2010 was to be the year that Wretch finally decided to sign on the dotted line and go with with one of the many major record labels that were knocking the door of his management. Shockingly, for many industry insiders especially, it was a well-known dance music label that the grime MC/rapper ended up going with. “Me and my manager sat down with nearly all of the major labels in the country and a lot of them didn’t understand what I was about,” explains Wretch. “From when I’d go to meetings and they always said that they wanted me to be something like another artist, I knew they weren’t the right label for me. They automatically got disqualified.
“Ministry Of Sound (Levels); now, they totally get what I’m about. When we met, we talked about my F64 and everything, they just got me. They understand that I’m an artist who makes good music, so my job is to make the music and their job is to market that. I don’t tell them what to do and they don’t tell me what to do when it comes to getting in the booth.”
With an ever-growing fanbase, Wretch 32 is a true representation of UK music and an artist that will hopefully never forget where he came from (the grime scene) in exchange for the glitz and glamour of the mainstream world, like many of his peers have gone on to do. “I’m just about the music at the end of the day. My music is heartfelt and if you’re going through trouble and drama in your life and you’re just trying to succeed, that’s my vibe. I still bring that fun element though. I’ve got my new single Traktor coming out January 16, so I’m just trying to start off the year nicely with that and then I’m planning to drop the album later on in the year. Expect to see me in a city near you soon.” – Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson
