It was only two years ago that D Double E independently released his debut solo album Jackuum! to critical acclaim. Although he may not have achieved the same amount of mainstream success, hype and popularity as some of his peers, the level of respect he has and the impact he has made reverberates to the far corners of the scene. Speaking about that album now he tells me he felt slightly shackled by expectation, yet the record was something he had to “get off [his] chest”. In comparison, his second record D.O.N (Double Or Nothing) is a more layered entry in his catalogue – D Double describes it as having “faster tempos [and] different feelings. I’m being more versatile”.
His passion for this second album is clear in his response when I ask him to describe it in on sentence: “All the real guys will be pumping this in their car. It’s one of them ones. Certain man are making music that they wouldn’t even play in their car. They’ll be in the pop world or even in the rock world but when they get in their car they don’t even want to play their ting in front of people when the G’s are about. This is going to be the joint that this is their personal thing, no matter what you do in life, bank, whatever. This will be the one where you can actually feel cool and you don’t need to turn it down when someone walks next to your car because you feel embarrassed.”
But the album isn’t the only thing D Double has been spending his time on in this crazy year. He’s also been involved in the first grime movie Against All Odds, which also helped to bring about the revival of the much-loved Channel U. To me, D Double E is almost like the Uncle Snoop of the grime world. When you speak to him he is full of nothing but wisdom and good vibes. He’s on his own frequency and after over twenty years in the game is deserving of all the accolades, including his Rated Award in 2018. But for a man that has given so much to so many, it was only right to sit down with the grime legend and find out about the music that made him who he is.
D.O.N. is out now, as is new single ‘Don’, featuring Skepta – find that here. Click the image below to begin reading D Douhle E’s Baker’s Dozen selections
