Double page spread interview

in a rare interview, $wade Ea$t talks success, envy, and needing a break

Backstage is where the magic chat happens. Join J-L as we catch up with the man that took rap global.

It's been a while since we sat down with our mate $wade ea$t. In the past year, his star has risen insanely fast; Gods father went gold, he won the Mercury Music Prize, got his own interlude on Drake's mixtape, and threw a party of epic proportions at Alexandra Palace attended by everyone who is anyone in the rap scene, and way beyond. 

Redefining British music and building his legacy has understandably taken up a lot of time, so $wade ea$t rarely gives interviews. But backstage, ahead of his charity gig at Islington Assembly Hall (that raised over $37,000 for Shelter), we had a lot of catching up to do. Behind round sunglasses and through gold grills, $wade ea$t told us what happens when you achieve your childhood dreams, and that he really needs a holiday.





Why did you choose to raise money for the shelter and what are your experiences of homelessness personally?

Well I’ve grown up around it my whole life, I live in London! Through out your darkest days always look for blessings, if I can help anyone in need I always will.


Are you looking forward to performing?

Yeah, I love it. I love that my music's at a place where even if I'm tired, even if I'm not in the mood, whatever emotion I'm in, my music makes everything okay again, even if it's just for that time. People in the crowd, they come to see me do this thing, and I could be going through anything. It's a proper blessing to be making music that I love.

So do you see it as an escape?

Not now. I wouldn't say it's an escape now because, you know, everything's kind of cool. Everything's okay. So it's not an escape, it's like a party, my own party. No matter what happens in my life, I can put on a party and people come and party with me and I just really, really, really enjoy it. It's sick.

So, things are moving pretty fast for you at the moment?

Life has been going so fast. Too fast. I did have a break just now. I just had time to stand by myself, you know? I got a chance to look at what I've done.

So now that you've achieved all this, what do you want to do next?

I think I'm gonna try and get a holiday. Even though I haven't been doing anything, I've still been working relentlessly. I get into bed, put my head down on the pillow and realize, oh… you haven't eaten today bruv. You've not even put a croissant in your mouth. I wake up in the morning and do this, do that, go out, go studio, go wherever, go home. I get home and I haven't eaten, and I've probably drunk alcohol. I need to actually have a holiday in the real sense of the word, not holiday where I'm still here. I need a cut off from society as I know it. I still want all that, but I need a holiday.