{"id":2067823,"date":"2026-07-29T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T05:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2067823"},"modified":"2026-07-29T08:00:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T05:00:36","slug":"uk-drill-pioneer-ps-hitsquad-on-his-solo-debut-i-feel-like-ive-spent-my-whole-life-on-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2067823","title":{"rendered":"UK drill pioneer PS Hitsquad on his solo debut: \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve spent my whole life on license\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PS-Hitsquad-Photo-credit-Simon-Wheatley.jpeg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2947849\" class=\"post-2947849 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Features<\/span><span>Music Interviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">UK drill pioneer PS Hitsquad on his solo debut: \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve spent my whole life on license\u201d<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The former Zone 2 member&#8217;s debut album documents his experiences of incarceration, becoming institutionalised and &#8220;learning how to live again&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Fred Garratt-Stanley<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-29T09:00:36+01:00\">29th July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PS-Hitsquad-Photo-credit-Simon-Wheatley-696x442.jpeg\" alt=\"PS Hitsquad\" title=\"PS Hitsquad - Photo credit-Simon Wheatley\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">PS Hitsquad. Credit: Simon Wheatley. Stylist: Shammi Popat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">L<\/strong>ooking back, the dark, claustrophobic brand of UK drill pioneered by Peckham collective Zone 2 in the late 2010s is miles away from the more sanitised and commercial offshoots of the genre that have blown up in the years since. With members facing prison sentences, others fading into obscurity, and the likes of Kwengface and PS Hitsquad only recently finding success with solo pursuits, the group burned bright and fast; but their role in pushing UK drill into the mainstream is undeniable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI see our influence in a lot of places, and it\u2019s truly humbling,\u201d PS tells <em>NME<\/em> over video call following the release of his debut album \u2018Life on License\u2019 earlier this month. \u201cRight now there\u2019s hella subgenres of drill, but you\u2019ve gotta evolve with the times, and that\u2019s what post-drill is about. There\u2019s a bit of everything in there.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Post-drill, a rough conceptual label that\u2019s been attached to PS Hitsquad\u2019s recent creations, takes centre stage on the 26-year-old\u2019s debut. It weaves in the suffocating menace that defined early beats by pioneering UK drill producer Carns Hill, adds bumpy percussive club elements that align with artists like UK jersey drill artist Pozer, and at times lightens things with nods to the crowded, pitched-up textures favoured by new gen rappers like Jim Legxacy.<\/p>\n<p>PS brings these wide-ranging sonics together with a sharp, crisp vocal tone and a commitment to powerful, emotive storytelling. One of several factors that prevented other early UK drill pioneers from cementing firmer, more widely respected positions within British rap culture was a lack of cohesive, thoughtfully constructed LPs or projects. With help from indie label House Anxiety and an ambitious team that includes visionary manager Ian McQuaid (Tim and Barry) \u2013 \u201cEveryone around me has been pushing me to think bigger,\u201d he says \u2013 PS was intent on addressing this scarcity and \u201cbuilding something timeless instead of just another moment\u201d.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PS Hitsquad - Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nA3FvQNlOXM?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>He explains: \u201cThe last thing I wanted was to just put together a bunch of random songs. I wanted every song to feed into the next one, and into an overall narrative, like chapters in one story. People know bits of my life from headlines or YouTube clips, but they don\u2019t really know what it\u2019s like mentally. The trauma, prison, coming home, getting banged up again, trying to change, fucking up, still carrying certain things with you. I feel like I\u2019ve lived my whole life on license. I wanted people to go through all of that with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">T<\/strong>he devil is in the detail with PS\u2019 lyrical output; tracks like \u2018Induction\u2019 vividly articulate the rapper\u2019s experiences inside, with lines that inject both comedy and hope into the bleakest of circumstances: \u201c<em>I\u2019m rocking prison issue clothing like the newest drip\u2026 I\u2019ll be by the fences with my dogs talking about bigger shit<\/em>\u201c. On \u2018Glorified Gangster\u2019, he dissects the contradictions of his character with sharp lyrics like \u201c<em>I be bopping around like I\u2019m not on tag \/ Still I\u2019m helping out women with their shopping bag<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Across the album and in conversation, the drive to make the best of a tumultuous situation is clear. PS confronts past mistakes and current attempts to deal with them in lines like \u201c<em>I went to war PTSD for what I\u2019ve done in life<\/em>\u201d (\u2018Free Your Mind\u2019), while honest spoken word skits like \u2018Equation\u2019 and \u2018Frontal Lobe\u2019 (where PS asserts \u201c<em>I\u2019m a different person<\/em>\u201c) feel like a firm commitment to maturing and prospering.<\/p>\n<p>Still, there are traces of regret, most notably on the highly rhythmic bop \u2018Coulda Woulda Shoulda\u2019, where he raps \u201c<em>I coulda been this, I shoulda been that \/ I coulda still been on the corner\u2026 Came out of pen but it coulda been uni \/ Could be an actor, still hitting movies\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re growing up, you spend the whole time fighting to get out of the hood, but now I\u2019m desperate to go back there, and I\u2019m not allowed\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The track\u2019s music video \u2013 the work of visual artist and director Billy Howard Price, a close collaborator who\u2019s added a real punch and storytelling edge to the rapper\u2019s visuals in recent months \u2013 distils how different things are now for PS. Wearing a bright yellow jacket that cuts across the grey river sloshing behind, he stands on the northern banks of the Thames and looks toward south London, a place he\u2019s currently barred from entering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have massive restriction zones [due to being on license],\u201d he says. \u201cI can\u2019t go to any postcodes beginning with \u2018S\u2019. I can\u2019t visit any of my family or friends. Every day when I leave the house I can\u2019t escape the implications of my punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Right now PS is living in Kent, and initially he\u2019s reluctant to talk about how difficult he\u2019s found that separation from his old blocks, responding unconvincingly: \u201cI try not to notice it.