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

DJ AG became one of the internet’s most recognisable street DJs through his viral TikTok LIVE performances, hosting stars including Will Smith, Skepta and Ne-Yo. But long before the millions of views, Ash was growing up in Tottenham, working at McDonald’s, building a corporate career and only taking the leap into full-time DJing at 37. Ash opens up about a health scare that led him to get his prostate checked, and why fear and stigma still stop some men from doing the same. He explains why the issue is especially important for Black men, and how speaking publicly about his own experience encouraged others to get tested. He also looks back at taking his DJ setup onto the streets, being arrested while livestreaming, and the moment Will Smith joined him on the decks. Ash reveals what happened behind the scenes, and how his street sets grew from a few people watching online into appearances with some of the world’s biggest artists. But behind the viral moments is a deeper purpose. AG shares how his grandmother’s dementia inspired him to perform in care homes, and why bringing people joy through music has become the most important part of what he does. DJ AG, We Need To Talk This episode includes discussion of prostate cancer and dementia. We have included links to support resources here: Prostate Cancer UK: https://linkly.link/2tkKz Dementia UK: https://linkly.link/2tkKj Alzheimer's Research UK https://linkly.link/2tkKt Follow us here: https://www.instagram.com/needtotalk https://www.tiktok.com/@weneedtotalkpod Sign up to our newsletter https://linkly.link/2eXHX Follow DJ AG here: https://www.instagram.com/djagonline https://www.tiktok.com/@djagonline (00:00) Intro to DJ AG (02:05) Childhood in Tottenham (05:36) The Music Scene in Tottenham (07:32) AG as a Child (10:25) AG’s Family Situation Growing Up (16:48) Prostate Cancer and the Importance of Getting Checked (21:08) AG’s Relationship With His Mum and Dad (27:27) DJ AG Reads a Letter From His Mum (29:49) Anthropic Ad (31:09) How AG Discovered His Love of DJing (46:08) The Art of DJing (49:21) Why AG Became a Full-Time DJ (57:21) Cometeer Ad (58:57) Taking DJ Sets Outdoors (01:10:51) AG’s Most Notable Guests (01:17:05) AG’s Community Work and DJing in Care Homes (01:19:38) Huel Ad (01:20:48) AG Fest (01:22:19) What Is DJ AG’s Greatest Fear? (01:27:27) AG’s Outlook on Dating and Relationships (01:30:30) Paul Reads a Letter From AG’s Dad (01:36:27) Most Memorable Conversation (01:39:42) Paul’s Takeaways Sponsored by: Anthropic - https://www.claude.ai/talk Cometeer - https://cometeer.com/PAUL for $20 off your first order Huel - http://uk.huel.com/WNTT use code WNTT for £10 off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 1:00Speaker 02

  You've had the biggest of the big to play.

• 1:02Speaker 03

  Yeah, man.

• 1:07Speaker 03

  Playing music is just happiness and enjoyment, man. People dancing, singing. We're just human beings, man. That's what it should be. My dad would sit me down in his room, and there's just bare records. He gave me that gift of music, but I'd also say, gave me the gift of the gab for sure. I kind of went into my rapper, MC kind of stage.

• 1:22Speaker 02

  What was your name?

• 1:23Speaker 03

  Nah, don't worry about that.

• 1:25Speaker 03

  One of my friends scribbled on it. He was like, "Oh, you're not good enough." And then that's when I kind of started to double back into DJing again. House parties, indie pubs, student events were really, really good. "Oh, we're halfway there." I will play what I need to play.

• 1:37Speaker 02

  You're 37, you're DJing on Mixcloud live, and your audience was how big?

• 1:42Speaker 03

  Maybe eight, if I'm lucky. It was small.

• 1:44Speaker 02

  Eight hundred? Eight thousand?

• 1:45Speaker 03

  Eight people. And all I cared about was making enough money to pay my bills. And then my kids were like, "Oh, TikTok." I just started going live, man. Then I'd go back to work, lunchtime, back on TikTok. I was like, "Rah, first month, like, dollars."

• 1:57Speaker 02

  First month?

• 1:58Speaker 03

  First month, man.

• 1:59Speaker 02

  Do you think there's a misconception about how much money you make?

• 2:02Speaker 03

  So, I never told this story. But it's not about just the money. The care homes is my favorite piece of work. My grand had dementia. I just saw how music had a great impact in her life. People light up, "I'm gonna sing this song." "What song do you wanna sing?" "I wanna sing some Elvis Presley." Whatever you want. Making it happen.

• 2:18Speaker 02

  We all have fears. What would you say your greatest fear is?

• 2:20Speaker 03

  It's a really good question, and I'm gonna be honest with you.

• 2:25Speaker 02

  Look, pause with me for just a second. Now, whether you've been with us every single week since day one, or you just drop in when a guest catches your eye, I see you. I truly appreciate you. Every comment, every share, every time you show up, it matters. We're building a really special community here. If you want to support what we're doing without spending a penny, please, take a second and hit the follow button. It costs nothing, but it signals to the world that these conversations matter. Thank you for being on this journey with us. Now, let's get started.

• 3:05Speaker 02

  When you think about where your story begins, where is it?

• 3:10Speaker 03

  Nah, it's in north, man. Come on, man. Back in the ends, hometown, Tottenham.

• 3:15Speaker 02

  Okay, Tottenham.

• 3:16Speaker 03

  Yeah, so it starts in Tottenham. Yeah, man, good times, man. Living in the council estates. What I love about that is, like, it's just diverse, man. A melting pot of just people. So, you've got, obviously, you've got Caribbean people, white people, you've got Asian people, you've got... Everyone's just, it's a melting pot, so you're getting to learn. So, I might go to my brethren's house, and then they're cooking their food, and I'm learning that culture, the things that they say, how they navigate in life. And, yeah, man, like, the council estate was amazing. I specifically remember, like, growing up and, like, got a lift, and the lift just smells of urine, yeah? But I still remember that smell. Like, I was like, "You know what? I need to get out of here, man.

• 3:58Speaker 03

  I need to, like, build and do a bit better and help my mom, help my family, get them out of this situation." So, yeah, man, like, Tottenham's, but Tottenham's home, man.

• 4:07Speaker 02

  Tottenham's home. Can we talk about Tottenham a little bit?

• 4:10Speaker 03

  Of course.

• 4:10Speaker 02

  Because, so I came to the, um, came to the UK eight years ago, and I then moved south, right? And what I realized quickly, moving south, South London, was that most folks in the south don't go north.

• 4:27Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 4:27Speaker 02

  Most folks north don't go, don't go, don't go south.

• 4:30Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 4:31Speaker 02

  So, you know what's wild is, the only time I've been to Tottenham is to the stadium to see...

• 4:36Speaker 03

  To the toilet. Went to the toilet, see, yeah? Nods.

• 4:40Speaker 02

  It's the toilet!

• 4:41Speaker 03

  You didn't even go, like, Chick King? You didn't go to, like, the Tottenham...

• 4:44Speaker 02

  No, no, no, no. So, that's what I'm saying. So, all right. But no, no, I wanted to say I'm gonna see Kendrick Lamar, though.

• 4:50Speaker 03

  All right, fair enough, fair enough, all right.

• 4:52Speaker 02

  All right, so, all right, give me a pass on that. Right? But Tottenham stands out as one of these areas within London that has, it's more than a vibe. Like, it's, it will always be remembered. But I think there was also an era that will always be remembered, and I think it was the era that you came up in Tottenham. So, what was that era like? And what made Tottenham unique?

• 5:18Speaker 03

  It's a really good question, and I'm gonna be honest with you. I was a homebody, yeah? So, I was a good boy. So, I would go to school and then come back. I wasn't really stepping out, trying to do too many things, kind of, growing up. But what I will say, if you think about, like, the legends, like Jamie, Skepta...

• 5:35Speaker 02

  Right.

• 5:35Speaker 03

  Like, we can go Frisco. Like, so many artists have come out of Tottenham. I can go on forever, but, like, for me, Tottenham, it's a vibe, man. It's a vibe, it's an energy, like, it's a way of life, and there's just so many talented people in Tottenham that deserve their flowers, man.

• 5:51Speaker 02

  Right. Was it because of, was it because of, um, the community, right? So, for example, I grew up in New York, I grew up in Queens.

• 6:03Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 6:04Speaker 02

  And we had Brooklyn, we had, um, you know, we had, um, all the boroughs, right?

• 6:10Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 6:11Speaker 02

  And what I distinctly remember is, is that there were certain people who would pop in the borough, and as a result, they inspired others. So, so from Queens, I moved to Long Island. And in Long Island, we had what was called native tongue. I don't know if you remember this. This is old school, native tongue clique. It was folks like Moni Love, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes. You had Leaders of the New School.

• 6:36Speaker 03

  Crazy.

• 6:36Speaker 02

  Tribe Called Quest, right? All these folks, but you had one group kind of popped, and they inspired all the kids to, to, to perform. Was Tottenham like that? Was it like one person that popped and that inspired, or was it something else?

• 6:51Speaker 03

  I would say so. Yeah, I would say so. I took a lot of influence from, you know, some of the bigger artists, you know, like the Skeptics, your Jamies. Like, seeing them go on to pirate radio and then going to have success. And pirate radio for us, like, in Tottenham, obviously in all of the boroughs, but pirate radio used to have a Heat FM, so that was a big pirate radio station. You had Bose FM as well. This was before all the internet radio stations started to come in.

• 7:15Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 7:15Speaker 03

  And to listen to them, imagine like everyone's going to school or going to sick form, and after, like, you're listening to people that are just down the road...

• 7:22Speaker 02

  Ah, I see.

• 7:23Speaker 03

  On the, on the radio. Like, that's a big deal. So, that was certainly inspiring. I think, you know, back then, a lot of youth clubs, a lot of community centers. So, for me, Selby Center in Tottenham, that was a big place for me. That's why I'd go and play football, like, my friends, and, like, really just make friends there and have a good time, man. So, I think, maybe fast forward to now, you don't really have as many community centers or youth clubs because, obviously, things are getting shut down.

• 7:47Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, it's terrible, you know, what's happening now. So, when you said you were a homebody, all right? So, you were a homebody, but it sounds like you were out a little bit.

• 7:58Speaker 03

  Nah, but it was more like, I liked to go, I was just good, man. Go to school, do my schoolwork, come home, maybe I'd go out for a few hours, but play, we'd just be playing football in the block. Playing football, chatting to my friends, but then straight home, man. Play computer.

• 8:11Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 8:11Speaker 03

  Just chill out. So, it wasn't cra, I wasn't like stepping out, going to this borough, that borough, this borough, that borough. A lot of it was just, nah, man, look, school's important, get school locked in, but I've got my close-knit friends in these blocks of flats that I can still have fun with and just catch a vibe, you know?

• 8:27Speaker 02

  Okay. I wanna show you something.

• 8:29Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 8:29Speaker 02

  And I want you to give a lesson.

• 8:32Speaker 03

  All right.

• 8:33Speaker 02

  Okay, right, you have to close your eyes for this one.

• 8:34Speaker 03

  All right, eyes closed.

• 8:35Speaker 02

  Trust me.

• 8:35Speaker 03

  I trust you, bro.

• 8:36Speaker 02

  Ashley, trust me.

• 8:36Speaker 03

  Trust you.

• 8:37Speaker 02

  All right, all right. So now, I'm gonna put this in your hand, I want you to tell me who this is.

• 8:42Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 8:44Speaker 02

  What was happening in this moment?

• 8:46Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 8:46Speaker 02

  Right? And then, I'll ask you a question. First, tell me who this is and what was happening in this moment.

