The first song I remember hearing
‘You Are My Sunshine’
“My grandma used to sing it to me, but then I also loved Disney films so I might have heard Randy Newman’s ‘You’ve Got A Friend In Me’ from Toy Story first. I watched Toy Story with my own kids recently. They’re too young to understand it, but it’s colourful and they looked at it dazed.”
The first album I ever bought
Eminem – ‘The Eminem Show’
“When I was seven, I bought it from HMV in Liverpool city centre. My brother is five years older than me and always had rap on around the house, like Eminem, Dr. Dre, Nas, Biggie, 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. The stuff he liked, I got into. I still listen to Eminem now. He’s on my gym playlist. He’s an unbelievable lyricist – he could rap about anything and make it sound interesting.”
Ever meet any of your early rap heroes? UFC fan Snoop Dogg posted an AI social media clip this year sporting your mop-top and lip-syncing to an interview of yours; you responded by wearing his cornrows in the ring…
“Even though he did the video, I never got to meet Snoop Dogg. I’ve met Stormzy and Meekz, but not Eminem or Dr. Dre. I’d love to.”
The song that reminds me of home
Jamie Webster – ‘This Place’
“Jamie does songs about Liverpool. He’s a close mate. I’ve known him for seven years – we met going to Liverpool FC games. His song ‘This Place’ reminds me of the city and another song of his, ‘Weekend In Paradise’, reminds me of my mates. Also [Gerry And The Pacemakers’] ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is played before every home game. I get emotional whenever it’s on, because it’s got a bigger meaning in the city.”
The first gig I ever went to
Kano, O2 Academy, Liverpool, 2007
“I was 12 and went with my mates who were three years older than me and it was a brilliant gig. I also went to see Nas around the same time – ‘Illmatic’ is the best rap album of all time. I can play it straight through without skipping a song.”
The song I wish I’d written
Jason Mraz – ‘I’m Yours’
“Just for the royalties, I’d pick The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale Of New York’. For three months every year, it gets the arse played out of it. I’d be raking it in! For the lyrics, it would be Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ ‘Father and Son’ because it reminds me of my dad, or ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz, because it makes me think of my wife. It’s our wedding song. It was our first dance.”
The song I can’t get out of my head
Benson Boone – ‘Beautiful Things’
“It comes on the radio constantly when I’m in the car with my dad – to the point where it’s become a running joke between us – and it keeps getting stuck in my head. But I like it. Other than dubstep and heavy metal, I like every style of music. Since Liverpool won the Premier League, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is permanently there.”
The song I can no longer listen to
Neil Diamond – ‘Sweet Caroline’
“It’s the worst song ever. I don’t know why everyone wants to sing along to it but I walk away when they do! Everyone goes on like it’s ‘Let It Be’ by The Beatles, but it’s a bad song. Get over it! When the UFC came to London, they put it on and even [ring announcer] Bruce Buffer was singing along! What’s the world come to?! I wasn’t a big fan of the song anyway, but the more it’s overplayed, the more it annoys me.”
The song that makes me want to dance
Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano – ‘Lethal Industry’/Yeah Yeah Yeahs – ‘Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)’ mash-up
“It’s my walkout song. Whenever it comes on, I start dancing. When I was younger, I used to come out to gangsta rap but then I lost my first ever fight, so I switched it up. A DJ mate blended these two songs together for me and it’s my theme song. I’ll never walk out to a different song in my life! Whenever I walk out, I feel like I’m having a party. It gets me ready for the fight. I’m two different people – when the cage door shuts and the music turns off, I turn into someone else.”
The song that makes me want to cry
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole – ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’
“I’m an emotional guy. I cry watching adverts, never mind songs! When my dad gets drunk, he ends up sending me Swedish House Mafia’s ‘Don’t You Worry Child’, saying ‘I was listening to this son, thinking of you’, and he’s crying – which makes me cry. Out of them all, the main one is a ukulele cover of ‘Over the Rainbow’ by the Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. It affects me, because my grandma got buried to the [Judy Garland] original.”
The song I do at karaoke
Four Seasons – ‘December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)’
“I’ve never done karaoke in my life, but there are songs I instinctively sing when they come on, so my go-to list would be ‘December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)’, The Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Ten Crack Commandments’, Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ and Mobb Deep’s ‘Shook Ones, Part II’. My memory’s terrible and I can’t remember what I had for tea two nights ago, but I can remember every word to these! Out of them, I’d go for ‘December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)’ first, because it’s easiest to sing. With ‘Ten Crack Commandments’, you’re getting out of breath and ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ is high-pitched.”
The song I want played at my funeral
Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman – ‘Time to Say Goodbye’
“It’s the perfect choice! I might also consider ‘Someone Like You’ because my missus loves Adele and it’s my favourite song of hers. Our babies were born to Adele. Either way, I want my funeral to be a party and don’t want everyone to be miserable – although when I go to funerals, I’m a wreck!”