And they're like listen If you don't stop We're going to seize your equipment Like we're going to arrest you Whatever So we're going back and forth They're like oh you're going to If we let you go You're going to do this again I said of course That's what I do man I'm outside isn't it That's what I do And then they arrested me on live Wow Like 10 ,000 people watching I'm like see this is This is a madness I know they regret it now I know they were great now.

1:10:29Because what was the reason for the arrest? So I think what it is in Shoreditch is that you can't play music in that particular zone. I think my argument is, see London, the world anyway, but London, it's quite a dark place, right? People are going through a lot of situations. And for me, playing music, if you look at some of my clips going back at that time, it's just happiness and enjoyment, man. people dancing, singing, catching a vibe, no issues. So for me, my argument is just, this is what London needs, man. We need to go back to what it was like, where it was sound system culture, where people could string up like music so powerful and it can really change your mood, man.

1:11:09You know, and I think we've lost that. So for me, it's just about bringing it back to the beginning. I hear it. I hear it. So they just didn't get it. They didn't get it, man. Also, they were following their rules. Whatever, that's fine. And look, I know, like I said before, they regret that it got to that point. I mean, look now, look at where we are now. We're bringing the biggest artists. And I think if you look at London as a whole, some people can't access these artists, man. They can't afford to go to shows or festivals or clubs. But for that little 10 minutes or 15 minutes, you get to see someone that you love.

1:11:43Like, and it's safe. We've not had one issue. There's not been one incident that someone could say, yeah, AG, your thing has caused that. Yeah Can you brag on some of these artists Because I mean I know probably all of them Yeah All of them written right here But I think For people who are unaware The five people who are unaware Of what you do is Yeah Talk about some Because you've had The biggest of the big Play with them Yeah man Look Will Smith Is probably like The most iconic I would say Yeah Just And he was such a nice guy man Nice Accommodating Making moments Like I feel like That also Filled his cup as well You know And he got the love from the crowd I think he really felt that.

1:12:23Yes. And someone like Will Smith, how does that happen? Because it feels, I don't know, looking from the outside in, it looks like they're contacting you because they want to have access to you in what you do. Yeah, so I've got a great management team, and they handle a lot of this stuff. Suppose like labels, PR companies, like artists I feel are getting a bit smarter in terms of rollout because yes you can go to national radio but you also got to look at the creators and influencers that is another currency um and so i think i don't know what happened whether it's his team or my team reached out but whatever so that happens and i suppose it's like a mixture of we will outreach and we will message people and also people will hit us up and say look got this so-and-so artist can we make it happen um and with will smith obviously whatever happened we met on the day we had a nice conversation before the live stream we don't normally do that but yeah we met beforehand and he was like yeah he's like how can I make this like good for you that was his words to me how can I make this good for you I'm like bro I'm little AG bro you're big Will Smith who am I to tell you anything you just tell me what you want to do he's like nah bro okay what do you want to do I'm like show me your set list show me the set list I'm like bro this is cold like this is cold you've got summertime in there You got Men in Black in there.

1:13:47But I'm like, bro, there's something that's missing. He's like, what's missing? I'm like, bro, you can't come to London, King's Cross, and not do the Fresh Prince over there. You gotta do that, bro. What are we doing here, man? So he's like, you know what? Add it. Added it. No questions asked. Added it. And that is my biggest video to date. When he played that song, the whole of King's Cross erupted. And for those of you that haven't seen, go and check out the footage. the aerial shots yes you've never seen Kings Cross that busy in your life like apart from Burn Away which happened soon after but yeah yeah so crazy man yeah it's incredible too because I think what makes that moment is not only the artist but it's your awareness of the crowd yeah like it seems like that could be I always thought your superpower look I thought your superpower was like just you and your charisma But now I'm beginning to think that it's more so your awareness of, like, your emotional intelligence.

