Ghetts is calm, sprawled on a blue couch at his home. His third album, ‘Conflict of Interest’, is eight days away from being released when he speaks to DIY; arguably, it’s his best and most complete work to date which - after six mixtapes and two EP’s - marks a new chapter in the life of the musician.
‘Conflict of Interest’ also signals a significant evolution in the character of Ghetts - the artist born Justin Clarke, who may not have had the commercial success his peers attained but whose pen was always mightier than anyone else’s in the game. “I’ve always felt what I represented as an artist or where my penmanship could lead was beyond repeating an eight bar and beats,” he begins over a Zoom call on a freezing day in London. “Don’t get me twisted, I’m not putting it down. There’s a great energy that that brings, but for me, I’ve always wanted to take myself out of the normal grime box.”