We have a community that is rife in depression, anxiety, loneliness and addiction. “Jungle has not been treated fairly at all!” he exclaims. This is the underview of the outerview: For Congo, if the story of ‘Ancestorz’ is to be told correctly, it must also include stories of suffrage and unpaid dues. “Now is the time for the new generation and we cannot make the same mistakes again! You can try and stop Congo but you can’t stop our children.” “Only when my children have had the opportunity to do the same,” he considers. “This began when I was in my Welsh mum’s belly!” he smiles, before explaining how he’s never likely to make another album again. Without hyperbole, ‘Ancestorz’ is his life’s work. A jungle journey for the ages featuring collaborations with artists ranging from new-gen jungle sensation Nia Archives to jazz sax maverick Shabaka Hutchings, UK hip-hop premiership Klashnekoff to dancehall royalty Courtney Melody, via his own daughters Kaya Fyah and Princess Lydia no other album in this artform has ever attempted to dig as deep or travel as far to unite the diaspora, join detailed dots through the history of Black music and celebrate and authenticate the new jungle generation. ‘Ancestorz’ is a body of work that includes many voices, tales and talents from across myriad generations, continents and disciplines. The overview of this outerview, and the main story relevant to Congo right now in 2022, is that he’s about to drop his most ambitious and accomplished album to date. This story could have been told 30 years ago, but no one wanted to print it.” “We’ve held our position while others have been the hare, rushing around from here to there. “All these years jungle has been the tortoise,” he considers. At points he’s animated, at others he’s stoic. Each interchange is several hours deep as we discuss everything from his Rastafarian faith to the many locations that are dear to his heart: his Tottenham upbringing, his time living in Haile Selassie’s promised land of Shashamene, Ethiopia, his time recording in Japan, Jamaica and Zanzibar, his Welsh maternal roots in Llandrindod Wells and his family home in Ramsgate. A pioneer and originator, he’s been in the trenches far too long to rush to do anything insincere. He speaks with equal levels of earnestness, humour and fierce passion and never seems in a hurry.
Even through the filter of a video screen and a cloud of smoke, there’s a sense he’s looking directly into your soul. He draws on his spliff, holding DJ Mag’s gaze with intensity. “This isn’t an interview, brother, this is an outerview!” Congo Natty declares.
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