• 8:51Speaker 03

  Oh my days, man, like, AG! So, that was little Ashley, man.

• 8:56Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 8:57Speaker 03

  Where had I been here? I'd been in primary school, so St. Paul's and All Hallows. I don't know how old I was then, it's the honest truth.

• 9:09Speaker 03

  I definitely couldn't get girls at that age.

• 9:11Speaker 02

  Okay, so you you were roughly, what do you think, like?

• 9:14Speaker 03

  I was definitely primary.

• 9:16Speaker 02

  Six, seven?

• 9:17Speaker 03

  Yeah, I must have been that age.

• 9:18Speaker 02

  Six, okay.

• 9:19Speaker 03

  And that's where girls were in first, you know? I never told this story, I don't think I've told this story before, but um. There was this girl, Shade, I hope you're not listening.

• 9:30Speaker 03

  A girl called Shade, and I really liked her in primary school. I don't know why I even like girls then, whatever, it is what it is. Um, so yeah, I liked her and I was like, yeah, I'd really like to go out with you. And then she was like, no, I can't. I'm like, why? She had the bogey on your nose. Cause I like bo, I like cross though. Dark darkness. Big up Shade, wherever you are, man.

• 9:51Speaker 02

  Did you just wipe it away then?

• 9:53Speaker 03

  I don't know what I done. I probably just didn't ask again. I think that was it. Um, yeah, good times in primary, man. Obviously, you know, being with Jamie, being with boss man Birdie, some of my like really good people, man. Like, those are good times in that school. Mister Wilson, the head teacher.

• 10:08Speaker 02

  So in this school, it was, you you said Jamie?

• 10:11Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 10:12Speaker 02

  Uh, was was Skepta at the school too?

• 10:13Speaker 03

  Yes, he was, yeah, he was, he was there as well. And some other artists there as well, man.

• 10:18Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 10:19Speaker 03

  Keisha White also, a really good singer, got some hits there. Good times.

• 10:24Speaker 02

  Incredible. So so now with everything that you've experienced in life, your grandfather was still with you at this time, right? When you think about everything you've experienced. If you could go back.

• 10:35Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 10:36Speaker 02

  And tell him.

• 10:37Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 10:38Speaker 02

  One message, one thing, what would it be?

• 10:40Speaker 03

  To little Ashley.

• 10:41Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 10:43Speaker 03

  I'd probably tell him, wipe your nose.

• 10:50Speaker 02

  Before you talk to Shade, wipe your nose.

• 10:53Speaker 03

  Bro, what are you doing, man? Check your nose. But uh, yeah, I think for me, it's just taking risks, you know? Take risks, man. Be brave. Take risks, cause you have one life, all right? I don't believe in reincarnation, and I think once your life is done, your life is done. So we've got to live it to the best of our ability, take risks.

• 11:12Speaker 02

  Hmm, love it, love it. Uh, hold on to that, I'll give that to you. Who was the circle that you had from a family perspective? Who who who did, you know, who, I I I'll say it like this is.

• 11:26Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 11:27Speaker 02

  Who did you love?

• 11:29Speaker 03

  Who did I love? Oh, family wise?

• 11:31Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 11:31Speaker 03

  Oh, man, um, I suppose growing up, also I love all my family, but big up, big up my family, big them up, big up the Boulders, big up the Martins, big up, big up, big up.

• 11:39Speaker 02

  I love it. He said all my family.

• 11:40Speaker 03

  Yeah, my granddad, man. My granddad is someone that, um, yeah, man, holds a, holds there for my granddad, man. So yeah, my granddad, man.

• 11:50Speaker 02

  Okay. What what what was it about your your your granddad?

• 11:52Speaker 03

  He's the first person, I know this is like city, but it's the first person that made me cheese on toast. Third person that introduced me to avocado. Like, I'll go stay at my grandparents' house. And that they care, the love, like how they look after me, make me feel welcome. I think that was amazing, like Christmas, like gathering around, all of us gathering.

• 12:12Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 12:13Speaker 03

  And we're having fun. Also, we're young, we're jumping on the bed, doing some stupid, and my grandad's like, stop the noise, like.

• 12:18Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 12:18Speaker 03

  So I just remember those those things, um, like he passed away when I was young, um, passed away from cancer. And that really did impact me just because of that particular journey, like him having cancer. And I was very young.

• 12:32Speaker 02

  How old were you?

• 12:33Speaker 03

  Teens, like, maybe I must have been like, what, twelve, thirteen?

• 12:36Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 12:37Speaker 03

  I was young. So for me, it's like coming to terms with the fact that he had cancer, kind of staying away from it because I was scared. Um, seeing him periodically and seeing him deteriorate. And then before he passed away, like the night before, I was in South London, so I've got family in South as well. I've got family in North and South.

• 12:56Speaker 02

  Okay, okay, alright.

• 12:58Speaker 03

  Yeah, so the night before, I had a dream, man, and I was like, I said to my mom the next day, I was like, listen, you need to go to the hospital, man. I've got a bad feeling. And I hadn't seen him for for a while.

• 13:08Speaker 02

  Wow.

• 13:08Speaker 03

  And we went there, and when I got there, like he was just on his last legs, like last breaths, and he passed away when I was there. First time I see someone pass away, but my granddad was such a prominent person, and I regret that I was absent

• 13:25Speaker 03

  during that period, you know?

• 13:26Speaker 02

  Something that I found really interesting is when I talk to people is when they tell me they've, they don't know anyone who's passed.

• 13:33Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 13:34Speaker 02

  Um, and I always tell them, you know how blessed you are?

• 13:38Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 13:39Speaker 02

  To not know anyone who's passed.

• 13:41Speaker 03

  Yes, mad.

• 13:42Speaker 02

  But then when I talk to people who have known people who have passed and they've been a young age, it's always a profound moment.

• 13:51Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 13:51Speaker 02

  It changes them. So when you think about how this person was so close to you, who you loved, I said, tell me, who do you love? You say your granddad immediately.

• 14:00Speaker 03

  Straight up.

• 14:01Speaker 02

  How do you believe that moment, if you take me back to that moment?

• 14:05Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 14:06Speaker 02

  What was going on for you when you witnessed that?

• 14:09Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 14:10Speaker 02

  And what were the feelings? And how did that change you?

• 14:14Speaker 03

  Bittersweet, bittersweet, um. I think sweet because I got to see him and say my goodbyes while he was alive. And it was just so quick, man, like within half an hour of being there. I remember it like it was yesterday, like within half an hour. Like that was it, he was gone, you know? Um, and I think more just like bitter, just because I feel like there's a lot more I wanted to say to my granddad and to talk and to reason and, you know? Like he was a very powerful figure within our family, you know? So for him to be gone, I think that

• 14:49Speaker 03

  that was maybe the start, the beginning of just the family dismantling, we're all doing our own thing now, et cetera, et cetera, rather than the the family get togethers and all the rest of it. So yeah, it did have a big big impact, man. And bless my grand because, you know, obviously she had to go through it all, so it must have been tougher.

• 15:03Speaker 02

  Yeah. Do you remember the last words he shared with you?

• 15:07Speaker 03

  I don't. That's which is so, this is so sad, cause I don't, I don't remember the last words, no.

• 15:14Speaker 03

  But I think I more remember the feeling, you know? The feeling that he gave me, like the confidence that he gave me as well. And I think a lot of his caring and kind qualities and his work ethic, I feel, I think are with me today.

• 15:26Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. I'm sure he planted a seed.

• 15:29Speaker 03

  Hundred percent.

• 15:30Speaker 02

  That has, obviously, that's blossomed.

• 15:32Speaker 03

  Yeah, hundred percent.

• 15:33Speaker 02

  Do you remember your last words to him?

• 15:37Speaker 03

  Hmm, yeah, man, Gag, before he, before he passed, telling me I loved him, gave him a kiss on his forehead. So yeah, I remember it, man, like it was yesterday, pretty much. So, yeah, tough, tough, tough being so young and someone passing away like that. So, you know, certainly I've got a lot of empathy for people that are in similar situations that maybe have still a bit of anxiety about, you know, losing people so young.

• 16:01Speaker 02

  Yeah. If if I can ask on this is, so you you kissed him and you said that you loved him?

• 16:07Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 16:07Speaker 02

  Had you ever told him that you loved him prior to that?

• 16:10Speaker 03

  Probably not, you know? May maybe not in those words, probably shared in different ways. But you know, it's like a macho thing where you don't really, don't really say that much, you know?

• 16:20Speaker 02

  Yeah, cause that really hit me when you said that, because that was similar to when my best friend passed away.

• 16:25Speaker 03

  Right.

• 16:25Speaker 02

  A few years ago. He's my best friend, but I had never told him I love you.

• 16:30Speaker 03

  Right.

• 16:31Speaker 02

  When he passed, at his funeral, I told him I loved him.

• 16:34Speaker 03

  Right.

• 16:35Speaker 02

  And I wish I had said it before.

• 16:38Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 16:39Speaker 02

  You know?

• 16:40Speaker 03

  It's tough, losing people, man, and my condolences, cause that's still recent, bro.

• 16:44Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. It's one of those where you, um, I think with grief, you know, it's just, I heard someone say, it's actually Scott Galloway, who's who's been a guest here, he mentioned that it's misplaced love, you know? It's love that has nowhere to go.

• 17:01Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 17:01Speaker 02

  That's really what what grief is. Um, and when you also said, when your grandfather passed, the family dismantled.

• 17:10Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 17:10Speaker 02

  That's real as well, because that happens to many families.

• 17:14Speaker 03

  It does, yeah.

• 17:14Speaker 02

  Where you have someone who's who's like anchoring the family. So how did his passing then reshape the the family dynamic?

• 17:23Speaker 03

  It's a good question, and I think I was probably still too young to really understand it, I would say. Obviously, look, there was a lot of, a lot of grief, um, people were still around to support my grand, so that was still happening. And there was still cohesion, um, don't get me wrong, but I suppose it was just wasn't, to me, to me, through my lens, maybe wasn't as strong as what it was. And that's understandable, man, like losing someone, so people talk like that, you know? It's a big loss for everyone, and it was a big loss for everyone.

• 17:49Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. Something that's very important for me to underscore is how prevalent prostate cancer is.

• 17:56Speaker 03

  It's crazy, man.

• 17:56Speaker 02

  So prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK.

• 18:01Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 18:02Speaker 02

  Sixty-four thousand men diagnosed, twelve thousand die each year.

• 18:06Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 18:07Speaker 02

  But what a lot of us don't realize is that while one in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime.

• 18:13Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 18:14Speaker 02

  For black men, the risk doubles.

• 18:17Speaker 03

  Yeah, it's crazy.

• 18:18Speaker 02

  To one in four.

• 18:19Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 18:20Speaker 02

  Uh, and the UK is saying now that it's investing eighteen million pounds into the TRANSFORM trial, which is research into ways to better screen and diagnose prostate cancer early. All black men aged forty-five to seventy-four who have not already had a recent PSA test will be offered the chance to participate.

• 18:41Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 18:41Speaker 02

  Uh, and a PSA test is a a blood test that checks for prostate uh, conditions. So this is such an important topic, especially for us.

• 18:51Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 18:52Speaker 02

  And when I was researching that, it made me think, I was like, why is it? More prevalent for us. And what I've seen is there's a lot of debate, right? There's some debate that points to biological factors. But then there's a lot of emphasis on the research on black men. We wait later to be diagnosed. So we're already in later stages. And then, once diagnosed, are not participating in the same level of care.

• 19:25Speaker 03

  Correct.

• 19:25Speaker 02

  That's required.

