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Ninety minutes north of London is a perfectly humdrum little town called Wolverton.
Its full of terraced brick houses and possesses a mild air of claustrophobia your typical English suburb.
With cheek and verve, the 24-year-old rapper has hit a nerve in England.
Recently,forThe Guardian, he hopped in bed with the Union Jack.
He has appeared on thecover ofNME, collaborated with Skepta, and gottena co-sign from Liam Gallagher.
Perhaps crucial to his appeal for those who share his worldview, he is anti-Brexit.
To borrow the parlance, he isa remain voter from a leavetown.
A good chunk of his songs and further commentary online tell it like it is.
His debut album, which came out in mid-May, is calledNothing Great About Britain.
Then he offers a kicker: Hand on my heart, I swear Im proud to be British.
Andthen, almost as an afterthought, he calls the queen a cunt.
But [Englands] what I know, innit.
And I love all parts of it all.
I love the pubs, I love the football.
Those things, thats all me.
Slowthai is characteristically antithetical about that, too.
Im not ever with the intention of, like, Oh yeah, Im gonna change that!
Cause its down to people.
I can only provoke a thought.
People do attach to it, but Im not ever trying to be Che Guevaraaaa!
He laughs as he draws out the last syllable.
Maybe I am, maybe I aint.
I gotta say what I believe.
I might even contradict myself.
You cant be criminal for it.
It sounds like its more about having a conversation, I start to say, and he jumps in.
Yeah, with yourself!
Because to really figure life out, you should probably be constantly thinking about it.
And some things you’re free to spend your life chasing and you just wont ever know!
As a man, you will never know how a woman feels.Dyouknow?
And a woman will never know how a mate, they might get close, though!
And some things, they are just great.
Its like, a drink.
I wanted to give people something thats a real experience.
No one does it, he says.
They trying to clear take your money.
I do this for the passion, innit.
So its stuff like this that makes him resonate with people trying to understand the country.
I like them spots because I grew up maneuvering through them, he says.
It made an impact on my life its character-building and that.
Theyre the places I wanna go: the sweaty,innnnntimate, still-smells-like-the-cigarettes-from-30-years-ago key in of places.
Crowded on the pubs roof are a bunch of guffawing kids, mostly decked in all-black Carhartt WIP.
Mate, he has never gotten his teeth whitened!
He pops his top off to reveal a scrawny frame with a hodgepodge of tattoos.
(A personal favorite: Sorry, mum across the neck.)
I respect you all individually, yeah?
You changed my life.
At some point, theres an announcement from the crowd: Slowthais beloved Liverpool has scored.
Theyre playing Barcelona in the semifinal of the Champions League.
But as a fan shouts that its currently 2-0 Liverpool, Slowthai shouts back, Are you mad?!
The pits keep going with Slowthais encouragement and careful direction.
Lets start slow, like how you make love.
I dont know howyoumake love, but I start slow, he says.
After a bit, it seems, no ones looking at the stage, just gawking at each other.
Everyone in the back whos not involved, attempt to get involved, Slowthai says.
I dont want you to have a boring night!
Another update: Its 3-0 Liverpool.
This is what dreams are made of!
The crowd starts a FuckTheresa chant, and he plays along.
Its been a long day, Slowthai tells us, sweat-drenched, ecstatic, and just free-associating now.
Im high as shit.
Im trying to grow a belly I can put a pint glass on.
Its fuckingfournil?!!
Liverpool has just gone and done it.
Wheres the Champagne?!
he shouts, then dutifully sprays and shakes the bottle that appears.
Oh, its gotta be Gorgeous.
You are all gorgeous!
People promise you the world, but they cant come through, Slowthai had explained earlier.
Or they just dont know how.
Onstage, his Liverpool fandom comes off as flash and fun.
In his songs, its a sadder, quieter thing.
Gorgeous bangs, then the crowd mills around and shouts some more.
It were great, werent it?
Then he picks up some murmurs.
Slowthai, king of England?
