“That’s right, we got sections”, said east Londoner Ghetts with a grin as he effortlessly switched from hard hitting grime, to piano-led beauty during the first of two homecoming shows at London’s HERE at Outernet.
Ghetts has made a career from switching things up. He may not have the same breakout hits as the likes of Stormzy or Skepta but the rapper is one of the most influential grime artists around.
He helped shape the scene with 2005’s debut mixtape 2000 & Life, but in recent years, he’s been more interested in bending the genre in new directions than leaning on his own impressive legacy.
With a little help from the likes of Ed Sheeran and Dave, 2021’s Conflict Of Interest was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and Ghetts started this year by picking up the Pioneer Award at the 2024 MOBOs.
Recently released fourth album On Purpose, With Purpose saw him continuing to evolve, with his heartfelt reflections on masculinity and playful flexes helping create what he called “substance with a bit of grease”.
Last night, agility and ambition were front and centre of Ghetts’ headline gig. The first chunk of the set saw him perform a number of heavy hitters, alongside more introspective moments from the new album. Despite the tracks being out for less than a month, fans knew every word and sang them with an urgent passion.
Opening track Intro saw Ghetts embracing his position as grime’s elder statesmen, but he remained determined to keep things interesting with rich vocals and a swaggering flow while the dreamy Double Standards quickly morphed into a tightly wound tirade against racism, hypocrisy and war.
A masked four-piece band added a sense of depth to the music, while the cinematic visuals would not have looked out of place at much bigger venues.
An emotionally-charged, stripped back middle section showcased his power as a storyteller and highlighted just how far his audience would follow him before the Afrobeats-infused Hallelujah picked the energy back up.
A joyous Gbedu kept that party going before a celebratory rampage through the artist’s biggest hits rounded out the night with garage-inspired remixes and rapid-fire mash-ups running hotter than hot. “I’m on form,” Ghetts playfully told his DJ, clearly enjoying the pandemonium in the crowd.
He was joined by an array of guests: Pip Millett, Jay Angelo, Morgan Munroe, Infamous Izak, Unknown T, Harry Aye, and Skrapz all made appearances over the course of the gig. Ghetts was more than comfortable sharing the spotlight, but never shied away from hyping the crowd up either. One minute he was swaying to laid back instrumentals, the next he was spitting venom or tenderly reflecting on fatherhood.
Considered, fearless and with boundless ambition, Ghetts’ On Purpose, With Purpose is a career high but at Tuesday night’s gig, the MC was already striving for more.