• 19:27Speaker 03

  Last year, I had some discomfort in that area, like my testicles and that. And I was like, oh, that sounds wrong, man. What's on this journey right now? I'm trying to live right now, you know? So I went to the doctors. I didn't do a PSA. They actually done an internal. And that is brutal. I understand why people don't do it, but you need to do it. So they done it internal, check my prostate. So for men, especially in our community, it's like, nah, that's gay. Like, that's whatever, whatever. Me, I'm trying to live, bro. Like, we gotta do what we gotta do. Like, there's no sexual, the person that's doing the procedure, there's no sexual. They're not thinking that way, man. They're just trying to just check, like, is your prostate enlarged or not enlarged?

• 20:11Speaker 03

  I told the story, and I posted it on my socials like last year. And I actually encouraged a lot of people to get checked. There was a lot of negative because, nah, you can't, and that's nasty, whatever. It sounds a bit descriptive in terms of kind of what, you gotta put your knees up, you gotta da, da, da. Like I said, this is what it is, but this is what we've got to do. But I had some people message me and say, listen, I got checked here, and I found out I had prostate cancer. And if your video, if you didn't post that video, I would have never have checked.

• 20:39Speaker 02

  So, man.

• 20:41Speaker 03

  That's enough.

• 20:41Speaker 02

  You know, to me, what's so interesting about that is, I remember the first time that I was checked. And I remember being like, I was like, oh, my God, this is what, like.

• 20:57Speaker 02

  I didn't say it. I was like, this is, this is wild, right? And I did the same thing you did, and then I posted about it. Like, I had my wife over to the side. She took like this photo. I posted it. Comment, comment, comment. This is gay. You're gay. And it hit me how ignorant, as a society, we are. And how something that is, something that literally is in place to prevent our death. Some of us rather ridicule.

• 21:33Speaker 03

  Bro, there are people saying, I'd rather die. I'd rather die than get checked. I was like, fair. Well, we got the finger prick now, so it's a lot easier to test. To save my life, I'll do it again.

• 21:44Speaker 02

  Same.

• 21:44Speaker 03

  I think the starting point is for those that are watching, if you're worried or you feel discomfort, like, please, like, get checked. You're my uncle. My uncle was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Now, he's decided a different journey for him, which is not to have treatment and just, it is what it is.

• 21:59Speaker 02

  Oh, wow.

• 22:01Speaker 03

  We all got to make our choices, right? And we are where we are. But, um, yeah, definitely get checked, man. Don't leave it.

• 22:06Speaker 02

  Yeah. How about the relationship with your mother and father during that time?

• 22:12Speaker 03

  As in me personally? Yeah, good, man. Yeah, good, man. My mom's a legend, man. She's a legend, man. She's lit. Both my parents are lit, anyway. My dad's like my twin, and my mom is like the voice of reason as well. So it's a nice, like, balance.

• 22:25Speaker 02

  What do you believe you learned, especially early in life, from both your mother and your father?

• 22:32Speaker 03

  First, my dad gave me the gift of music. A lot of my family members did, but my dad would sit me down in his room, and they'd just bare records, bare vinyls, like. You've got your soul, your rare groove, you've got your reggae, your dancehall. And he'd just sit me down, and just got his turntables, and just running tunes. And I'm just sat there. I'm just listening, like, listen, taking it all in. So he gave me that gift of music, but also say, gave me the gift of, gave me the gift of the gab, for sure. We're both jokers, so he definitely gave me that. Um, in terms of like work, like, his work ethic, crazy. And in terms of like milestones, first black manager in his company.

• 23:16Speaker 03

  So for me, those are, I'm looking to those things and thinking, oh, like, not really understanding it too much at that age. So I started working myself, but I'm like, yeah, actually, like, you're someone that I can look up to, like, look at the things you've done and how you're doing it. And I've got the gift of music now, I'm working with that. So, yeah, powerful on that side. And then my mom is like my mom, man. Like, that's the voice of reason. Like, I see my mom, like, struggle, man, like, put food on the table, like, again, her work ethic, how hard she works. She works really hard, even up until this day with her job now. She's like, son, I'm still outpacing the youngers with what I do. This is my, so she gave me like her metrics in terms of how she's performing. I'm like, mom, slow down, man. Like, you're in your sixties, man, chill.

• 23:59Speaker 03

  She's like, no, that's not how I work, like, like, yeah, when I'm working, I'm working. So I got that from her. And just, yeah, man, two lit parents, man.

• 24:08Speaker 02

  Yeah. I think that's such a blessing, in particular, to have both of those parents and those characteristics. Like, with your father, you said he was the first, what, he said, first black manager?

• 24:19Speaker 03

  Yeah, in his company, yeah.

• 24:20Speaker 02

  In his company. You know, I don't think that we, as a society, give enough credit to the first of. Because of, because we always look at it from where we are today and say, oh, well, you're a manager, that's, that's easy. But to be the first.

• 24:37Speaker 03

  The first in the eighties to do that?

• 24:40Speaker 02

  It's next level. Like, you know, this, um, uh, this jersey, we, we say jersey. I know you all say kit. This jersey, you know whose jersey this is?

• 24:49Speaker 03

  Tell me.

• 24:49Speaker 02

  So this is Will O'Ree. He's the first black player in the National Hockey League.

• 24:56Speaker 03

  Oh, wow, okay.

• 24:58Speaker 02

  And I remember talking to my boys when I first put this on, and they were like, well, how hard was it to be the first black? I was like, let me tell you.

• 25:07Speaker 03

  It's hard, man.

• 25:08Speaker 02

  Can you imagine? People were probably literally like pissing in his water bottle. The refs gave him no break. He was like, teammates hated him. Like, you think about what he had to go through to, just to survive, right? But that's why I say that we stand on the shoulder of the first. And so that's why I say what a blessing it is for you to have that man in your house. And to witness that. You know? And then with your mother, you said it was the work ethic.

• 25:41Speaker 03

  Yeah, the work ethic, voice of reason. Like, I could be in a bad mood, and she can, she can change it. Do you know what I'm saying? Or give me advice. Today, I go to my mom today, and I'm like, mom, like, what do you think of this situation? And she'll be like, son, man, da, da, da, da, da, whatever it is. And I'll be like, yeah, it makes sense. Or she'll be like, son, like, maybe think about not doing that. I'll be like, no, it makes sense. I'll be like, I'm mad about, this what happened today on the stream or whatever. She'll be like, son, why are you even worried about that? And I'll be like, you know what? You're actually right, man. Let me just get with my, so, yeah, having them, they've both got different qualities, man, which is amazing.

• 26:15Speaker 02

  Yeah. Can I ask you about love?

• 26:17Speaker 03

  Yeah, of course.

• 26:18Speaker 02

  What do you believe you learned about love from your parents early on?

• 26:25Speaker 03

  Let me take a sip.

• 26:28Speaker 03

  Yeah, you know, I don't know.

• 26:31Speaker 02

  You know, could I say, this is why I was so excited, this is why I stalked you to come here. Because I, these are all the questions that I've been dying to ask you. Right? Because I think you are, you're gonna think I'm saying this just to say it, but this is the honest to God truth. Because I don't say anything I don't believe. I think you are a national treasure.

• 26:52Speaker 03

  I appreciate that.

• 26:53Speaker 02

  And I think, and it's rare that I see black men and black women be placed in that category of national treasures in the UK.

• 27:03Speaker 03

  Hundred.

• 27:03Speaker 02

  I firmly put you in that, in that space. You have made the qualification a hundred 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.

• 27:23Speaker 03

  I love that.

• 27:24Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 27:24Speaker 03

  I love. 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 mom went, bent over and backwards, man, to like give me things like latest kicks, or if there's a game that I want, she would 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 kid, or even my friends to be like, all right, cool, man, look, we can make it work. Do you know what I'm saying? And we just, we share. So I think that's what they taught me in terms of love.

• 28:08Speaker 03

  I'm hoping that answers your question a little bit.

• 28:10Speaker 02

  It does. It does. Can I share something with you?

• 28:13Speaker 03

  Of course.

• 28:13Speaker 02

  All right. I've got a gift for you.

• 28:15Speaker 03

  Okay, I like a gift. I like gifts. Ooh, a letter.

• 28:20Speaker 02

  A letter. If you could open that and read that for us, please.

• 28:23Speaker 03

  All right, let me, let me open this and read it. Let's have a look. A trip to Las Vegas for two.

• 28:33Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 28:36Speaker 03

  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. Watching the incredible young man you have become fills my heart with more pride than I could ever express. You're growing into someone who is kind, thoughtful, dependable and selfless. And I feel so incredible, 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.

• 29:21Speaker 03

  You listen about judgment, you comfort me when life feels heavy and somehow you always know the right thing to say. Knowing I have someone I can confine and gives me a strength I didn't know I had. Let me frame this letter. Um, as your mom, I've always believed it was my job to take care of you. Yet somewhere, somewhere along the way, you show me that love comes full circle. You've 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 realise. You remind me that kindness still exists, that family is everything and that 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.

• 30:03Speaker 03

  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 you 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'll always be my little boy and I will always be grateful that God chose me to be your mom. I love you more than words can say. That's beautiful, man. Big up my mom ten times, man, I love this. Yeah. That's so nice.

• 30:32Speaker 02

  Yeah, I thought that was beautiful.

• 30:34Speaker 03

  That's so beautiful. And this is a lovely letter. Um, I really appreciate you, man. That's so, yeah, man, that's great, man.

• 30:41Speaker 02

  It's yours, I'll hold on to it, I'll give it to you at the end.

• 30:44Speaker 03

  Yes, what a great letter, thank you, mom.

• 30:46Speaker 02

  Yeah, I thought she, she, I thought that was, that was so beautiful.

• 30:49Speaker 03

  That was dope.

• 30:52Speaker 04

  Hey Paul, we've got a surprise for you.

• 30:54Speaker 02

  You do? Oh, right, who's it from?

• 30:57Speaker 04

  It's love from your listeners. We Need to Talk is sponsored by Claude Bioanthropic, the AI for mindset don't stop at good enough. So we thought we'd use it to make Paul something special from you. Using Claude, we analysed every comment left on all the one hundred and two YouTube episodes and then prompted it to turn that data into something beautiful.

• 31:16Speaker 02

  This design is ten, ten. We talked to each other, six thousand twenty-one. 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 behaviour.

• 32:01Speaker 02

  And so that's all I could ask.

• 32:03Speaker 04

  For delving deeper, get started with claude.ai/talk. That's claude.ai/talk.

• 32:12Speaker 02

  I want to go back to Tottenham.

• 32:13Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 32:14Speaker 02

  From what I've read is you used to take speakers.

• 32:17Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 32:18Speaker 02

  Put them out your window.

• 32:19Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 32:20Speaker 02

  To play music for everyone.

• 32:21Speaker 03

  Crazy.

• 32:22Speaker 02

  Right, so not for yourself.

• 32:24Speaker 03

  Nah, man.

• 32:25Speaker 02

  For everyone else.

• 32:26Speaker 03

  Catching a vibe, yeah.

• 32:28Speaker 02

  Why did you do that?

• 32:30Speaker 03

  I feel like me, 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.

• 32:55Speaker 02

  But what was the feeling that you, that overcame you? Watching other people catch that vibe?

• 33:02Speaker 03

  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 we're just all trying to get by managing little community together, man. And I love the togetherness of the block, man.

• 33:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, so when, that's Ash as a little boy.

• 33:39Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 33:39Speaker 02

  Right, so that's, how, how old is, is, are you, so that's you, when you put out the, the music out the window, you were still?

• 33:46Speaker 03

  Probably the same, probably the same age, like, so my mom bought me my first pair of like CD decks. So big up mumsy again.

