U.K. rapper Wretch 32 released his long-awaited album, Growing Over Life, back in September, and now he's looking to fully crossover to the United States. While Wretch is no newcomer to the game, this latest album was his first in five years and a big step forward in his career.
"I think this was my most grown project. I think the place that I was in when I wrote and recorded this was my most mature," Wretch explained to Complex over the phone. Wretch explained that he's excited for fans to dive into the project and really take away their own interpretations on how he has grown through his career.
On the five year break in between albums, Wretch said he didn't really feel any added pressure to deliver. "I wouldn't say pressure, it was just some label shit I was dealing with so we just hit the streets with feature verses and free mixtapes and people still fucked with me regardless of what was going on," he explained. "I don't think it added any extra pressure with what I had to do, but it made me know that I had to deliver something solid."
Of course, with Wretch, the music is going to carry a special message, and in terms of this album, he makes numerous calls for social justice throughout the project. "I think I've definitely put in my hours on the rap front and learned how to know what to say and execute it in a way that people can digest and understand," he said. "For me, it's just over the years learning new techniques and new experiences on how to keep everybody engaged."
It's no secret that Wretch comes with those bars, and that was never more evident than in his "Fire In the Booth" freestyle from 2015, which garnished a lot of attention stateside. Wretch was able to turn that momentum into a real spark that lead to the album being released and this resurgence to get underway. This is only the beginning for Wretch, as he's looking to complete the crossover and use the positive reactions to the new album to ignite the next part of his career.
You can purchase Growing Over Life on iTunes here and also stream it in full below.
