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Jermaine Sinclaire Scott (born 9 March 1985), better known by his stage name Wretch 32, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter from
Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...
,
North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...
. He was a member of the grime collective Combination Chain Gang, before forming The Movement with Scorcher,
Ghetts Justin Clarke, better known by his stage name Ghetts (formerly Ghetto), is a British grime MC, rapper and songwriter. His music has been played on national radio stations such as BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Radio 1Xtra. C ...
, and Mercston. In 2011, Wretch 32 had three top-five charting songs from debut album ''Black and White'' and amassed over a million record sales, including the single " Don't Go" which peaked at number-one on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. In 2012 he was employed by both
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
and
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
as one of the main faces of their London 2012 Olympics campaigns and on 1 July 2012, he won 'Best International Act' at the 2012
BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...
.


Early life

Born in March 1985 to a Jamaican family, Jermaine grew up alongside crews Combination Chain Gang and The Movement, the latter of which featured himself, Scorcher,
Ghetts Justin Clarke, better known by his stage name Ghetts (formerly Ghetto), is a British grime MC, rapper and songwriter. His music has been played on national radio stations such as BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Radio 1Xtra. C ...
, Mercston and
Devlin Devlin may refer to: * Devlin (surname) * Devlin (given name) * Devlin (rapper), a British rapper * ''Devlin'' (TV series), a 1974 animated TV series by Hanna-Barbera * ''Devlin'', a 1988 novel by Roderick Thorp * ''The Devil and Max Devlin '' ...
. Continuing his MC career in 2006, Scott under the name ''Wretch 32'' released a series of mixtapes, including ''Teacher's Training Day'' – which featured guest appearances from Ghetts, Bashy and Scorcher. His mother was from Jamaica, where "wretch" meant slim or skinny. She called him Wretch as a child, and the name stuck. 32 is his lucky number and he thought it would be fun to have a number as a surname, so he added 32 to the end of Wretch.


Career


2008–2011: ''Wretchrospective''

His debut studio album, ''
Wretchrospective ''Wretchrospective'' is the debut studio album released by British hip hop recording artist Wretch 32. The album was released on 13 October 2008, on the Hip Hop Village label. Not having been released on a major label, the album failed to char ...
'' was released in the United Kingdom during 2008, prior to Wretch's signing with record label
Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. James ...
. On 6 December 2010, Wretch 32 was named as one of the nominees for
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''
Sound of 2011 Sound of... is an annual BBC poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent. It was first conducted by the BBC News website in 2003, and is now widely covered by the corporation's online, radio and TV outl ...
'', an annual poll which predicts artists that will progress during the upcoming year. In 2010 Wretch 32 won an Official Mixtape Award for the 'best hiphop mixtape of 2009.


2011–2012: ''Black and White''

On 16 January 2011, Wretch released "
Traktor Traktor is DJ software developed by Native Instruments. It is also used as a sub-brand for Native Instruments' associated DJ hardware products. History Traktor was first released in 2000. The initial versions available were ''Traktor DJ'' ...
" as the lead single from his second studio album ''
Black and White Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
''. through
Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. James ...
as both a digital download and a
CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
. The track saw commercial success, having been selected as
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
's
Reggie Yates Reginald (Reggie) Yates (born 31 May 1983) is a British writer and director with a career spanning three decades on screen as an actor, television presenter and radio DJ. Yates played Leo Jones in ''Doctor Who'' and has worked at the BBC in ra ...
''Weekend Anthem'' on 19–20 December 2010, before debuting at number five on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
as the third highest entry of the week.Peak positions for singles in the United Kingdom: *For "Traktor": *For "Unorthodox": *For "Don't Go": *For ''Black and White'': *For "Hangover": " Unorthodox", featuring
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
rapper
Example Example may refer to: * '' exempli gratia'' (e.g.), usually read out in English as "for example" * .example, reserved as a domain name that may not be installed as a top-level domain of the Internet ** example.com, example.net, example.org, ex ...
, was released as the second single from the album on 17 April 2011. The song, which sampled
The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...
' 1989 hit " Fools Gold" debuted at number two in the UK, also topping the
R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
and independent releases chart; having been selected as
Jo Whiley Johanne Whiley-Morton (born 4 July 1965), better known by her professional name Jo Whiley, is an English radio DJ and television presenter. She was the host of the long-running weekday later weekend '' Jo Whiley Show'' on BBC Radio 1. She curre ...
's ''Weekend Anthem'' on 26–27 March 2011. " Don't Go", featuring Josh Kumra, was released as the album's third single on 14 August 2011. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number one, being Wretch's most successful single to date. On 11 December 2011, " Forgiveness" featuring
Etta Bond Henrietta "Etta" Bond is a British singer-songwriter. She was the first signing to OddChild Music, partially owing to Bond becoming friends with Labrinth thanks to a fluke Myspace encounter. Career Writing material for her debut release, Bond ...
was released as the album's fourth single. It charted at number 49 on the UK Singles Chart as the album's least successful single. "
Hush Little Baby "Hush, Little Baby" is a traditional lullaby, thought to have been written in the Southern United States. The lyrics promise various rewards to the child for remaining quiet. The simple structure allows more verses to be added ad lib. It has a Rou ...
", featuring
Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
, was released as the fifth and final single from ''
Black and White Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
'' on 27 May 2012, peaking at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.