• 33:53Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 33:53Speaker 03

  Yeah, so I probably would have been, I probably would have been around thirteen, fourteen. When I started to dabble in just having my own setup, like a time where my mom 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, man. I was walking, I was.

• 34:17Speaker 02

  How, how, wait, how long was school though? How far was it?

• 34:19Speaker 03

  It's like half an hour, a half an hour walk.

• 34:21Speaker 02

  Yeah, that's a long walk though.

• 34:22Speaker 03

  Yeah, it's like a half an hour walk, so me, my brother and 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 the end of the week, I would go to, like, yes, I can get music. I would go to our price or an equivalent store, I'd go buy a CD. These times CDs are like two ninety-nine or three ninety-nine.

• 34:44Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 34:44Speaker 03

  So I could only buy maybe like one a week if I'm lucky. I might get a special offer where they do like a pack. 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 mom's giving me that money, I build up my CD collection. I get a new CD, as soon as I get back, I make sure I put that CD in.

• 35:03Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 35:03Speaker 03

  Banging it out on the block.

• 35:04Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 35:04Speaker 03

  And it's having a good time, man.

• 35:06Speaker 02

  Did, did you think, did you consider yourself a DJ at that point?

• 35:09Speaker 03

  No. I just considered myself as someone that was playing music, having a good time. The CD that my mom bought me, you could mix with them, but I didn't, I couldn't comprehend what mixing was. So I, 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.

• 35:32Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 35:33Speaker 03

  Um, so yeah, just selecting at that time.

• 35:34Speaker 02

  Okay, so now, did you get into, did, did you like progress that? And think, okay, you know what, I'm going to start mixing or I'm going to start writing, I'm going to start rapping, like? Did you think, or I'm going to start singing, like, did, did you think about that?

• 35:48Speaker 03

  So when I got to sixth form, so I would have been like sixteen, 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. Or, and Orin as well and Sean. Um, and I was like, let me listen to them and see what's going on. And when I was unpacking Tupac, I was like, this is sick, man. Combined with, um, so 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, my friends were writing music. I'm like, oh, let me try and write music as well. So I left the DJ behind, I just, or select whatever I was doing, I left it, I just started writing.

• 36:30Speaker 03

  And then I kind of went into my writing rapper, MC kind of stage.

• 36:35Speaker 02

  Did you?

• 36:35Speaker 03

  I'm retired now, fuck, go on.

• 36:38Speaker 02

  You, you retired?

• 36:39Speaker 03

  I retired.

• 36:40Speaker 02

  How long was your career?

• 36:41Speaker 03

  Oh, man, till my early twenties.

• 36:44Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 36:45Speaker 03

  Yeah, my early twenties, man, I've released quite a few mixtapes, don't try and find them.

• 36:49Speaker 02

  Are you serious? You did?

• 36:50Speaker 03

  Yeah, I went, yeah, I went on to radio, had my radio stint, um, and then.

• 36:55Speaker 02

  What was your name?

• 36:56Speaker 03

  Nah, don't worry about that.

• 36:59Speaker 02

  No, seriously, Ash, what was your name?

• 37:01Speaker 03

  My name was nothing, my name was, my name was nothing, MC nothing.

• 37:05Speaker 02

  MC nothing?

• 37:06Speaker 03

  MC retired. Yeah, so kind of go through that journey, releasing music.

• 37:12Speaker 02

  I'm gonna fire this day.

• 37:13Speaker 03

  Yeah, you're gonna fire nothing. So yeah, so breaking even, so like breaking even or losing money on projects. And then one of my friends scribbler, he was like, oh, big guy scribbler. He was like, oh, bro. He's like, 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, my pro, I'm, yeah, it's just not working. And then that's when I kind of started to double back into DJing again.

• 37:46Speaker 02

  Okay, okay. So you were how old?

• 37:49Speaker 03

  Oh, so I probably quit, or not quit, but I just, maybe I was twenty, twenty-five, twenty-six, maybe.

• 37:57Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 37:58Speaker 03

  Cut it, cut it. Yeah, put it now on the head. So, let me just stop.

• 38:00Speaker 02

  So then at that age, what were you doing for income?

• 38:04Speaker 03

  I was always working. So even from like my sixteenth birthday, my first job was Mac D's. So I remember my six, that's when I started, sixteenth birthday. And I thought, I was like, yeah, I'm gonna wear the cap and I'm gonna be the cashier and. Yeah, I'll give you a burger, give you the money. And it wasn't that, it was go and clean the toilets, bro. So, yeah.

• 38:23Speaker 02

  Wait, wait, why did they put you on the toilets?

• 38:24Speaker 03

  I don't know, man. Why? Listen, tell me why, managers.

• 38:27Speaker 02

  You, you know what's crazy? So you know what, uh, one of my first jobs was Wendy's?

• 38:30Speaker 03

  Oh, Wendy's, yeah?

• 38:32Speaker 02

  And I had to fight, because everybody wanted the drive-through cashier.

• 38:35Speaker 03

  The best job.

• 38:36Speaker 02

  That was the best, the drive-through cashier. I had to basically like bribe my way to get to the cashier drive-through.

• 38:44Speaker 03

  Right.

• 38:44Speaker 02

  It was the best. So why, why didn't you get? I would imagine.

• 38:47Speaker 03

  I don't know, man. Listen, I'm gonna talk to that manager, man. If you're still alive, you better DM right now, let me know. But yeah, but yeah, so kind of, um. That was interesting, working in Enfield Town. And for those of people that know, Enfield Town, that was a tough place to be, man. Um, a 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, scanning through the process of making things, like, yeah, man, like. I'm 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?

• 39:28Speaker 03

  So that was, that was difficult to deal with that and still go to work. But I was doing mad hours, man. I was three pounds seventy-five an hour. I'd do my shift there, like, six, six AM.

• 39:37Speaker 02

  And you were still?

• 39:38Speaker 03

  I was still doing my thing, man. Yeah, still going to school.

• 39:40Speaker 02

  What, what time was it? Was this, um, what, uh, what, what year is this, when that was happening?

• 39:46Speaker 03

  Uh, so I would have been sixteen, which is, what?

• 39:51Speaker 02

  Was it nineties?

• 39:52Speaker 03

  It was in the nineties, yeah.

• 39:53Speaker 02

  Yeah, because you know, one thing, when you, 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 nineties. You know, um, when I think about, um, oh my gosh, what, what's the brother's name? He was, uh, Stephen, um.

• 40:17Speaker 03

  Lawrence.

• 40:18Speaker 02

  Stephen Lawrence. Yeah, when I think about Stephen Lawrence, uh, he was killed in the nineties. When I look at the, a lot of the, um, the protests and, and riots that were happening, happened in, in the nineties. And it didn't, I never, I never knew that in, in the States. And so I think that we have to understand that was the environment.

• 40:39Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 40:39Speaker 02

  That you were growing up in.

• 40:41Speaker 03

  And to step back, so for me, it would have been early two thousands that that happened to me during that period. I mean, that's probably, that's probably the first time that I had experienced racism at that time, you know? Which is, which is interesting.

• 40:55Speaker 02

  Yeah. How, how does that then, how does that then impact you?

• 41:00Speaker 03

  Uh, I remember talking to my mom and my dad about it and just explaining what had happened. And I had to show a lot of resilience, because I had a temper at the same time. But you've got to think about, like, the reason why I took that job is because I wanted to take the pressure of my, of my mom. So actually 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 Avril jacket. Those are things that were in fashion then, you know, and 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 X, Y, Z. Um, so it was tough, but look, you don't want to get fired, because at the end of the day, you're gonna get fired. So for me, it's just like sticks and stones, man, keep it stepping.

• 41:43Speaker 02

  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, who typically pays the price.

• 41:56Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 41:56Speaker 02

  You know what I mean?

• 41:57Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 41:57Speaker 02

  And so I understand. So you had to just zip it up?

• 42:00Speaker 03

  Just got to zip it up, keep it moving, man. Cool, man, that's fine, man. Woo, ah, pop my monkey, woo, go to school, whatever, man, keep it moving. So, yeah, like, it's just one of them things, man. It's unfortunate.

• 42:09Speaker 02

  So then lots of jobs in, in and around that time. So while you're working, are you, then, do you consider yourself a DJ?

• 42:16Speaker 03

  No.

• 42:16Speaker 02

  Or no? Still not?

• 42:18Speaker 03

  I don't really consider myself a DJ until two thousand and eleven. That's when it changes for me. So we go, go back. We go, we go quite a far forward. Two thousand and eleven, I'm working at TFL and there's a party. And one of the workers was like, bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger, yeah, she's like, yeah, can you DJ? Now, I've been collecting, I've been collecting stuff, I'm using Virtual DJ this time, for those of you don't know what that is. A nice basic software. I've got a Hercules controller, that's, 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?

• 42:54Speaker 02

  South London. You love South London.

• 42:55Speaker 03

  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 like, yeah, man, this is what I 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.

• 43:16Speaker 02

  Okay, so that's twenty eleven.

• 43:18Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 43:18Speaker 02

  You were how old?

• 43:21Speaker 03

  Woo, should we do, should we do our maths?

• 43:23Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah.

• 43:23Speaker 03

  So in twenty-six, nice, that's fifty.

• 43:24Speaker 02

  Because you were computer science.

• 43:25Speaker 03

  Yeah, fifteen years ago. So I would have been, what, twenty-five, twenty-six?

• 43:31Speaker 03

  That's probably when I, yeah, that's, that, that hits the nail on the head.

• 43:33Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 43:34Speaker 03

  I'm at TFL at that time, yeah.

• 43:36Speaker 02

  All right, so you're, you're twenty-five, twenty-six. And, uh, TFL is what, the, uh?

• 43:40Speaker 03

  Transport for London.

• 43:40Speaker 02

  Transport for London.

• 43:41Speaker 03

  Yeah, so I'm just about to leave that job. Um, yeah, that was an interesting story. I got fired from that job. Well, I didn't get fired, I resigned.

• 43:52Speaker 02

  Did, did you resign before you got fired?

• 43:53Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, I resigned, I resigned, I resigned, I resigned. So, yeah, I resigned, man.

• 43:58Speaker 02

  And, and was it, I mean, was it like music related, why you were?

• 44:01Speaker 03

  Nah.

• 44:02Speaker 02

  Resigned?

• 44:02Speaker 03

  Yes, it was music related, yes.

• 44:03Speaker 02

  Okay, can, can you tell the story?

• 44:05Speaker 03

  Yeah, I don't care, whatever, man. Yeah, so I was working for TFL and, yeah, this is bad. I'll do, yeah, it is what it is. Like, we live and we learn. But, um, I had an event, so I had events. So I used to do, so I needed money, yeah, so 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. And I'll come back, and then I'll carry on with my work, and I'll leave. So obviously, you're claiming for time, but you're not actually, you're not actually there.

• 44:36Speaker 02

  Yeah, I, I see.

• 44:37Speaker 03

  Do you know what I'm saying?

• 44:37Speaker 02

  I see it.

• 44:38Speaker 03

  So, yeah, someone caught me doing that. And then, yeah, it was like meetings, meetings.

• 44:43Speaker 02

  And then?

• 44:43Speaker 03

  And then I was, before that even happened, because I was like, I'm done, like, I was like, I have to resign. I just resigned, got out of there.

• 44:50Speaker 02

  While you're working these places, do you still think, but, but my passion is, is DJing?

• 44:55Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah. And I was still, and I was still DJing.

• 44:57Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 44:57Speaker 03

  So I was still DJing. It was like house parties, dingy club, dingy pubs, the darkest of pubs, like, oh. But whatever, still, you can still book me if you want. Anyway, yeah.