1:14:51That's really what it is. Like, how aware you are of people, their emotions, and how music impacts those. That's my secret skill. I think there's a lot that people don't see. So I think some people that watch my content would be like, oh, AG, you're going to start standing there. I'm not just standing there. There's about 20 million things that are going in my mind to make this moment. obviously I'm thinking about TikTok or wherever I'm streaming from but TikTok and I'm thinking oh how do I make you guys happy because you guys are making this moment happen yes then I'm thinking alright cool how do I make the artists happy how do I get them a moment it's not always busy like how you may see like sometimes it's like 30, 40 people it just depends on the artist that's going to be there how can I make this moment so you get that you get that viral moment which then lifts you onto bigger things you know yes so my mind is constantly ticking Can I pull that person from the crowd?

1:15:43That person singing the lyrics Let me bring them over Let's get a fan moment Like I'm thinking like This, this, this, this How can I get a minimum And then we can just Put it all out My brain is constantly ticking You know Before, during and then after Like the edit What does the edit look like? Is that edit gonna Do what it needs to do For the people you know? So There's a lot going on in my mind Yeah I like it You're not just standing there No there's a lot There's a lot going on Yeah yeah yeah Yeah there's a lot Yeah Who have you been The most surprised by? In terms of artists? Artists, yeah.

1:16:15We've had so many, man. I would say Miguel was sick, man. Okay. While I'm about Miguel, Miguel came to Tau Yard and Miguel came one up. Came with one person. No security, no entourage, no fancy dancy, like just pulled up. Danny's ting, super professional, was embracing of the crowd, let them get close. Like, I love that. We're just human beings, man. Like, that's what it should be. True. We're just human beings catching a vibe. True. And these are your fans that have taken the time at short notice to come and see you, you know? True. And he was just so good. Can I say, too, is that's what I noticed about you, too.

1:16:58You pulled up by yourself here. Why not, bro? Yeah. I see so many. We have, I mean, this is not to disrespect any of our guests, right? Of course. But sometimes you'll have guests who come full on entourage. Yeah, yeah. Right? And then you have those who come by themselves. And I've noticed that when the people show up by themselves, there's typically another level of awareness and self-confidence that they have. So it sounds like that's exactly what Miguel... Same thing, bro. Same thing he did. For me, I walk the streets, man. If I don't need security, I will not have security. I have security because that is a condition of me going to certain councils, or certain boroughs that I have to have a security for risk assessment.

1:17:43But normal day to day, I'll be on my own. I'll drive the van with the equipment. I load the equipment. I unpack it. I say it up. I pack it away. Like, I just roam the streets on my own, man. And I'm happy. And people, look, I don't wear any fancy jewellery chains. And I think people respect also what I'm doing for the community. So I've never been, no one's ever tried to test me in a negative way, you know. It's always just love. and may that continue. Yeah, and I think that's why you've won so many awards. Like you've won, what, Social Impact Award, Time Out Award, right? And I think it's because of what you're doing in the community.

1:18:22But also, and these have to be some of your most viral videos, are you in the care homes. Yeah. I mean, how did you know or what led you to set up in care homes? My mom, my gran had dementia. and she wasn't in a care home but I just saw how music had a great impact in her life so forgetting obviously words names but just the music and how it impacted her you know so for me I was just like when I get some time when I'm able I'm gonna go into care homes and I started off in Tottenham so there's a care home in Tottenham so me and Anx went to this care home And when I went in there I was just like Yeah man This is what I'm meant to be doing This is my charitable thing That I'm meant to do Because you just see The impact on people man People light up Like I suppose in care homes You don't get many visitors man Like everyone's busy You're working Everyone's trying to make ends meet Some of these people Don't get visitors So to have that visit That hour of time Of just Yeah come on Come up Like Come and sing this song Like what song do you want to sing I want to sing some Elvis Presley Some jailhouse rock or like whatever you want to sing, man, whatever you want.

1:19:35Making it happen. Yeah. And make it happen, man. Make moments. Yeah. You know, are you familiar with these statistics on dementia? Tell me. And music. Tell me. An Australian study in 2025 found that older adults who consistently listen to music reduce their risk of developing dementia by nearly 40%. Crazy. I didn't know that. 40%. Some care homes use music therapy to support communication, mood, thinking, and behavior in elderly people. Obviously, they want you to be there. So you could see that you are literally healing people by your presence. Yeah, and I'm hoping that in the future we can do more.

