Frazer

Frazer is a Brighton head who, although he hasn’t got a release out at the moment is making quite a name for himself and has gained the attention of 1Xtra listeners by winning Unsigned UK Competition. Peep what he had to say to www.britishhiphop.co.uk here…

OK, let’s get straight into this. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about where you are from / coming from? Where were you born, where did you grow up & where do you live now?

Born and raised in Brighton I now live between London and Brighton I pretty much grew up around Brighton.

What is the Hip Hop scene there like?

FrazerI think UK hip hop in general is flourishing and Brighton has always loved hip hop it’s always produced good hip hop and the UK scene seems to be growing too, There’s seems to be a bit of interest in what the UK is doing now in hop hop, so the more success people like the Streets, Plan B etc get the better it is for opening up the hip hop market.

How would you describe yourself and how did you come by your name?

My name ummm my parents gave me it…to describe myself in one word. That would be –Agitated.

So talk us through your recording career so far. Have you had any records out in the past or collaborated with other artists?

Just finishing my album just now, so I haven’t released anything yet so everything’s fresh at the moment, I’m just taking my time and enjoying writing tracks.

What sort of a response do you get from the rest of the country, and are there regional differences you can discern? Are there any reasons for this?

The response has been great from all over the country; People are really open to hearing UK hip hop music worldwide,  I get a lot of messages from people in America etc they seem to like the accent and flow etc, maybe its something different for them and the uk is really supportive.

Who are your influences? What is it about them you like?

Jehst he has a great way with words very poetic, Braintax very imaginative lyrics, Kaiser I think he has a little aggression in his voice which I like, and again good with words, Tu Pac, do you really need to ask how great he was and Blackalicious, Gift Of Gab from Blackalicious is just one of the best.

What music are you listening to at the moment?

Loads of stuff everything all kinds of music not just hip hop from folk music to grime to rock to regular radio I like to soak it all up.

How long have you been involved in music?

I have been writing lyrics for about 10 years and making music seriously for about the past two years.

I hear you won the unsigned UK comp on 1xtra 3 weeks running. Can you tell us about that experience and what has come of it?

FrazerThat was great XFM started playing my tracks from that and I sighed my publishing deal and it added to more people being aware of what I was doing, and it’s great to get support from 1Xtra and XFM, it’s all been very positive, considering I haven’t released anything yet.

Now you are also doing a guest rap on a track by an artist signed to Tommy Boy in the states. Who is that and when can we expect to hear the results?

It’s a girl called Ida Corr from Denmark she’s crazy mad funky and the track is wicked so hopefully we will hear the results later in the year, so my first official release could be on Tommy Boy records which would mad cool.

How do you feel about the current state of UK hip hop? Do you object to being categorized in this way?

UK hip hop is getting bigger and bigger and the markets are growing for it, nope I don’t object to being called UK hip hop at all.

Who or what are your other influences?

Every day situations and all kinds of music influence me everyday I JUST SOAK IT ALL IN, THE ABSURDITY OF LIFE AND HOW PEOPLE ACT with each other, injustice, fun stuff, everything really.

What would you say are the 3 biggest events of your life?

Being born, graduating college (I studied drama) and recording this my first album.

When’s your new album out and what will be on it? Could you perhaps take us through some of the tracks describing the feel and what you were trying to get over in the lyrics?

The album should be out early next year, I have tried to put a lot of point of views across in this album which hopefully will have the listener thinking about things for themselves, and who knows maybe inspiring somebody to go ahead and try and chase there dreams.

Tell our readers why they should listen to you.

Why not!! It will only take a minute.

For the uninitiated, which of your single or album tracks would you highlight to others?

FrazerDouble Standards because somebody needs to say these things, Dum de Dum because it let me get out a lot of frustration at the time. Sixteen because it really sums up being sixteen and it’s a true story.

What have you learned from your recording, performing and business experiences so far? What advice would you have for anyone trying to get out there now?

Get a really good manager who can make things happen, really write about what you’re feeling you cant fake it…

How do you view the Internet? Do you think it is a useful promotional tool and a good way of getting out there and loosening the grip that the major media companies an their TV schedulers have on what is broadcast, or are there too many idiots too willing to spout a load of rubbish with no control over them?

Absolutely it means people all over the world can hear your music from the internet it brings everything together, I mean you can meet people you would never have know about otherwise, and there’s idiots in all walks of life.

Do you have any plans to get your own online presence? What would you want to achieve with that?

I have at www.myspace.com/frazer2 and www.frazer-online.com  go have a nosey.

I ask everyone about politics, because I think it is important that we have knowledge of what is going on, but most current Hip Hop heads decline to answer. I guess they don’t want to upset anyone. Do you have anything to say on that? Any issues you think people need to open their eyes too?

Me giving a view on politics is a bit like Tony Blair telling me how to write a rap, but then again I think hip hop has always reflected how things are and some people can relate to it and other’s maybe not. I just tell things how I see them and its up to other people to agree, disagree or not bother at all, music I think means different things to different people. Sometimes you just want to dance, and sometimes listen; it’s good to get a view across though but not all the time and not trying to ram it down people’s throats. It doesn’t have to be super serious all the time.

What do you make of the smoking ban that will come into effect next summer?

It’s a joke which only adds fuel to my fire.

If you could change something about society, what would it be and why?

FrazerEducation, because I don’t think kids get educated right and then get left to feel discluded, Everybody has different skills and it doesn’t have to be about your abc’s all the time.

What do you do when you are not doing Hip Hop stuff? And away from music, name one thing you’d like to do if all things were possible?

Write scripts for plays, movies, read about philosophy play video games, and go see my girlfriend.

Where can people hear your stuff?

www.myspace.com/frazer2 and www.frazer-online.com.

Where can people pick up your stuff?

There’s some free downloads on myspace and the website but other than that it’s not available yet.

OK. To wind this up, what is going to be keeping you busy over the next few months?

Finishing writing and recording the album.

What are your longer term plans and objectives?

To make some great music and all that’s involved in doing it and meeting lots of interesting people along the way  and some more of the world, Then who knows right now its all about music.

Anything else you would like to say?

Bring back vintage porn, the new stuffs rubbish, think for yourselves and get on with it.

Do your shout outs here:

Hi mum.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thanks for including me.

Frazer

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