Five minutes with Reuben Aziz (or the gospel according to the UK’s next big thing)

My mate Jimi sent over Reuben Aziz because he sampled that track from Mean Girls. Classic move — find the hook, sell the story. But Aziz is far from your average TikTok-ready sampler throwing nostalgic bait at Gen Z. “I haven’t even watched Mean Girls,” he tells me, pretty much demolishing my entire angle.

What he has watched, apparently, is a lot of church. Our conversation is peppered with “God willing” and “blessed”, and Jesus gets more mentions than the music itself. And that’s saying something for a 21-year-old who’s got co-signs from Stormzy and AntsLive. Southampton-born and London-based, the singer-rapper (it’s quite hard to box him in) speaks about his music with a whole lot of reverence. When he’s not touring with Artemas, he’s seemingly putting everything into being a truly hungry artist — part hustle, part higher purpose.

“I believe he chose me to do this,” he says of God, with the confidence of someone whose Complex “Ones to Watch” nod suggests he might be onto something. Divine intervention? I don’t think so. That raw talent stands on its own. Little cherry on top, if you will. And his new single “me & me”, featuring Backroad Gee, drops today. Sitting somewhere between R&B and rap, the moment Backroad laid his verse, Aziz knew “this was one [they] needed to put out.” 

Amber Rawlings: ⁠How are you? How’s life treating you at the moment?

Reuben Aziz: I’m okay. I’m very blessed with all that’s going on at the moment — thankful to God and gassed up for the future and all the new music I’ve been making.

AR: ⁠”me & me” feels like it’s coming from a pretty raw place. What was going through your head when you wrote it?

RA: I wrote this well over a year ago, I think just coming from a place of hunger. I know people sometimes struggle coming out of a relationship or a difficult time — you can easily let that defeat you, or you can bounce back and go harder. I want people to feel like they can go harder. I try to treat music like a sport, and although I have a lot of great friends in this industry, I’m trying to be great and ultimately the best.

AR: You’ve got these co-signs from Stormzy, Clint, AntsLive — in the UK scene, that’s basically like getting your papers stamped. What does that mean for a young artist?

RA: It’s mad. It means a lot to me! I grew up looking at these guys doing their thing, so to be recognised at all, let alone publicly, is such a blessing. It just makes me more hungry. And I want to work with these guys one day — this is just the beginning, God willing. 

AR: Backroad Gee feels like a strategic pick for this track. How are you going about collaborating right now? What makes a good collab? 

RA: He’s so gifted as a rapper. We had other options for features we wanted to get on it but I remember I was engineering for him when he recorded his verse and after he did it I turned around and was just like, nah we got it. He’s super cold and a really good guy. We even recorded another song that day.  

AR: ⁠You’re sitting between a lot of different lanes when it comes to your genre. How are you navigating those borders without getting boxed in?

RA: I think the fact I’m rapping, singing, playing guitar, and producing means that I can’t be boxed in — at least I hope. I don’t want people to think of me as a one-genre artist. I just make music that I like. 

AR: ⁠Bit of a “grass is green” statement coming here, but the UK rap scene is obviously blowing up. What do you make of everything? Ever hard to make a mark? 

RA: It’s a beautiful thing to witness. We have so much talent here, so it’s nice that it’s now getting recognition. I’d be lying if I said it was easy to make a mark with so much talent, but I have confidence that my music can stand the test of time and isn’t just limited to the UK rap scene. I’ll have my moment in God’s timing. 

AR: ⁠Your following’s blown up over on TikTok — how are you actually building that community? And how do you make sure you’re not boxed in as a “TikTok artist”?

RA: I think people can tell when you’re a “TikTok artist” — it’s just obvious [laughs]. I don’t actively think about building a community. Nowadays I’m just trying to be as honest as I can with myself and with the content and music I put out. Hopefully people relate. If they don’t, then it wasn’t for them and that’s okay. 

AR: ⁠You’ve talked about your dad’s musical influences. What were the tracks that really shaped how you think about music?

RA: “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson. “Keep Ya Head Up” by 2Pac. “Cupid” by 112. “At Your Best” by Aaliyah. And “The Girl Is Mine” by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney 

AR: ⁠Complex named you as one to watch. Beyond the press, what are you actually trying to prove?

RA: I don’t feel like I have anything to prove but maybe, to myself, that I can create stuff that really resonates with the world. I’m not sure. I guess I am just very driven to make the best music I can possibly make. If I do that I believe God will do the rest. 

AR: Basketball was your first thing. What made you switch lanes? And do you look back on it now and be like, God, that was a bit simpler?

RA: It’s not even that it was my first thing. I had been doing both since I was a kid and they always went hand in hand — hip hop culture and basketball culture are synonymous, so I’ve loved (and always will love) both. For me, after I spent time praying on it, I just believed this is what God wanted for me. I believe he chose me to do this and wants to do great things through me. 

AR: How was it touring with Artemas? Another big co-sign! 

RA: It was mad. I had never been on tour and we got to see so much of Europe which was crazy. I was so honored when he hit me up to do it as we had been connected for a while. It was just such a great experience. I learned so much.

AR: Jimi sent this over because you sampled that track from Mean Girls, and obviously I’m basic. What makes a good sample? What kind of thing are you looking for? 

RA: I’m more basic because I haven’t even watched Mean Girls. I don’t look for anything with a sample — I just have to feel it. I don’t know how to explain it but there’s a certain feeling you get in your stomach — like when you are about to kiss someone or your football team wins the league. You just know. 

AR: What’s left? What are you still hoping to explore or prove?

RA: So much is left. I’m just trying to make great music. And legacy is everything for me, so I hope that when I’m gone my music will live on for generations. I hope that I can make people feel again and do something no-one in the UK has done before. It’s the long game and maybe I’m just delusional, but I have to just keep going harder every day.