We chat to Offspring community member Jemal a.k.a @squadgigantic to talk about his wins professionally, personally and with sneakers.
Tell us about where you grew up. What was it like?
I lived in Battersea when I was born, then I grew up in Tooting but I got around and kinda managed to be known all over South West London for all different sorts of reasons.
I grew up with my 2 older bros and my Mum. As a yout we weren’t the richest and certain times were straight struggle and sheggery lol but we were raised in love and morals so I can’t ever complain. Like I never ever say things like “I came from nothing to something” Cos from when you got love and morals YOU’VE COME FROM SOMETHING! I ain’t never disrespecting my Queen of a Mother and putting that statement out on her! I was raised good, I didn’t even know I was poor until I reached a certain age because in my house the love and teachings were always there… so we were rich cos our heart and mind was rich.
How long have you been into sneakers and how did you get into them?
I’ve been into sneakers from before I can even remember, way before getting my first Air Max or Jordan, I loved sneakers from when I was a kid, from the days when I was getting Clark’s trainers with POW! on the side (I beg someone tell them to unlock the vault please, I need them bad boys back in a size 12 or 13).
In regard to my influences, it was the roads that influenced me! Certain other things like music, TV, etc had a mild part to play but in my eyes, the streets were and still are where it's at. I wasn’t singing spice girls, Gansters paradise and killing me softly… early years I was spitting Another Bad Creation songs, then graduated to things like Onyx, Wu Tang and Biggie lyrics or real Hardcore Ragga riddims.
I was outside McD’s, record shops, barber shops etc with the olders. It was Avirex’s, Big Chains and Chops with Mark 3 GTI Golf’s, 3series BMW’s and then the CLC Mercedes when it landed and everyone was rocking Air Max’s, Huaraches, Jordan’s, Reebok Classics, plus more!
Do you have any early sneaker memory?
My memories are related to situations that happened whilst I was in kicks or situations that happened around getting certain kicks if you know what I mean. I ain’t got none of those “remember when we camped all night for the new release of the blah blah blahs…” I didn’t do all that. I’m not a sneaker head… I’m just brudda that likes trainers!
I remember when I got my first pair of Jordans! They were Jordan 9’s. Imagine my mum got them for £10 in Selfridges January sales or something like that. I was upset, I hated them! I just wanted the next drop of my usual kicks from Clarks that I named “Poww’s” because they said Powww!!! On the side. I was upset for the whole journey home until I got in the house and my brothers saw them and went CRAZY!!! I officially had the best kicks in the house and from that moment I thought they were the best trainers ever… I was a fake little hype beast lol.
As well as sneakers we know you have many passions. Music being one of them. Tell us about this journey ?
I’ve always had and still have a love for music, I was spitting since I was like 11/12 years old. I was in a rap group called Shadow Law in the 90’s then early 00’s I started doing Grime as well in a crew called Code Ten with my older bros and a few other homies.
We use to do rounds on pirate radio stations like Delight Fm with different crews and DJ’s from ends like So Solid, K2 family and more. We were cold!! One of the best to do it! But after a while I stopped spitting for the simple fact that I felt silly snitching on myself via my lyrics and even more importantly… putting out a mad message to Youts promoting nothing but sheggery!
I joined My bro and a few of his homies when they created “Streetz Incarcerated” one of the most pioneering DVD’s from the Mixtape and DVD era… that was the golden days man! We went to every block around London giving a platform to real spitters and real music. Nuff the of the mega stars of today we’re apart of that journey… they were either on Streetz Incarcerated or wanted to be on it. You still hear them talk about til this day artists like Dizzie Rascal, Krept and Konan, Giggs,Ghetts, Bashy… bro the list goes on!
You live and breathe Community spirit, and we know you’ve done a lot of youth work in your local community.
The youths are everything man! It’s my role as an older to guide them and support them to realise that anything’s achievable in this world! We’ve been made to believe that all we got is the road! We’ll be scared to walk into boardrooms and seal deals… but feel no way to jump into gun and knife fights, it makes no sense! My main objective is to create the next generation of excellence! Whether it be through Business or successful careers.
Rather than just talk the talk, I put my money where my mouth is. After doing years of working with serious Young Offenders, I left the job and started funding small projects out of my own pockets to help young people around me. I’ve done a good amount of work with Young entrepreneurs in the local area from mentoring work, getting them start up cash and striking them deals in major stores like Selfridges.
I don’t play when it comes to the community. I believe in creating our own Social and economic support systems within our community.
If all this wasn’t enough, you started up your own Sauce company and your own food spot. How did this come about?
