Don’t ever call Deema a ‘happy rapper’

Earlier this year, I called south London rapper Deema the “happiest rapper you’ll ever meet.” Ironically, the 24-year old wasn’t very happy about that. “I’m not always happy!” he protests when we sit down over bao buns on a hot summer’s day in Peckham. “I don’t know, I’ve met you a few times and you’re always smiling,” interjects his PR agent sitting beside us. “I guess I am pretty positive,” Deema concedes, laughing. “Hey man, if you’re a rapper, you better cheer up because you’re basically just chatting shit and getting paid.” 

“But, DOG WITH A £, I don’t want that to be sold as a ‘happy happy’ project,” he continues, referencing his latest EP which released yesterday (November 28). Indeed, it’s a slightly more pensive turn from his normally excitable releases, incorporating electronic synths and even a foray into singing. But in lead single “UK SYNTH”, featuring fellow leading light Bawo, on which Deema sings, “Don’t go praying for a new day, please don’t wish away the day, don’t wish away the day”, his irrepressible energy shines through once more.

“I didn’t think it was that upbeat. For me, it’s kind of like, ‘Yeah it’s shit, but let’s get on with it’,” Deema explains. “But yeah, I hear you, it’s still about being grateful… fuck! Even when I’m trying to be [sad] I just can’t do it. Imagine me in a rap beef: ‘You look so good in that tank top’. Fuck!”

Anyway, he has a lot to be happy about. Since becoming somewhat of a child star as part of legendary south London grime crew The Square, which also counted Novelist and Elf Kid among their ranks, Deema has cemented himself as one of the most respected names on the UK’s underground rap scene. His infectious personality certainly plays a part, with an impeccable ear for flow pockets, and a unique ability to call ‘em exactly how he sees ‘em, Deema’s music is undeniably fun to listen to.

It is through all of this that “UK SYNTH” emerges as almost a mission statement for the sounds heard on the project. With a big credit to producers and close collaborators Dom Valentino and Micha Cooper (as well as additional producers Cotton, Parkland, Sammo and Grant Lapointe), DOG WITH A £ blends the driving force of plodding techno kicks with emotional and melodic synths to curate a sound that powerfully showcases Deema’s trajectory up until now – both the energetic grime scene he came up in and the more expansive hip-hop songwriting he’s embraced since. It’s UK and synthy, and it’s an intersection in which Deema thrives.

Below, Dazed speaks to Deema about his unique entrance into the grime scene, the inspirations behind this latest project, and his tips for being happy.

Could we get the official Deema origin story?

Deema: One of my best mates’ older brothers put us onto The Square when we were in year 10. While being introduced to weed, we were just smoking and listening to them relentlessly. Eventually, one of my friends started DJing, literally in the park on his phone, and we started coming up with our own bars. We were mimicking pretty much – grime is just mimicking a lot of the time – but I was just a bit better. Then, one day, Blakey, who I knew from skating at the skate park in Telegraph Hill, saw us rapping in the park. He’s a very erratic, very ADHD personality, and he was like, ‘OK, you rap? Cool. We’re going radio today. Let’s get this money.’ So, he took me to Flex FM, which was a pirate radio station at that time, and The Square just happened to be there. Quite a few of its members had left by that time, but it was the first set that I went on. I got my first reload and Elf Kid’s on the mic going, ‘He just bust his reload virginity!’ From there, they were just inviting me to radio sets. 

We’re in London, people die on their way here. There’s a lot of cunts out here just moaning. Cheer up!  – Deema

Depending on who would ask, I would say I was in or I wasn’t in The Square, because Novelist, Hilts and Faultsz had all left by that point, but I was very affiliated. Elf Kid had a very big song at the time and he was doing a show like every other night at one point so I would just go, hang out and get kicked out, because I was like 15. I remember pulling up to a show in Brighton with just a Zip card as my ID and they were like, ‘Nah.’ They’re mad tight down there! But, yeah, I started making my own connections with DJs and stuff through that and eventually went in my own direction.

You mentioned earlier that you “swerved grime”?

Deema: I’m still mad grime influenced, even if you listen to [DOG WITH A £]. But I don’t know if there’s too much 140 [BPM] on there, so I guess I did swerve grime. Honestly, one of my mates, Clay, had a studio in Telegraph Hill. Well, not a studio, it was his house next to the cafe in the park that his mum ran, and they were just running sessions in there. Someone I met there sent me a beat that they’d made and it just resonated with me. It was slower, more hip-hop tempo, and I wrote the best verse I had at that point. I was like, ‘This is just so much better than that shit I’d be writing on grime!’ That’s how it happened.

Were there any albums that influenced your writing at this point?

Deema: Yeah, Dizee Rascal’s Boy in the Corner, for sure. Also, Arctic Monkey’s AM. Even though it’s Arctic Monkeys, I think all those sounds you could pull them and put them on different projects and it still sounds very tight, you know? I wasn’t that into music, bro, honestly. When I was doing grime, I was just into grime. If you asked me about producers and shit, I would tell you everything, but I couldn’t tell you much about Pharrell and Kanye at that point.

That’s funny to hear because, in terms of the rap scene nowadays, you’re one of the more musical rappers. 

Deema: I was mad lucky that I came up with Elf and all them man, and then came up with Dom. He’s just a fucking genius. He got a first in sound design and engineering, which is harder than production and a bit more philosophical. He’s just a geek. He spent his student loan on equipment and that, and I remember at one point he was soldering makeshift synths. That’s why Chew Your Food was so experimental.

What’s your favourite track you’ve released so far?

Deema: I love “BERRYGRAPE” to be honest. There’s a load of bars on there that are just silly fun, and the beat is proper catchy. “Maddie” is also one of my favourites and spread the word as one of my first. 

To bring it full circle, do you have any tips for being happy?

Deema: I think being happy is a tricky one, because sometimes you hear people give advice and it’s just not relevant. But, I think gratitude is the clear path for happiness. Like, if your day is going bad, be grateful from then on. It’s still going better than someone else’s day. Also, scientifically, smiling helps. So smile, be grateful, stay fed and you’ll probably be a bit happy, right? I actually asked my mom the other day… ‘We have a house init, are we middle class?’ and she’s like, ‘Yes’. We’ve never gone on mad holidays, the last time I went on holiday with my mum was when my parents split and we sold the house. So, it’s not like we’ve ever been mad rich, but we’ve always owned our house and there’s always food in the fridge. That’s pretty much middle class. We’re in London, people die on their way here. There’s a lot of cunts out here just moaning. Cheer up! 

DOG WITH A £ is out now.