Jordy has been an outstanding talent in the UK Rap scene for a few years now, but he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. After his debut project, ‘SMH’, dropped last June, Jordy has been touted by many as a talent to keep an eye on this year. We sat down for him to discuss his upcoming new project, his journey so far, and his next steps as an artist:

How long have you been around music for?

I’ve been around music my whole life, man. I’ve got my big cousins that do it/did it, I’ve got older cousins that DJ, I’ve got older cousins that produce. My older cousin, two of them actually, still produce with me to this day. My older cousin exec-produced ‘SMH’, he did ‘Die 4 The Bro’, ‘Dark and Light’, ‘Uber X’. It’s in the family, bro. It’s always been with me.

And obviously, keeping it in the family, you’ve been collaborating a lot recently with your cousin, Elt Cheekz. How long have you guys been making music together?

Together? not long at all. We were supposed to make music because he started off as a producer, then he went missing for a bit to go be a knucklehead, and I guess I went missing as well to do up Malia and that. And then we just found each other again but this time he was rapping, and I was like, “Oh shit, this is good.” We don’t do the whole thing where just because you rap, you can rap with me, the same way my cousin didn’t just produce for me because I was his cousin. I had to get good. Cheekz had to get good too, and when it was that, we all got together.

You’ve been included on a lot of ‘One’s To Watch’ lists going into this year. what was that like for you?

I don’t know what the word is for the feeling. Vindication? Justifiable? I don’t know. Like, it just feels like whatever I’m working towards, this is happening.

You’ve been around for a reasonably long time now. Why do you think you’re getting this kind of praise, like in the last year or so?

Because I finally dropped a project. That’s all everyone ever wanted from me. But yeah, it got a lot of love, man. It got a lot of love.

And that project, ‘SMH’, dropped last year. What was the process like for you?

It was chop and changey,. I started the process of the project lockdown one, we had a whole other project name. It had a whole other phase. It was going to be three songs, it was supposed to be like a little package, then COVID came and stopped everyone, so what I did is I just took that time to sit down. We made more songs, then it became like a 12 song project with a whole other name. After that we whittled it down to seven and called it ‘SMH’, and Bob’s your uncle.

How long would you say you’ve been rapping for as a profession?

I’ve been rapping all my life, but actively chasing it? I want to say only since like 2017, actively chasing it since 2017. Yeah, I made my first song in school in ’09, then I did a couple of other songs, but I didn’t really want to rap. I don’t know, I must have run out of ideas, so I rapped.

You’ve also done a few projects with the Rap collective, Vibbar. How did that come about?

Just organic stuff, man. I met the boys and girls and we took a liking to each other. We found ourselves in a studio, we were making songs. Everything was organic. Nothing was planned. So Vibbar was an accident, and probably one of the best accidents I’ve made. This is probably what got me out there and what shed light on me, and probably why people still take the time out to listen to me today.

I saw that Poet, one of Vibbar’s members, tweeted that a Vibbar project is basically done, any comments on that?

(Smiles) No comment.

Would you describe yourself as a rapper? Because you do a lot of other things outside of music…

The only reason I would is because this is like plan A, B, and C for me now. I mean, I have been lucky enough for myself to fall into this YouTube world as well. I take part in shows but it’s not what I started out to do. I’m not against it, but it’s not what I set out to do. I don’t even know the name for it. I don’t chase it. I chase making music. I love making music and this is what I want to want to do for the rest of my life.

Filthy Fellas has been taking off recently. For those that might not know about it can you explain a bit about what the show is?

Filthy Fellas, again, I don’t want to say it’s almost like Vibbar, but the reason I would say that is because the way it formed was very organic. We’re a bunch of friends that all support different football teams, and we’re just together doing up barbershop talk and arguing. People come in and people leave, But it’s not like, seeding process. It’s not like a casting call. We’re actually all friends. We all talk. I’ve been on the phone to Margs for almost an hour before this. We all speak with with each other, the group chat is always going on, we’re just always like that. It’s become more than football, actually, at this point. There’s people that don’t know anything about football that watch and it’s just a fun thing that I’m watching grow, man.

What do you think about Man United at the moment?

I mean, United are suffering from symptoms of Long COVID. I just want to see the season play out. I think it we should play the young boys for the rest of the season, and we’ll come again next season because this is a shambles. I wanted to relegate Everton but somehow we gave them three points.

