‘I’M IN MY OWN LANE... I’M A LONE WOLF!’
BUGZY MALONE ON WHY HIS CURRENT TOUR - WHICH REACHES ITS CLIMAX AT THE AO ARENA IN MANCHESTER TOMORROW - WILL BE HIS LAST
LAST month Manchesterborn rapper Bugzy Malone kicked off his final ever tour. And the finale for Bugzy, 30, will be on home turf at the AO Arena tomorrow - and is set to be a landmark date for the selfproclaimed King Of The North, as he thanks the city in which he was born and bred for its support.
Just before heading on tour, CityLife sat down with Bugzy to chat all things music, fashion, and of course, Manchester.
Here’s what he told us.
So tell me more about the tour. Why is this your last one?
“It’s the last tour. I’m at a stage now in my career where I’ve expanded to the point where I’ve got a clothing brand and a footwear brand. And each facet of my brand is the opportunity to speak to my audience in a different way.
“I’ve got so many other kinds of ventures going on that this tour to me just felt like the last tour that I could promise would get my full time and attention because if next year I’ve got three more films, and I’ve got music to release and I’ve got clothing to design and I’ve got trainers to produce. All of a sudden becomes less simple to commit 100% of myself.”
Do you find it easy to distance yourself from all of the social media hate all of the negativity it can bring, or is it difficult?
“You know what it is easy. It’s human nature. Human nature for people to react negatively to success. Success really shines a light on [the haters’] own laziness, their own insignificance, you get what I’m saying? So if they’re not doing well, then they know they’re not seeing their own potential, and they project that.
“So that sort of thing you kind of just need to understand because then you can expect it.
“I think what catches you off guard about becoming successful is you expect everyone to be happy for you, so when someone’s a bit negative, you can feel like the world’s against you where realistically, that’s just the way it is across the board. It’s always going to be that way.”
“The truth is I don’t really distance myself from it, because it’s important to see criticism amongst the hate. We can’t just take a load of compliments. That’s just as bad for you isn’t? To get to your full potential you do have to go through the bits of negativity. It’s the best way to improve.”
Have you stuck with your original team? In terms of the real ones who were there at the beginning - are they still with you now?
“I’m in my own lane. I’m alone. I’m a lone wolf.
“And I mean, like, I’ve just I’ve got a vision in mind of where I’m going, and that’s happening no matter what. So I think what they find is that eventually, first, naturally, as a business person, you start working with your friends, because that’s just the natural thing to do. And then eventually, you come to a point where you need experts and professionals in every area.
“And if you are, you know, willing to give it your all to go to the very top, there just comes a natural progression where you start working with professionals - so in that respects, I’m working with people that reflect my work ethic. People that elevate.
“Because then I’m giving the brand the right chance to be the best it can be, as opposed to waiting for an old friend who’s is more interested in being an industry professional trying to get some experience on the job. There does come a point where you just have to become professional.”
Do you think anything is missing in the Manchester music scene right now? What do you think it needs?
“You know, this has always been a topic that I’ve been interested in because my mind’s bigger than that, and the way I think is bigger than that. So for example, I know a few things have happened around say race over the past year or so and whatever. Whereas I just don’t see colour, I’m not interested in colour. An individual’s an individual and if they’re hardworking, they’re hardworking. If an individual’s an evil person they’re an evil person, if they’re a good person they’re a good person. And colour just becomes too small of a mindset.
“That’s the same with regions like Manchester and the music scene in Manchester. That’s the reason I was the first one in Manchester to get taken seriously in London - because
I didn’t care I was from Manchester. It’s too small of a mindset. So to talk about the music scene in Manchester is too small of a mindset. We’re not like a little gang. We’re not like a little tribe or a little clique of people that belong our own bubble.
“If you’re in music, you should be world level. Forget even London standard, it can be world level. So I think to me, that feels like a little bit of a just a mindset that kind of slows down the progression. Everyone starts looking around. The Manchester ‘so called’ music scene, yeah, but it’s not about that man. It’s about looking at the top of the game, who is at the top of the world, you know, and competing with them.”
You mentioned tribal mentality when it comes to music in Manchester. Could you elaborate on that?
“Yeah, [being in the Manchester scene] it’s a comfort zone. I remember when I first started doing music, there was a, there was a scene in Manchester of people that was ahead of me, because they were doing little shows, and doing some numbers on YouTube.
“But I came from the sport of boxing, and the priority in the sport of boxing is to become a world champion. That means you’re going to go against the best in Mexico, the best in America, the best in Russia, and you have to beat them guys in order to be recognised as the champion of the world in your weight division.
“So that for a lot for a long time was what I thought I was going to do in my life.
“So when I then came into music, Manchester didn’t even come into my thought process. I wasn’t even interested in it.”
Bugzy Malone headlines the AO Arena tomorrow. There are limited tickets available left to purchase - and they cost £37.50 each. You can buy them on gigsandtours.com.