True To Life: Jeshi Interviewed

“I’d say, fundamentally, things were a lot simpler in 2016. I didn’t have the exterior pressures of something being a career or having a team around you,” Jeshi muses thoughtfully. We’re discussing the shifting tides of his career; how things have changed, for better or worse, since his first EP ‘Pussy Palace’ hit the ether. Pressure makes diamonds, however, and the artist in front of me today is a more complete version of the rough gem that emerged with his warped version of lo-fi rap almost a decade ago. 

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Jeshi is one of the most enthralling rap-adjacent talents to come out of the UK in the last decade. There’s his lyrical prowess, electric flows, off-the-wall beat choices and his penchant for cross-genre collaborations with the likes of Celeste, Fredwave and Obongjayar. He’s been hailed for his authentic storytelling in an industry where commercial success can sometimes camouflage music produced with depth and meaning. Jeshi’s living proof that great things come from sticking to your roots, and drawing from a limitless source of creativity. 

Growing up in a deprived area in Walthamstow, East London, Jeshi experienced “quite a normal-ish childhood” but it wasn’t without strife. Opting to make something positive out of a volatile environment, a teenage Jeshi turned his attention to producing music. It was a result of social interactions at secondary school with like-minded peers that made him realise just how easily he could fashion something from scratch.

“I met people from the same area who were dabbling in music,” he reflects. “So, I also got into it through them. I realised really quickly that you can make stuff from your own house. It’s that simple.” Back then Jeshi’s sonic palette wasn’t as referential or refined but he still had an ear for cutting-edge, underground sounds filtering through to the mainstream. “Dizzee’s first album was important. Trip-hop was important: Massive Attack was important in terms of opening up my sonic references. To this day, I’m still hearing stuff that influences me.” 

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Jeshi moved out of his family home in his early twenties and set forth building a community of go-to collaborators. Praised for his ability to articulate the gritty realities of life in London, often drawing on his personal experiences and the struggles of those around him, Jeshi’s discography merges street-level social commentary with revved-up anthemics. His acclaimed 2022 debut album, ‘Universal Credit’, surveyed the characterisation of benefit claimants and those living just above the poverty line. Tracks like ‘Generation’, ‘Hit By A Train’ and ‘Sick’ delved into the darker aspects of youth culture, from substance abuse to feelings of disillusionment, but always with a sense of optimism threaded through his wordplay and languid beats. 

Does Jeshi view himself as a spokesperson for the working class struggle? “I think the two things are very intertwined. By default, you are the voice for those who may not have the platform to speak. When I made the album it wasn’t my intention but it’s something that I don’t shy away from now.” ‘Universal Credit’ has emerged as a soundtrack and a guide for Gen Z youth – Jeshi’s earthy, lived-in voice an antidote in an age of preachy politicking. On ‘Generation’, Jeshi decries the surveillance and overstimulation that plagues today’s plugged-in youngsters. “The main difference, as opposed to when I was younger, is that it’s tough for young people to be carefree today. We’re exposed to so much information about everything happening in the world. In the long term it’s great but in the short term I don’t think it’s best for young people,” he says. 

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Despite the fact that sometimes “it can get annoying when people pigeonhole you as a certain thing,” upon reflection Jeshi sees it as a compliment. Both idiosyncratic and innovative, no two Jeshi tracks sound the same. His originality comes through in cut-and-paste numbers that reflect his ever-evolving sonic palette. “My biggest fear in life is repeating things I’ve already done, things would probably go a lot easier if I did,” he explains, “instinctively I want to run and do the opposite so I don’t feel bored.” Branding his follow-up EP ‘The Great Stink’, released last year, as a personalised “vanity project”, Jeshi’s intention was to create something with a smaller cadre of friends and collaborators, bypassing the self-serious, socially-aware feel of his last album.

That feeling of not being tethered to a sound or theme, has informed Jeshi’s new chapter. A fresh string of singles, including ‘DISCONNECT!’ and ‘Total 90’, sees the London artist operate in a completely new musical terrain. It’s a watershed moment. “It felt like the newest-sounding thing I’ve ever done. It made me feel good, and energised. It reminded me of The Prodigy, Nine Inch Nails, Death Grips but then it sounded really English,” Jeshi says with a smile. “I owe it to myself to lead in a way where I’m not restrained by perception, or influenced by what others are telling me to do. It’s always on my mind. Artists who I love, there’s a certain boldness in the things they do; an ability to shake off the shackles of perception.” Jeshi teases a flurry of electrifying new releases, serving as an auspicious primer of his sophomore album, ‘AIRBAG WOKE ME UP’: “We’ve tried to make something big sounding, but still explore new ground. It’s something that just feels bigger than me.” 

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We conclude our chat by taking a soul-searching detour. Who is Jeshi away from music? Who sees the real him, when he’s his authentic self and not a character created in service of his art? “I think it all comes down to being as good as you can be to the people that matter deeply to you. It’s about devoting your life to things you feel passionate about.” He pauses for a second… “I’m definitely guilty of stressing about things that don’t really matter. We end up so obsessed with things that don’t matter and lose track of things that do. I’m trying my best to not let that happen.” 

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As seen in CLASH 129. Order your copy here.

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