Flavour caught up with critically acclaimed grime artist ‘Bashy’ aka Bish Bash Bosh, to talk about his new role as ambassador of the vinspired scheme: The National Volunteers service.
The project aimed at youngsters between the ages of 16-25, allow young people to offer out their services and in turn get a recognizable certificate to present to future employers. Bashy tells us what he hopes to bring to the program, his future acting plans and of course the release of his debut album, ‘Catch Me If You Can’.
Firstly, tell me how you got involved in the vinspired award scheme?
They approached me, told me their ideas and I think that things like this are positive and I want to give back as much as I can. People think I’m mad famous, with money but I’m not even like that. People look up to you and if you can inspire someone to do something then it’s a good thing.
What do you think you can bring to the programme?
I can bring my experience, the things that I’ve been through and my story. I want to show them that I’m confident and try to bring out that same confidence in them. If you meet someone off the TV and they’re unapproachable it puts you off, in the workshop today it went really well because we were all interacting. They seemed really shy at the start but by the end they were asking for pictures, so that helps – it brightens up their day.
Do you recall anything like this when you were growing up?
No. I’m not going to lie though because I was on a scheme called the Winter Fellowship. It was for the gifted kids who were good at English, Maths and Science. But that was all that was available and it was only because I was good at those subjects, imagine if I wasn’t? There was nothing like this out there where you can gain points by volunteering and get a recognizable certificate. When I left school I didn’t really have anything apart from my exam results, you have to have other stuff to back that up.
If there were, could you see yourself volunteering?
Volunteering is not even as deep as people think; you volunteer a lot in your everyday life. I’m not getting paid to do vinspired, I’ve always liked doing youth work, I’m not expecting nothing from it and I’m not doing it for press.
Will you be working closely with the vinspired award team?
As much as I can, I took the whole workshop myself. We did some confidence building exercises and played some educational games.
What piece of advice would you give to those involved in the project?
To stay positive, to use schemes like this as much as you can and get the best from it. The schemes for 16 – 25 year olds, you don’t want to get to 26 and feel like you’ve wasted your time. The scheme is out there for you so the best thing to do is go onto the website, get the relevant information and follow it up and get involved as much as you can.
What do you think of the current situation regarding crime amongst teenagers?
I think it’s our job as a society to come together, my one answer is not going to solve it, I’ve got ideas and things that I could contribute. Schemes like this can help, I think there needs to be more schemes where people can come together to share knowledge and bounce off of each other and learn.
On a lighter note, what have you been up to and what can we expect from you in the future?
I’ve got the debut album ‘Catch Me If You Can’, coming out on 1 June. It’s an eclectic mix of music, all the experiences that I’ve been through and my journey also I’m releasing it independently. I’ve got the lead role in a play which is coming out in October in Sadlers Wells, also my clothing line, ‘Bish, Bash, Bosh’ which you can get from the website so log on.
Did you collaborate with anyone on the album?
It features N-Dubz, Jamelia, Toddler T, The Naughty Boys, Truth Movement and Attacca Pesante; it features a lot of artists that I wanted to work with.
Who did you enjoy working with the most?
There wasn’t a favorite because they were all different experiences. Working with N-Dubz was jokes, we spent all day in the studio and Jamelia is so pleasant. Different experiences but all equally as good.
What are the tracks to look out for?
All of them; buy the album. I like them all for what they’re about and where I was at that time. There are some dark tracks on there as well which are really personal; I like them because of how deep I went with it. There’s nothing like it out there, as an artist I’m creating my own path and every time I’ve come, it’s been something different.
Who are your top 3 UK artists?
Omar’s ‘There’s nothing like this’, he’s hard. I also like Wretch 32 and Ms Dynamite.
Who else do you rate?
I really like what Dizzie’s doing right now, it’s independent.
Who would you ideally like to collaborate with?
I like Kanye West and I love Basement Jaxx.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My life and all the things that I go through.
Bish Bash Bosh T-shirts available from www.bashy.com
To find out more about the vinspired award scheme visit www.vinspired.com/awards
Words by Chantelle Azille
