‘Inspirational’ is how Bugzy Malone’s lyrics and quotes come across. The bling, the supercars and expensive shmatas are just part of the journey and the story in which he believes anyone can be anything. Because, on Bury New Road and beyond, ‘We’re far from ordinary people’…
Ordinary People (extracts)
‘If you wanna know something ’bout me
The blood in my veins is full of northern grit
I got that northern soul, man I got bags of it
We’re far from ordinary people…
…Alright how can I say this?
I’m from a place where, no-one expects us to make it
There was The Stone Roses and Oasis
But when they were big we were still babies
I’m talking to the new generation
And we wasn’t born in the 80’s
They say that we don’t see many places
‘Cause nobody left here for ages
Serious love for the people that raised us
Even though it got crazy
Poverty stricken but that never phased us
Not one of us lazy
And I’ll be the first to say money don’t change us
Well it didn’t change me
I’ll never forget where I came from – that’s ’cause
It’s the struggle that saved me
On the streets we got brought up
..And if you wanna know something ’bout us
The hearts in our chest are full of northern love
And even when we’re broke, we’ll always have enough
We’re far from ordinary people
We’re far from ordinary people…We’re far from ordinary…’
Lyrics by Aaron Davis (Bugzy Malone), James Murray, John Paul Cooper and Mustafa Omer
Bugzy Malone’s life story has seen him go from nowt to nouveau riches. Expelled from school at 14…homeless after a fight with his mum’s boyfriend…a teen street hood…a spell in jail…and now, the biggest grime artist in the UK, his own fashion range, and a burgeoning Hollywood film career…
“People look at me and go ‘How did he do it?’” Bugzy told a Mulligan Brothers documentary in 2019* “It’s because I never let go; it’s because of the homelessness, because of the instability; the fear kept me clinging onto the visions because I need this…I’m scared I’m going to lose my flat, I’m scared I’m going to go back to jail, scared I’m going to get shot and killed like that guy back in the day…there can’t be a day or an hour go by when that your vision isn’t clear in your head. I was obsessed with that vision because I was too scared to just exist where I was, because I knew I couldn’t handle that. I was getting to a point where I was going to do something bad to somebody or I’m going to do something bad to me…
“…the home situation was just war, a mess…I was living in a little flat by myself…I became depressed and lost purpose…When I was boxing it gave me a bit of an exit out of that…and when I didn’t box it was ‘Where do I stand now?…Who am I?’…I was in jail in my own head…I was just trying to sleep days away…I was in the thick of this dark place…I hit rock bottom…”
…And then…And then…positive thinking took over and his career went megastrophic…
The Philosophy of Bugzy Malone…
“Everything in life, all the best things in life are on the other side of risk, on the other side of fear…I had no choice but to go through the things I was afraid of, to take risk in order to eat…”
“If your heart’s not beating fast you’re not even trying; if you’re not testing yourself nothing will ever happen…”
“I’m not in any position to advise people on their particular journey but what I do know is that what you put in you get out; that’s as simple as life goes…”
“Progress is irreversible; it’s not a human being that pays you, it’s the universe; the universe will pay you back for all your hard work, so don’t be afraid to work hard. Don’t just go out there trying to impress a person, the universe will pay you; don’t be afraid of making progress, don’t think things are pointless…”
“When you learn how to channel your energy into what it is you’re trying to get and where you are trying to get to the two kind of collide…”
“You have a description box which is a piece of paper with what car do you want, what life do you want, what partner do you want, what job description do you want…It’s your job to go home and fill it out meticulously, everything, not just the car, what kind of interior is it? Not just the house but what are you going to do when you get it?”