\u201d Eventually he opens up: \u201cIt\u2019s weird, \u2018cause when you\u2019re growing up, you spend the whole time wishing and fighting to get out of the hood, but now I\u2019m desperate to go back there, and I\u2019m not allowed. Then with prison, you spend so long living by rules, routines and restrictions that parts of it stay with you. You almost have to teach yourself how to live again.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959522\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959522\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PS-Hitsquad-1-Photo-credit-Simon-Wheatley.jpg\" alt=\"PS Hitsquad\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2884\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959522\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PS Hitsquad. Credit: Simon Wheatley. Stylist: Shammi Popat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The value of \u2018Life on License\u2019 is the honesty with which PS documents this experience of de-institutionalising himself and re-learning how to function healthily. His murky beats, cut-throat vocal tone and long-standing commitment to social documentation ensure a sense of continuation from those heady days of early UK drill that he played such a key role in; but in terms of sonics, world-building, and personality, an impressive evolution has taken place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMusic\u2019s helped me because it\u2019s somewhere I can actually process everything instead of just carrying it. I\u2019m trying to build something now instead of just surviving day to day,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m not pretending I\u2019ve got everything figured out because I definitely haven\u2019t. But I\u2019m definitely growing up and figuring shit out. I\u2019m trying to move forward instead of being trapped by who I used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>PS Hitsquad\u2019s \u2018Life On License\u2019 is out now via House Anxiety.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Drill<\/li>\n<li>PS Hitsquad<\/li>\n<li>Rap<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_content td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row tdc-element-style\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-block td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-custom-spot tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_93\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_94  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_96  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_98  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_100  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_102 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_103 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_103\">\n<div id=\"tdi_103\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">EsDeeKid announces massive 2026 \u2018Council House Rat\u2019 world tour across UK, Europe and North America<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Jay-Z adds more London and Los Angeles shows to 30th anniversary tour<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Brooklyn street named after Wu-Tang Clan icon Ol\u2019 Dirty Bastard<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">50 Cent reveals Eminem and 2Pac collaboration for \u2018Street Fighter\u2019 soundtrack<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">D4vd murder case investigators testify that 13-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was pregnant before her death<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Travis Scott arrived on \u2018The Odyssey\u2019 set every day at 5am so he could shadow Christopher Nolan and learn how to use a camera<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_104\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_105  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_107  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_109 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">L<\/strong>ooking back, the dark, claustrophobic brand of UK drill pioneered by Peckham collective Zone 2 in the late 2010s is miles away from the more sanitised and commercial offshoots of the genre that have blown up in the years since. With members facing prison sentences, others fading into obscurity, and the likes of Kwengface and PS Hitsquad only recently finding success with solo pursuits, the group burned bright and fast; but their role in pushing UK drill into the mainstream is undeniable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI see our influence in a lot of places, and it\u2019s truly humbling,\u201d PS tells <em>NME<\/em> over video call following the release of his debut album \u2018Life on License\u2019 earlier this month. \u201cRight now there\u2019s hella subgenres of drill, but you\u2019ve gotta evolve with the times, and that\u2019s what post-drill is about. There\u2019s a bit of everything in there.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Post-drill, a rough conceptual label that\u2019s been attached to PS Hitsquad\u2019s recent creations, takes centre stage on the 26-year-old\u2019s debut. It weaves in the suffocating menace that defined early beats by pioneering UK drill producer Carns Hill, adds bumpy percussive club elements that align with artists like UK jersey drill artist Pozer, and at times lightens things with nods to the crowded, pitched-up textures favoured by new gen rappers like Jim Legxacy.<\/p>\n<p>PS brings these wide-ranging sonics together with a sharp, crisp vocal tone and a commitment to powerful, emotive storytelling. One of several factors that prevented other early UK drill pioneers from cementing firmer, more widely respected positions within British rap culture was a lack of cohesive, thoughtfully constructed LPs or projects. With help from indie label House Anxiety and an ambitious team that includes visionary manager Ian McQuaid (Tim and Barry) \u2013 \u201cEveryone around me has been pushing me to think bigger,\u201d he says \u2013 PS was intent on addressing this scarcity and \u201cbuilding something timeless instead of just another moment\u201d.