Illustration & Words by
BK.A$
Who the fuck is Billy?
‘Billy’ is a metaphorical character invented by 808INK. He represents an age where teenage mutiny and rebellion was a symbolic rite of passage into boring adulthood. Billy, being from a reality similar to ‘This is England’, (minus all the clear racist messages) is disgusted by the lack
of individuality and uniquity in his city. Today’s Britain (London) is just a watered down version of American popular culture. ‘Billy’s Home’ is the name of 808INK’s sophmore album and as the title implies this means the return of the ‘Fuck You! Fuck Everything!’ mentality of 80’s punk Britain.
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Pictures by Marco Grey Styled by Ryan Hawaii
Billy says don’t be ‘wavey’, be GULLY! Pictures by Marco Grey Styled by Ryan Hawaii
Birthed in the era of Grime, Billy’s character is arrogant, he’s wild, he doesn’t listen to what he’s told to do, he doesn’t conform and he is a proud product of his rough environment . Billy uses his upbringing as inspiration , he idolises his immediate surroundings and is not afraid to display the language and character he was taught within his own community in any situation he is placed within.
own path to create somthing new without fear of it being messy like what artists from the Buffalo movement in the 80’s did . Billy isn’t just his own person, he’s the devil child in all of us that we’re all afraid to let out to play. But no to worry though, because Billy’s gonna get ya’... ...He’s coming home.
As well as this, his style is a contemporary take on early Skinhead fashion. It’s not necessarily about wearing bomber jackets and straight jeans with boots but more about dressing practically but still looking GULLY! Billy is inspired by those around him that step away from the expected and walk down their
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Billy’s Environment
Billy is simply a ‘produck’ of his environment, he encapsulates the backgrounds of both members of 808INK. Pepys Estate where both members were born and raised plays a key role in the world that Billy interacts with.
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Pictures by Marco Grey Styled by Ryan Hawaii
.GULLY BUCK .LUNDUN
.WHAT’S ‘LUNDUN’? It’s the REAL gully side. Where the gully reside. Where it’s dog eat dog. And you’ve got to kill, creatively, to survive.
Photos by Lorenzo Gorradio
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Pictures by Jake Elwin & Jesse Crankson Styled & Directed by Bk.A$
Billy is an oddball, surely a misconstrued ‘produck’ of his environment, hence why the slur of the word product is used instead. 10
.THE RULES OF LUNDUN .BE GULLY AT ALL TIMES BLUD! .NEVER BE MEDIOCRE. MEDIOCRE IS EQUAL TO SHIT! .DON’T BLUDCLART EMBARASS US! .BUCK A £ FOR UR CITY! .IF YOU’RE DEAD. GET BETTER! .EVEN IF YOU’RE SICK. GET BETTER! .BOAST YOUR ABILITY! .ONE TRICK PONIES GET KICKED IN LUNDUN!
.COMING FOR YOUR NECK .LUNDUN
Pictures by Jake Elwin & Jesse Crankson Styled & Directed by Bk.A$
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...A ‘Produck’?
Pictures by Jake Elwin & Jesse Crankson Styled & Directed by Bk.A$
To be a ‘Produck’ or ‘Produk’ is to be a proud member of your community and to display your upbringing in any social situation. Someone who is true to themselves, true to the ‘Billy’ inside of themself will a lot of the time be a reflection of their immediate surroundings. A ‘Produck’ is someone who unkowingly uses their experiences in life to shape the indiviudal that he or she has become today and moves to always express that individuality whether that be in a creative field or any sort of life situation. 14
.(G)ULLY C(UT) .LUNDUN
Pictures by Vicky Grout Styled & Directed by Bk.A$
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Pictures by Vicky Grout Styled & Directed by Bk.A$
Renewal by Destruction
Don’t be fooled by the subtlety adversiries and the conventional of the title of the album, Billy’s structure that they work by.. homecoming is not something to blindly rejoice over. Billy isn’t a child trapped in a dying environment, he’s a child 808INK solidly believe in ‘Renewal destorying his environment in by Destruction’. You must destroy order to create a new and better one. what already exists in order to is poised to efectively create something new. ‘Billy’s Home’ commentary on This meaning , that in order to be a stark social structure that create new conventions and the a new standard in music he 808INK are surrounded by . must literally destroy his peers, 20
Pictures by Marco Grey Styled by Ryan Hawaii
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