1:20:14And we can link up with some of these music slash tech companies to really deliver more change. I think there's a lot more support that we can give to our elders now. So hopefully we can get there. Yes. That seems to give you, would you say, more joy in the care homes? I would say the care homes is my favorite piece of work. Then it's the schools and then it's outdoors. It's in that order. Okay. If you're anything like me, you come back from a break determined to get into a good routine. And then you plan it like you're suddenly going to become someone who spends Sunday night batch cooking chicken and rice.

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1:22:50us. When did the festival become a dream for you? Um, last year. He's like, last week, I just decided. Yeah, last year, that was the first time that I started going to festivals. Okay. Because I was on the bill and I got to, I couldn't afford to go. I was earning good money, but I was supporting my family. I was doing, so I didn't want to use the money to go and do that stuff. I was like, all right, cool, boom. This festival's like this, it's like this. But I can do my own festival and swing it in the way that I feel like would make sense to my community. I was like, yeah, let's do it. I spoke to Fi and Z, who look after me.

1:23:33I was like, yeah, let's do a festival. And they looked at me, they were a bit perplexed. I'm like, listen, let's do this festival, man. We can make this work. and for me how I see it is a space where you can bring your auntie, your uncle, your grandparents, your kids without fear of profanity, you know, because going to some festivals I'm like, rah man, some of the artists man, I'm seeing little 13 year old Sally down there just listening to it, I was like, oh, I don't know man, so yeah, for me hand picking artists that I know can keep it clean, yes, and you can still have a good experience man, I still have a good time, so I think for me that was really important and just having a family atmosphere so whether you are coming on your own or if you're coming with your full family it's going to be family with people that are just blessed I can see it I can see it you know we all have fears yeah yeah what would you say your greatest fear is?

1:24:30crashing out and mashes on yeah I think crashing out is definitely a fear because and I've had to learn this again being in corporate and learning about your primal instincts and I didn't know about none of that stuff when I get angry especially like being a team leader within like sales for that company bro when I was team leader remember I was working with the same people yeah so I'm now up and you're here so that's how you see it you might have to say look bro I beg you like can you just do this for me and the man now they're like no I ain't doing that for you i'm like so i'm going crazy so they brought a course in about primal instincts and i learned about how to control my temper and it's definitely been situations out on the street where i've had to really control myself and have patience because one crash out you lose your brands you lose everything like and then you've got to start again it's dark and we really rely on brands and sponsors to help us to keep going.

1:25:33That is definitely a fear. I don't really have any more fears, if I'm honest, because I have gone through the ups of having money, gone through the downs of just not making money. I've been through it all, man. Do you think there's a misconception about how much money you make? 100%. People think I'm balling, and I'm not. I like to be transparent in all shapes. So when I'm doing well, to say that I'm doing well. And for me, it's not about bragging rights. It's about I want the youth to understand this is what is possible for you. And even for those that are older, that are adults. I was 37 when I took this risk, right?

1:26:15Right. That it is possible to make money. Some people would argue that I should be making more money, like, because of what I'm doing and the influence. But I think for me, timing is everything. But I've also like Said oh look This month I made nothing I went to I went to This month Bro last few months I've had it hard Like in terms of not making money But I'll give you an example So I never told this story So this week I went to a KOM on Monday Also I go live on TikTok Now I'm relying on people to Help us And people love the content They love it I earned$7 For that TikTok stream It's an hour Then I went to another care home on Wednesday And I earned$11 for that stream Now Obviously we have a festival So we've ploughed everything And you have to If you look at every stream outside That's like It's£1 ,300 on average Every time you see Yeah Because you've got security You've got artist liaison You've got all the people that you need To power it and make it work You're a editor You're a camera person So if the money's not coming back It's like rah, like, you're just losing money.