The craziest thing is, it actually started as a drink and food brand, I use to make multi flavoured lemonades, seasonings and sauces from in my kitchen. My house was known as the Food House! We held BBQ’s and family parties for the hell of it. And from doing this I noticed we have our own culture in this food thing just like we do in fashion, music and whatever else! But once again we’re not embracing it enough and we’re buying in to brands from USA etc or even being sold our own culture back to us by people who ain’t nothing to do with us! The final straw was when I saw a popular brands drink on the shelf and read their back story! They basically said (in a pretty way) that they went Caribbean and stole the flavours and now we’re selling it back to you! I got fed up and said you know what I’m making something that represents us, like the real streets of LONDON & UK!
Thats how and why “Big J’s Kitchen” came to existence… I just hit the road running!
I use to sell the sauces in high-end butchers and delicatessens and also did what we called 10 bags and 20 bags on road which also had Seasonings and Drinks in it. People would call me or other Squad members and get the products delivered directly to them. Eventually the brand just got bigger and bigger and the demand started to outweigh the amount I could physically supply from my kitchen. I struck an investment deal and found a manufacturer, then I got my products in Selfridges and gained distribution with the biggest independent food distributor in the UK at the time.
Just before I was ready to launch in Selfridges I got diagnosed with Severe Kidney Failure and the day before paining I started dialysis, but said I don’t care… I ain’t come this far to flop! So I went on full attack mode and we ended up being a top seller with the sauces selling out in 3 days.
I opened Big J’s BBQ Shack from my back garden where we sold BBQ food all over South West London! Had so much attention that Vice came down and filmed us.
I ran these businesses from my dialysis chair in hospital. As much as I’ll like to front and play the big man… there was nothing glamorous about it all… just survival! I was just doing what I had to do to make sure me and my family still had!
It’s fair to say you have not let anything stop you and it’s admirable to see and you’re a real inspiration for those who spend time to hear your story. What surprised us most was with all you’ve done so far you haven’t let your disability stop you. Tell us about your diagnosis of Kidney failure?
Yeah to be honest, the Kidney failure slowed a lot things down because the later years of dialysing was taking its toll on me. Had to turn down certain deals and business moves because I was mash up. And the sporadic way that this illness has of attacking you made me unreliable man. I got it because of Polycystic kidneys, something that runs through my bloodline, there’s a gene that’s in our DNA… so i guess it happening was inevitable!
I literally just turned 30 years old when I found out they failed. My side was hurting mad and I started seeing blood in the pee. There were other signs that I missed like water retention and fatigue… I just thought I was fat and lazy loool. I remember when the doctor told me that my kidneys were basically gone! I thought he was he’s gonna tell me I was dying. Homie walked into the room looking all empathetic lol then put on a sad voice and said your kidneys are 8%, you’re gonna need to dialyse within the next month!
I told him “I don’t know bout all that bro I'm kind of busy this summer you know... I’ve got a couple things going on” I was determined to seal the deals I mentioned and I managed to hold out for six months, getting summer out of the way. Then the inevitable happened! And I was on the table getting my neck and chest cut open to put in lines to dialyse with lol
I always say: “My body betrayed me… but my mind didn’t!!” and “A knight In shining armour has never been tested!” Everything happens for a reason… and when these things happen you have a choice… sit down and cry about it or get up and make things happen until you physically can’t no more! Plus there was no way I was ever gonna look in my daughter’s face and tell her I GIVE UP! Let alone that I can’t afford to get her something she wants!
I used to dialyse three times a week, each time sitting on the dialysis machine for just over 5 hours a time… four and a half hours actually dialysing and the rest for setting up and being taking off the machine.It’s a lot man, I’ve seen people die in front of me on that machine! I almost faded out on the machine a couple times from complications and got Sepsis twice!! But I got through it lol so I can’t complain.
After almost 7 years of dialysing I got a kidney transplant… I’m on loads of medications and there’s still other little complications but I’m in a much better place now… I can travel and I can take another shot at businesses and life itself.
Even with this bump in the road you spun it into a positive. Talk to us about the journey of the Squad Gigantic Super Hero from the endz Books?
I created the Squad Gigantic Superhero novel whilst dialysing, Squad Gigantic superhero novels came about for a few reasons.
I’m heavy on positive representation! So I wanted to put strong positive messages out to young people without being corny and annoying lol. In the novel I always subtly place little inspirational messages and quotes which have been well received and some of the quotes from the book has even been picked up by street artists and slapped all around London.
