Words by @mistr_zen

It’s a rare moment to be given the opportunity to meet a celebrity from your youth, especially one who inspired your desire to be an individual, speak your truth, and in a way, disrupt the norm! It’s even more rare when that person surpasses all of one’s expectations and leaves an even bigger impression on you as an adult. But here I am, sitting and reflecting on recent events and the opportunity I had to meet the legend the world knows simply as Goldie.

To the younger generation, Goldie may not be an artist with whom they easily identify. However, if you ask your parents, uncles, and aunts, they will tell you about some of those golden moments from their youth when Goldie’s raw, infectious bass lines put them in a trance of discovery and opened their minds to endless possibilities of freedom and self-expression. One could even argue that, as an ambassador for drum and bass, this musical genre, which the world seemed to be against, paved the way for another branch of music to find its way and be more widely accepted in the UK – a genre we call ‘Grime.’

Even recently, when I mentioned to a few of the older crowd, most were unaware of his artistic flair. His music was their fond memories that were deeply rooted in an era long gone. But what most don’t realise is that his first love was art, specifically graffiti or ‘outlining’, as the term is used within the community.

Prior to this meeting, I was lucky enough to attend an event called ‘An Audience with Goldie,’ hosted by adidas at the Saatchi Gallery, where Goldie’s artwork, along with several other pieces and memorabilia, were on display for the ‘Beyond the Streets’ exhibition celebrating the journey of hip hop embedded in culture and life.

The event was stunning and invoked so many memories from that era, one that I was lucky enough to experience. During this audience event, we sat amongst some of his closest friends and family and watched as Goldie began to finish a piece he had been working on during our ‘sleeping hours’. In those moments, we were captivated by his process. During this final session, he would pause to reminisce about the past, the journey, and the experience, and we saw just how talented and visionary he is.

We were wowed with stories of his youth and tales of his adventures up and down the country, from the UK to New York, ‘outlining’ on railway lines and in subways. It was a short, humorous but a very intimate insight into a man whose legacy spans over three decades, a peek behind the curtain if you will. But on this occasion, I had him all to myself to really dissect even further his youth, his vision, and his continued journey.

As I write this, unforeseen circumstances prevented the meeting from taking place. However, Goldie took some time from his busy schedule to answer some of my questions.

MZ: As an established, well-known visual artist globally, what was it that attracted you to graffiti when you were younger?

Goldie: It was so new to start with, and it’s the power of it. It wasn’t just the actual painting on the trains, so to speak; it was the energy behind it. Something completely new, colourful, and with so many people involved at the same time.

MZ: After carving out a very successful career as a British musician, music producer, DJ, and actor, what made you decide to return to your first love within art?

Goldie: I never stopped doing art. It’s just that some things take the foreground, and others take the background. I've always been creatively doing art and painting. I’ve never really stopped drawing, or outlining as they say in the graffiti world. It’s always been omnipresent.

MZ: Who were your biggest inspirations/influences within the graffiti and art community when you began this journey?

Goldie: Well, the biggest influences and inspirations were really subway art. Subway art is the bible, the Old Testament for sure. And of course, we then got involved with spray can art, which was a massive thing for us. We were already on the shoulders of giants, and they were becoming part of this wonderful movement.

MZ: Looking back over the years, your collaboration and connection with adidas has given collectors a visionary OG to relate to with the Spezial line going from strength to strength. What would you say have been the biggest highlights of this collaboration for you? And will there ever be an ‘adidas x Goldie’ Collection? Some of us Londoners would really love to see it.

Goldie: Our relationship with Spezial, especially, has been with true friends who have been around for 30 years or more, doing what they believe in and having a crucible of belief with what the outcome of their work is.

You know, behind every Spezial project is a story, and it’s something that’s quite solid that you can follow and has a roadmap to its outcome. I love that about Spezial and adidas, in general, has been a global kind of brand. Even though it’s a global, large kind of corporate brand, on one hand, you still have people like Gary Aspen doing finite projects internally which keeps the soul of it alive.

Reflecting on Goldie’s answers really invoked memories of my youth: my experiences, the music, the culture, the vibe, and the energy back then, in which both he and adidas played an equal part.

We were truly able to experiment with life and, at times, disrupt it, which in a way leads me to the here and now. Thinking about Goldie and the part he has played, consciously and unconsciously, in our lives that has shaped it. His love for what he does is infectious and is a true motivational story of perseverance. And even though times have changed, his endurance driven by the love for his creativity continues to keep that era very much alive and ‘golden.’

This small but amazing journey has been very enlightening, soul-searching, and motivational at a time when I needed it most. And for that, I am grateful. Thank you Goldie.

Check out more from Nev’ele on Instagram @mistr_zen

Big thanks also to James AKA @stillrago for capturing the event. Be sure to check out his skills.