Brit-ish managed to catch up with
one of the UKs hottest underground freestyle MCs fresh from his success at one
of the UKs biggest open mic events and got him to give us the lowdown on what it
is all about for him. Rather than go on here you can read for yourselves what he
had to say....
 How old are you?
18 years old.
Where are you from?
I was born in upstate New York but only lived there till I was about 4.
For most of my life I lived in a
suburb in Columbus, Ohio. Then at age 15 I moved to London with my
parents and honestly that's what I consider home. I
mean, I matured and grew both as a person and as an emcee the most
during my stay in the UK. In Ohio most kids in my position led pretty
sheltered
lifestyles so I was really fortunate to come over here and experience
the culture.
What do you think about London as a city and Hip Hop scene? Any favorite spots (clubs, shops, hang-out spots)?
I think London is just bottom line a diverse city that has more to
offer than what most people expect. There's a lot of undiscovered
talent over here and
we just need people to search harder and recognize. As a city though, I
think there's a lot of misinterpretations about London and the UK in
general. I
mean, in America if you mention London to the average person they'll
immediately think of the Queen, Buckingham Palace, tea and crumpets and
shit
like that. It's pretty pathetic, ya know what I mean... like in terms
of the stereotypes and all of that. If you told an American that
there's council
estates, guns, and drugs over here they probably wouldn't believe you.
But that just shows the state other societies are in nowadays, you know
what
I mean... people don't know what's going on outside their own little
worlds. I ain't saying we should be given props over here just because
we're as
hardcore as heads state-side and go through just as much "street shit",
I'm just saying people should know the true story, ya know. Too many
myths being
spread ya know what I mean. The thing with me though is I've attended
American High School over here as well, so I've had a pretty strange
balance
of hanging around with upper class kids from the states and then with
my British bredrins who have basically shown me the streets. In turn
though,
I've been able to learn a lot about different types of people and
cultures. Apart from that, as a scene, there's a lot of hot spots over
here. Subterania
is probably the best hip hop club. I'm also feeling places like Gass
Club, WKD, Scala, etc. Used to go to
Camouflage and Hanover Grand. Ocean is a proper nice venue. When Deal
Real Records was open that was a cool place to
go and chill and cypher with heads on the weekends, same with Dark N
Cold.
OK, let us know more about the different members of your crew are and who they are associated with?
The first person I really connected with was Therapist. That was in
'98. He's a dope emcee from Walthamstow. For about a year or so we were
a duo called
The Natural but really didn't do anything on a professional level so we
both went solo but remained bredrins. After that though, I hooked up
with people
like Cane who introduced me to Malarchi at his studio. A few heads like
The Planets, Sincere, and Grimlock took notice of me when I first
started doing
open mics and shit. The first year though everyone else would always be
telling me and Therapist about how we needed to link up with Reveal
since he
was one of the only other up-and-coming emcees at the time who was our
age. We linked up with him soon after that and me and Revs have been
tight for the
last few years now. I've learned a lot from him as an emcee (especially
about battling) and we're good bredrins as well.
Once I had that small foundation though I just started meeting other
people through my peeps. Mans like Skinnyman, Chester P, Apollo,
Mystro, Jargon... the list goes on and on. I met DJ Excalibah about two
years ago and
ever since then I've become a frequent co-host of his hip hop show
Tales from the Legend on Juice FM (every
Wednesday, 8-10PM, 102.5FM). There was period in 2000 where I really
worked on honing my skills and that's when more people
started taking notice and I linked up with even more people. Troy
Scalpels and I have been tight since we met at an open mic about a year
ago. Me and
Malarchi got to know each other better and chill a lot in both of our
manors and eventually came together as the duo Perfect Strangers.
Through him, I've
grown pretty close to the whole Gemtoy crew... mans like Roy the Dark
Disciple, Slaunye from Shadow Cabinet, Gem, etc. They're safe people,
for
real.
When did you first hear Hip Hop and how did you come to get into it?