• 45:11Speaker 03

  Pubs, like, clubs, student, student events. I loved the student, the student events were really, really good, man.

• 45:17Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 45:17Speaker 03

  Really, really good. Oh, we're halfway, everyone, ah, nice. I will play what I need to play.

• 45:24Speaker 02

  You play anywhere. What, what do you think about the, the wildest place at that time that you had ever DJed? Where was it?

• 45:31Speaker 03

  Probably like, there was a place in East London, yeah. I can't remember what the pub's called, but it was a pub. And what I loved about it, yeah, is, so you had like Romanians and Albanians, they ran, they kind of really had that pub on lock. And they'll come over like, yeah, listen, I want this song. I'm like, what song is it? And they're like, oh, like, Florian Salam, 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.

• 45:59Speaker 02

  Oh, really?

• 46:00Speaker 03

  And all I'm thinking about is, yes, this is gonna be for my shopping this week. Yes, this is gonna 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 Salam, I would love to get him on the live stream. I think that goes off. That, that's, you're gonna see everyone step out for that.

• 46:18Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 46:19Speaker 03

  So I got to learn about culture, which I love about London, man. It's, it's a true melting, melting pot.

• 46:24Speaker 02

  Yes, yes. I think that's beautiful.

• 46:26Speaker 03

  Yeah, so that was crazy. Obviously, I've had other crazy times, but that's more of like female-related, people going mad. But I always like take a step back.

• 46:36Speaker 02

  Take a step. I mean, can, can we dabble into that?

• 46:39Speaker 03

  Of course.

• 46:39Speaker 02

  A, a little bit.

• 46:40Speaker 03

  Of course.

• 46:40Speaker 02

  Because I, so, so, all right, so I, I was, I'm never at your level.

• 46:45Speaker 03

  Come on, you're there, bro.

• 46:46Speaker 02

  No, no, no, no, no. But, but, but in, in high, especially for, for, for DJing, too, was in high school and in university, I DJed. And what I noticed about the DJ, the, the reason why I wanted to be a DJ is different from, I think, what, what brought you into it.

• 47:01Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 47:01Speaker 02

  You are a supporter.

• 47:03Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 47:03Speaker 02

  You wanted to be able to share the love. I'm a control freak.

• 47:10Speaker 02

  So I was like, I wanted to control the vibe.

• 47:12Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 47:13Speaker 02

  And 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.

• 47:20Speaker 03

  It's a lot.

• 47:21Speaker 02

  A lot of attention. So when you think about that, what was your experience?

• 47:25Speaker 03

  Well, like, you, you control, you control the mood, right? You control everything. So I suppose you're gonna have people gravitate to you. The man them gravitating, because they wanna be the DJ, because that looks cool, through to the women, the single ones, the ones that are not single. That wanna be close, because you're the vibe controller. So it's definitely interesting. Definitely had some interesting moments, you know?

• 47:50Speaker 02

  Can you, can you share an interesting moment to, ju- just because there's a lot of folks who've never experienced that?

• 47:56Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah. Hey, listen, be a DJ, man. That's all. If you're not single, you're looking for a good time, be a DJ. But, yeah, like, look, it's just nice in terms of like. Even females, for me, like, I would even say, there's certain females that you look at, 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 what I'm saying?

• 48:19Speaker 02

  Half a chance.

• 48:19Speaker 03

  You've got half a chance, or 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, you're, yeah, you're on a different level, but then you can, you know? And music's the, it's the, that's the entry point.

• 48:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, and, and I would imagine it's the music, but it's all, it's your positioning.

• 48:38Speaker 03

  Positioning, yeah.

• 48:39Speaker 02

  Cause I feel like in a party, if there's like a social structure in a party, the DJ's like right at the top.

• 48:44Speaker 03

  You're up there, man.

• 48:45Speaker 02

  It's whoever's, even, you, you could even be just as high as the headliner if there's a...

• 48:51Speaker 03

  Yeah, sometimes.

• 48:52Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 48:53Speaker 03

  Yeah, sometimes. Wouldn't be like, yeah, you know, yeah, sometimes.

• 48:55Speaker 02

  Yeah, sometimes.

• 48:57Speaker 03

  Sometimes.

• 48:57Speaker 02

  Sometimes, yeah.

• 48:58Speaker 03

  It's a ni-, it's a nice place to be.

• 48:59Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 49:00Speaker 03

  Um, obviously pressurized, cause you wanna make people happy. Um, and if you don't, if you get it wrong, like, you'll, you'll feel it, you'll feel it on the dance floor, you'll, you'll feel that, you know? But you also got to shift the music, cause you've 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, to doing it.

• 49:19Speaker 02

  Interesting. So, so you're saying that you will, so, so what is that? What, what is that science, to shift people to go to the bar, to, to control the mood?

• 49:26Speaker 03

  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 don't wanna play all the hit records at ten o'clock, you're gonna wait till like twelve, one, like, to start playing the hits, but you also need to feel the crowd, right? So, if you feel it's getting a bit too rowdy, you'll go from, I don't know, dance hall, 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 it's like, and you're controlling the mic, you're on the mic, cause when you're like, listen, everyone, listen, make sure you get your drinks at the bar, I know you got thirsty from doing that bad thing, whatever, 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, cause you might play a bit, and then you dilemma, like, you might just, just nice, and then everyone's exiting,

• 50:12Speaker 03

  and it's just good energy, you know?

• 50:13Speaker 02

  Got you. 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 twenty eleven, as you now are entering your thirties.

• 50:24Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 50:25Speaker 02

  Are you thinking that you have those skills, and this is still a possibility for you? Because in your thirties, a lot of people are thinking, oh, man, like, I should have found my career by now.

• 50:38Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 50:38Speaker 02

  I should be in it.

• 50:39Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 50:39Speaker 02

  I, 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 thirties, you're DJing part-time, but you're still working full-time jobs?

• 50:51Speaker 03

  Correct. So, yeah, I'm still working the same, so I have one job now, and that is still at that footsie, two fifty company.

• 50:58Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 50:59Speaker 03

  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.

• 51:09Speaker 02

  Really?

• 51:10Speaker 03

  Yeah, I thought that was it. I was like, yeah, I'm progressing, I'm progressing, I'm progressing. The last bit for me is sales director, and once I get that, where's it, where do I need to, I'm good, you know what 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. Um, obviously, that didn't happen, my sales director left, and they went external, which happens a lot of the time, you know? Um, and I was really, 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, thirty-seven then, so two thousand and twenty-two?

• 51:46Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 51:46Speaker 03

  Like, yeah, go on TikTok, and I'm like, I don't really wanna do that.

• 51:50Speaker 02

  Yeah, but hold on though, Ash, before you went on TikTok though.

• 51:53Speaker 03

  Yeah, tell me.

• 51:53Speaker 02

  Weren't you, uh, weren't you, uh, you, you were doing lives, but not on TikTok, where were you doing it?

• 51:58Speaker 03

  No, so I was doing lives on Mixcloud.

• 52:00Speaker 02

  On Mixcloud, that's right.

• 52:01Speaker 03

  Yeah, that's with an audience of like five people. Big up, big up Mixcloud though, but it's a small audience for me, man, um.

• 52:08Speaker 02

  But, but, but, all right, so this is big though, right? So, you're thirty-seven.

• 52:11Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 52:12Speaker 02

  You're DJing on Mixcloud live, and your audience was how big?

• 52:16Speaker 03

  Five, five, maybe eight, if I'm lucky, it was small.

• 52:19Speaker 02

  Eight hundred?

• 52:20Speaker 03

  No.

• 52:20Speaker 02

  Eight thousand?

• 52:21Speaker 03

  Eight people, bro. And I'm, and I'm giving it my all, I'm like, come on. So, also, we're in the pan-, we're in Covid right now, so no one can go out anywhere. So, it's like, and that's why I started Mixcloud, I'm like, yeah, eight people, but I'm like, make this work. Obviously, not making no money, not monetizing via Mixcloud either. It's just like, raw, it's dark. I say, you know what, I'm bored of this, man, let me just allow this. So, I still put out mixes, I was still doing that, I was like, live, you know? And then my kids were like, oh, like TikTok, I'm like, ah, TikTok. I'm like, no, I don't wanna do that, cause like, people are dancing on there, and I'm not here to be doing the trends, man, I just wanna do my music. And I just started going, started making content, I started off making gym, not gym, but outside content, doing push-ups.

• 53:02Speaker 03

  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'm like, what am I doing, man?

• 53:13Speaker 02

  Wait, hold on for a second.

• 53:14Speaker 03

  Yeah, I was going mad.

• 53:15Speaker 02

  For real?

• 53:16Speaker 03

  I was going mad.

• 53:17Speaker 02

  So, you were, your son was filming you doing push-ups?

• 53:19Speaker 03

  Push-ups outside the stadium.

• 53:20Speaker 02

  And you were just post that?

• 53:21Speaker 03

  I just posted it, and I'm like, I don't know, why am I doing this? Then I posted a mix, a mix of, like, an R and B mix, like a little medley, and that went off.

• 53:29Speaker 02

  Hmm.

• 53:30Speaker 03

  That got me enough followers, so I could then go live on TikTok. I just started going live, man, my kitchen, lighting the mornings, going live, then I'd go back to work, was working remote, then work.

• 53:40Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 53:41Speaker 03

  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, raw, I can make money, you know? And the first few months, I was like, raw, first month, like twelve thousand dollars.

• 54:00Speaker 02

  First month?

• 54:00Speaker 03

  First month, man, first month.

• 54:02Speaker 02

  Wait, so how did you make, uh, twelve thousand?

• 54:04Speaker 03

  Cause people donate, people donate, right?

• 54:07Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 54:07Speaker 03

  So, and they like the old, it seemed, it seemed to me that they're like, oh, they like old, 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, ah, you guys, you guys all right? And just building relationships with people.

• 54:20Speaker 02

  Hmm.

• 54:20Speaker 03

  And also, 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 they gave me, and TikTok, to be fair, to Big up Harrison, like, they gave me a push, gave me, gave like, gave me a push or whatever, like, give me like one-to-one coaching, even like the look of my room, like, 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? I'm like, because that's, that's what I see online. He's like, no, no, go, 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.

• 54:56Speaker 02

  Interesting.

• 54:57Speaker 03

  Make a difference.

• 54:58Speaker 02

  And this is, the, the company TikTok, literally was like, let me help you.

• 55:02Speaker 03

  They were helping me, huh?

• 55:03Speaker 02

  That's, that's incredible.

• 55:04Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 55:05Speaker 02

  That's incredible. So, then that first month.

• 55:07Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 55:08Speaker 02

  You said you made twelve thousand.

• 55:09Speaker 03

  Twelve.

• 55:10Speaker 02

  Had you ever made twelve thousand in your life, in a month?

• 55:13Speaker 03

  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. And 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, thank you, 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, raw, like, if I don't make money, like, people do not donate, yeah? I'm done. So, there's a lot of sleepless nights.

• 55:50Speaker 03

  My mom was very anxious and worried, because obviously I had a mortgage, I've got kids, like, family. So, yeah, she was scared, man, and that added a little bit of pressure to me, cause I'm like, raw, I have to make this work. But it was a good pressure, cause I'm like, look, I'm still doing the hours, man. If I do the hours, I will get to where I need 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 twelve 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.

