Born Nathan Thompson in the early 1980s, raised by a single mum and the eldest of his siblings, he grew up in a less well off family in Peckham. Originally nicknamed 'Giggler' because of his tendency to laugh even in the most inappropriate situations, this was cut down to 'Giggs'. He became a father at the age of 21, but soon after spent two years in jail for gun possession.
He is known for rapping slowly in a low voice, which he described as "something different, enough to separate me from all the competing others".
Soon after being released from prison in 2005, Giggs started pursuing rapping as a career, instead of a hobby. Giggs and his SN1 crew started off releasing numerous mixtapes, including Hollowman Meets Blade, Welcome to Boomzville, Best of Giggs 1 and 2 and 3 and the hugely successful Ard Bodied, which featured the street anthem of 2008, "Talking the Hardest". His mixtapes have supposedly sold more than 100,000 units. This success helped his buzz expand outside London, however when Giggs first signed to XL Recordings, the record label was allegedly warned by members of Operation Trident to not back the London Rapper as Operation Trident is the Metropolitan Police's specialist team investigating gun crime within the black community in Peckham.
Giggs released the street anthem 'Talkin the Hardest' in 2008, which helped his growing buzz. The track features Giggs rapping over the beat from American hip-hop artist Stat Quo's track "Here We Go", originally produced by Dr. Dre. He then released his debut independent album Walk in da Park on 4 August 2008. The album had two official videos, for the tracks 'Uummm!!' and 'You Raised Me/Open Up'. Walk In Da Park received mainly positive reviews, and was very successful, selling out in most HMVs in the first two days of release.
Let Em Ave It is Giggs' second album and the first on a major label, under the XL Recordings label. "Look What the Cat Dragged In" was released on 7 June 2010 on XL Recordings, and is included on the album, which WAS released on 21 June 2010.
Singles released from the album include 'Slow Songs' featuring Mike Skinner and 'Don't Go There' featuring B.o.B.. In March 2010, "Don't Go There" entered the UK Singles Chart at #60. Giggs has been working with Atlantas JBizzy and produced around four tracks, "Whippin all day" (which can be downloaded for free from www.sn1giggs.com), "Background Ting" which can be heard on the official Giggs myspace www.myspace.com/trapstargiggs and two other which are going to be available on his album.
Giggs also has his own clothing brand, SN1 wear, including T-shirts, jackets and caps quoting previous lines from his songs such as "Talking the Hardest". These can be purchased from these SN1 store or the SN1wear website 'http://www.sn1wearltd.com/'.Giggs and the SN1 crew have opened a SN1 shop which can be found in Peckham Market. The shop sells clothing lines from the SN1 camp, as well as clothing from other designers. They also sell mixtapes and albums from SN1, Giggs and many UK artists.
Giggs has founded his own record label called SN1 Entertainment, it has not yet been confirmed whether or not it will be distributed through XL recordings. So far the only major releases on this label are Giggs debut album Walk in Da Park and Joe Grind Not Your Average Joe
Hard
Giggs Lyrics
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Let me know i could be anything i wanted to be,
And honestly i feel like this is promised to me,
Never thought rap will be filling up my wallet for me,
Yeah they finaly acknowledging me,
Didnt go collage but i got abit of knowledge in me,
Theres never been a fiend or alcoholic in me,
But i could be somewhere that i never really wanted to be.
In the studio, raping on this quality beat,
Im gonna go down in history, historicaly,
They cant put me in a box i aint a quality street,
I swallow the beat
Come follow me, the best styles gotta be me,
Cop suttin nice, then i want a reciept,
Nig***s dont give but wanna recieve,
A moment of peace ...
Quick silence for my homies deceised,
All my nig***s locked down and i want them released,
I jot down what i want them to see,
Im hot now they didnt wanna belive,
Getting wop now on the top of my drink,
Shut down they aint stopping my team,
Im number one in the scene,
I was the runner up now u nig***s running with me,
And its kinda funny to see,
That everyones acting funny with me,
Everyone thinks they went in trouble with me,
Its when u motherfuckers will see ...
