Name: Little Torment

Where He’s From: South London

When He Started: “It’s been about 12 years since I released my first piece of music.”

File Next To: Nines, Potter Payper, Rimzee

Sounds Like: “It’s definitely authentic. It’s also honest, vulnerable and powerful.”

First Music That Inspired Him: “Kano’s ‘P’s & Q’s’, most def. I think that was the first beat I ever wrote over. I remember I didn’t even have the instrumental; Kano was rapping on the beat as well, but I wrote over it.”

Halfway through his recent Voice Of The Streets freestyle, Little Torment declares that he’s “the coldest rapper that hasn’t blown yet”, with his forehead dripping with sweat and a laser-like focus in his eye. In truth, the South Londoner isn’t a newcomer to the game; in fact, he’s been releasing for over a decade. Having stood the test of time, he characterises his story as one of longevity and resolve.

“I’ve seen a lot of people come and go,” Tormz tells TRENCH. “I’ve been here a long time. Of course, I’ve had turbulence as well but I ain’t ever felt like this ain’t working. As hard as it may have gotten, I’ve never felt like there’s not going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Two years ago, I didn’t see this position that I’m in right now. I just let God do what he does. Being here, still in the conversation after ten years plus? Man, that’s a great achievement.”

Indeed, it is. In typical road rap fashion, Tormz has consistently fed the streets with solid projects. Throughout, he’s built lore, yelled his iconic ad-libs, frequently locked in with his go-to producer Dez, all while establishing himself as a presence to be respected in the scene. His most recent drop, Some More Pain, is a brief but potent 5-tracker that the rapper “made just for the people,” adding: “I wasn’t supposed to be dropping another project so soon; we were in the studio after making the Magnum project, and this just happened! The streets love when I express my true self—it’s what drives my core following.”

It’s a core following that has stuck with the rap veteran throughout his entire career. Having the failsafe of that fanbase is a contributing factor towards his decision to stay independent for the vast majority of his journey. Taking a look back, he confesses: “There were times, early on, when I wasn’t seeing a return on what I was putting into the music as everything was an investment. So, literally, tens of thousands of pounds going into music before you’re seeing any return.” But by toiling through early struggles, he’s been able to reap the rewards of his commitment. “Now, though,” he says, “I’m in the green because of those early bets I made on myself.”

Some time before our talk, Tormz had spoken about things starting to “click” for him. When asked about it, he returns to his earlier thoughts of staying the course, this time in relation to his career, but also beyond: “There’s gonna be struggles. You’re gonna have some bad days, and you’re gonna have some good days, but as long as you keep working, the proof is in the pudding. I mean, what will happen is you’ll just keep growing. So that’s just clicked for me and it’s making my career better, making my personal life better. It’s more a life thing, to be honest. Life is starting to click for me. I’m starting to understand it a bit more. But I guess that comes with age.”