“I see it that you have two treadmills – a negative treadmill and a positive treadmill, and the positive treadmill has got everything in your description box – the car, the clothes, the career, the house, the lot…things just drop off depending on your energy output…
“…the energy you get from feeling sad, if you go and take that out on someone in road rage you’ve just burnt that energy, but you needed that energy. So if you can harness that energy and channel it into being positive and into the things you wanted the treadmill speeds up, so more stuff starts dropping of…
“…You become negative, with a negative mindset, you switch on the negative treadmill – all of your worst nightmares, your girlfriend leaving you, cheating on you, dumping you, losing your job, having no money, going back into depression…It’s just a simple case of positive thinking, harnessing your energy…and channelling it and putting it over into a positive direction…there’s so many job descriptions that we can change our lives…you create your own nine to five job and you do it 24:7…”
“Everything in life was just problem solving that’s how I seen it – the minute you put me in a bad situation I’m looking for a solution…”
“Every bit of progress you make will serve some kind of purpose in your life. I’m just trying to share hope – I’m opening doors, I’m creating job descriptions for people. So it’s like be inspired like I was, build yourself up, stay focused, stay on track…find what it is you enjoy doing and put all of your energy into it. What do you want to do? Who do you want to be? Don’t be afraid to say it, don’t be afraid to believe it can possibly happen…”
“The material things aren’t what counts, everything that I’ve done was excessive and from a childish perspective, I just wanted material things because those are the things I didn’t have growing up…”
“If you’re not honest with yourself you can’t take that bad attitude off you can’t take that negative version of yourself off…and that’s what I had to do, strip all of that back and keep the things that I’ve learnt…so I learnt to fight and look after myself. I keep that because life’s a jungle, you have to look after yourself but the bravado around it, I take that off…why am I scaring people?…Bravado’s not honest…I’m stripping myself back and preparing myself for the next level…and I’m going to prioritise happiness…”
“When I go on to have children…you bring them up with love, nurture, time…deep rooted lessons, you teach them to do artwork like my mum did with me. That natural currency is what will develop a beautiful person inside and out. And that’s the currency I’m interested in gathering now. Because right now I’ve got a bank full of the other currency – all it does is buy me freedom. If I can get a bank full of the other currency that’s a whole different ball game and that’s what I think a lot of people get twisted on their journey to success. They’re aiming for the wrong currency…”
“Every single time I get a message from people saying I’ve helped them change their life I just feel like I’ve done what I said I was going to do…”
“It scares me to tears, to be trapped in a lifestyle I had before this…It scares me to tears…”
*Watch the full Mulligan Brothers interview here…
Welcome To The Hood (extracts)
‘And I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
Where no one teaches you to love because we’re all products of lust
We learn to tell a lie before we even learn to trust
And then we see our people die as if the sorrow ain’t enough
So-and-so killed so-and-so, I struggle to keep up
A victim of knife crime, they hit him in the lung
The press are making articles, expressing their disgust
But where there’s no opportunities, survival is a must
And I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
Where boredom leads to depression, depression leads to drugs
And drugs numb the pain of all the fucked up stuff
That you have to see when you’re forced into growing up
Nobody’s responsible, everybody’s corrupt
School’s a waste of time cos we’re learning out of books
And when you’re academic you get taken for a mug
‘Cause mathematics won’t help when you’re in a puddle of blood…
Welcome to the place that I call home
Be careful it don’t turn your heart to stone
Welcome to the war I’m battling
You live or you die, you lose or you win
And I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
The person they call mental health is the person that we call mum
We either don’t have a dad or we have more than one
And we’re told to fly the nest before we even learn to run
You don’t have to be a soldier here to hold a gun
And watching other people suffer is what we consider fun
‘Cause suffering is standard, you’ll have to toughen up
At least that’s what your mother tells you when she’s fully drunk
People steal for a living and end up in the can
It’s miles easier in jail, but you wouldn’t understand
Being a criminal is not part of the plan
But how are you supposed to work when nobody will take you on?
So I say welcome to the hood, welcome to the hood
Depression and anxiety get swept under the rug
These gangsters in your family, welcome to the club
Because there’s plenty of gangsters in a city full of thugs
Being born into the politics of poverty is rough
You can look down your nose at us, but only God can judge
Most of us are afraid to pray to the above
‘Cause Pac said there ain’t no heaven for a thug…’
Lyrics by Emeli Sande, Jake Gosling, Omari Mosi Woolley and Aaron Davis (Bugzy Malone)
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