The first song I remember hearing
Wet Wet Wet – ‘Love Is All Around’
“I remember hearing that song as a youngster and I didn’t like it. Not because it wasn’t a good song – it was a good song – but when I was too young I was just like: ‘Why am I feeling all these emotions? I don’t think this!’”
The first song I fell in love with
Snoop Dogg – ‘Who Am I (What’s My Name)?’
“It was one of the first rap songs we were allowed to listen to as youngsters. It was so catchy and hip-hop was still in its golden age at that point. All the kids at school were singing it, it was a great song and had a really cool video.”
The first album I ever bought
Snoop Dogg – ‘Doggystyle’
“We got it from Our Price in Wood Green [in London], it was probably £9.99. I was very young, probably 11, I should not have been listening to that album! I remember learning some new words – it didn’t have a big negative influence but it gave me a few words to add to the collection.”
The first gig I went to
Eric Roberson at Jazz Café in London, 2010
“I was a late starter when it came to going to concerts. Before that I’d never seen a live gig or concert. I remember Eric Roberson being a fantastic performer. Not only was he a great singer but he kept the crowd entertained with jokes and things like that. I remember being wowed by how good he was in terms of his stage presence and delivery, intertwining the jokes and the songs into one huge performance. By that time I was already seasoned in terms of my comedy so I knew that all of this was planned but the way he made it look like it was unscripted, I give it up to him for that. It was really good.”
The song that reminds me of home
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – ‘Summertime’
“It’s one of those feel-good songs that every time it’s the summer you know that’s what you’ve got to put on. Whenever it’s summertime and we go out into the garden, that’s the first song that comes on. That’s the song that gets the party started. Every time I hear that, I picture my garden.”
The song I wish I’d written
NehruvianDOOM – ‘Caskets’
“I love rap but I love underground rap and I love that song. That loop, and the second verse, which is Bishop Nehru, is basically talking about his struggle, listening to the mainstream hip-hop which is all about bling and all that stuff and talking about how he dedicates so much of his time to his craft only to receive so little. There’s no hook in the song, it’s just the passion of how he’s rapping about his art and his craft, I just love that. It’s so honest, it’s not like very fancy words, it just hits home.”
The song I do at karaoke
Michael Jackson – ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You get Enough’
“Need I say more about that? That’s one of the greatest songs ever written. Everyone laughs but it’s just one of those ones, innit?”
The song that makes me want to dance
Loose Ends – ‘Hanging On A String’
“I love the beat, the hook is good, it’s a feel-good song. I love the old school sounds, I love the old school R&B and hip-hop. I’m not a good dancer. I can do a very good two-step and that’s about it.”
The song I can’t get out of my head
Bruno Mars – ‘24K Magic’
“I can’t stand that song, it’s not good, but my son loves it and he wants us to play it all the time. It’s very catchy, it’s like a hip-hop R&B type of vibe but it sounds almost like old-school ‘80s R&B like Soul II Soul or Loose Ends. It’s kind of like that feel – it’s a good song, I can’t lie, it’s a very nice feel-good song but I just can’t stand Bruno Mars, man. No disrespect to Bruno Mars, I’m sure if we met he’d be a great guy, but I absolutely hate that song.”
The song I want played at my funeral
Fela Kuti – ‘Gentleman’
“I love the fact that he’s talking about his love for being an African man and he’s unapologetic about that. I love that and I’d love that to be played at my funeral because beyond anything I’m an African man and I love it, I embrace it.”
Babatunde Aléshé is currently performing live on his Babahood UK tour