The Producer's Paradox: How Quincy Tell Em Is Rewriting the Rules of UK Trap-Wave.

There's something fascinating about watching the guy who's been pulling all the strings finally step into the spotlight himself. For the better part of a decade, Quincy Tell Em has been the invisible hand guiding some of the UK's most defining trap-wave moments, his signature tag "Quincy Tell Em" becoming as recognisable as the artists who rap over his beats. But with the release of his debut mixtape 'Make Wave Great Again', the North-West London producer is doing something that few in his position dare to attempt: he's stepping into the spotlight himself.

The transition from producer to artist is notorious territory. Going from making beats to being the face of the music? That's a completely different game. Yet Quincy's approach feels different, more considered, more authentic to who he is as both a creative force and a cultural architect. It's the natural evolution of someone who has spent years understanding not just how to make hits, but how to build movements.

'Make Wave Great Again' arrives at a fascinating inflection point in UK rap. The trap-wave sound that Quincy helped pioneer alongside artists like M Huncho and Nafe Smallz has been somewhat overshadowed by the meteoric rise of drill and the mainstream crossover success of artists like Central Cee and Dave. Instead of jumping on whatever's hot right now, Quincy's doing something way more interesting - he's connecting the classic UK trap-wave sound with where it's heading next.

The mixtape's title might look like he's just having a laugh with that political slogan, but there's something deeper going on here. When Quincy talks about making wave great again, he's not suggesting that the genre ever stopped being great. Instead, he's acknowledging that in an increasingly fragmented music landscape, certain sounds and scenes can lose their visibility, their platform, their moment in the sun. 'Make Wave Great Again' is Quincy's attempt to reclaim that space, to remind people why they fell in love with this sound in the first place while simultaneously pushing it forward.

The creation process itself tells a story about how Quincy approaches collaboration and community building. Rather than sending beats via email or working through intermediaries, he organised a five-day recording camp in Oxford, bringing together artists from different generations and career stages to create something organic and immediate. This old-school approach to making music, where artists are in the same room feeding off each other's energy, feels almost revolutionary in an era of bedroom producers and remote collaborations.

The guest list is basically a UK trap-wave hall of fame, but what makes it work is how he's mixed the big names with the up-and-coming artists. M Huncho and Nafe Smallz bring their proven star power and devoted fanbases, while artists like Laicositna, Kilo Jugg, and Cal1sto represent the next wave of talent. It's a calculated move that serves multiple purposes: it gives the newer artists exposure to established audiences while showing that the veterans are still invested in the scene's future.

His role has always been about curation, about bringing the right artists together with the right sounds at the right time. Now he's simply expanding that role to include his own voice in the conversation. The focus single 'Patience' featuring M Huncho and Kilo Jugg exemplifies this approach perfectly. It's unmistakably a Quincy Tell Em production, with those signature rolling 808s and atmospheric textures that have become his calling card. But it also showcases his ear for pairing artists, with M Honcho's established melodic sensibilities complementing Kilo Jugg's organic energy.

The timing of this transition also feels significant. At a moment when the music industry is increasingly dominated by algorithm-driven playlists and viral moments, Quincy is betting on something more fundamental: the power of good music and real  relationships. His approach to building his artist career mirrors how he built his production career, through genuine connections and consistent quality rather than gimmicks or manufactured controversy.

'Make Wave Great Again' ultimately represents more than just a career pivot for Quincy Tell Em.

It's a statement about the value of artistic evolution, the importance of supporting emerging talent, and the power of well-placed music to create connections between artists and audiences.