I first heard hip hop when I was about 5 years old. I grew up in a
pretty wealthy upper-class society so I still feel blessed that I was
lucky enough
the get into hip hop. Fortunately, I had my older brother and cousins
around me when I was nuff young and that was right around the time hip
hop was
getting big in the late 80's. I just remember hearing shit like Biz
Markie, LL Cool J, NWA, Rakim, Kid N
Play... all that shit when I was growing up. So a
few years after that I would just start getting my own tapes after I
heard people like NWA, EPMD, Naughty by Nature, Too $hort and mans like
them either
on radio or MTV. Around 8 years old I started rhyming, but just through
freestyling. I guess I was just around rap and hearing it so much it
just seemed natural at the time to spit. Plus, rap was just different
and I
enjoyed the beats and music aspect of it. Lyrically, I just felt emcees
were doing some dope poetic shit. But when artists like Wu-Tang, Nas,
Biggie,
Smif-n-Wessun, Dr. Dre & Deathrow, and all them were getting big
around '93 and '94, that's when I proper got into it. I pretty much
left basketball and
all the other shit I used to be into behind and just got into writing
more. I probably got hundreds of tapes from around '92 to '95. I went
to public
school in the states so there was a wide range of people attending. You
had the wealthiest kids from rich families and then proper poor kids
from
government housing and that. So there were always some people around me
who were into hip hop or who rhymed, but still, I couldn't fully relate
to what
most rappers were saying until I got to the UK. That's when things took
off.
How do you feel about UK hip hop? Obviously the press is giving it a
bit of coverage at the moment, do you think it can keep growing from
here?
The thing I always say about UK Hip Hop is that there's more talent
over here and the scene is better. I mean, in the states it's true that
at least
there's a market and people are making a living off this music thing,
but because of that there's a lot of big ego's and heavier competition.
Over
here, the majority of people who do this are purely doing it for the
love and dedication to the art, you know what I mean. People are
truly hungry over here and they deserve to be recognized, ya know. But
still, I think there's
too much complaining and hate that's going around. Even though there's
a sense of unity and everyone seems to know each other, there's too
many mans
going on too fed up and aggravated. True, we've been looked down upon
for a while over here but still, at the end of the day, complaining
isn't going to
accomplish anything. Plus, if you make underground music then why would
you expect it to sell as well as a commercial record? People gotta
realize that
making commercial/mainstream records doesn't necessarily mean selling
out ya know. Look at brares like Eminem or Jay-Z who are still
improving as emcees
but sell crazy units. Basically, as long as you keep the skill and
integrity in tact while staying true to yourself, there's nothing wrong
with "going
commercial." I mean, mans gotta put food on the table so it's just time
to move forward and elevate. None of us are really at the point where
we can
look back and say, "Yeah, we've reached the top." And we gotta realize
the scale we're working with too. Gotta stop thinking about being
satisfied once
we get props from London and the UK...this shit is worldwide, ya get
me. That's why I don't look at this as British Hip Hop, I just look at
it as Hip
Hop that's British. Calling it British Hip Hop is just categorizing.
Lastly, people have to realize what they're capable of doing on their
own ya know,
instead of waiting around for A&R's or labels. If you get up and
work, get some money together, there's a lot you can do within this
game. Some people
may say who am I to say all this, but this is just my opinion ya know
what I mean.
Who are the UK artists you listen to and admire?
It might seem biased, but I rate most of the artists that I'm
personally cool with. People like Reveal, Therapist, Mystro, Grimlock,
Jargon & MI5, Doc
Brown. Those are people that when I hear it makes me wanna write...ya
know, inspiring bottom line. Troy Scalpels is definitely one of the
nicest emcees
I've heard from anywhere, and heads ain't ready for his new shit, haha,
for real. Just be prepared for top notch lyricism, that's all I'm
saying. Also, T
Dangerous is another best emcees I've heard anywhere, let alone the UK.
