大象传媒

1Xtra's Reece Parkinson recently had the pleasure of speaking to cult hero and undeniable national treasure Louis Theroux, who shared his thoughts on everything from how to get the best out of interviews to polyamory (which, as Louis explains, is "ethical non-monogamy" and the focus of one of Louis' three new 大象传媒 specials). Listen back now.

Reece even grilled Louis on what he thought of UK rap, grime and drill, playing Theroux some of 2018’s biggest hits like Funky Friday and Homerton B.

So, what did he think? Well, Louis was baffled by Dave's stage name ("Dave? That’s his name? He can do better than that. That’s all it is? That’s quite brave, isn’t it? Brave Dave") and didn't approve of his lyric about "shutting down Gucci" ("You don't boast about causing major delays with your shopping practices... but other than that - excellent.")

While Louis thought that Know Better by Headie One needed "someone going, 'skrrt' over the top," he saved his best bit of feedback for Unknown T, exclaiming: "Wow, that’s hot".

Despite thanking 1Xtra for "introducing me to some new music", Louis took to Twitter after the chat to joke that he actually knew all about Unknown T but was downplaying things for comic effect. Even if there are slight gaps in Theroux's knowledge of UK rap, his love of hip hop actually goes way back.

Let's revisit all the times that King Louis proved himself to be a huge rap buff...

Sure, we all know and love John Barnes' famed World In Motion rap, but if you're looking for an under-appreciated celeb-rap gem then look no further than Louis' rap battle during an episode of Weird Weekends in 2000. Theroux travelled to New Orleans to immerse himself in the world of gangsta rap, meeting members of the scene and getting mentored along the way by Mello T, Master P and Q-T-Pie.

At one point, he was invited on the radio show of local DJ Wild Wayne, engaging in a rap battle with a call-in listener live on air. It resulted in Louis rhyming "jiggle" with "wiggle" and delivering bars about his car of choice (a humble Fiat Compact) and "feelin' fine" while "sippin' some red, red wine".

Louis may have received some mixed feedback from some of the listeners, with one simply referring to his rap as "wrong", but you can't argue that some of his lyrics aren't so bad that they're good...

• You can watch the Rap episode of Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends on 大象传媒 iPlayer

, but 18 years on and Louis still knows every word of his infamous rap. Sure, it may help that there's only 14 lines to remember, and that he probably gets reminded about it at least once a week, but still, it's quite the feat - and a testament to the quality of his lyrical genius, Louis argues.

"It’s drilled into my mind. I wish I could forget it," he tells Reece, joking: "But it’s like any great lyric. Ask Jay-Z: once you’ve come up with immortal verse, it just stays with you."

Louis' love of hip hop actually predates his documentary. He's been a big fan since the 80s and has spoken in the past about subscribing to UK magazine Hip Hop Connection, where he'd send the publication letters during his younger years.

His earliest favourites were old school acts like N.W.A and Eric B. & Rakim. He told 6 Music in 2016: "I remember hearing [Eric B. & Rakim album] Paid in Full and just thinking, 'Wow'... When I heard Rakim rapping, I thought that it was really something different. The flow was complex, so were the inflections and cadences of how his words fell around the beat and the subject matter felt mysterious."

"It was a gateway to other rap. Rap felt like music that was totally new and something for us in that time and place in the late 80s. then, N.W.A. came out and gangsta rap became big and I went with that."

Louis' love of N.W.A remains so great that he recently that if he were a wrestler, his entrance theme would be their 1990 single 100 Miles and Runnin'. Just imagine how great that would be...

While Louis holds a certain nostalgic fondness for the acts that first introduced him to hip hop, he also has his finger on the pulse when it comes to modern acts. His knowledge of UK stars may be lacking but he certainly knows his stuff when it comes to our counterparts across the pond.

A recent 6 Music mix that he put together, brilliantly named 'Louis Theroux's Music To Chop Onions To', features some of the best in current US rap and RnB, including Frank Ocean, Anderson .Paak, Jidenna and DeJ Loaf. Yes, Louis loves Frank Ocean just like the rest of us.

Louis may not have known who Dave was, but he's big up on Not3s. He tweeted last year about the UK MC’s massive track Addison Lee.

"When you start a song with the line 'peng ting called Madison' you are very limited for rhymes," Louis argued, suggesting that Not3s could have also made a nod to a famous hotel chain. Other fans suggestions included as well as . Who knew so many things rhymed with Madison? Maybe it’s time for a remix...

Louis Theroux boasts such a cult following that there's even a . Speaking to Reece about his fanatical following, the ever-modest Louis said: "I'm just grateful there are people out there that enjoy the shows."

Louis described what it's like to have people wear t-shirts with his face on: "It feels very complimentary. I often think about whether I should buy one for my wife, or is that weird?". He also argued that he couldn't wear one himself because that would be like a musician wearing their own band merch.

One star who has been known to rock a Louis Theroux tribute t-shirt, though, is Stormzy, who Louis has forged a blossoming bromance with. It all started with Stormzy was pictured wearing the tee in a photo shoot, of which Theroux tweeted that he "so honoured". In the , Stormz called Louis a "G" and said that he "takes his hat off" to him. He also later tweeted that Theroux was the "GOAT", so who knows - perhaps a collab is on the cards.

A Stormzy doc narrated by Louis? Or a guest verse from Theroux on the follow-up to Gang Signs & Prayer? We’d be happy with either!

We might have to wait on that Stormzy and Louis collab, but could we get a whole album of Theroux raps? When asked a few years back whether he would be releasing a record, Louis said that he was "open to offers". You hear that, record labels? Sign him up!

• Listen to Reece Parkinson's full interview with Louis Theroux

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