• 56:31Speaker 03

  I'm doing forfeit challenges, I'm eating chilies if I lose a game on TikTok, if I, so the game, so TikTok is like a, for people, a lot of 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 tapping the screen, that gives you points, like a boxing match, and you've got the points that are swinging, it's a five-minute game, and you've got like gamification, and then it's gifting, so if you get some of those gifts. There's been times where I've got less gifts, a less of a score, and the forfeit is, you eat a chili, you eat a dirt, drink a dirty pint. Now, a dirty pint, you ever had a dirty pint before?

• 57:04Speaker 02

  Never.

• 57:04Speaker 03

  Dirty pint.

• 57:05Speaker 02

  No.

• 57:05Speaker 03

  That's where you're, you've got the phone like this, yeah? You point the phone to your fridge, and that person's saying, listen, get the fanta, get milk.

• 57:12Speaker 02

  Oh, no, and mix it.

• 57:14Speaker 03

  Get coffee, granules, mix it, drink it, garlic, back that in there, now drink it. And you're doing that on live, go, go, go, go, go. 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.

• 57:30Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 57:31Speaker 03

  Yeah, flower in my car, like, egg yourself, like, I've had to do crazy things, man, yeah. Going to a shower, cold, yeah, should, and do like star jumps, yeah, it's been mad, man.

• 57:39Speaker 02

  So, so while you're doing, so you're, you're thirty-seven, thirty-eight?

• 57:42Speaker 03

  Doing that madness.

• 57:43Speaker 02

  Right. Do, are you thinking to yourself like, damn, how'd I get here?

• 57:48Speaker 03

  I was actually enjoying it in a way.

• 57:52Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 57:52Speaker 03

  Yeah, cause, cause it was going from corporate to being able to throw away all my suits, all my trousers, to being in a tracksuit.

• 58:00Speaker 02

  Yep.

• 58:00Speaker 03

  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?

• 58:11Speaker 02

  I see it, and you're free.

• 58:13Speaker 03

  I'm free from this matrix of.

• 58:15Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 58:15Speaker 03

  Being told what to do, how to do it, clocking at this time, yeah, I'm free from that.

• 58:19Speaker 02

  Yeah, and that makes sense, why you've become so successful, because you enjoyed it.

• 58:24Speaker 03

  Correct.

• 58:24Speaker 02

  You know, you enjoyed it.

• 58:27Speaker 02

  All right, so, who wants a coffee?

• 58:30Speaker 04

  I'll take an iced latte, please.

• 58:32Speaker 02

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• 59:14Speaker 04

  Thank you, Paul.

• 59:16Speaker 02

  There you go.

• 59:19Speaker 04

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• 59:20Speaker 02

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• 59:31Speaker 02

  Hey there. I just wanna 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.

• 59:52Speaker 02

  So how do you go from inside to now outside? Cause I feel like that's what you're known for is being outside. So how did you make that move?

• 1:00:02Speaker 03

  So the year, a year in, so 23, I saw another DJ, DJ Suat. They got DJ Suat. He has the deck strapped to him.

• 1:00:11Speaker 02

  Ah, okay.

• 1:00:12Speaker 03

  And he goes into town centers, shopping centers. I just create, he's playing his music, but he's creating havoc. You 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. Cause I was able to go like that or sidestep or go up and sidestep. It kept it interesting. So I replicated his setup. We traveled to Stoke and I got Greg to make this setup. And it wasn't exactly the same, but it was a start, right? And we'd go outside, going like Wood Green to North London, going to, I'm causing havoc. I'm doing a similar thing.

• 1:00:54Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:00:55Speaker 03

  But I was like, this don't sit with me, man. Like, why am I, why am I causing havoc? Now I had.

• 1:01:00Speaker 02

  All right, so help me with this though. So you've been inside the entire time. You've never played outside.

• 1:01:05Speaker 03

  No.

• 1:01:05Speaker 02

  Do you remember the first, after you got your outside setup, the first outside set?

• 1:01:10Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:01:11Speaker 02

  You ever played?

• 1:01:12Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:01:12Speaker 02

  All right.

• 1:01:13Speaker 03

  Yeah, Wood Green was the first. So going to, going into like Sainsbury's with the, and I've got the whole thing strapped. And 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 goer either. I wasn't going to gyms. I wasn't strong. So I'm trying to hold it for that hours.

• 1:01:34Speaker 02

  And you by yourself?

• 1:01:35Speaker 03

  I'm with Chris. So me and Chris and then Buffy would come as well. So he would hold a table. I said, we'd, we'd carry a table behind us. So I've got the decks.

• 1:01:43Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 1:01:43Speaker 03

  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. I'll, and I get a reboil, you know? You got the phone. So yeah, it's all going mad. We're going in there.

• 1:01:55Speaker 02

  And you went to Sainsbury and you're just playing.

• 1:01:56Speaker 03

  We're playing.

• 1:01:57Speaker 02

  But Sainsbury is a supermarket, right?

• 1:01:59Speaker 03

  Yes, we're going there, stop, play music, cause havoc. Go outside, go into the cine world, like cause havoc. Go into the shopping center, cause havoc. Then go outside on the main strip. And then event, 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. I was plonked it down. I was like, yeah, man, I'm done, man. So I was just DJing, but my viewer level went up.

• 1:02:28Speaker 02

  Ah, wow.

• 1:02:29Speaker 03

  So I'm like, I'm so, why do I even? 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.

• 1:02:46Speaker 02

  That's mad.

• 1:02:47Speaker 03

  It's dark, innit? It's dark.

• 1:02:49Speaker 02

  They're waiting to see if you can get hit by the bus.

• 1:02:51Speaker 03

  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.

• 1:03:00Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:03:00Speaker 03

  So I'm like, all right, cool. People don't, still don't really understand what it is I'm doing, playing music. But as only when 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 kinda see the gravitation from them crossing the road to like them smiling. But oh, thank you for that music. That's made my day. Like, I'm like, all right, okay, actually there's something impactful to do here. And then, yeah, I just, I just kept going there, man.

• 1:03:42Speaker 02

  Wow, that's incredible.

• 1:03:42Speaker 03

  Until I stopped going there.

• 1:03:45Speaker 02

  That, that's, man, that's, that's so fascinating.

• 1:03:48Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:03:48Speaker 02

  That that's how it started.

• 1:03:49Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:03:50Speaker 02

  Um, because it almost felt like you were almost giving up. Like, I can't even do this anymore.

• 1:03:55Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:03:56Speaker 02

  You put it down.

• 1:03:57Speaker 03

  Crazy.

• 1:03:57Speaker 02

  And then all of a sudden, so then after that moment happens, right? What's your thought in terms of the potential? Of what could happen? Cause you, you've now gone to extreme heights. So were you, did you have this vision then?

• 1:04:16Speaker 03

  No, 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 and B music. Then the school kids come out, play popular music. And then they all come in and they say, ah, you want TikTok? I've got thousands of people in there. But what I liked about it is it was also showing the kids love. And they need that love, man. So like showing them love to the point where like 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.

• 1:04:59Speaker 03

  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, no, I don't wanna 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, there was racism there as well. So I could see the N word flying up on the chat or whatever. Black this, whatever, whatever. So I'm dealing with a lot, man. To then have artists on, that's another thing I need to worry about. But credit to him, because he was right, right? And we tried, we gave it a go. Got a few local artists to come on. I just passed through. So they just walked across the road, be like, yeah, I, I, I MC. All right, cool, man. I'll just play with him for you, man. And then, yeah, we just started to, to build that, that side of it.

• 1:05:44Speaker 03

  And I guess the rest is history.

• 1:05:45Speaker 02

  Now, all right, at that point, was there anyone doing that? Because, because when, when you hit my radar, it was like 2024.

• 1:05:56Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:05:56Speaker 02

  And you were the first that I've, like DJ that I've ever seen.

• 1:06:00Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:06:01Speaker 02

  Do this, like to be outside with the people, with an artist.

• 1:06:05Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:06:06Speaker 02

  Was there anyone else that you knew of? I'm like, I'm sure at some point DJ's been doing it.

• 1:06:10Speaker 03

  There must have been people, yeah.

• 1:06:11Speaker 02

  But were you aware of someone who was doing it on a regular basis?

• 1:06:15Speaker 03

  No.

• 1:06:15Speaker 02

  Like you, yeah, cause it feels like you pioneered this, this space.

• 1:06:18Speaker 03

  Not like me. Now I've heard and I've seen, so Wiley was outside as well during COVID, doing stuff. And, but I never seen him do it. It wasn't until after I started doing my thing. And people are like, oh, like, you know, Wiley was doing this before, da, da, da, da. I was like, oh, I didn't even know. Didn't even know he was doing that.

• 1:06:35Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 1:06:35Speaker 03

  I suppose sound system culture, people always used to string up sets outside.

• 1:06:40Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:06:41Speaker 03

  But never, obviously no digital presence. So 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.

• 1:06:52Speaker 02

  Yes, cause I think what makes it so unique as well is that you're playing to the digital audience.

• 1:06:59Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 1:06:59Speaker 02

  You know, you have the massive audience with you.

• 1:07:02Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:07:02Speaker 02

  In, in, in real time, or should I say in person? But you're playing to the, to the digital audience.

• 1:07:08Speaker 03

  Correct.

• 1:07:08Speaker 02

  Which, yeah, which makes it entirely unique.

• 1:07:10Speaker 03

  It's crazy, man.

• 1:07:11Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:07:12Speaker 03

  You're trying to juggle a lot.

• 1:07:14Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:07:14Speaker 03

  You wanna keep them happy? Cause they, they're helping you power this, man. Without them, gifting and helping and supporting, you're done. So 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 gonna happen. So, yeah.

• 1:07:30Speaker 02

  So what were some of those things that happened? Cause I, cause I, I've read like you've been egged and it's been crazy. So what, what are some of the, the more dangerous, terrifying things that have happened to you outside?

• 1:07:41Speaker 03

  Uh, I think, yeah, the egging in Wood Green was, that was disappointing, man. But I get it. They did pretty understand what I was trying to do. So I understand that. Fireworks in Brixton, being let off. And that was, that was dangerous, man. Cause that could have hit anyone in the face.

• 1:07:55Speaker 02

  So it was let off while you were playing?

• 1:07:57Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Dangerous, man. I think there's kids doing stupidness. So I had that. I see 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.

• 1:08:17Speaker 02

  You know, it's wild is I did see a clip of you.

• 1:08:20Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:08:20Speaker 02

  A mixed up, I think you, you put it out.

• 1:08:22Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:08:23Speaker 02

  Of people touching your decks.

• 1:08:24Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:08:24Speaker 02

  And you say.

• 1:08:28Speaker 02

  And you responded to them.

• 1:08:29Speaker 03

  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 of 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, there's another side to me, man. So we have to just temper that. Um, anyway, yeah, so, bro, so that, been arrested in Shoreditch. That's a playing music.

• 1:09:00Speaker 02

  Oh, yeah. So, so what happened there?

• 1:09:03Speaker 03

  So I was just playing music, man. So 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. So I was gonna move, keep it moving. I think I posted that online, that went off, whatever. 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 near, I'm not near any residential area. I'm by Box Park. They 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 gonna call the police. I just said, call the police then.

• 1:09:44Speaker 03

  Like, call the police, man. Let's see how this goes. So the police came and they're like, yeah, listen, need to stop. Um, I'm like, but what am I, what is it that I'm, what am I, what rules am I breaking? Just so I know. So we're online now. This is, this is going off. I've, I've kept the stream on. And they're like, listen, if you don't stop, we're gonna seize your equipment. Like, we're gonna arrest you, whatever, whatever. So we're going back and forth. And they're like, oh, you're gonna, like, if we let you go, you're gonna do this again. I said, cool. It's what I do, man. I'm outside and it's what I do. And then they arrested me on live.

• 1:10:13Speaker 02

  Wow.

