Bashy Interview

CATCH HIM IF YOU CAN

Bashy, aka Ashley Thomas, has been making waves in the UK scene since his infamous MC battles and the inspirational single Black Boys. Now 23, he’s hoping to smash the charts up with his first studio album Catch Me If You Can.
Whtvr.org caught up with Bashy to talk about his bus driving days, dance moves and beards!

Describe the album in three words

Cutting-edge, groundbreaking, real music. If you put the hyphens in it’s still technically three words!

Catch Me If You Can is obviously your first album, what was it like putting it together?

It was hard. Being independent means that, even though I’ve got my own team, I haven’t got the money behind me that signed artists do and we all know that things are easier when you throw money at them. But, at the end of the day, if you believe in yourself you can make it happen without £80k to spend on marketing.

Was there anything specific that you did to keep yourself focussed and motivated throughout the process?

The biggest thing I did was grow a beard. At first people were baffled but every time I looked in the mirror it reminded me of what I needed to do. Plus the girls loved it!

Where does Bashy fit in with names like Chipmunk, Dizzee and N-Dubz?

I’ve got my own sound and I’ve created my own lane. I’m me and the music I make is different, just listen to the album and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

In the video to your first single, Who Wants 2 Be a Millionaire?, we see you bussin’ those moves to camera. Were you nervous about people watching it?

I wasn’t nervous at all. I was the one who came up with the idea. People think that it’s a breath of fresh air for an MC to be having fun like that. I’m not worried about other people because I’m a leader.

Everywhere we look Bashy is supporting causes for young people.Why do you put so much energy into that?

I love supporting young people because you are the next generation and you’re gonna shape the face of the world. I want to share my knowledge and experience to make things easier for other people.

If you weren’t making music what would you be doing?

I was driving a bus before so I guess I would still be on that as it was paying my bills.

What’s the biggest challenge young MCs are going to face following you down the entertainment route?

You can do anything you put your mind to but you have to really want it. I think the biggest problem is overcoming the temptation to just make music about the block. Even if you come from the hood, you’ve gotta realise that people don’t wanna hear it all the time. Be more inspirational with your music!

If we were speaking to you in 2015, what would we be asking you about?

All the albums, films and moves that I’ve made. And don’t forget the clothing line Bish Bash Bosh, that’s gonna be a mainstream label. Also, we’ll be chatting about all the work that I’ve done with young people, that’s always gonna be important to me.

Bashy’s debut album, Catch Me If You Can, is out now.