Ghetts on influences, education and rap and grime as a form of poetry

‘I want people to leave here thinking ‘wow, I thought [literature and rap] were worlds apart, and I couldn’t have been more wrong’,’ says Ghetts of his 2024 involvement in our flagship literary festival.

Grime MC, rapper and songwriter, Ghetts is known for combining razor-sharp, crystal-clear rhymes with smart humour and creative, intelligent wordplay. All of which he drew upon to curate the 2024 London Literature Festival’s opening weekend.

Ahead of that we caught up with him here at the Southbank Centre to discuss the connections between rap and poetry, but also his influences, both musically – in rappers Sharky Major and Namesbliss – and educationally, in the form of his former English teacher Mr Henry. Ghetts also speaks about the complexities of whether art should reflect the time in which it’s created, or offer an escape.