• 1:10:13Speaker 03

  Like, like 10,000 people watching. I'm like, see, this is, this is, this is a madness. I know they regret it now. I know they regret it now. Um.

• 1:10:22Speaker 02

  Because what was the reason for the arrest?

• 1:10:26Speaker 03

  So I think what is in Shoreditch is that you can't play music in that particular zone.

• 1:10:32Speaker 03

  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, 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, you know? And I think we've lost that. So for me, it's just about bringing it back.

• 1:11:08Speaker 02

  I hear it.

• 1:11:08Speaker 03

  To the beginning.

• 1:11:09Speaker 02

  I hear it. I hear it. So they just didn't get it?

• 1:11:12Speaker 03

  They didn't get it, man. Also, they were following their rules, whatever. That's fine. Look, I know, like, like I said before, they regret that it got to that point. I mean, look now, look at, look at, look at where we are now.

• 1:11:23Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:11:23Speaker 03

  Like, 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, like, and it's safe. We've not had one issue. There's not been one incident that someone could say, yeah, AG, your thing is, caused that.

• 1:11:45Speaker 02

  Yeah. Can you brag on some of these artists? Cause I mean, I, I, I know probably all of them. Okay. All of them written right here. But I think for people who are unaware, the five people who are unaware of, of what you do is.

• 1:11:57Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:11:57Speaker 02

  Talk about someone, cause you've had the biggest of the big.

• 1:12:00Speaker 03

  Yeah, man. Look, Will Smith is probably like the most iconic, I would say.

• 1:12:04Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:12:04Speaker 03

  Just, and he was such a nice guy, man. Nice, accommodating, making moments that I feel like that also filled his cup as well. You know, and he got the love from the crowd. I think he, I think he really felt that.

• 1:12:16Speaker 02

  Yes. And is someone like Will Smith, how does that happen? Cause, cause 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.

• 1:12:30Speaker 03

  Hmm. Yeah. So I've got a great management team. Um, and they handle a lot of this stuff. So I suppose like labels, PR, company, 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, the influencers. That is another currency. Um, and so I think, I don't know what happened with it, system 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, we've got this so-and-so artist. Can we make it happen? Um, and then with Will Smith, obviously whatever happened, we met on the day, we had a nice conversation before the live stream.

• 1:13:13Speaker 03

  We don't normally do that, but yeah, we met beforehand and it was like, yeah, I was like, 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, all right, show me your setlist. Show me the setlist. I'm like, bro, this is cold. Like, this is cold. You've got Summertime in there. You've got Men in Black in there. But 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 of Bel Air. You gotta do that, bro. What are we doing here, man? So he's like, you know what? I did. I did it. No questions asked. I did it.

• 1:13:58Speaker 03

  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.

• 1:14:09Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:14:10Speaker 03

  You've never seen King's Cross that busy in your life, like, apart from Burnaway, which happened soon after, but yeah.

• 1:14:18Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:14:19Speaker 03

  Yeah. So crazy, man.

• 1:14:20Speaker 02

  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.

• 1:14:29Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:14:29Speaker 02

  Like, it, it seems like that could be, I, I always thought your superpower, look, I thought your superpower was like just you and your charisma. But now I, I'm beginning to think that it's more so your awareness of like your emotional intelligence.

• 1:14:45Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:14:45Speaker 02

  That's really what it is. Like how aware you are of people, their emotions and how music impacts those.

• 1:14:52Speaker 03

  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 just 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, is one. Then I think, all right, 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 gonna be there. How can I make this moment? So you, you get that, you get that viral moment, which then lifts you onto bigger things, you know?

• 1:15:33Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:15:34Speaker 03

  So my mind is constantly ticking. I can pull that person from the crowd. That 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 them many more? 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 yeah, there's a lot going on in my mind.

• 1:15:57Speaker 02

  Yeah, I, I like it. You're not just standing there.

• 1:15:59Speaker 03

  No, there's a lot, there's a lot going on. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 1:16:01Speaker 02

  Yeah, there's a lot.

• 1:16:02Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:16:02Speaker 02

  Who have you been the most surprised by?

• 1:16:07Speaker 03

  As artists?

• 1:16:07Speaker 02

  Artists, yeah.

• 1:16:09Speaker 03

  We've had so many, man. Uh, I would say Miguel was sick, man.

• 1:16:13Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 1:16:13Speaker 03

  While I'm about Miguel, Miguel came to Toward and Miguel came one up, one, came with one person.

• 1:16:22Speaker 02

  Hmm.

• 1:16:23Speaker 03

  No security, no entourage, no fancy dancy, like just pulled up, done his thing. Super professional, was embracing the crowd, let them get close. Like, I love that. We're just human beings, man. Like, that's what it should be. We're just human beings catching a vibe.

• 1:16:43Speaker 02

  True.

• 1:16:43Speaker 03

  And these are your fans that have taken the time at short notice to come and see you, you know?

• 1:16:49Speaker 02

  True.

• 1:16:49Speaker 03

  And he was so good.

• 1:16:50Speaker 02

  Can, can I say too, is, that's what I noticed about you too. You pulled up by yourself here.

• 1:16:53Speaker 03

  One up, bro.

• 1:16:54Speaker 02

  Yeah, I see so many, we, we have, I mean, this is not to disrespect any of our guests, right? Uh, but sometimes you'll have guests who come full on entourage, right? Um, and then you have those who come by themselves. And I've noticed that when those, when the people show up by themselves, there's typically like another level of awareness and self-confidence that they have.

• 1:17:17Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:17:18Speaker 02

  You know, so it sounds like that's exactly what Miguel.

• 1:17:21Speaker 03

  Same thing, bro.

• 1:17:21Speaker 02

  Same thing he did, yeah.

• 1:17:22Speaker 03

  For me, like, 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, to certain councils, certain boroughs. I have to have a security for risk assessment. But normal day to day, I'll be on my own. I'll drive, 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 try, just roam the streets on my own, man.

• 1:17:48Speaker 02

  Wow.

• 1:17:49Speaker 03

  And I'm happy. And people, look, I don't wear any fancy jewelry 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 I'll make it continue.

• 1:18:04Speaker 02

  Yeah. And, and I think that's why you've won so many awards. Like you won, what, social impact?

• 1:18:08Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:18:08Speaker 02

  Uh, award, uh, timeout award, right? And I think it's because of what you're doing in the community.

• 1:18:15Speaker 03

  Hmm.

• 1:18:16Speaker 02

  But also, and these have to be some of your most viral videos, are you in the care homes?

• 1:18:20Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:18:21Speaker 02

  I mean, how did you know or, or, or, or what led you to set up in care homes?

• 1:18:28Speaker 03

  My mom, uh, my grand had dementia. Um, 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 Unks, we went to this care home. And when I went in there.

• 1:18:59Speaker 03

  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 Joe House Rock or, like, whatever you want to sing, man. But whatever you want. We're making it happen.

• 1:19:30Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:19:30Speaker 03

  And make it happen, man, make moments.

• 1:19:32Speaker 02

  Yeah. You know, are you familiar with these statistics on dementia?

• 1:19:39Speaker 03

  Tell me.

• 1:19:39Speaker 02

  And music?

• 1:19:40Speaker 03

  Tell me.

• 1:19:40Speaker 02

  An Australian study in 2025 found that older adults who consistently listen to music reduce their risk of developing dementia by nearly forty percent.

• 1:19:50Speaker 03

  Crazy, I didn't know that.

• 1:19:51Speaker 02

  Forty percent. Some care homes use music therapy to support communication, mood, thinking and behavior in elderly people. Right, obviously, they want you to be there. So you could see that you are literally healing people.

• 1:20:04Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:20:04Speaker 02

  You know, by your presence.

• 1:20:06Speaker 03

  Yeah, and I'm hoping that in the future we can do more. And, you know, we can link up with some of these music slash tech companies to really deliver more change. Um, I think there's a lot more support that we can give to our elders, man. So hopefully, we can get there.

• 1:20:18Speaker 02

  Yes. That seems to give you, would you say, more joy in the care homes?

• 1:20:24Speaker 03

  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.

• 1:20:32Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 1:20:35Speaker 02

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• 1:21:45Speaker 02

  When did the festival become a dream for you?

• 1:21:49Speaker 03

  Last year.

• 1:21:51Speaker 05

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• 1:22:52Speaker 02

  He's like, last week, I just decided.

• 1:22:54Speaker 03

  Last year, I'm like, yo. Yeah, last year, that was the first time that I started going to festivals.

• 1:22:59Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 1:23:00Speaker 03

  Because I was on the bill and I got to it. I couldn't, I couldn't afford to go. Like, I was earning good money, but I was supporting my family. Like, 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. All right, 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 Fee and Zee, who look after me. I 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?

• 1:23:44Speaker 03

  Because going to some festivals, I'm like, rah, man. Some of the artists, man. I was seeing little thirteen-year-old Sally down there just listening to us. I was like, oh, I don't know, man. So, yeah, for me, handpicking artists that I know can keep it clean.

• 1:23:58Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:23:59Speaker 03

  Um, 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.

• 1:24:13Speaker 02

  Hmm, I can see it, I can see it. You know, we all have fears.

• 1:24:18Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:24:19Speaker 02

  What would you say your greatest fear is?

• 1:24:24Speaker 03

  Crashing out and matches on.

• 1:24:27Speaker 03

  So, 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. If I have to say, look, bro, I beg you, like, can you just do this for me? And the manager, they're like, no, I ain't doing that for you. I'm like, what? 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

• 1:25:12Speaker 03

  where I've had to really control myself and have patience. Because one crash out, you lose your brand, 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. Um, that is definitely a fear.

• 1:25:30Speaker 03

  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. Like, I've been through it all, man, so.

• 1:25:41Speaker 02

  Yeah. Do you think there's a misconception about how much money you make?

• 1:25:47Speaker 03

  Hundred percent.

• 1:25:48Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:25:48Speaker 03

  People think I'm boring. 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 thirty-seven when I took this, took this risk, right?

• 1:26:09Speaker 02

  Right.

• 1:26:09Speaker 03

  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, rah, I made nothing. I went to, I went to.

• 1:26:26Speaker 02

  This month?

• 1:26:28Speaker 03

  Ah, bro, last few months, I've had it hard, like, in terms of not making money.

• 1:26:30Speaker 02

  I won't.

• 1:26:31Speaker 03

  But I'll give you an example. So I never told this story. So this week, I went to a care home 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 seven dollars for that TikTok stream. It's an hour. Then I went to another care home on Wednesday and I earned eleven dollars for that stream. Now, obviously, we have a festival, so we've plowed everything and you have to.

• 1:27:02Speaker 03

  If you look at every stream outside, that's like thirteen hundred pounds on average. Every time you see, yeah, because you've got security, you've got arts liaison, you've got all the people that you need to power it and make it work. Your editor, your camera person. So if the money's not coming back, it's like, rah, like, you're just losing money. Um, so then you rely on a brand to come or, you know, a DJ set somewhere. So, oh my god, thank god, like, I can survive, you know? So, yeah, the last, I 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.

• 1:27:39Speaker 02

  That's incredible. I don't think that's the thought most people are thinking.

• 1:27:45Speaker 03

  Yeah. People think I've got money. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I'm just honest with it. So if I have, then I have. If I haven't, then I haven't. If 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.

• 1:27:57Speaker 02

  That, I mean, I think that's being incredibly honest.

• 1:28:00Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:28:01Speaker 02

  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.

• 1:28:17Speaker 03

  Yeah. I would say, 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. And 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 the 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? So even the outside DJs, like 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, that's what I know.

• 1:29:01Speaker 03

  Maybe in the future, I might learn something from you, you know?