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PS Hitsquad - Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda (Official Music Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nA3FvQNlOXM?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>He explains: \u201cThe last thing I wanted was to just put together a bunch of random songs. I wanted every song to feed into the next one, and into an overall narrative, like chapters in one story. People know bits of my life from headlines or YouTube clips, but they don\u2019t really know what it\u2019s like mentally. The trauma, prison, coming home, getting banged up again, trying to change, fucking up, still carrying certain things with you. I feel like I\u2019ve lived my whole life on license. I wanted people to go through all of that with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap\">T<\/strong>he devil is in the detail with PS\u2019 lyrical output; tracks like \u2018Induction\u2019 vividly articulate the rapper\u2019s experiences inside, with lines that inject both comedy and hope into the bleakest of circumstances: \u201c<em>I\u2019m rocking prison issue clothing like the newest drip\u2026 I\u2019ll be by the fences with my dogs talking about bigger shit<\/em>\u201c. On \u2018Glorified Gangster\u2019, he dissects the contradictions of his character with sharp lyrics like \u201c<em>I be bopping around like I\u2019m not on tag \/ Still I\u2019m helping out women with their shopping bag<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Across the album and in conversation, the drive to make the best of a tumultuous situation is clear. PS confronts past mistakes and current attempts to deal with them in lines like \u201c<em>I went to war PTSD for what I\u2019ve done in life<\/em>\u201d (\u2018Free Your Mind\u2019), while honest spoken word skits like \u2018Equation\u2019 and \u2018Frontal Lobe\u2019 (where PS asserts \u201c<em>I\u2019m a different person<\/em>\u201c) feel like a firm commitment to maturing and prospering.<\/p>\n<p>Still, there are traces of regret, most notably on the highly rhythmic bop \u2018Coulda Woulda Shoulda\u2019, where he raps \u201c<em>I coulda been this, I shoulda been that \/ I coulda still been on the corner\u2026 Came out of pen but it coulda been uni \/ Could be an actor, still hitting movies\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re growing up, you spend the whole time fighting to get out of the hood, but now I\u2019m desperate to go back there, and I\u2019m not allowed\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The track\u2019s music video \u2013 the work of visual artist and director Billy Howard Price, a close collaborator who\u2019s added a real punch and storytelling edge to the rapper\u2019s visuals in recent months \u2013 distils how different things are now for PS. Wearing a bright yellow jacket that cuts across the grey river sloshing behind, he stands on the northern banks of the Thames and looks toward south London, a place he\u2019s currently barred from entering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have massive restriction zones [due to being on license],\u201d he says. \u201cI can\u2019t go to any postcodes beginning with \u2018S\u2019. I can\u2019t visit any of my family or friends. Every day when I leave the house I can\u2019t escape the implications of my punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Right now PS is living in Kent, and initially he\u2019s reluctant to talk about how difficult he\u2019s found that separation from his old blocks, responding unconvincingly: \u201cI try not to notice it.\u201d Eventually he opens up: \u201cIt\u2019s weird, \u2018cause when you\u2019re growing up, you spend the whole time wishing and fighting to get out of the hood, but now I\u2019m desperate to go back there, and I\u2019m not allowed. Then with prison, you spend so long living by rules, routines and restrictions that parts of it stay with you. You almost have to teach yourself how to live again.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959522\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959522\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PS-Hitsquad-1-Photo-credit-Simon-Wheatley.jpg\" alt=\"PS Hitsquad\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2884\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959522\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PS Hitsquad. Credit: Simon Wheatley. Stylist: Shammi Popat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The value of \u2018Life on License\u2019 is the honesty with which PS documents this experience of de-institutionalising himself and re-learning how to function healthily. His murky beats, cut-throat vocal tone and long-standing commitment to social documentation ensure a sense of continuation from those heady days of early UK drill that he played such a key role in; but in terms of sonics, world-building, and personality, an impressive evolution has taken place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMusic\u2019s helped me because it\u2019s somewhere I can actually process everything instead of just carrying it. I\u2019m trying to build something now instead of just surviving day to day,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m not pretending I\u2019ve got everything figured out because I definitely haven\u2019t. But I\u2019m definitely growing up and figuring shit out. I\u2019m trying to move forward instead of being trapped by who I used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>PS Hitsquad\u2019s \u2018Life On License\u2019 is out now via House Anxiety.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/music-interviews\/ps-hitsquad-life-on-license-interview-radar-3959517&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PS-Hitsquad-Photo-credit-Simon-Wheatley.jpeg&#8221;] FeaturesMusic Interviews UK drill pioneer PS Hitsquad on his solo debut: \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve spent my whole life on license\u201d The former Zone 2 member&#8217;s debut album documents his experiences of incarceration, becoming institutionalised and &#8220;learning how to live again&#8221; By Fred Garratt-Stanley 29th July 2026 PS Hitsquad. Credit: Simon Wheatley. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2067823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2067823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067823\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2067823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2067823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2067823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}