1:27:26Then you rely on a brand to come or, you know, a DJ set somewhere and say, oh, my God, thank God, like, I can survive, you know? So, yeah, I'd say the last six months I've had it hard where I've had to really be like, rah. If something doesn't change, I'm going to have to really pivot and maybe go back inside for a little while, you know, build myself up again and then go again. That's incredible. I don't think that's the thought most people are thinking. People think I've got money. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I'm just honest with you. It's like if I have, then I have. If I haven't, then I haven't.

1:27:59If I've got to support this person, support this person and do what I need to do. But, yeah, it's been a hard six months. I mean, I think that's being incredibly honest. Yeah. And I think that's something that not only do we as adults need, because there's so many of us trying to pivot in our careers, but the kids, to your point, need to have that level of honesty so that they can better understand paths that they want to take or not take. Yeah, I would say Americans are a lot more transparent when it comes to money, salary, and how to do it. I think in the UK we're still a bit behind. A lot of people are telling me like, oh, don't say this, don't say what you're making.

1:28:35And I understand the logic because you say what you're making, people then have a perception, people have a tool to criticize you with if they want to. But for me, I just see it as if you're making a mill, bro, tell me how you're making a mill, innit? because I want to make the mill too if I can make it and it's logical to me in my mind and my thing is like what can I share with people even the outside DJs what can I share is it equipment that I can share with you that you need to use is it how I'm doing the stream and why I'm doing it that way I'm not here trying to do a masterclass man like I'm just here's what the information what I know maybe in the future I might learn something from you you know exactly I think I messaged G Smalls the other day another DJ from outside I was like bro I noticed yeah your setup you've got this tripod thing and that would really help me can you tell me what it is and he just told me like yeah it's this so we have that camaraderie where but not everyone has that where they're going to tell you how they're doing certain things I don't particularly agree with that one topic just a few more that we haven't talked about and you probably know is my favourite topic tell me what do you think my favourite topic is Sutton United yes Sutton United oh god that you will be at Yeah.

1:29:48Next to Sutton United, my favorite topic is relationships. Okay. Tell me. And so, well, if... I want you to tell me. What do you want to know? I want to know, are you... Single? Single? Seeing someone? Seeing someone, thinking... Do you feel like it's important to have a partner? What's your thought? Yeah, it's a good question. I would say, so look, I'm single. I would love to settle down, you know, being 41. I would love to settle down. I think it's just trying to find the right person that one can understand. You've got to have a lot of emotional intelligence because this game that I'm in is no mercy.

1:30:36Like, it's full gas, no brakes. But it's not just about them adding value to my life. It's whether also I can add value to theirs. Like, can we build, can we grow? So the dating scene right now is interesting, is what I'm going to say. It's definitely interesting in terms of just, I don't know, it's a bit dark, is what I would say. But I haven't really put myself out there. More time, I just stay on brand, and I'm just like, yeah, I'm good. I'm all right. But, look, it would be great to settle down. Okay. So you're open. I'm open. I'm the right person. The DMs are open. The DMs are not open. But if I see you somewhere, maybe I might see you in a festival.

1:31:18So you rather meet someone face to face, have that conversation. Because it's interesting. Some people are so fearful of the in-person interaction first. But you rather have that. You don't want to see me on dating apps, man. I was on dating apps many years ago. But given what's going on now, I'd be scared to go on a dating app. I know there's one for celebrities and influencers or whatever. but even I think they're how they I don't think they do it right so yeah for me it's just like nah it's like if I see you I see you and if we have a conversation great and my dms are closed but if I see you in person and I catch a good vibe from you then it's a conversation you know I think you are one of the most eligible bachelors in the UK that's why that's why my dms are closed I don't want loads of DMs but I guess also on socials you don't necessarily see my personality you see what I'm doing but remember this platform is not about me, it's about everyone else, I'm just the man that's on the side right so you can't really see what I'm like so obviously it's good to sit down, maybe people get a bit of an idea more about my personality what I stand for, but my DMs are still closed I like it, but no we've seen a lot of personality today a lot of personality, I want to share with you another surprise.