2012–present: ''Growing Over Life''

During April and May 2012, Wretch completed an arena tour around the UK, first supporting
Example Example may refer to: * '' exempli gratia'' (e.g.), usually read out in English as "for example" * .example, reserved as a domain name that may not be installed as a top-level domain of the Internet ** example.com, example.net, example.org, ex ...
from 20 to 30 April 2012, and then starting his own second headline tour from 8—19, May 2012, supported by
Jakwob James Edward Jacob (born 28 March 1989), better known by his stage name Jakwob, is a British music producer, songwriter and DJ. Early life As a multi-instrumentalist, Jacob has been involved in many bands since his early teenage years – star ...
and Kyra. The tours saw the debut of a new track titled "Blur", to be featured on his upcoming album ''Growing Over Life''. The song features on the '' FIFA 13'' soundtrack, as the full track's first appearance. In early 2012, Wretch 32 led a national TV and advertising campaign with
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
for the London 2012 Olympics. Wretch recorded a song alongside friend and producer
Wizzy Wow Isra Andja-Diumi Lohata (born 12 June 1989), better known as Wizzy Wow, is a songwriter, musician and music-producer under the Renowned Label. He is responsible for such songs as Chipmunk's "Role Model" off the platinum-selling debut album "I Am C ...
that was used for the Adidas #takethestage campaign and TV advert. He featured as the main face of the TV advert and was also one of the key faces of the billboard and poster campaign across the country. On 1 July 2012, Wretch 32 won 'Best International Artist' at the
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
Awards. Over the course of July he also partnered with
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
and completed a tour along the south coast of Britain, following the Olympic Torch Relay in the buildup to London 2012 and playing sets in the evening celebrations. He played a stripped version of his arena tour setlist, cutting out " Forgiveness", "
Hush Little Baby "Hush, Little Baby" is a traditional lullaby, thought to have been written in the Southern United States. The lyrics promise various rewards to the child for remaining quiet. The simple structure allows more verses to be added ad lib. It has a Rou ...
", "Blur" and "Don't Be Afraid". A freestyle rap was filmed in
Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
to celebrate the event, taking a tour of the area with some parkour experts. On 15 August 2012, Wretch released his mixtape ''Wretchercise''. It features collaborations with several artists including
Chip Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a type of immunoprecipitation experimental technique used to investigate the interaction between proteins and DNA in the cell. It aims to determine whether specific proteins are associated with specific genom ...
, Scorcher,
Loick Essien Loick Mark Essien is an English singer signed to record label Sony Music. Essien began his musical career after featuring on rapper Chipmunk's single "Beast". Essien was set to release his debut album, ''Identity'', on 5 March 2012 but was dro ...
, Krept, Konan and
Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria * Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State **Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries **Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...
. In November 2012, Wretch's debut album ''Wretchrospective'' was re-released on iTunes, with Action Man (a track from ''Wretchercise'') as a bonus track. In late 2012 a new track titled "Pop?" received airplay on many major radio stations, and remixes from Melé,
Fake Blood Theatrical blood, stage blood or fake blood is anything used as a substitute for blood in a theatrical or cinematic performance. For example, in the special effects industry, when a director needs to simulate an actor being shot or cut, a wide ...
and Wonder have been revealed. The track was released as a promotional single on 27 January 2013 and the Melé remix features on the
Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. James ...
compilation ''Clubbers Guide 2013''. It received mixed reviews as it samples " P's and Q's" by
Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria * Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State **Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries **Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...
, a fellow UK rapper. On 4 March 2013,
MistaJam Peter Dalton (born 19 January 1983), known professionally as MistaJam, is a British DJ and radio presenter. He is known for presenting radio shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra from 2005 to 2020; since 2020 he has presented on Capital and C ...
on
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...
premiered " Blackout" featuring Shakka, the lead single from Wretch's upcoming third studio album ''Growing Over Life''. The song is produced by Knox Brown, who also worked on several songs for ''Wretchercise''. He revealed in an interview with Link Up TV that he has also been working with George the Poet and Jacob Banks, within the "Renowned" music group. The album was due to be released in August, but is now expected to be released by early 2014. On 18 June 2013,
MistaJam Peter Dalton (born 19 January 1983), known professionally as MistaJam, is a British DJ and radio presenter. He is known for presenting radio shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra from 2005 to 2020; since 2020 he has presented on Capital and C ...
premiered " Doing OK" featuring Jacob Banks, the second single from the album. The song is also produced by Knox Brown. Wretch is due to complete a UK headline tour with George the Poet, Jacob Banks and Context in May 2014. He also made an appearance on
Naughty Boy Shahid Khan ( ur, شاهد خان; born 1 January 1981), better known by his stage name Naughty Boy, is a British DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. In 2012, Khan signed a three–year publishing deal with Sony ATV, as well as a rec ...
's debut album ''
Hotel Cabana ''Hotel Cabana'' is the debut studio album by British record producer Shahid "Naughty Boy" Khan, released on 23 August 2013 through Naughty Boy Recordings and Virgin EMI. Khan set up his Naughty Boy Productions record and production company. He ...
'' on the track "Pluto" alongside
Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian father ...
. In a live Google Hangout with Jacob Banks, Wretch confirmed collaborations with
Eshraque "iSHi" Mughal Eshraque Mughal, better known by his stage name iSHi, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Life and career In 2001 iSHi produced the music for The Lick TV show on MTV UK together with One Dread. He started working and spending more in the U ...
,
Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
, Daley and
Beenie Man Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican Dancehall deejay. Biography Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Mus ...
on the album. He has since confirmed the track names "Flatline", "Rock Bottom" and "Raindrops" featuring Beenie Man. Another track titled "24 Hours" appears on the soundtrack to ''
FIFA 14 ''FIFA 14'' is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released in September 2013 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStat ...
'', but it ended up not appearing on the album. The album's third single, "
6 Words "6 Words" is a song by English rapper Wretch 32. It was released on 16 November 2014 as the lead single from his third studio album ''Growing Over Life''. The song was produced by Mikey Muzik and Mo-Samuels from the Sons of Sonix Music Group, with ...
", premiered in September 2014, and was released in November, reaching number eight in the UK Singles Chart and therefore making it one of his most successful songs. On 18 December 2015, he released a joint mixtape with a young emerging North London artist; Avelino. The mixtape, ''
Young Fire, Old Flame ''Young Fire, Old Flame'' is a collaborative mixtape by British rappers Wretch 32 and Avelino, released for free download on 18 December 2015. It serves as Wretch's seventh and Avelino's third mixtape. The project features guest appearances fro ...
'', has been labelled an industry success. The duo's ''Fire In The Booth'' freestyle on
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been cod ...
was credited by host
Charlie Sloth Charlie Ian Paul Rouillon (born 20 August 1981), known professionally as Charlie Sloth, is a British DJ, hype man, producer and TV presenter. Early life Charlie Ian Paul Rouillon was born on 20 August 1981. He was raised in the London Boroug ...
as being the best the show had ever had. ''Growing Over Life'' was released on 2 September 2016. It was preceded by the singles "Antwi", "Liberation", "All a Dream", "I.O.U" and "Open Conversation & Mark Duggan", all released throughout 2016 in the run-up to the album. He released FR32 in 2017.