Do you think Ralf Rangnick should stay in an advisory role next season? He hasn’t had much of an impact…

I’m in two minds like obviously, it’s not a hard yes, but it’s pretty rubbish to judge him. You know, I mean, a man’s come into a burning building. The flames are still going up, and he’s supposed to be sorting it. I don’t know what they wanted him to do. Win the league? Get top four? I guess get top four, but it’s hard to judge it. I like this Ten Haag appointment, though.

I saw you met Bruno Fernandes the other day, how was that?

I met the boys, man! I met Bruno, I met Phil Jones, I met Lingard, Mata, and Lee Grant. And I met Ronaldo by accident. And I met Maguire but he ignored me. But that was incredible. That was incredible. Like, that’s what I work for. That’s the team I support and I met them. That was class. I like that bit of the job. 

Going back to the music, you’re not an artist that seems afraid to show emotion on a track. Is that something which comes naturally to you?

I mean, I like to think I’m an open book and I’m very transparent. I’m very easy to read. I’m a heart on my sleeve type of person. So when I was doing songs like ‘Therapist’, there wasn’t like an active process, I just made a song. When questions like this come about, I’m a bit like, “Oh crap, I guess people don’t do this.”

Would you say you’re an open book in life as well or does the music help to bring it out of you?

I am an open book in life and sometimes it’s to my detriment. Sometimes if I’m feeling something, I have to say it out and it comes out of me like word vomit. I have to address the elephant in the room. I can’t bottle things up, I’m not good at that. 

Have you had a moment in your career yet where everything seems to have clicked and made it worth it for you?

The first one that comes to mind is my live show. My first ever headline show. We sold out in like a month and a half. No push except ourselves just on Twitter and Instagram. 500 people came and it was me watching everyone sing back my songs to me. I thought, “yeah, this is it”, man. This is our project. We need to just keep releasing songs.I want to see this play out.

Yeah, I came through for that, it was sick, man.

Of course, of course. The ‘A13’ moment was crazy, where everyone was singing it back to me. I like that feeling, man.

Even though you’re still a ‘One To Watch’, you’ve made tracks with some of the biggest legends in UK Rap, working with the likes of Ghetts and Mercston in the past. You’ve got a track with Wretch 32 on your next project. How did that come about?

I think Wretch has his eyes and ears to the streets, man. He’s a psycho for Rap. I actually met Wretch back when I was younger because my older cousin was producing for him, but it wasn’t a rapping thing back then. Anyway, they stayed in touch and Wretch texted my cousin saying ‘Tell that little fuck I wanna see him in studio’. That’s what he said, word for word, and we made it happen. Everyone I’ve worked with I’ve learned from. I think you can learn off anyone, you can learn off the worst of them and the best of them. I mean, I’ve definitely learn from Ghetts, Mercston, and Wretch but I’ve learned from others that have fallen by the wayside as well. You learn what not to do and you learn what not to be.

Your new project, ‘KMT’ is dropping soon. How happy are you with it?

I’ve moved on from ‘KMT’ at this point. I’m really happy with it and I can’t wait to give it to everyone, but I’ve got a lot more coming this year.

What in particular do you have on the horizon?

Me and my cousin are about to get busy. After the summer we’re about to get busy. I don’t know what it’s gonna be, we’ve got a number of songs that I’m very happy with. Some of them you might see on my socials out there already, but we’re gonna light shit up.

Do you ever think we’ll see a Margs and Jordy Track?

He’s having fun doing content. And you know what? Rightly so. Margs has given so many of his years to music and he’s a legend in the game, too. And he’s coming back to do a track with me? That would be absolutely underwhelming and I would joke on him. I would joke on him because that is a man who has made songs with Giggs! Like – you name them, he’s made songs with them. I’d just be asking him ‘Why the hell are you here?’

Finally, can we expect to see a full length project from you anytime soon?

Yeah, man. I don’t know how to name these things anymore, but if you want to call it an album then yeah, it’s gonna be more songs than I’ve been given recently in a project. That’s what I’m aiming towards, so I’m looking at next year for that.

I’m looking forward to it, thanks for your time.

No stress. I appreciate you, man.

You can watch Jordy’s latest video, ‘PEAK’, here:

You can find Jordy on Instagram and Twitter @Jordyinit

Words by Joe Simpson