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'''Ashley Thomas''' (born 4 February 1985 in [[Chiswick]], |
'''Ashley Thomas''' (born 4 February 1985 in [[Chiswick]], West [[London]]) who records under the mononym '''Bashy''', is a british recording artist and actor. He rose to prominence in 2007 after the release of his controversial track "Black Boys". |
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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Revision as of 20:42, 28 March 2011
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2009) |
Bashy |
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Ashley Thomas (born 4 February 1985 in Chiswick, West London) who records under the mononym Bashy, is a british recording artist and actor. He rose to prominence in 2007 after the release of his controversial track "Black Boys".
Biography
Early life
Thomas was born in Chiswick, West London. He attended St Mary’s of the Angels RC Primary School. At age eleven, his family moved to Kensal Rise, northwest London and he attended the Cardinal Hinsley School.
He also attended the BRIT School for performing Arts where he was a theatre student. The school boasts former students such as Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, Kate Nash & Jessie J.
The Chupa Chups mixtape
He recorded The Chupa Chups Mixtape to keep his name relevant. The mixtape is critically acclaimed, and over 5000 copies sold within the first few months. In order to market the mixtapes in an innovative way, he attached Chupa Chups lollies to them so they would stand out in the rapidly growing mixtape market.
Working life
During the release of the Chupa Chups Mixtape he was still a struggling independent musician, so applied to the Royal Mail to become a postman. He worked there for a year to save money then left to pursue his music career full time. The money he saved was soon spent, as his music career did not take off as planned, it was during this period that he decided to become a bus driver. He drove the 114, 183 and 292 buses. He has been very vocal about time as a bus driver, in order to promote the idea that working is cool to young people.
"Black Boys"
In 2007 he released the song "Black Boys". It was this track that propelled Thomas into the nation's consciousness, catching the imagination of a country suffering from many incidents of violence amongst its inner-city youth. With frequent reports of shootings and stabbings on news bulletins, and with the media continually focusing on the lack of role models in certain communities, he felt that the nation’s inner city youth needed a reminder that they had a number of positive role models they could look to for inspiration. His début single provoked controversy, as some people called the track racist. This prompted the governing body Ofcom to investigate. Rumours soon began to circulate that the track had been banned from T.V. Certain sections of the black community were outraged; groups were set up on the social networking site Facebook in order to fight the ban. Racist videos were put up as responses to the track on YouTube, in which men dressed as Ku Klux Klan members would hurl abuse at black people, with "Black Boys" playing in the background. This prompted people of many races to get behind and support Bashy, in a united stand against racism. It was as a result of this publicity and grass roots action that Bashy was invited to perform at the Love Music Hate Racism Rally in 2008 at Victoria Park, to a crowd of 100,000. He was asked to take the main stage alongside Damon Albarn.[1] Bashy persuaded various British artists to share their views on the subject. Nolay, Skinnyman, Ty, Big Narstie, Tinie Tempah, Wretch 32, Chipmunk, Swiss, Durrty Goodz, J2k, Skepta, Sincere, Akala and Scorcher featured on the track.
Adulthood
Thomas soon found himself at the heart of another successful project – Adulthood. Noel Clarke, director and star of the Adulthood film first encountered Bashy when he was passed a copy of his earlier mixtapes which contained samples from his previous Kidulthood film. Clarke was so impressed by what he heard, that his thoughts soon drifted from copyright protection to thinking how to get Thomas involved in the follow-up. He soon asked Thomas to submit a track to be included on the soundtrack, and he delivered "Kidulthood to Adulthood". Bashy’s belief in helping others in order to build a scene was demonstrated by the fact that he did not just submit his own tracks, but delved into the scene and gathering music from other artists for Clarke to listen to. Clarke asked Thomas to act as assistant music supervisor for the entire project.
Catch Me If You Can
Thomas released his debut album, Catch Me If You Can, on 1 June 2009. Hiphop.com rated the album 'good' and wrote, "Catch Me If You Can is a debut album that perfectly encapsulates how hip hop has become the world's local music. With vocal accents, lyrical references, swagger and varied production styles that will take a minute for the non-Brit to get their head around, much of this likeable and well-intentioned set still deserves wider attention."[3]
Acting Career
Thomas is represented by Independent Talent. In 2010 he played Rager in British flick, Shank. He then went on to star as Smoothy in Noel Clarke's 4321. His next role is the demonic drug dealer Tyrone Jones alongside Toby Kebbell in The Veteran.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 2009 | 'Catch Me If You Can'
|
— |
Mixtapes
- Ur Mum Vol One (2004)[4]
- The Chupa Chups Mixtape (2006)
- Bashy.com (2008)
- The Fantasy Mixtape (2010)[5]
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| 2008 | "Black Boys" | - | Catch Me If You Can |
| "Kidulthood to Adulthood" | 86 | ||
| 2009 | "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" | - | |
| "Your Wish Is My Command | - | ||
| "When The Sky Falls | 114 | TBA | |
| 2010 | "Fantasy" | 88 | |
| "Make My Day" (vs. NAPT) | 118 |
Guest appearances
- Clones - When We Were Young - 2006 (By Akira the Don)
- Time Is Right Remix - 2009 (By Frisco Also Ft. JME & Black the Ripper)
- She Likes To (England Top 10) - 2009 (By Wiley)
- White Flag - Plastic Beach - 2010 (By Gorillaz Also Ft. Kano)
- Keep Moving- 2010 -4.3.2.1 (Adam Deacon and Bashy Ft Paloma Faith)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | MOBO Award for Best Video - Kidulthood to Adulthood [1] | Nominated |
| Urban Music Award for Best Video - Black Boys [2] | Nominated | |
| Urban Music Award for Most Inspirational Artist [3] | Won | |
| Screen Nation Award for Best Music Performance in Film/TV[4] | Won | |
| 2009 | MOBO Award for Best Album - Catch Me If You Can [5] | Nominated |
| MOBO Award for Best UK Act - [6] | Nominated | |
| Urban Music Award for Best Hip Hop | Nominated | |
| Official Mixtape Awards for Best Hip Hop Mixtape - Bashy.com | Nominated | |
| Official Mixtape Awards for Best Mixtape of the Decade - The Chupa Chups Mixtape | Nominated | |
| Official Mixtape Awards for Best Mixtape 2009 - Bashy.com | Nominated | |
| UK Music Video Awards for Best Budget Video – Pop, Dance, Urban - Ransom | Nominated |
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes and Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Shank | Rager | |
| 2010 | 4.3.2.1 | Smooth | |
| 2011 | The Veteran | Tyrone Jones |
References
- ^ Making music matter
- ^ Box office business for Adulthood
- ^ Catch Me If You Can: BASHY
- ^ "Ur Mum Vol 1 Mixtape". Mixtape Madness.
- ^ "Fantasy Mixtape". Mixtape Madness.