Music Made Me is a personal tribute to the music, artists and sounds that shaped my life.
From the soulful R&B and pop records of the 1980s and 1990s, through the golden era of US hip-hop and rap, to the raw energy of UK hip-hop, grime and the sounds that followed, every era left its mark.
The track is influenced by the artists and music that made me fall in love with songwriting, production and the power of a great record — from the soul and emotion of Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross and Anita Baker, to the R&B and hip-hop influence of Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, TLC, Aaliyah, Dr. Dre, Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas and Jay-Z.
Then came the UK sound — Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Kano, The Streets, Skepta, Wiley and later generations of UK grime and hip-hop artists — proving that British music could create its own identity and influence the world.
Music Made Me isn't about copying those sounds. It's about acknowledging where the inspiration came from and how those records became part of the soundtrack to my life.
Different decades. Different genres. Different artists.
One thing connects them all — music made me.