Another reason is I wanted something in the superhero realm that represents our culture and community right here in London with the calibre of storylines and characters to challenge brands as big as Marvel and DC. I’ll be honest I haven’t been deeply impressed by the other UK superhero drops, there’s no real brand strength behind it… I can’t see kids going in to stores and wanting to buy their merchandise. The brand identity is poor! I had the idea of a superhero team that represents us for a long time but never had the time to get round to it, then the Most High put me on dialysis and gave me all the time I needed lol. I got fed up of sitting down for like 15 hours a week watching TV, when I realised I was fully up to date with Real Housewives of Atlanta and the Potomac one, I said yeah this has gotta stop lol then I got writing!
I put some decent local marketing and PR around it, got heavy on the merchandise and put soundtracks behind the books and then the rest was history! We sold THOUSANDS of copies from the boot and hit a number of WH SMITH stores in and around London and we were also available online in places like Waterstones and Foyles.
As for the superheroes, they are the coolest and flyest teens from London with crazy super powers… lead by Jay Gigantic, A man that turns into a Black Lion! Of course I’ve still got copies available to the community, it’s a good read for all ages to be fair, something for everyone.
What are the future plans, we hear you just opened a CIC?
Yep, I just incorporated STARTERZ UK CIC (Community Interest Company) with my business partner. In a nutshell, We start S**t! We find the aspiring entrepreneurs and potential leaders of tomorrow, then equip them with the mindset, skills, confidence and even contacts to take charge of their future through our dynamic workshops, coaching interventions and events. Currently we’re in the infancy stages where we’re raising funds and bringing partners and investors on board.
Also... You might just see me make a return into the food business, I think it’s well over due! That’s a Community Exclusive!
This has really blown our minds, hats off to you Jemal, you’re a true inspiration.., Lets get back to sneakers. What’s your most prized sneaker?
This probably isn't even the answer you’re expecting but my most prized sneaker will have to be my Air Max BW Lyon’s. Yeah, I got certain kicks I can shout about, but my Lyon’s are my most prized because that’s the kicks I had on when I went in for my kidney transplant and that’s one of the most serious situations in my life. I feel like they went through it with me bro, they’re a part of my story. They got a deeper meaning in my life, I haven’t even cleaned them since! Every time I look at them it reminds me to be grateful!
Do you have any sneaker regrets and what is your sneaker grail?
I regret not doubling up on everything I own loool. My new motto in life is “Don’t Say OR… Say AND!”
I Remember walking into Offspring Kingston with my nephew and there was a size 12 pair of PSG Jordan 4’s sitting and I can’t remember why but for some reason I didn’t cop! That was a regret… that still plays on my mind lol. I remember later down the line I walked in the same store and saw one away pair of Cardinal 3’s sitting in size 13 and I didn’t hesitate this time… I took em straight away.
Grails wise: Jordan’s: Black Cement 3’s / White Cement 4’s, Air Max: Persian Violet BW’s / Scream Green 96’s
They might not be the typical choices but they're the ones I love… and to tell the truth, in my eyes that’s all that matters… you cop and rock what YOU love!
What sneakers are in your rotation currently?
I’m a simple guy ,very consistent and kinda predictable I guess. My rotation is always gonna consist of these: Jordan 3’s & 4’s - my Black Cement 3’s have hardly left my feet this year, they look like I got em in the 2018 drop how rinsed they are already. Air Max - anything up to to 98’s really. SC Highs (Bo Jackson’s) I got few pairs and they’re on constant rotation too. Air Trainer Huaraches, I’m so happy these have resurfaced, and Agassi’s (Air Tech Challenger 2) although I couldn’t bring myself round to copping the pink ting the other day… that was a bit too fancy for me lol.
Quick fire
Theres an OG immaculate pair of Air Max 95 in size 12 which are going to be a bit snug, or a new one in your size 13 that you know will fit nice... Which are you picking?
Gimme the OG’s all day… I’ll back the insole if the fits too snug lol, plus I feel like they came up a little bigger in size back in the day, so I’ll be good anyway. But hold on, if they’re second hand keep em lol I don’t want nothing no one else’s foot has sweated in, especially all 30 years ago.
Biggest achievement to date?
That’s simple! My daughter, she’s the best thing I’ve ever created. She’s a better version of me! She's been running her own business since 16 @by6keela where she braids hair from her own purpose-built cabin in Tooting. She’s the future 😎
We know you like a little holiday – where you going?
Honest truth, I don’t know where’s next. Most of the time my holidays are random... I literally book them like a week or even a day before, just randomly get into one of my wild live life moments and I’m gone!
Finally, what does community mean to you?
Community is a big thing to me in my world, both in and outside of trainers. It’s Family! That simple. We share everything together, good or bad! It’s a Common unity, we move in unison to achieve our common goals - together as one! Everyone plays their part to make a community flourish and grow. If one’s falling in any context the others pick em up… we push each other forward and all win together.
Check out more from Jemal on Instagram@squadgigantic
