Jazzie B, aka Trevor Beresford Romeo, is 53, has an OBE and is the founder of Soul II Soul, the Grammy-award winning the group behind life-long bangers like "Back to Life" and "Keep on Movin''. They've just released their latest record Origins ,a live album that traces the group's roots from the 1980s until the present day.VICE: How many people have been in love with you?
Jazzie B: Thousands. With a name like Romeo what do you expect?
Jazzie B: Thousands. With a name like Romeo what do you expect?
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When in your life have you been truly overcome with fear?
I've been stuck up a few times. The last one was when I got stuck up in Jamaica by the police. Just one of those roadblock incidents and they went too far. They stop you and draw guns, and I guess one gentleman was overzealous and thought I was putting on my accent. When they realised I was an English geezer they put their guns away.What is the nicest thing you own?
I think my records, just a handful of special records. A personal record signed by James Brown, who I was on tour with, and a Jones Girl single signed by all the girls.Complete this sentence: The problem with young people today is…
They're misunderstood. There's so much shit thrown at young people when older people's behaviour is sometimes worse. You see a bunch of young people on the street and you're immediately in fear, but they're just hanging out. I live in Camden, where there's a really diverse and interesting cross-section of people. And there's arseholes in everyone, yeah? But most of the young'uns are just misunderstood. In one of the youth centres I look after, one of the kids has a car and he keeps getting stopped all the time even though he has a driving licence. Things like that would destroy your confidence in older people.What would be your last meal?
Probably stewfish, preferably snapper, bammy, and ground food, so things like yams, green bananas and sweet potatoes. It's my favourite. I ate it as a child growing up, and I was raised on that sort of food. I probably eat it about once a week anyway.
I've been stuck up a few times. The last one was when I got stuck up in Jamaica by the police. Just one of those roadblock incidents and they went too far. They stop you and draw guns, and I guess one gentleman was overzealous and thought I was putting on my accent. When they realised I was an English geezer they put their guns away.What is the nicest thing you own?
I think my records, just a handful of special records. A personal record signed by James Brown, who I was on tour with, and a Jones Girl single signed by all the girls.Complete this sentence: The problem with young people today is…
They're misunderstood. There's so much shit thrown at young people when older people's behaviour is sometimes worse. You see a bunch of young people on the street and you're immediately in fear, but they're just hanging out. I live in Camden, where there's a really diverse and interesting cross-section of people. And there's arseholes in everyone, yeah? But most of the young'uns are just misunderstood. In one of the youth centres I look after, one of the kids has a car and he keeps getting stopped all the time even though he has a driving licence. Things like that would destroy your confidence in older people.What would be your last meal?
Probably stewfish, preferably snapper, bammy, and ground food, so things like yams, green bananas and sweet potatoes. It's my favourite. I ate it as a child growing up, and I was raised on that sort of food. I probably eat it about once a week anyway.
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Would you have sex with a robot?
Nah. Too many nice human birds about for that.If you were a wrestler, what song would you come into the ring to?
"Zion", by Soul II Soul. I'd come into the ring to my own song. Why not? Ain't that a perk of the job?What's the grossest injury or illness you've ever had?
Probably the chicken pox at 20. It didn't get to shingles, so I was lucky. But I had to stay away from all my mates and I was having a birthday party at the time. They were all there except for me, and I was quarantined in a different room.Do you think drugs can make you happy?
Nah, they're temporary fixes. They're a fix for the moment, but they don't make you happy. Been there done that. Child of the 80s, me.What film or TV show makes you cry?
A film called Babylon, it's an English film about sound systems. It's quite an emotional film for me, it's a personal thing. There's a scene in there that makes me overwhelmed with emotion, it just reminds me of so many things about how I grew up.Without Googling, explain how global warming basically works.
I think with global warming, it's all about evolution. I think probably over 100 or 1,000 years ago things were completely different. Now, because there's so many more people in the world, there's more adding to it. So whether that's too many cows, or emitting stuff into the ozone, I personally believe that it's all part of evolution. It's all inevitable, just like life and its cycles are.
Nah. Too many nice human birds about for that.If you were a wrestler, what song would you come into the ring to?
"Zion", by Soul II Soul. I'd come into the ring to my own song. Why not? Ain't that a perk of the job?What's the grossest injury or illness you've ever had?
Probably the chicken pox at 20. It didn't get to shingles, so I was lucky. But I had to stay away from all my mates and I was having a birthday party at the time. They were all there except for me, and I was quarantined in a different room.Do you think drugs can make you happy?
Nah, they're temporary fixes. They're a fix for the moment, but they don't make you happy. Been there done that. Child of the 80s, me.What film or TV show makes you cry?
A film called Babylon, it's an English film about sound systems. It's quite an emotional film for me, it's a personal thing. There's a scene in there that makes me overwhelmed with emotion, it just reminds me of so many things about how I grew up.Without Googling, explain how global warming basically works.
I think with global warming, it's all about evolution. I think probably over 100 or 1,000 years ago things were completely different. Now, because there's so many more people in the world, there's more adding to it. So whether that's too many cows, or emitting stuff into the ozone, I personally believe that it's all part of evolution. It's all inevitable, just like life and its cycles are.
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What have you done in your career that you are most proud of?
Our motto: A happy face, a thumping base, for a loving race. It's being an asset to the collective – that could be Soul II Soul, that could be mankind.What memory from school stands out to you stronger than any other?
My careers teacher saying I should become a milkman. What a dickhead. There were a lot of dickhead teachers. Probably fewer than there are today though.Where did you go on your first friends holiday and what did you do?
It was probably Ibiza in the early 80s. It was incredible – we're talking about the Balearic days, it wasn't house music and all that. It was a bit more rustic. Less contrived. It was in the embryonic stages of mass hedonism. So there was still a firm and strong hippy culture. I mean, there were clubs, but they weren't at the magnitude of what it has become. So it was an interesting phase.If you had to give up sex or kissing, which would it be?
Kissing! I'd give up kissing for some more sex.Soul II Soul's new album 'Origins' is out now.More on VICE:The VICE Interview: Charlotte ChurchThe VICE Interview: Nev Schulman from MTV's 'Catfish'The VICE Interview: Craig David
Our motto: A happy face, a thumping base, for a loving race. It's being an asset to the collective – that could be Soul II Soul, that could be mankind.What memory from school stands out to you stronger than any other?
My careers teacher saying I should become a milkman. What a dickhead. There were a lot of dickhead teachers. Probably fewer than there are today though.Where did you go on your first friends holiday and what did you do?
It was probably Ibiza in the early 80s. It was incredible – we're talking about the Balearic days, it wasn't house music and all that. It was a bit more rustic. Less contrived. It was in the embryonic stages of mass hedonism. So there was still a firm and strong hippy culture. I mean, there were clubs, but they weren't at the magnitude of what it has become. So it was an interesting phase.If you had to give up sex or kissing, which would it be?
Kissing! I'd give up kissing for some more sex.Soul II Soul's new album 'Origins' is out now.More on VICE:The VICE Interview: Charlotte ChurchThe VICE Interview: Nev Schulman from MTV's 'Catfish'The VICE Interview: Craig David