Speaking in Episode 3, Bashy said - “If you’re not from there [the ends]… you won’t understand what it's like to be growing up in those environments. It takes its toll on you... that type of vigilance... Having to stay alert all the time, it is stressful to be living your life like that. Even though I am now so far removed, those scars are still on me… it never leaves you.”
Bashy previously described The Reasoning as - “A sit down I wanted to have with friends old and new in a safe space to discuss our real life experiences growing up in different pockets of London. Truth, Identity, Life, Trial and Tribulations… There’s a reason behind everything that we do in life, a reason behind the choices we make and the things we say…”
Born and raised in West London, the rapper Bashy is perhaps best known to some as Ashley Thomas, actor and star of critically acclaimed series THEM, 24, The Night Of, Great Expectations, Black Cake and global British hit Top Boy.
His early life saw the young creative attend Cardinal Hinsley High School in Brent and later the BRIT School of the Performing Arts. By his late teens, while holding down various day jobs from postman to bus driver, Bashy was already a fixture on the UK’s emerging Grime scene. Focused, ambitious, confident and funny, with a unique voice and singular message, the highly successful release of The Chupa Chups Mixtape in 2007 quickly set him apart as one of the most talented and exciting MCs to come out of London. It was clear from the outset that Bashy was here to make a name for himself on his own terms.
Bashy officially blew up within the scene with the release of Black Boys (2007) - “one of the most historic and memorable tracks to come out of the UK scene” (GRM Daily) - which took an insightful look at Black role models within the community. It became an instant classic and cemented Bashy’s place as artist and wordsmith alongside the likes of Kano, Wiley and Dizzee Rascal. Ten years after its release, VICE hailed Black Boys as “a staple of Black British positivity… the seminal track continues to be a celebratory call.”The success of the song led to multiple remixes which saw Bashy work with a range of friends and peers from Skepta, Ghetts, Wretch 32 and Chip to Tinie Tempah, Big Narstie, Skinnyman and Akala.
A subsequent debut album release Catch Me If You Can (2009) featured artists including Toddla T, Naughty Boy, N-Dubz, Emeli Sande, Jamelia and Angel, as well as a 6-minute film to accompany the track Ransom (ft Scorcher and Wretch 32) which illustrated Bashy’s prowess as a storyteller at a time when the then 24 year old was focusing his talent and energy on his other passion: acting.