• 1:29:04Speaker 02

  Exactly.

• 1:29:05Speaker 03

  I think I messaged, I messaged G. Smalls the other day, another DJ from out, like outside. I was like, bro, I noticed, yeah, your setup. You've got this tripod thing, and that would really help me, yeah? Can you tell me what it is? And he just told me, like, he's just like, yeah, it's this. So we have that camaraderie where, but not everyone has that, where they're gonna tell you how they're doing certain things. And I don't particularly agree with that.

• 1:29:25Speaker 02

  One topic, just a few more, that we haven't talked about.

• 1:29:28Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:29:28Speaker 02

  And you probably know is my favorite topic.

• 1:29:30Speaker 03

  Tell me.

• 1:29:31Speaker 02

  What do you think my favorite topic is?

• 1:29:35Speaker 03

  Sutton United.

• 1:29:37Speaker 02

  Yes, Sutton United.

• 1:29:39Speaker 03

  Oh, God.

• 1:29:40Speaker 02

  That you will be at.

• 1:29:41Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:29:42Speaker 02

  Next, next is Sutton United.

• 1:29:43Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:29:44Speaker 02

  My favorite topic is relationships.

• 1:29:46Speaker 03

  Okay, tell me.

• 1:29:47Speaker 02

  And so, well, if, I want you to tell me.

• 1:29:51Speaker 03

  What do you wanna know?

• 1:29:52Speaker 02

  I, I wanna know, are, are you?

• 1:29:55Speaker 03

  Single?

• 1:29:56Speaker 02

  Single?

• 1:29:56Speaker 03

  Seeing someone?

• 1:29:57Speaker 02

  Seeing someone, thinking, do you have a, do, do you, do you feel like it's important to have a partner? What's your, what's your thought?

• 1:30:06Speaker 03

  Yeah, um, it's a good question. I would say, so look, I'm single. Um, I would love to settle down, you know, being forty-one. Um, 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. Like, it's full gas, no brakes. Um, 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? Um, the dating scene right now is interesting, is what I'm gonna say. It's, it's, it's definitely interesting in terms of just, you know, it's a bit dark,

• 1:30:51Speaker 03

  is what I would say. But I haven't really put myself out there. More time, I'm just, 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.

• 1:31:00Speaker 02

  Okay, so, so you're open?

• 1:31:02Speaker 03

  I'm open, for the right person.

• 1:31:04Speaker 02

  The, the DMs are open?

• 1:31:06Speaker 03

  The DMs are not open.

• 1:31:09Speaker 03

  But if I see you somewhere, maybe I might see you in the festival, and we get talking.

• 1:31:13Speaker 02

  So you, so you rather, you rather meet someone face to face?

• 1:31:17Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:31:18Speaker 02

  Have that conversation, because it's interesting. Some people are so fearful of the in-person interaction first, but you rather have that.

• 1:31:25Speaker 03

  You would never, you're not gonna see me on dating apps, man. I was on dating apps like many years ago, but given what's going on now, like, I'd be scared to go on a dating app. I know there's like, there's one for like 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. Um, my DMs are, are closed. But if I see you in person and I catch a good vibe from you, then it's a conversation.

• 1:31:53Speaker 02

  You know, I think you are one of the most eligible bachelors in the UK.

• 1:31:58Speaker 03

  That's why, that's why my DMs are closed.

• 1:32:02Speaker 03

  I don't wanna, I don't want loads of DMs, like, but I guess also on socials, you don't necessarily see my personality. You see what I'm doing.

• 1:32:09Speaker 02

  Right.

• 1:32:10Speaker 03

  But remember, this platform is not about me, it's about everyone else. I'm just the man that's on the side, right?

• 1:32:14Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:32:15Speaker 03

  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.

• 1:32:21Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:32:22Speaker 03

  But my DMs are still closed.

• 1:32:23Speaker 02

  I like it. But no, we've seen a lot of personality today.

• 1:32:26Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:32:26Speaker 02

  A lot of personality. I wanna share with you

• 1:32:31Speaker 02

  another surprise.

• 1:32:32Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 1:32:32Speaker 02

  Last surprise I have.

• 1:32:33Speaker 03

  Okay, I'm here for it.

• 1:32:34Speaker 02

  You know what this is?

• 1:32:35Speaker 03

  It's a holiday to Jamaica.

• 1:32:38Speaker 02

  I wish, I wish, I wish. This could be better than a holiday from Jamaica. I have a letter.

• 1:32:44Speaker 03

  All right, cool.

• 1:32:45Speaker 02

  Now, do you know who this letter is from?

• 1:32:46Speaker 03

  No idea.

• 1:32:47Speaker 02

  This letter is from someone who's been incredibly instrumental in your life.

• 1:32:53Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 1:32:54Speaker 02

  And they wrote this, and I'm gonna read it to you.

• 1:32:57Speaker 03

  All right, cool.

• 1:32:57Speaker 02

  Okay, 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. Thankfully, 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, this adds up to, to what you were saying.

• 1:33:36Speaker 03

  Yep.

• 1:33:37Speaker 02

  "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 grand battle dementia before she passed away was another painful chapter. They were incredibly close, and those experiences shaped the compassionate young man he has become.

• 1:34:19Speaker 02

  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, alongside major artists such as Will Smith and Ed Sheeran. Then he traveled to Jamaica."

• 1:34:58Speaker 03

  Geez.

• 1:34:59Speaker 02

  Yes, spending time with the legends, including Barris Hammond. I didn't know this.

• 1:35:05Speaker 03

  Yeah, man.

• 1:35:05Speaker 02

  Barris Hammond is one of my favorites.

• 1:35:07Speaker 03

  Legends.

• 1:35:07Speaker 02

  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, he's using it to make a real difference." I love this part. "Ashley is a devoted son.

• 1:35:49Speaker 02

  If his mum 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.

• 1:36:31Speaker 02

  Ashley, your achievements speak for themselves, but what makes me proudest isn't your success, it's your character. You'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."

• 1:37:01Speaker 03

  We got pops, man. They give what? We got pops, man, it's beautiful.

• 1:37:06Speaker 02

  That was beautiful.

• 1:37:08Speaker 03

  Beautiful, man. Few, two beautiful letters.

• 1:37:10Speaker 02

  I'm telling you, you were blessed.

• 1:37:12Speaker 03

  Blessed, man.

• 1:37:13Speaker 02

  You were blessed. So I have to ask, in that letter?

• 1:37:19Speaker 02

  What stays with you the most?

• 1:37:22Speaker 03

  Um, I mean, look, for me, yeah, obviously, he knows the pain in terms of my granddad. So 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 was just nice taking him on the stage or stages. So we did like Reggae Land together, done a one in Peterborough together. But I always like to make sure that he gets due credit. Do you know what 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,

• 1:38:06Speaker 03

  like going through certain things like, and being able to manage those things, you know? So, yeah, big heart hearts, man. It's beautiful, beautiful letter.

• 1:38:14Speaker 02

  Yes, yes.

• 1:38:14Speaker 03

  Two letters I'll cherish very much.

• 1:38:16Speaker 02

  Yeah, all right. I'm gonna give those to you, but I have one last question for you.

• 1:38:20Speaker 03

  Tell me.

• 1:38:20Speaker 02

  All right, so every guest gets this question. If you think about all of the incredible conversations you've had with everyone in your life, what conversation stands out the most? Who was it with and what did you learn?

• 1:38:35Speaker 03

  Guy called Stephen Peacock, yeah. I always remember this. Someone who I worked with, who managed me. And he said to me, Ashley, 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 asshole. That's, that's all he said to me. Those words have stuck with me in everything I do. Don't be the asshole. 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 unhappy with something. And all I want to say to that artist, you know what? Jog on me.

• 1:39:20Speaker 03

  Like, I don't give a damn about what you've got. I've got over 10, 20 other million things going on. But then that makes me the asshole. So I'm like, okay, let's use some emotional intelligence and work on how to get a satisfactory outcome for that person. Saying everything I do, the conversations I have, um, my history of selling things, um, history of working in customer service, having to hear someone, 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.

• 1:39:53Speaker 02

  Right.

• 1:39:53Speaker 03

  And you have to really dig deep and not get angry. And that's what I remember. Don't be the asshole.

• 1:40:01Speaker 02

  Well said, well said, well said. Ash, I really appreciate you coming.

• 1:40:05Speaker 03

  Big love, man. Come on, man.

• 1:40:06Speaker 02

  Man, I, I tell you what, we fought hard to get you here.

• 1:40:09Speaker 03

  We got there, we're here.

• 1:40:10Speaker 02

  And, 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, I saw. You know, what I continue to see, continue to be proud of. But now, having had this conversation, I fully understand it, you know? And I could 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. Like, I love your observations of people walking across the street and seeing this. Like, your emotional intelligence, I see, and awareness is, is super high. And I also appreciate how transparent you've been about the struggles.

• 1:40:50Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:40:51Speaker 02

  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?

• 1:41:01Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 1:41:02Speaker 02

  And I think that, um, we ultimately, we root for the good guys. We support the good guys. And, and that's, that, that's who you are.

• 1:41:10Speaker 03

  I appreciate it, bro. Likewise, man.

• 1:41:11Speaker 02

  No, no.

• 1:41:12Speaker 03

  Thank you for your time, man. I appreciate it.

• 1:41:13Speaker 02

  No, I really, really appreciate it. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna get you married, man.

• 1:41:18Speaker 03

  Yeah?

• 1:41:20Speaker 02

  I was like, you were, but you were so eligible. Like, oh, my God, if I was, you know, I used to have a matchmaking agency.

• 1:41:26Speaker 03

  Is it?

• 1:41:26Speaker 02

  Yeah, my, my wife and I had a matchmaking agency. I would have signed you as a client immediately.

• 1:41:31Speaker 03

  My DMs.

• 1:41:32Speaker 02

  I, I'd have you married in a year.

• 1:41:33Speaker 03

  Bro, what?

• 1:41:34Speaker 02

  Truly. I, I could have you married in one year.

• 1:41:37Speaker 03

  Bro, my DMs.

• 1:41:39Speaker 02

  I'm telling you.

• 1:41:39Speaker 03

  I'm closed.

• 1:41:40Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:41:42Speaker 02

  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, like, and he is doing so much more than that. He'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 the favorite, 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.

• 1:42:26Speaker 02

  He's at the care home, performing for what he told us was, could be seven pounds for the hour. So that, to me, is profound and shows how much character he has. 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?

• 1:42:51Speaker 02

  I'm serious.

• 1:42:52Speaker 05

  All right, yo, because I like you and you are my brother.

• 1:42:59Speaker 02

  Not only are you a musician, artist, but also a businessman.

• 1:43:03Speaker 05

  I just wanted to be rich. But the problem is popularity comes with a cost. Like Michael Jackson, he's my boy. But I just feel like there's a lot of holes on the explanation of his death.

• 1:43:13Speaker 02

  So as your power and influence grows, do you ever fear a threat against your life?

• 1:43:20Speaker 05

  I'll go with some Richard D. tryin', literally.

• 1:43:23Speaker 02

  It was stealing cars.

• 1:43:24Speaker 05

  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. When 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.

• 1:43:44Speaker 02

  All right, so I didn't know we would get into this topic.

• 1:43:46Speaker 05

  Right.

• 1:43:47Speaker 02

  But we got it, I mean, we're here.

• 1:43:49Speaker 05

  We're here.

• 1:43:49Speaker 02

  We need to talk.

• 1:43:50Speaker 05

  I'm giving you my word today, you'll be the one I give the excuses to.

• 1:43:57Speaker 00

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