Resilience Through Rap: Ambush Interviewed
Working with Giggs, his new mixtape, and police violence in the UK...
Camden rapper *Ambush *is on a steady path to success, and it’s hard to see what can get in his way.
Making his mark with arguably one the biggest UK rap tracks of 2018, ‘Jumpy’, he’s not only an exciting talent to watch out for, but some of the biggest MCs want to be on his music. Not just to be defined by this, he’s proven that he has a bag full of solid tracks with ‘Man Can’t’ and more recently ‘Winners’. And as a true exhibition of resilience, not even a prison sentence has stopped him.
Ambush’s debut mixtape, ‘Ask My Brother’ is set to be a body of work that doesn’t shy away from the rapper’s hardship while ensuring he stays memorable for his reputation for big bangers.
Clash caught up with Ambush upon the release of his new mixtape to discuss his storytelling music, his views on police injustice against black people and his evolution as an artist.
- - -
- - -
*You came onto the scene with ‘Jumpy’ which has had unbelievable success. Since then, how much pressure have you felt to follow through with big bangers?*
After ‘Jumpy’ I feel like I delivered solid tunes. So I don’t really feel like there’s much pressure. Obviously, where it went so big, everyone was expecting another big one, and I delivered that with ‘Man Can’t'.
The song I brought out after that, it wasn't actually my release, it was GRM Daily’s release. But I think it was a proper big tune, everybody loved it, it was ‘Bring ‘Em Out’ with Suspect. But eventually, in that time we both went away so I don't think the song was able to fulfil its full potential.
*Talking about big tunes. I’m sure there are lots of people that must want to jump on ’Winners’?*
Yeah, it’s a proper big anthem. It’s mad because I’ve already got mad verses that have been sent to me from mad American artists.
*Are you planning a remix?*
Yeah. I'm thinking I might do a big remix. That's all in the pipeline. We're going have to wait and see.
*You also recently dropped ‘A.M.B (InTRILL)’ – it’s quite an honest look at the things that have gone on around you and this also extends to the mixtape. Why is it important for you to have these stories out there?*
Music for me, it's really a therapy for me. My whole writing process is literally just me getting off my chest what the beat tells me to get off my chest. So that’s just kind of like my approach to this. I'm not really a guy that's going to go into a session with the intention of making a specific type of song. I just find the vibe I’m on, and then run with it. And more often than not, it's just an honest story from my life about specific situations.
*Police brutality is still a pressing issue today that you cover in your music and is receiving attention right now with the murder of George Floyd. Do you think people are aware enough about this?*
I’m not sure what it actually is with people, because I'm sure that everybody sees and hears the stories, but things are just brushed over by the law. Like my cousin's case was, and my friend Rash, and my other friend Edson... all the officers got away with it.
So on paper when people see that, even regardless of if the families are shouting, ‘it's an injustice and it shouldn't have gone this way’, I feel that people just believe the police and the news without regarding people's stories, just because they believe in the justice system. But where you see things clearly like in the George Floyd video, it's hard for everybody to just turn a blind eye.
At the same time, these things cause outrage for a little bit and then they’re forgotten about. Because if it's not your loved one or someone that you're close to, then you don't feel it in the same way just because of how much information there is these days. Everyone's desensitised to things. So, unless it actually hits you in your face, directly, you really don't care about, unless you're a genuinely caring person.
I went on a march for families that suffered police injustice and for those whose family members were killed by the police. Everyone that was there, it was just literally the families and friends of the people. It's not like there were any stragglers, you know what I'm saying? It was everyone that was close to the situation and shed tears for the person. I don't feel like anybody wants to make the police their problem. It’s a big force to reckon with when you think about it.
*Do you think it’s as bad here as it is in the US?*
I think that the mentality is just as bad, and the training must be just as bad, but I'll just feel like over there, I think it's worse because they have guns. They witness many more murders. They're more desensitised to violence than we are. I think that's the difference.
- - -
- - -
*Your mini-video ‘Eastenders’ also gave us a peek into all the matters you talk about in your music, are you planning to do more visuals like this with star-studded casts?*
I aim to make my videos the best I can and involve people that are stars or artists that are prominent. It's a beautiful thing to me - all of us as artists, coming together. We all kind of grew the same way and are building this thing together so it will be good to watch back these things in like 20, 30, 40 years from now.
*Did you handpick the cast?*
Yes, I did, and I directed it.
*On your new mixtape, ‘Ask My Brother’, Giggs features on not just one song but two. What's your relationship like with Giggs and how did those tracks come together?*
Giggs, that’s my OG, obviously, I’ve got a lot of respect for Giggs. He’s one of the most prominent inspirations in my career as a rapper, especially in the UK. I definitely grew up listening to Giggs. He offered me the opportunity to come out on his European tour, just as I got out of prison the last time around. So I appreciate him in a big way because he gave me a big opportunity. He definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities with music, because he actually took us around half of Europe. So that's like, my big brother and my uncle.
The music came around after the tour. After we got to know each other properly, we just linked up to the studio, because we’re just bredrins now. He was just like, ‘do you want to come studio?’ And I thought why not? We go in there and make a banger and go home. But yeah, Drake’s the only other person who has had two features with Giggs on a project.
*What are you most excited about with this mixtape?*
I'm just excited for people to hear a body of work from me. Because I feel like a lot of people's opinion of me is singles-based, because I've released a lot of singles and a lot of people just jumped onto me from ‘Jumpy’ and those types of songs there. I’m excited to showcase my rapping skills.
*What else is on your list to do this year?*
I was really trying to do my headline show this year because I wanted to do a big one. Well, that's kind of out the window, so I don't know. But I might throw a big block party.
- - -
- - -
‘Ask My Brother’ is out now - *https://ambush.lnk.to/Ask-My-Brother*
Words:* Nikita Rathod*
Join us on the ad-free creative social network Vero, as we get under the skin of global cultural happenings. Follow Clash Magazine as we skip merrily between clubs, concerts, interviews and photo shoots. Get backstage sneak peeks, exclusive content and access to Clash Live events and a true view into our world as the fun and games unfold.
Buy Clash Magazine