Wretch 32: How To Build Unstoppable Self-Belief | E132

Wretch 32 traces his journey from a Tottenham council estate marked by crime and police-brutality activism to becoming one of the UK's most respected lyricists. He describes his mother throwing him out at 16 as the harshest but most important thing anyone ever did for him, forcing him into adulthood and ambition. He recounts years of selling self-pressed mixtape CDs, the 2011 breakthrough single Traktor and album Black and White, and the tension with his label over making socially conscious music. He reflects on the emptiness of fame and material trophies, the importance of buying a 'foundation' over Rolexes, and the regret of missing four years with his family while chasing success. He closes on balance, legacy, and staying true to his art.

• Wretch says his mother throwing him out at 16 was the best thing anyone ever did for him, forcing him to become a provider.
  00:03:04
• He admits he was angry at his mum for a time but later thanked her, saying without it he wouldn't have become rich at 20-odd.
  00:06:39
• On the day his son was born, he left the hospital to collect 1,000 freshly pressed mixtape CDs because of his obsession.
  00:18:36
• Manager Twin B told him the single Traktor would change his life before it charted at number five and everything changed.
  00:33:36
• Friction with Ministry of Sound arose because he wanted to make socially conscious music about Mark Duggan rather than only hits.
  00:39:15
• He calls leaving his mum's council flat without buying it one of the dumbest mistakes of his life.
  00:45:58
• He confesses he was effectively 'dead' and off the grid for four years (2011-2015), missing family events and graduations.
  01:08:34
• His daughter has no recognition of ever living with him, treating him more like an uncle than a dad.
  01:11:43

• His father was a respected old-school DJ who kept sound-system speakers in their own dedicated room in the house.
  00:08:12
• His grandfather was undiagnosed and ill for years, but died on a countdown once he was finally diagnosed with cancer.
  00:09:48
• At age nine, a tinted car of rivals pulled up looking for a 'dark-skinned skinny' target before driving off, putting a chip on his shoulder.
  00:11:26
• He was inspired to pursue media after seeing a kid named Frank from his estate appear in a Lexus advert.
  00:15:33
• He bought The Stage newspaper every Thursday for a pound to learn about auditions and the world outside his estate.
  00:16:03
• He made different CDs of different song themes and gave each person the disc he thought they'd like, before consolidating into 24-song mixtape.
  00:23:47
• He frames every song as part of his legacy, saying his great-great-great-grandkids will hear it as his representation.
  00:51:38
• He aims to grow Green Machine CBD to between 50 and 75 stores within three years, envisioning it like a future chemist.
  01:04:29
• He is now creative director at Def Jam, advising signed artists using his own experience coming up.
  01:05:30
• He cites contemporaries like Ghetts and Giggs as the peers who pushed him to keep escalating his rhyme schemes.
  01:14:47

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