Natty dread

Natty is late. His tour manager looks at his watch, apologetically explaining that it’s his charge’s first time in Dublin and he’s somewhere in the city “in a horse-drawn carriage.”

When Natty eventually arrives, however, all is forgiven. Though he walks with a swagger that suggests a hint of arrogance, wears shades indoors, and is working on what the production manager of the venue describes as ‘reggae time’, the 24-year-old proves to be an absolute charmer.
Named as ‘one to watch’ by everyone from the BBC’s unsigned Introducing showcase to Jools Holland, Natty remains unfazed by the hype. Even a recent article in The Times, which declared him ‘The New Bob Marley’, makes him laugh.
“Obviously it was flattering, because the man’s a complete and utter legend,” he says. “No one in this generation – me included – will ever reach the heights that he did, in terms of getting to so many people. But you gotta take some things with a pinch of salt. A lot of the time, people hear your music just once, and they write a piece that influences a lot of other people.”
The fact that Natty’s black and dreadlocked won’t deter such comparisons either, but pigeonholing his sound does him a disservice. His forthcoming debut album Man Like I, self-produced and recorded live, mixes acoustic soul, pop, hip-hop, Afrobeat and – yes – reggae with urban poetry that reflects his North London upbringing. Furthermore, he’s unwilling to be classified as part of any particular scene, having played and collaborated with a diverse group of artists – including Nitin Sawhney who invited Natty to contribute to his new album.
“I grew up in a normal household where my parents had good taste in music, which meant that I got to sample a whole heap of it,” he explains. “Jimi Hendrix made me first want to pick up a guitar when I was 11 or 12, then I heard Common’s Resurrection and I wanted to be a rapper when I was 13 or 14. I spent a lot of time making beats, ‘cos it wasn’t very cool to have a guitar – amongst my circle of friends, anyway. That was just for white dudes with skinny jeans.”
His surroundings, even recently, have certainly had an influence on his songwriting. Having witnessed the tragedy of 7/7 up-close, songs like ‘Cold Town’ bear the lyrics: “See how we live our lives/Living on different sides” and he’s previously blogged about the ‘institutional racism’ that he claims is inherent in British society.
“To be honest, I’ve written a lot of political songs, only because I feel like there are people out there who just can’t speak to certain folk,” he avers. “Not meaning to sound arrogant, but I feel like I can speak to anyone. Yeah, I got a lot to say. Whether it be political, or love, or street-side, whatever. I’m not gonna be afraid to say anything. Aim for the sky – ain’t no point sitting on the treetops.”