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By Ashley Charles

Tim Westwood is one of the most emotive names in the history of European Hip-Hop pioneers; but love him or hate him, you can’t deny him.

Born in Norwich, Westwood’s bow is one with many strings: journalist, DJ, TV personality, CEO, producer, ambassador. His radio shows attract the biggest audiences, his live PAs never fail to push a venue to its capacity but most famously, his albums continue to move unrivalled figures.

The Situation caught up with the 48-year-old to talk Hip-Hop, politics and his latest CD compilation, ‘The Greatest’.

As one of the UK’s most renowned rap DJs, what does Hip-Hop mean to you?
What does Hip-Hop mean to me? (pauses) It’s a lifestyle…. It’s my way of life. And yeah, it’s the most powerful music in the world to me.

So what particular albums or artists have defined Hip-Hop for you?
I think Hip-Hop changes over the years, so I think it has different defining moments. But Biggie was definitely one of the key defining moments for sure. Without Biggie there would’ve been no Jay-Z.

What are you listening to at the moment then?
I listen to so much man, it’s crazy. I like Rick Ross, Lupe Fiasco and I like the new Jay-Z joint, that’s hot. I’m listening to The Game a lot… he’s doing it real big.

Following on from that then, you’re known for your close affiliation with American artists. Would you say that you favour the U.S due to the fact that it’s where Hip-Hop’s origins lie, or is there simply something inadequate about the standard of British urban acts?
I think the UK has still gotta find its own voice. We ain’t got there yet. Do you know what I mean? I think it will come and I think it will come through the Grime artists like Lethal and Wiley. That’s where our own sound and style will emerge. That’s where the energy is and where the excitement is and that’s what the audience wants. There hasn’t been a record as big as ‘Pow!’ or Kano ‘P’s and Q’s’.

You’re known for your compilations, ‘The Takeover’ and ‘The Jump Off’ being two of the biggest. What would you say is the track that truly makes this album?
Oh for real? Erm... 50 Cent ‘What up Westwood’, I think that’s big. ‘Dipset Anthem’, ‘Santana Town’ and DMX ‘Party Up Here’ are classic tracks as well as things like Snoop Dogg ‘Gin and Juice’ and ‘Hail Mary’ by 2Pac.

So how did you manage to narrow it down to a 2CD offering? What were the criteria to qualify for ‘The Greatest?
I’m a club DJ so I really looked at club bangers. It was a lot of the joints that I still play in the clubs to this day, so that was the main thing.

Tell me some of the tracks that didn’t quite make it onto the album but were in close contention?
Well no reggae made it. No R&B made it. No Grime made it. And those were my issues, that’s stuff I wanted on there but it didn’t make it man.

Was that due to production or management choices that were out of your control?
Well man, we put 56 tracks on there, I suppose we couldn’t really fit no more in. We could’ve had a grime showcase but there wasn’t the 20 minutes to let that rip so that was our problem man.

So how would you sell it to anyone who has yet to purchase ‘The Greatest’? What would be your punch line or selling point?
I would just say ‘You need it in your life baby…’ This is the soundtrack to your life. Heavy hit after heavy hit.

You’re obviously big in the game and often know what’s gonna blow up before it does. You were talking about Wyclef and 50 Cent before commercial radio really jumped on it. So who’s gonna be the next big thing?
I think Lil’ Wayne outta Cash Money clique is set for real big things. I think he’s gonna be one of the big artists of 2007 without a doubt.

And who’s the all time greatest for you?
I would have to say Biggie and Pac.

Are you shying away from making a controversial distinction?
Nah, I keep it the same. But I knew Biggie really well and I was close to him, so yeah, maybe Biggie.

And when you say ‘The Greatest’ on this compilation, are you referring to yourself or the tracks?
Oh no, the tracks! Looking at it now it should’ve been called ‘The Greatest Hits’. I’m a mad humble guy, I might talk crazy on the mic sometimes but I’m a mad humble guy.

Well you have achieved a great deal none the less, dabbling in several areas of Hip-Hop from Capital Radio to ‘Pimp My Ride’. So what’s next for you? Is there anything you feel you have yet to achieve or are you more likely to stick to what you know now?
I have had a blessed life, man; I’ve really had a blessed life. I used to do some Hip-Hop TV on Channel U and I’d like to do more of that stuff. Like that raw Hip-Hop TV, I miss that. ‘Pimp My Ride’ is a real high level production that’s really professionally done, whereas I miss that grimey TV I used to do. I need to bring that back for sure.

So no music from you then?
(Laughs) Nah, we tried to do that early man. We used to have our own label and produced Monie Love’s first record, but my beats weren’t hot. Seriously, without a doubt my beats weren’t hot. We had a couple of hits but that was it, we were done!

Finally Tim, how would you define the role you’ve played in Hip-Hop’s journey?
I think I’m a dude who’s definitely been blessed and just worked hard; it’s as simple as that. I don’t know man… I hope I’ve made a contribution to Hip-Hop becoming big in this country. I also hope I’ve provided some entertainment to young people growing up in life whether that be in the clubs or through hot radio shows and hot albums.

For all his achievements, Westwood exhibits an aura of inspirational humility. A far cry from the self assured pseudo-American public persona that his name connotes was the modesty of a man whose successes, in reality, deserve a slight air of ostentation - but nothing of the sort. Despite a momentary shameless plug of his monthly show at The Ministry of Sound every last Friday of the month, Westwood for the most part shied away from self-promotion.

‘Westwood: The Greatest Classic Jointz’ Vol 1-11 is out now. For more information, please visit his official website, www.westwoodthegreatest.com.