Having just returned to these shores after supporting The Gorillaz on a world tour, Ashley Thomas aka Bashy, is set to release his highly anticipated second studio album next year. i-D Online recently caught up with the rapper cum actor to talk music, film and fashion.
How has your first experience of a world tour been? It’s been heavy – just getting to see places that I haven’t seen before, meeting people that I haven’t met before and just being around people at the top of their game, like meeting Pharrell Williams. Even just learning the touring process has been interesting at this scale – it’s huge.
What are your plans for next year? Is there an album on the cards? The second album is dropping next year, a lot of people want it to come out sooner. I just want to focus on doing more cool and exciting projects – it hasn’t always got to be an album for me. Something I’ve learned from this tour is that it doesn’t have to be always about me and that there’s a wider outlook to it all.
Who would you most like to work with? Kanye West! He’s creative both visually and musically.
Are you still pursuing the film career? What’s more important, music or film? Both are as important as each other for different reasons! It’s almost like there are two different people working on each aspect – it’s about pushing them as far as they can go!
You recently worked with Adidas on the ‘We Are London’ campaign, how does it feel to support and be a face of an international sportswear brand? I think Adidas are an innovative brand that are cool, and they work from grass roots level right through to the top stars of sports and entertainment. They’ve been supporting me since I was a teenager, right up until now – so they’ve taken that ethos and ran with it.
Who would you most like to see on the front of i-D? Damon Albarn, because he’s a real rockstar!
Best moment of the past year? Shutting down Madison Square Gardens whilst on tour!!
And finally, what is your motto for the next decade? Still have a Ragz to Riches state of mind!
