When people think of grime they often associate this music genre with guns, drugs and violence, however not every MC takes this approach. Novelist, real name Kojo Kankam, is a grime MC and producer from South East London, Lewisham.  Novelist is just 20 years old and takes a very different approach to grime by rapping about more positive topics and approaching real issues such as politics. Novelist emerged in the grime scene in 2013 was nominated for Best Grime Act 2014 at the MOBO awards. Novelist had a show at Fibbers in York last week with his DJ Sus Trapperazzi; this show brought London grime vibes to York and consisted of wheel-ups, mosh pits and a high energy within the crowd. I had a chance to catch up with Novelist backstage after his performance.

 

Sick show out there tonight man. 

Thanks bro.

So you have recently started your own label and are now independent, what are your ambitions going forward from this?

My ambitions are to bring my social circle forward, I’m talking about my close ones and everyone that’s close to me does music. So my older brother, my boy Sus, my younger brother who isn’t my blood brother but he’s like a brother to me. They’re not signed to the label; we are just making music together.

 

Your protest at the Black Lives Matter campaign was very powerful and relatable to people, what was the main message you were trying to portray with this protest?

Just stop killing each other innit, mandem kill mandem, police kill mandem. Its not just that though, a lot of drugs and the chemicals that they give to the young people are making it worse. So when I say stuff like ‘stop killing the mandem’ I’m not just talking about violence, I’m talking about mentally as well, you get what I’m saying? I wasn’t there to like, prove a point, I didn’t even know that people were going to pay attention to me being there. I was just there like, rah, I’m here, this is my message.

‘Stop killing the mandem’ was powerful because it was relatable to a lot of people.

 Yeah its relatable, because you’re the mandem, he’s the mandem, he’s the mandem, I’m the mandem. Man have just got to stop killing each other

Why do you think grime is so popular right now?

 I think grime is popping because of me, Skepta and Stormzy.

 

A lot of grime music focuses on drugs, doing road and violence. You have taken a different approach and rap with a deeper meaning, do you think more MC’s should do this? 

People are just gonna say what they wanna say innit, just whatever is on their mind. This is what is on my mind. I don’t need to incite that sort of attention, that’s just me though.

Some MC’s do promote violence through their music but you have definitely stayed away from that.

 Dead, no one in the ends hasn’t seen that, everyone’s seen it. I mean I don’t know where anyone else is from, but where I live you’re guaranteed to see that, it just is that, you know what I’m saying? Like, our parents aren’t confused at it, they know what’s going on, its just that. A lot of man in the ends are just relaying their message, but I like to think on a bigger scale like is this going to encourage or promote a more positive message. Not everyone has to think like that, I’m not saying everyone should but something in my heart wont let me not do that.

You can listen to Novelist’s single ‘Endz’ here: