UK drill pioneer PS Hitsquad discusses his first solo project

In retrospect, the bleak and suffocating UK drill sound developed by Peckham collective Zone 2 during the late 2010s feels far removed from the cleaner, more commercial versions that later found mainstream success. Some members received prison sentences, while others disappeared from public view. Artists such as Kwengface and PS Hitsquad have only recently gained greater recognition through their individual careers. Zone 2’s time together may have been brief and intense, but their importance in bringing UK drill to a wider audience cannot be dismissed.

“I see our influence in a lot of places, and it’s truly humbling,” PS tells NME during a video conversation following the arrival of his debut album, ‘Life on License’, earlier this month. “Right now there’s hella subgenres of drill, but you’ve gotta evolve with the times, and that’s what post-drill is about. There’s a bit of everything in there.”

The loose term post drill has become closely associated with PS Hitsquad’s current music and sits at the heart of the debut from the 26 year old rapper. The record retains the threatening atmosphere found in the early production of UK drill innovator Carns Hill, then combines it with lively club percussion similar to music from UK jersey drill artist Pozer. Other moments bring a lighter tone through the dense, pitched up sounds embraced by a newer generation of rappers such as Jim Legxacy.

PS connects these varied sounds through his clear, forceful delivery and an ability to tell emotionally powerful stories. Many of the artists who helped establish UK drill struggled to secure a lasting and respected position within British rap, partly because the scene produced few carefully planned, complete albums. Supported by independent label House Anxiety and a driven team that includes manager Ian McQuaid of Tim and Barry, PS wanted to address that gap. “Everyone around me has been pushing me to think bigger,” he says, explaining that his focus was on “building something timeless instead of just another moment”.

He explains: “The last thing I wanted was to just put together a bunch of random songs. I wanted every song to feed into the next one, and into an overall narrative, like chapters in one story. People know bits of my life from headlines or YouTube clips, but they don’t really know what it’s like mentally. The trauma, prison, coming home, getting banged up again, trying to change, fucking up, still carrying certain things with you. I feel like I’ve lived my whole life on license. I wanted people to go through all of that with me.”

The strength of PS’ writing often lies in its smallest details. On ‘Induction’, he recreates his time in prison with vivid lines that find moments of humour and optimism within an otherwise grim environment: “I’m rocking prison issue clothing like the newest drip… I’ll be by the fences with my dogs talking about bigger shit.” ‘Glorified Gangster’ examines the conflicting sides of his personality with the lyric: “I be bopping around like I’m not on tag / Still I’m helping out women with their shopping bag”.

Both throughout the record and during conversation, PS shows a determination to create something positive from a turbulent life. He acknowledges previous mistakes and the continuing effort to live with their consequences on ‘Free Your Mind’, where he raps: “I went to war PTSD for what I’ve done in life.” Candid spoken passages such as ‘Equation’ and ‘Frontal Lobe’, where he declares “I’m a different person”, sound like a serious promise to grow and build a more stable future.

Regret still appears across the project, particularly on the rhythmic ‘Coulda Woulda Shoulda’. PS reflects on roads not taken as he raps: “I coulda been this, I shoulda been that / I coulda still been on the corner… Came out of pen but it coulda been uni / Could be an actor, still hitting movies.”

“When you’re growing up, you spend the whole time fighting to get out of the hood, but now I’m desperate to go back there, and I’m not allowed”

The video for ‘Coulda Woulda Shoulda’ was created by visual artist and director Billy Howard Price, a trusted collaborator whose recent work has added greater force and narrative depth to PS’ visuals. It captures how dramatically the rapper’s circumstances have changed. Wearing a vivid yellow jacket against the grey water behind him, PS stands beside the Thames on its northern side and looks across towards south London, an area he is currently forbidden from visiting.

“I have massive restriction zones [due to being on license],” he says. “I can’t go to any postcodes beginning with ‘S’. I can’t visit any of my family or friends. Every day when I leave the house I can’t escape the implications of my punishment.”

PS currently lives in Kent and initially avoids explaining how painful he has found being separated from his former neighbourhood, offering the unconvincing response: “I try not to notice it.” After a while, he becomes more open. “It’s weird, ‘cause when you’re growing up, you spend the whole time wishing and fighting to get out of the hood, but now I’m desperate to go back there, and I’m not allowed. Then with prison, you spend so long living by rules, routines and restrictions that parts of it stay with you. You almost have to teach yourself how to live again.”

PS Hitsquad. Credit: Simon Wheatley. Stylist: Shammi Popat

Much of the power behind ‘Life on License’ comes from the openness with which PS records his attempt to adjust to freedom and rebuild healthier daily habits after prison. The shadowy production, cutting vocal delivery and longstanding interest in documenting life around him maintain a connection with the early UK drill movement he helped shape. At the same time, the album reveals major growth in its sound, personality and carefully created world.

“Music’s helped me because it’s somewhere I can actually process everything instead of just carrying it. I’m trying to build something now instead of just surviving day to day,” he says. “I’m not pretending I’ve got everything figured out because I definitely haven’t. But I’m definitely growing up and figuring shit out. I’m trying to move forward instead of being trapped by who I used to be.”

PS Hitsquad’s ‘Life On License’ is available now through House Anxiety.