1:32:38Okay. Last surprise I have. Okay, I'm here for it. You know what this is? It's a holiday to Jamaica. I wish. I wish. I wish. This could be better than a holiday in Jamaica. I have a letter. All right, cool. Now, do you know who this letter is from? No idea. This letter is from someone who's been incredibly instrumental in your life. Okay. And they wrote this, and I'm going to read it to you. All right, cool. All right, good. All right. Here it is. I couldn't be prouder of my firstborn son, Ashley. From the very beginning, he was surrounded by love. As a baby, he went through one of the scariest moments any parent can face when we were told that he had meningitis.

1:33:27Thankfully, he pulled through, and from that day on, he was cherished even more. His grandparents absolutely adored him and loved him as if he were their own son. And this adds up to what you were saying. Music has always been part of Ashley's life. As I was a DJ myself, he was exposed to it from a very young age. I can still picture him sitting on that bed, rocking away to the music I was playing. Looking back now, it almost feels like the beginning of a journey that none of us could have imagined. Life hasn't always been easy for him. Losing his granddad to cancer was heartbreaking. And then a few years later, watching his beloved gran battle dementia before she passed away was another painful chapter.

1:34:17They were incredibly close, and those experiences shaped the compassionate young man he has become. One thing that has always stood out about Ashley is his resilience. I remember in the early days in Wood Green, where he would perform DJ sets in the middle of the high street, and on one occasion, people even threw eggs at him, which we talked about. Many would have given up, but not Ashley. He dusted himself off, kept believing in himself, and carried on. That determination is one of his greatest qualities. From those humble beginnings, his journey has taken him into incredible places. I watched him perform at King's Cross alongside major artists such as Will Smith and Ed Sheeran.

1:35:02Then he traveled to Jamaica. Jeez. Yes. Spending time with the legends, including Barris Hammond. I didn't know this. Yeah, man. Barris Hammond is one of my favorites. Legend. Yeah, it's one of my favorites. As a father, those moments filled me with an immense pride. They reminded me that he had chosen the right path and stayed true to himself. What makes me even prouder, though, isn't the recognition or the famous names. It's the person Ashley has become. Seeing him take music into care homes to bring joy to elderly people was something truly special. And it shows that he isn't just playing music.

1:35:43He's using it to make a real difference. I love this part. Ashley is a devoted son. If his mom finishes a night shift after midnight, he'll happily go out of his way, collect her, or take her to work without a second thought. That's just who he is. Kind, caring, and always thinking of others. One of my proudest memories was when he invited me onto stage during one of his shows and introduced me to the crowd by saying, this is my dad. For those few moments, I felt like the celebrity. Another unforgettable moment was seeing him perform at Arsenal Stadium. Those are moments I'll truly treasure. Ashley, your achievements speak for themselves, but what makes me proudest isn't your success, It's your character.

1:36:44You're resilient, compassionate, humble, thoughtful, and generous. You've never forgotten where you came from or the people who love you. Watching the man you've become has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I love you with all of my heart, and I can't wait to see where your journey takes you next. We got pops, man. Big him up. We got pops, man. It's beautiful. That was beautiful. Beautiful, man. Two beautiful letters. I'm telling you, you were blessed. Blessed, man. You were blessed. So I have to ask, in that letter, what stays with you the most? I mean, look, for me, yeah, obviously he knows the pain in terms of my granddad.

1:37:34So he knows that affected me a lot. So, like I said, my dad's like my twin. we are very very similar in many many ways um and for me it's just nice to for me it's just nice taking on the stage or stages so we did like reggae land together done the one in peter bro together but i always like to make sure that he gets due credit do you know i'm saying that is my dad that is a big reason why i am where we are today um not just with music but just the graft like the resilience like going through certain things like and being able to manage those things you know so yeah big up pops man it's beautiful beautiful letter yes yes two letters i'll cherish very much yeah all right i'm gonna give those to you but i have one last question for me all right so every guest gets this question if you think about all of the incredible conversations you had with everyone in your life what conversation stands out the most who is it with and what did you learn guy called stephen peacock yeah i always remember this someone who i worked with who managed me and he said to me actually this was a time when i was like a bit angry at work being a team leader but just not knowing how to navigate he's like bro like don't be the arsehole that's that's all he said to me those words have stuck with me and everything I do don't be the arsehole and I had to think I was like what does that even mean and when I thought about it I was like I use that to this day so I could have a not a confrontation but maybe there's an artist who's unhappy with something and all I want to say to that artist you know what jog on mate like I don't give a damn about what you've got I've got up of 10 20 million things going on but then that makes me the arsehole so I'm like okay let's use some emotional intelligence and work on how to get a satisfactory outcome for that person so in everything I do the conversations I have my history of selling things history of working in customer service having to hear some people that call customer service they're not here to tell you oh you're great they're there to tell you listen you're crap and this is why you're crap and fix my problem And you have to really dig deep and not get angry.

