etting off the DLR in the concrete carbuncle that is the Isle of Dogs, it hits you how dull and uninspiring the poorer parts of east London really are. It’s surprising that people can even motivate themselves to stumble out of bed in the mornings. You’d expect the place to be filled with schizophrenic teenage mums, and skunk-smoking kids, and unfortunately that’s pretty much true. But there’s one guy who seems to have mustered up enough afflatus to make something of himself. Trim is maybe the best MC in the UK right now. He has the best, most memorable lyrics we’ve heard in a long time and just the perfect voice—everything you thought when you first heard Dizzee. But Trim has been around for a while. When we first interviewed him a few years back, he had just joined Roll Deep. Since then he has left grime’s most famous crew, been signed by and made a video for Mike Skinner’s The Beats label for a single that disappointingly never came out because he didn’t show up to any meetings, and has still managed to make the best grime mixtape this year. Right now he is desperately trying to give up his job of selling little bags to pub guys and city workers to fund studio sessions.
Vice: You look tired. What did you get up to last night?
Trim: Everything, man. It was my birthday. I had a girl last night that was constantly sucking my tings, bruv, for ages. I bust about seven nuts, yeah, and I’m still looking for about another eight to bus’ so I’m gonna phone her later.
Fifteen times in two days?
Yeah, she’s gonna be going till the weekend as well. I weren’t really on the party vibe because it was a Wednesday, but this weekend I might celebrate, still.
Err. Wow. You and Scratchy were best friends in Roll Deep. Do you still hang out and stuff?
Yeah, man. I went to school with Scratchy. I’ve known Scratchy before we even thought about music, so Scratchy will always be a friend to me. We were in the same class together, fucking about doing everything.
What happened with you in Ayia Napa last year? I heard a lot of stories.
I went with Roll Deep for a week and certain people were getting chased with bottles by N.A.S.T.Y Crew. I’m in my bedroom, people knock on my door and say your bredrin’s been stabbed, so I come out and this girl’s outside shouting in my face, so I pushed her away. Two minutes later, somebody from N.A.S.T.Y is around the corner on his moped trying to drive into me on a 50cc. I jumped off my moped and we started swinging, but we didn’t really hit each other because it’s a drunk thing. Then I see this big guy standing there with cane rolls, so I thought fuck this, so I went into my room, come out with a shank to defend myself. I’m outside and surrounded by four guys and then I hear sirens, so I run to stash the knife. Then the police come and this girl runs over to the police and gets me arrested. The police took my passport off me, bruv. I was stuck there in Ayia Napa for about five months trying to get back to my own country by boat or whatever. I was raving for five months, bruv. I had to pay £1,500 to get it back. I’m not allowed in Greece and I’m never gonna go back.
PRANCEHALL
Soulfood Vol. 1 is out now. www.myspace.com/trimbale
