The Fire Burns On: Wretch 32 and Avelino Reignite
In 2015, UK rap royalty Wretch 32 and Avelino formed an intergenerational allegiance that still stands the test of time. Today they reflect on the decade that has passed and celebrate the ten year anniversary of their collaborative mixtape Young Fire, Old Flame with a deluxe restoration of the landmark project.
Avelino (left) and Wretch 32 (right). Image property of Will Ainsworth.
As Avelino and Wretch 32 sit down with The Culture Crypt, their bond and the respect that they have for each other's craft is immediately apparent. Their banter is easy—Avelino is the joker and Wretch is confident and assured, ever ready to share pearls of wisdom and encouragement.
Much like in their shared bars, they both bounce off of each other naturally, but still manage to invite us in to share in their energy. The term "friendship" doesn't carry enough weight to describe the air of camaraderie that is palpable between the two, even when separated by a Zoom screen. Brotherhood is the only word that can encapsulate the raw ease of Wretch and Avelino's connection.
Perhaps one of the most monumental aspects of growing up in Black Britain is the concept of "elders" and "youngers". Maybe your elders were your older siblings, their friends, or pupils in more senior years at school—they adopted you as their own, granting you worthy of their attention and guiding you through the perils of adolescence. For better or worse, they shaped those formative years of your life.
When your own time came to climb the ranks of social authority bestowed upon you by age or reputation, you too had the unspoken opportunity to continue the tradition and choose your "younger". An age-old ritual, a rite of passage shared by many.
Just over ten years ago, this tradition played out on a stage slightly bigger than the secondary school playground. In December 2015, two of North London's most precious rap gemstones, Wretch 32 and Avelino, formed a united front. Their collaborative mixtape Young Fire, Old Flame was followed by an iconic freestyle on Charlie Sloth's Fire In The Booth rap segment—both offerings were testament to the powerful synergy in their cross-generational dynamic.
Now, a decade on, the prolific pair have returned to celebrate the foundation of their alliance with the release of Young Fire, Old Flame (Deluxe), a modern-day ode to the monumental project. Regardless of how far they've come, their roots remain entwined.
Coming from the same area in North London, with Avelino even being in the same primary school class as Wretch 32's younger sister, it seemed almost inevitable that a connection would be forged between the pair of rappers. As the eponymous "Old Flame" of the duo, Wretch 32's success with cult-favourite LP Wretchrospective in 2008 and the commercially molten Black and White in 2011 lifted him to heights beyond Barnet.
His few degrees of separation from the up-and-coming Avelino definitely served as an advantage for the young rapper. "My sister told me about him first," Wretch explains to us, "but at that time so many people were telling me about a lot of artists. Then I saw something on Youtube and I was like, 'this is cold'. Then [my sister] told me that's who she was talking about".
Despite his youth, Avelino was far from a stranger to rap. With a foundation in making beats and freestyling on Youtube, his debut mixtape, Underdog Music, appeared two years before his career-starting Fire In the Booth freestyle, where Wretch was by his side. As the "Young Flame" of the pair, Avelino had been grinding and working tirelessly at his craft long before catching the eye of his mentor turned close friend.
It was clear even in his early work that Avelino had listened to and studied Wretch 32's pen, but he still carved out space for himself as a bona fide wordsmith alone. Their collaborations were instrumental in laying the foundations for Avelino's professional career.
"By the time I was 22, I had been recording for seven years and I was doing all that for free," Avelino reminisces. "I remember when I made my first money from music performing Young Fire, Old Flame with Wretch. For me that was mind-blowing—from just rapping and being creative to being rewarded like that was unbelievable".
While Avelino is quick to assure us that he was sensible with that first pay cheque, Wretch shares, "I can't control what a man does with his money but I wouldn't have been a good big brother if I didn't echo for him to be mindful!".
Over the past decade, Wretch and Avelino's careers have continued to thrive independently as well as collaboratively. From Wretch's national theatre show to Avelino's feature on the FIFA 18 soundtrack alongside Skepta and Stormzy, the pair have accumulated a number of table-shaking accolades.
“In the [rappers] that care, you can see our influence.”
However, Wretch reveals that working on an unfortunately unreleased song with an inimitable icon of British music—the legend herself, Sade—was one of his biggest career highlights. "Working with Sade, even though [the track] never came out, was quite a mad experience," he tells us. "Someone like that knowing you exist is one thing, but to work with her, communicate about art, and for her to tell me about the records of mine that she liked? That was mad."
As established institutions in Black British rap, Wretch 32 and Avelino's brotherhood is a persisting reminder of the value of intergenerational bonds, and of having good "elders". But even as the big brother within their dynamic, Wretch still gains inspiration, merit and purpose from the relationship with his younger counterpart. Both are evidence of a musical lineage that can be traced back through various approaches to rap as a genre.
When reflecting on the contemporary rap scene, both remain tapped into the music being created as a part of this lineage. "In the ones that care, you can see our influence," Wretch muses. "For example, Ceebo—you can see the way he's writing and rapping, I would assume that's someone that has listened to us."
Wretch's presence at Ceebo's recent concert has not been the only moment of reaching out to the new generation that both artists have been a part of. When naming their favourite up-and-coming rappers, Proph, who appeared on Young Fire, Old Flame (Deluxe) as a feature on track, "Baguettes", was a sure favourite between the two.
For Wretch and Avelino, the deep allegiance that has grown over the last decade is not something unique to them. When asked if their level of collaboration and communication could be replicated today, they both simply answered, "Why not?".
"It depends on the people. If you align in talent and get on as people then it's pretty simple," explains Wretch. "I think sometimes people can overcomplicate the process—you rap, I rap." Avelino offers: "Maybe the first thing isn't the greatest but then you try again if you want. This is the fun part." Young Fire, Young Flame (Deluxe), and the history of its creation, is proof that the fun part can last more than ten years.
The enduring relationship between Wretch 32 and Avelino proves that the strongest of fires don't burn out; they endure the elements, reigniting when stoked, bringing new flames to the fore.
In their individual endeavours and the celebration of their culture-shifting allegiance, Wretch and Avelino continue to shape the face of UK rap of times gone by, today and tomorrow. A young fire, an old flame—the expertise of a veteran burns with the stamina of a once-emerging artist and still sets the industry alight.
Stream Young Fire, Old Flame (Deluxe) below: