Giggs went from selling mixtapes on the streets of South London to becoming one of the U.K.’s biggest rap exports and a certified icon of his era.
While he just wrapped his first-ever U.S. tour after legal issues prevented him from entering the country for over a decade, there was a time when Giggs couldn’t perform in his own country.
The Landlord recently opened up about the decade he spent trying to dodge attempts to shut down his concerts and sabotage his music career. In 2003, Giggs served a two-year prison sentence in 2003 for possession of a firearm.
Since his release, Giggs claimed Operation Trident – a controversial specialist Metropolitan Police unit established to tackle so-called “Black-on-Black” crime in London worked to end his career behind the scenes.
He discussed the ban and his attempts to get around it during a recent episode of Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion.
“I was banned from shows for like 10 years,” Giggs said, explaining that he was accused of “gang” related activities. “That’s what they said anyway.”
Nonetheless, Giggs was determined to perform for his fans and would put on “secret shows.” He would bus in coach loads of fans to these private concerts but somehow cops would always get tipped off.
“That’s how they do it,” Giggs said, adding that cops would often cancel his shows the night before.
Earlier this year, Giggs toured America after finally getting his paperwork in order. One of the first things he did on his return was to hit up Jay-Z’s Roc Nation brunch. Hov asked him about his reaction to that infamous shout out on DJ Khaled’s “God Did.” Check out his reaction below.