In this song, Giggs reflects on his journey from a promising young person, encouraged by his mother to pursue his dreams, to a successful rapper. He acknowledges that his success may not have been the path his mother would have chosen for him but he feels like it was promised to him. Growing up, he never imagined that rapping would bring him financial gains and recognition. While he did not attend college, he has gained knowledge through his experiences that have contributed to his success.
Giggs contrasts his own path with the paths of those who have struggled with addiction and he is thankful that he has not succumbed to those vices. He reflects on his success so far and acknowledges that he will be remembered as a historically significant figure in rap. He is proud that he cannot be easily categorized or compared to others by his unique style.
In the second verse, Giggs pays respects to those who have passed away and those who are incarcerated. He writes down his thoughts in hopes that these individuals will soon be released from their current situations. He also reflects on the doubters and naysayers who questioned his talent and doubted his success. He takes pleasure in being on top of the music scene and finds it humorous that now everyone wants to be associated with him. Ultimately, he challenges those who have doubted him to pay attention to his success.
Line by Line Meaning
I think that this the life that mummy wanted for me,
I believe that my mother always wanted me to live the life that I'm living now.
Let me know i could be anything i wanted to be,
My mom always encouraged me and told me I could achieve anything I set my mind to.
And honestly i feel like this is promised to me,
I truly believe that success was meant for me.
Never thought rap will be filling up my wallet for me,
I never imagined that I could make a living through rap music.
Yeah they finaly acknowledging me,
My hard work is finally being recognized by others.
Didnt go collage but i got abit of knowledge in me,
I didn't attend college, but I still have a lot of knowledge and skills to succeed.
Theres never been a fiend or alcoholic in me,
I've always been clean and sober, not struggling with addiction.
But i could be somewhere that i never really wanted to be.
I could have ended up in a place I never wanted to be if I hadn't found rap music.
So im smoking on that quality weed,
I'm smoking some really good weed to help me get creative in the studio.
In the studio, raping on this quality beat,
I'm in the studio working hard and rapping over a great beat.
Im gonna go down in history, historicaly,
I know that I'm going to make a huge impact on the history of rap music.
They cant put me in a box i aint a quality street,
I'm unique and can't be categorized or put into a specific box like a cheap candy.
I swallow the beat
I'm able to flow smoothly and effortlessly with the beat.
Come follow me, the best styles gotta be me,
I'm confident in my skills and encourage others to follow me and my unique style.
Cop suttin nice, then i want a reciept,
If I invest in something nice, then I want proof of my purchase.
Nig***s dont give but wanna recieve,
People are often selfish and want to receive without giving in return.
A moment of peace ...
I want to take a moment to acknowledge and remember my friends who have passed away.
Quick silence for my homies deceised,
I want to honor the memory of my friends who have passed away by taking a moment of silence.
All my nig***s locked down and i want them released,
I have friends who are currently incarcerated and want to see them released from prison.
I jot down what i want them to see,
I write down my thoughts and feelings to communicate with my friends who are in jail.
Im hot now they didnt wanna belive,
Despite doubters, I've become incredibly successful in my music career.
Getting wop now on the top of my drink,
I'm sipping on a fancy drink that I can now afford since I'm making money through rap music.
Shut down they aint stopping my team,
My team and I are unstoppable, no one can shut us down.
Im number one in the scene,
I'm the top rapper in the industry right now.
I was the runner up now u nig***s running with me,
I used to be an underdog but now even my competition is following me and trying to keep up.
And its kinda funny to see,
It's amusing to see how much things have changed for me.
That everyones acting funny with me,
Now that I'm successful, some people's personalities towards me have changed.
Everyone thinks they went in trouble with me,
People incorrectly assume they were part of my journey to success.
Its when u motherfuckers will see ...
One day these people will understand the truth of my success and the work I put in to get here.
Contributed by Parker B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.