Personal life

Scott has two children with ex-girlfriend Ashlee: Kyrayn Scott (born 2006) and Skye-Laurell Scott (born 2011). Wretch is the nephew of equal rights campaigner Stafford Scott, who has written for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', and co-founded the
Broadwater Farm Broadwater Farm, often referred to simply as "The Farm", is an area in Tottenham, North London, straddling the River Moselle (London), River Moselle. The eastern half of the area is dominated by the Broadwater Farm Housing estate, Estate ("BWFE") ...
Defence Campaign in 1985, and is cousin of professional boxer (6-0)
Viddal Riley Viddal Ethan Danso Riley (born 7 July 1997) is a British professional boxer, YouTuber, internet personality and rapper. He is notable as being the former boxing trainer and associate of YouTube personality KSI. Viddal Riley is cousins with gri ...
. Although Wretch 32 is from Tottenham, he is an avid
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
fan. In March 2019, Scott claimed he had an Airbnb booking cancelled because the host "had an issue with Coloured folk and felt uncomfortable". Airbnb later said: "We were concerned to hear about this experience and have reached out to Wretch 32 and his management to learn more. Discrimination has no place on Airbnb and goes against everything our community stands for."


Discography

Studio albums *2008: ''
Wretchrospective ''Wretchrospective'' is the debut studio album released by British hip hop recording artist Wretch 32. The album was released on 13 October 2008, on the Hip Hop Village label. Not having been released on a major label, the album failed to char ...
'' *2011: ''
Black and White Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
'' *2016: ''
Growing Over Life ''Growing Over Life'' is the third studio album by British hip hop recording artist Wretch 32. It was released on 2 September 2016 through Polydor Records. The album peaked at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. The album includes the singles " 6 Wor ...
'' *2017: '' FR32'' *2019: ''Upon Reflection'' *2021: ''little BIG Man''


Awards and nominations


References


External links

*
Official Web ShopWretch 32 Interview - Reading Festival 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wretch 32 Living people Grime music artists Rappers from London People from Tottenham Black British male rappers 1985 births English people of Zambian descent English people of Guyanese descent English people of Jamaican descent