An afternoon shooting hoops with UK rap legend D Double E

There’s a fenced-in concrete basketball court about a 15-minute drive from Tower Bridge, where I meet east London grime lord D Double E. Pulling up to the pavement, he hops out of his jet-black Mercedes-Benz with ease. “I’m just on an important phone call, but when my manager brings the basketball, we can get started,” he assures me. In five minutes, his manager arrives and Double E seamlessly zips up his black, Off-White jacket, covering the diamond-encrusted chain around his neck in preparation for the game ahead.

As the match unfolds, it’s clear that basketball is a sport that Double E has honed over his four decades on this planet. “It’s a two-point shot whenever one of us scores,” he emphasises – at that very moment my shot grazes the rim of the hoop and bounces away off-court. We calculate the scoreboard silently in our minds: D Double E scores 12 points, I score two – it’s clear who’s the winner.

The next stop is a coffee shop next to Wapping station. We drift in and out of topics – emotional maturity, redevelopment projects in east London, masculinity and how it’s changed over the decades. He speaks with an authority that comes with age, and I find myself absorbing his teachings in much the same way as his grime verses.

Below, we talk about his latest project No Reign No Flowers, his favourite on-scene newcomers, and how it feels to be described as the GOAT by Skepta.

Your career spans over 20 years, with roots in jungle and UK garage music. How have those early influences shaped your current sound and style?

D Double E: They gave me my skills and my speed, and it helped me to get a vibe out. That was my first music; my style was getting laid out. I would say drum-and-bass gave me many skills, and I use it in everything.

During your early days in Grime, what were the stand-out memories for you?

D Double E: My standout memories are probably just the pirate radio station, travelling to radio and doing sets. That was my life at one point. Being in prison and locked up with certain man who are there for like three to four years. We’re all free now, but we spent time together, and pirate radio was a thing for us. It gave me my determination. I used to do two-hour sets on the radio on my own, and then after some years, I would team up with people.

Your vocalisations, like ‘bud-a-bup-bup’, are legendary in the culture. Could you tell us about the inspiration behind these vocal styles?

D Double E: It just comes from my personality. Anyone with character can bring it to the forefront. Everyone’s got their thing and style. We come up with our style based on our personalities; you can make it up, but it will never be the same as long as it’s not authentic, and I’m glad it’s had such a significant impact on the culture.

Grime often reflects the experiences of young people in the UK. How do you think your music resonates with, and speaks to, the youth – from the beginning of your career to now, especially those who might identify with your cultural background?

D Double E: Young people listen to my words and see me as a wise figure. The younger generation will be overwhelmed with people telling them that I’m a boss and they need to learn about D Double E, and then with the older generation that grew up, we grew up together. They’re a part of me. So yeah, it’s like a double whammy. People could learn the history of music and still not like the artist but accept that the artist is a part of that history. So, it’s not all win-win; at least my name is there for people to learn what they want to learn and take what they want from it.

“Anyone with character can bring it to the forefront. Everyone’s got their thing and style” – D Double E

What memorable moments in your career have brought you to this release of your new EP, No Reign No Flowers?

D Double E: What made it happen was when I went to Ghetts’ video shoot for “Skengman”, and I met up with TenBillion Dreams, the producer there, and when I saw him, he was with my cousin. I was like, ‘Rah, what are you doing here?’ So, my cousin introduced me to TenBillions, and instantly, it was like a family link-up. We exchanged numbers and then linked up again in Forest Gate; he showed me some beats, and they were hard. I thought the initial three songs I made would be on the project, but then we scrapped them and made seven fresh new songs.

You describe the music on your latest EP as the music you would have made if you didn’t make grime. Could you elaborate on that?

D Double E: I grew up on reggae, hip-hop and UK culture music, so in my head, I was in the rap reggae world until jungle. That made me switch from hip-hop and ragga beats to jungle, and I could still rap on jungle. Somehow, it was like a perfect cross-over.

“Life Line” is a powerful track that explores life with a meaningful message telling young people to be conscious about their decisions. Can you share the inspiration behind this song and the decision to address essential life themes in your music?

D Double E: I mean, we’ve got a pandemic. Well, in terms of the kids doing a lot of bad stuff, I feel like parents have a part to play as well. It’s not just the kid, it’s also the parents – so I wanted a track like this for the kids and parents to listen to, so they can both learn from it. A lot of my fans have children as well, so they can take it as guidance.

If you had to choose one track from your entire catalogue of music that best represents your journey through life, which one would it be, and why?

D Double E: I would have to say ‘Lyrical Hypnosis’, the reason why is because the song is about my life and how I grew up ‘Super Nintendo; that’s how my day would start / Draw for the Mario Kart, wait for the race to begin / Always lost, but I had bear heart, in the corner, givin’ me drama / Quickly dash the banana, send a man into the corner / I used to sit down, watch MTV / Hope yeah one day that’ll be me / Young MC building a CV’. When I listen to that track, I reminisce. It’s got a lot of knowledge and substance to it.

You’ve been called the “greatest of all time” by Skepta. What does such recognition mean to you, and how does it influence how you perceive your impact on the genre?

D Double E: It’s great! Skepta is a real one. Some people are fake, and some people are real. Some people big me up, and they’re saying it to me now, but when you go through everything they’ve done in life, I’m not in there one bit. When I’m getting my flowers from someone who loves my work and music, it’s a great feeling.

Which young artists do you rate right now?

D Double E: There are a lot of young artists I’m feeling right now. I have an artist called Halo; he’s on my label Bluku Music. I like Cristal, Suspect OTB, Headie One, Digga D, Rimzee and K-Trap. Those are just a few that I can name at the top of my head.

If you could go in a time machine and advise your younger self when starting your music career, what would it be, and how might it have affected your journey?

D Double E: If I could go back in time, I would have been independent and solo from the intro all the way to now. I would have been doing a bit more studio work instead of radio work. All my lyrics would have been tunes and all my classic bars would have been rhythms, and I would have been a whole different person right now.

“People could learn the history of music and still not like the artist but accept that the artist is a part of that history” – D Double E

If you could get into a grime clash with any artists specifically, who would it be?

D Double E: There isn’t anyone out here to clash with really. Anyone that I would clash with wouldn’t want to clash with me. Everyone who’s got level is my friend, and I wouldn’t want to clash with my friends. So, when I look at the food, there’s no food. Clashing is good but it is a sport, it’s not like boxing where you can go about your day after. You see clashing when a rapper hits a certain nerve. It’s close to going left. You have to be ready to hear certain things, and there aren’t a lot of people that can take the heat.

What motivates you to continue making music and staying active in the industry after all these years? Are there specific goals or milestones that you’re aiming for?

D Double E: I’ve always wanted to be independent, and I spent most of my career you in situations whether it’s in my first crew, 187 cCew, I was in a crew called Reckless Crew, I was in Newham Generals, I was in Nasty Crew, and I was in Dirtee Stank. Then I became independent with the first album I bought out in my whole life, and it was because I was independent. So, my whole career I’ve never had one album. As soon as I became independent, I had my first-ever album and, in my career, I want to have three to four albums, you know what I’m saying? So, I just wanted to go back to the beginning and have a career as long as I've had with all these other people and do this for myself. Since then, I’ve had my first album IKEA adverts, and everything’s just been opening up for me. So, right now, I’m trying to break records that I’ve done in my career with other people, and try to have things under my belt for myself.

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