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‘No money can make me come back’: rapper Nines on grief, ghostwriting and why he’s retiring at 34

Despite legal troubles and personal tragedy, the north-west London rapper has topped the album charts and has a huge date at the O2 lined up for the autumn. So why is he giving it all up?

“I was stood on the corner at 15,” he said then, “and stay trapping because I was always like: ‘Blud, I need to get out of this shit one day.’ Financial freedom.” His lyrics at times sketch vivid portraits of money made by illicit means, of violence and addiction and street hustling, young lives drifting down dark roads. I saw my mum and gran in court and thought I can’t believe I’m doing this to them He was 31, one of the most popular rappers on the continent, had videos with millions of views, had been nominated for Brit awards and had walked out Anthony Joshua at Wembley stadium. Rap will likely stay present in his life in small ways, he says, freestyling by himself in the car when an instrumental plays through the speakers, or through unreleased songs soundtracking the films he plans to release, or perhaps an attempt at ghost-writing for other artists too.

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