On the face of it, grimy West London rapper / sometime bus driver Bashy isn't the most obvious candidate for theatre acting. Yet the 24-year-old, real name Ashley Thomas, had an education suggesting otherwise. Having attended prestigious performing arts centre the BRIT School, his current role in Jonzi D's production Markus The Sadist, crisscrossing the country right now, makes perfect sense. We interrupted rehearsals to get the low-down...

"A lot of people don't know that I did theatre because I went to the BRIT school," Bashy explains. "From a youngster that's what I was doing, before music. I'm going back to it really. I've wanted to get back into this for a very long time.

"The response has been great: anyone who's come to see it has been super-excited after they've left. Theatre's a market that maybe the young generation are losing interest in. With the internet, cinema, DVDs and stuff it gets overlooked, but it's one of the main art expressions."

Depicting lead character Markus, a young hip-hop artist negotiating various moral pitfalls during his fledgling course in the music industry, Bashy has channelled personal experiences into the role. But Markus, he says, is an entirely separate entity.

"Because I'm playing a rapper automatically it hits into people's consciousness, like 'Ah, that's Bashy'. But it's not me at all. I'm spitting with a different style. They need to get past that first. There's no Bashy onstage; I'm the character.

"When you're a young musician you're coming with a level of naivety and there's people in this industry that are willing to exploit that. I've definitely gone through that and can draw on that experience of being naïve and remembering how I felt."

Prominent movie parts follow hot on Markus The Sadist's heels: Bashy has just filmed futuristic gang thriller Shank and is also appearing in 4,3,21 from Noel 'Adulthood/Kidulthood' Clarke, both set for 2010 releases.

"I love the acting and the music equally," he considers. "But it's the first year that I've actually thought I should concentrate on my acting. I haven't really had the chance to focus on it properly. Shank's amazing man, I can't wait until it comes out. I'm Rager, the leader of the squad whose sole goal is to go out and find a commodity, which is food. 2010 should be an amazing year."

Before then he stars as part of War Child charity supergroup Young Soul Rebels, alongside Chipmunk, Tinchy Stryder, N-Dubz and more, on single 'I Got Soul', ahead of an imminent solo studio return following up this year's debut album 'Catch Me If You Can'.

"I've got a load of new experiences now so I'm taking that in," Bashy concludes. "Yesterday I went to the studio just to say hi to someone and ended up writing a 24-bar in 20 minutes and just laid it down. That really made me know I need to get into the studio because as soon as they said 'Get on the mic' I was like 'Rah'. I can't wait, man."

Markus The Sadist remaining tour dates:

• Oct 13: Malvern Theatres, 7.30pm
• Oct 16-17: Contact Theatre, Manchester, 8pm
• Oct 19: Bloomsbury Theatre, London, 8pm
• Oct 22-24: The Drum, Birmingham, 7.30pm
• Oct 26-27: West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, 7.45pm
• Oct 30-31: New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, 7.45pm

 

WORDS Adam Anonymous

 

• Bashy

Related Links:

• Bashy Stars In New Hip Hop Play
• Process Hip Hop Theatre Laboratory
• 8Sixteen32: Where Grime Meets Theatre
• Breakin' Convention Returns
• Breakin' Convention 2011

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