Ghetts - Conflict of Interest

The Guardian 0

(Warners)
Cinematic in scope, movingly honest, with a phalanx of big-name guests, Justin Clarke’s major-label debut is a dazzling piece of storytelling

You don’t often find real strings and horns on a grime album. But these instruments mesh exceptionally well with the cut-and-thrust of UK hip-hop – more specifically, with the moving storytelling of 36-year-old Ghetts.

Justin Clarke’s years in the shadows of his better-rewarded peers have ended with this terrific major-label debut, as he moves his story – and the genre – forwards. Conflict of Interest, his third studio release, has both cinematic scope and tear-jerking moments. Against innovative backdrops (often by producer TenBillion Dreams), Ghetts spits about familiar tropes: the superlative Skengman tells of tit-for-tat violence with innovation; No Mercy features icy, left-field production and new talent Pa Salieu. Other guests range from the game’s biggest beasts – Stormzy, Dave, Dizzee, Skepta, Giggs – to South African siren Moonchild Sanelly.