1:40:04And that's why I remember, don't be the arsehole. Well said. Well said. Well said. Ash, I really appreciate you coming. Big love, man. Come on, man. I tell you what, we fought hard to get you here. We got there. We're here. And I'm so glad that we had this conversation because it's interesting. I knew there was so much more to you than what I saw, you know, what I continue to see, continue to be proud of. But now, having had this conversation, I fully understand it. And I can see that you are walking a path of passion. And I can see how you've been informed by generations in your family. You've been informed by the public.

1:40:45I love your observations of people walking across the street and seeing the smile. Your emotional intelligence, I see, and awareness is super high. and I also appreciate how transparent you've been about the struggles. Yeah. You know, especially even now, like the financial difficulties of it. And I think it's for all of these reasons that you will win because you're one of the good guys. You know what I mean? Yeah. And I think that we ultimately, we root for the good guys. We support the good guys. And that's who you are. I appreciate it, bro. Likewise, man. No, no. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.

1:41:20No, I really, really appreciate it. Good, man. And I'm going to get you married, man. Yeah? I was like, you were so eligible. Like, oh my God. If I was, you know, I used to have a matchmaking agency. Is it? Yeah, my wife and I had a matchmaking agency. I would have signed you as a client immediately. Bro, my DMs. I'd have you married in a year. Bro, my DMs. Truly. I could have you married in one year. Bro, my DMs. I'm telling you. Are closed. Yeah. Ash, DJ AG. I think many of us probably fall into this trap of seeing him perform and thinking he's a guy that spins records. And he is doing so much more than that.

1:42:03He's creating something so much bigger than that. And that in itself is beautiful. But you could see that he really is mobilizing community. What stands out to me the most is how going to care homes is his favorite part of what he does, care homes, number one. Number two, schools. So that's before he's performing with Will Smith or Ed Sheeran. He's at the care home performing for what he told us could be seven pounds for the hour. So that to me is profound and shows how much character he is. I don't think you can argue that he's not a national treasure. You believe in polyamory. So then, Akon, can you say how many wives do you have?

1:42:57I'm serious. Yo, because I like you and you are my brother. I am no father. Not only are you a musician, artist, but also a businessman. I just wanted to be rich. But the problem is popularity comes with a cost. Like Michael Jackson is my boy. But I just feel like there's a lot of holes on the explanation of his death. So as your power and influence grows, do you ever fear a threat against your life? I'll go with some Richard Dine trying, literally. It was stealing cars. Yeah, and now I'm in jail. That's what inspired me, man, to do this, man. because I feel like this ain't the life I would have lived.

1:43:35When I was in there, I would just write on strength. So now, every time a guard would walk past, we would sing the song out together. Locked up, they won't let me out. Bitch, they won't let me out alive. That's when I realized, okay, music is just a vehicle for me to do what I need to do. All right, so I didn't know we would get into this topic. Right. But we got to, I mean, we're here. We're here. We need to talk. I'm giving you my words today. You'll be the one I give the exclusive to.

1:44:28We'll be right back. Only videos October 2nd. Rated R. Under 17, not a minute without parent. Fall never arrives all at once. First the air, then the light. And slowly the things you love begin to find each other. A jacket meets a dress. A hoodie slips beneath a blazer. An old cap finds a new scarf. Because you don't simply step into the season. You create it layer by layer until it finally feels like fall. Find Fall Your Way at Ross.

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