Complex asked Malcolm how he got into music, to which he replied:
"The initial kickstart was when I was young. My grandma, she’s full of energy, she’d dance all the time listening to Michael Jackson and I think that just subconsciously ingrained the DNA of music. I grew up in sports, growing up in a more athletic family where art wasn’t really a thing. Like, the vibes were: I’m going to be a footballer like every other kid in England, you know? I was like fuck this man, this isn’t what I wanna do. I really got interested in music when I was 12 or 13. I remember seeing a friend of mine’s older brother DJing in a basement—so I got some DJ decks and learned to mix. After a few months of that, I turned to producing."
Complex: "Talk me through your transition from producing for others as Big Kidd to creating your own music?"
"By the age of 17 or 18, I felt like I’d been in enough studios to know the ropes enough to be like, you know what, I think I can start doing my own artist shit. When I was 18, I tried singing for a couple months. Got a couple singing lessons with a singing teacher but she was trying to tell me how to sing, and I don’t like being told how to do shit. I stuck it out though, stubborn bastard that I am, and I went from having never sung a fucking note to being like, alright let me make a cool song here. So I made a song, and the first full song I ever made was also the first song I put out (“Switched Up”). Within three or four months of doing the artist shit I’m like yo, fuck producing for other people, I can make the best songs in the world. When I really get into something my imagination runs wild.
Making my own music just feels so much more rewarding artistically than producing for other people. I feel like I was supposed to be an artist for my whole life because I’ve got a fucking loud mouth. You know what’s funny, I’ve just created this little world in my head of how I see myself, and I’ve believed in it so much that it’s starting to come true. Like, I’ll just look in the mirror and go, ‘Ollie you’re a fucking rockstar man.’ Rather than me adjusting to the world, slowly I see the world morphing and adjusting to me. It’s all just a matter of perspective and, for me personally, it’s a good mindset to have."
Complex: "Now that you’re fully in the reigns, producing and writing your own songs, is there a particular method to the way that you go about writing songs?"
"There’s one place we can all go if we tap into it deep enough: the place where everything exists and has forever existed. I think every song that’s going to be made has already been made, so it’s not about me making the song, it’s about me finding the song and bringing it back. Picture it like a dinosaur—the dinosaur‘s already there in the ground, and just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I’m never creating a dinosaur, you can’t create a dinosaur. What it’s about is brushing away all of the nonsense and all of the distractions to just get to this pure source. Once you get there, it’s limitless. You’re not bound by any physical measurements.
If you felt it, it’s because I felt it when I made it. And, no offense to anyone else, but I’m never making music with the intention of giving a fuck about what anyone else will say about it. If it does what it does to me, then that’s the whole point right there, everything else is irrelevant. A lot of music is made with impure intentions. And that’s what I hear; I hear corruption. It saddens me."
Complex: "What’s next for the world of Oliver Malcolm?"
What’s next is just bare music. You’ve got to understand all of the world of Oliver Malcolm has meaning; I don’t do things meaninglessly, every song is linked to every song somehow. I see me being Willy Wonka and the world of Oliver Malcolm is the Chocolate Factory, and there are all these crazy different rooms. I promise you, if you really just listen and pay attention, it’ll be fun to be on this journey.
KEVIN
Oliver Malcolm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Purple haze in his brain
Fucked up again
In a rage against the machine again
Taking our teens again
When will it end?
La-la-la-la, la-la-la, la
High top, low fade
Rolling up the grade, yeah
High risk, low pay
He smokes it all away, all away
Don′t give a fuck, so he walks with a light step (yeah), yeah (yeah)
Suburban boredom's the cause of the violence
He′s used to the sirens
La-la-la-la, la-la-la, la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la, la
London Town raised
Purple haze in his brain
Fucked up again
In a rage
London Town raised
Purple haze in his brain
Fucked up again
In a rage
Coors Light, cigarettes
Looks a mess
Short hair, stinky breath
Teacher says he's worthless
(You'll get the end over at a reason) Yeah
He laughs at the pain
Cold blood stains of what remains
He prays and asks for a change
But won′t look him in the face, ooh
La-la-la-la, la-la-la, la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la, la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la, la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la, la
Oliver Malcolm's song "Kevin" delves into the life of a troubled youth living in London Town. The song opens with the line "London Town raised, Purple haze in his brain, Fucked up again, In a rage against the machine again" which sets the tone for the rest of the song. Kevin is struggling with substance abuse and his rage against the establishment. He feels like the system is rigged against him and his peers, a sentiment that is captured in the lines "Taking our teens again, When will it end?".
Malcolm highlights the cyclical nature of Kevin's behavior with the repetition of the lines "Fucked up again, In a rage" and "London Town raised, Purple haze in his brain". These lines emphasize how Kevin has fallen into a pattern of drug use and aggression, and how he won't be able to break free from it without help. The lyrics also touch on the societal factors that contribute to Kevin's behavior, such as "Suburban boredom's the cause of the violence". Despite his struggles, Kevin is painted as someone who is still seeking redemption and who is capable of change. The line "He prays and asks for a change, But won't look him in the face" suggests that he is aware of his faults and wants to improve, but may not know how to go about it.
Line by Line Meaning
London Town raised
The singer grew up in London, which has shaped who he is today.
Purple haze in his brain
He has a foggy mind due to substance abuse.
Fucked up again
He has made a mistake, again.
In a rage against the machine again
He has destructive tendencies, and he is lashing out against society.
Taking our teens again
The artist believes society is failing its youth.
When will it end?
The singer is hoping for change.
High top, low fade
The singer has a specific haircut.
Rolling up the grade, yeah
He is smoking marijuana.
High risk, low pay
The artist's lifestyle is dangerous, but he is not making much money.
He smokes it all away, all away
The artist regularly abuses marijuana.
Don't give a fuck, so he walks with a light step (yeah), yeah (yeah)
He doesn't care about the problems that are weighing him down.
Suburban boredom's the cause of the violence
The artist believes that his mundane life is driving him to make bad decisions.
He's used to the sirens
The singer is familiar with law enforcement regularly showing up to deal with the consequences of his actions.
Coors Light, cigarettes
The singer's substance abuse now includes alcohol and nicotine.
Looks a mess
His appearance is suffering due to neglect.
Short hair, stinky breath
The artist's poor hygiene is starting to have an impact on others' perceptions of him.
Teacher says he's worthless
The artist feels like people have given up on him.
(You'll get the end over at a reason) Yeah
Even though he is in a bad situation, he is still hopeful that things will turn around.
He laughs at the pain
The singer is able to find humor in his misery.
Cold blood stains of what remains
The artist is dealing with the aftermath of a violent act.
He prays and asks for a change
The artist is trying to be proactive about changing his life.
But won't look him in the face, ooh
The artist is avoiding confronting his problems head-on.
Writer(s): Jonas Oliver Bergqvist
Contributed by Parker Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.