Headie One says January prison sentence was “a wake-up call”

The drill rapper was sentenced to six months in prison for carrying a knife

Headie One has described his January prison sentence as a “wake-up call” in a new interview.

The drill rapper – whose real name is Irving Adjei – was sentenced to six months in prison for carrying a knife, but was released in April after completing four months of his term.

Speaking to the Guardian, Adjei reflected on his experiences with prison, saying returning to incarceration was “like going back in time”. “Those kinds of situations was my normality years ago,” he said.

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“It was a wake-up call that it really is a thin line – one wrong move and it’s all over, it’s back to what you used to dream to get out of.”

Headie One
Headie One CREDIT: Joseph Okpako/WireImage

The star also said achieving success and fame could “go wrong” for him because of past associates’ “jealousy”. “There’s been times for me when it’s nearly gone wrong, multiple times where I wouldn’t have been talking to you now,” he said.

“When you’re coming from a life where negative things are happening, people ain’t used to you getting into certain positions. That’s when jealousy comes in, hate comes in. People want to get you out of that position. They don’t understand why you’re there and they’re not.”

Last month (July 20), Adjei released ‘Only You Freestyle’ – a collaboration with Drake, who called the London rapper “the best drill artist in the world”. It followed the release of recent track ‘Rose Gold’ and his ‘Gang’ mixtape with Fred Again, which also featured appearances from Jamie xx, FKA Twigs and Sampha.

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In a five-star review, NME said of the record: “If this mixtape is a sign of things to come, then don’t be surprised if Headie One’s name is soon mentioned among the Skeptas, Giggses, and Stormzys of the world. He sure deserves it.”

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