But those are all the ones I'm bredrins with as well, ya know. I'm also
feelings
artists like Task Force, Jehst, Universal Soldiers, Out Da Ville, etc.
There's a lot of dope people out right now doing their thing. Plus, I
respect
the older heads like Rodney P, Gunshot, Skinnyman, etc. for just
opening doors in the beginning and still being able to make dope
product. In addition
to the emcees there's a lot of nice producers. Mans like Skitz, Nappa,
Task Force, Dark Disciple, Blufoot, etc. I'm working with a few others
and making
beats myself now as well.
Outside the UK, or Hip Hop even, do you have other favorite artists?
State-side, I'm feeling cats like Eminem, Canibus, Big L, Sticky
Fingaz, Jay-Z, Wordsworth, Ras Kass, etc. The lyrical ones, ya know.
Jojo Pellegrino
and Rise from Demigodz are two newcomers I've been impressed by lately.
They've been coming with a lot of hot shit recently...two guys to watch
out
for. For a while I used to limit myself to only the underground but
eventually realized I should just recognize talent, period. I got a
wide
variety of music I listen to but what I listen to is different from
what I truly
respect and am inspired by. Honestly, I like to party and hit the club
a lot, and shit like Nelly and Puffy and all that is good when you're
on the
dancefloor, ya get me. That's what those people do best, ya know...make
people dance. In my opinion, they're not claiming to be some amazing
lyrical
emcees, they just wanna make people party. So I think haters should
just let em do their thing ya know what I mean. But the shit I respect
and get
inspired by is when an emcee like Em or Canibus drop an incredible
punchline or when Mobb Deep or Kool G Rap kick some ill street shit.
The shit that
takes a gift to write and is actually impressive. Outside of hip hop I
listen to artists like D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Olu. Relaxing stuff. I'm
not really
into the whole rock/rap thing but I think groups like Hed PE & Rage
are decent.
If people know of you it will probably be through your freestyling at
open mic events. Over the years where have you performed and how did
those shows
go?
The last two years I've done more shows then I can possibly remember.
The first open mics I ever did though were probably the Homegrown ones
and the
ones at Deal Real. Just doing those along with cyphers at places like
Dark N Cold and even having sessions at mans houses I learned a lot
about emceeing
as far as delivery, flow, and what impresses people. I've done open
mics at Lyrical Lounge (Jazz Cafe, Scala), Opium, Spread Love, WKD,
etc. The open
mics I've done don't really stick out in my mind. I've done a lot of
nice shows though. The Word Association (Big Up to Crystal!) always had
me perform
at their nights. There's been five of those; two at the Indo Bar, one
at Orange Room, the 291 Gallery, and Ocean. Those always take in hype
crowds.
Malarchi and I have done shows at Hanover Grand, Ocean, Mass, and this
place in Tuffnell Park recently where I performed in front of my entire
school.
Even though that wasn't a hip hop crowd, it's probably the show I'm
most proud of because kids I wasn't really safe with before and who
weren't into
rap were giving me props afterwards cuz they said they could really see
that I was determined and talented...all saying that I'll end up going
far with
this...and that's something I can really appreciate...when I can reach
different types of audiences.
Obviously you had some success at the Battle Scars tournament. Do you think your
position was justified?
I was definitely happy about April's Battle Scars. In the first one in January I
had to go up against a female emcee and ended up "losing." I obviously
thought I was robbed and that's not being biased towards myself but it's because
I honestly thought I was coming better lyric for lyric. Rather than bitch and
moan about it though, I just kept my mouth shut, went back and worked on the
skills to come back during the April competition to prove that the first time
was a fluke. I honestly wasn't actually concerned with winning, but more of just
proving a point and earning respect. I didn't really prepare for the second one
or write any rhymes ahead of time so it wasn't really on my mind until the
night... which was nice because I wasn't nervous or anxious when the night came.
As far as that night, I'm just very thankful that I won. I basically went
through each round not thinking of the next one... just concentrating on taking
out each emcee one by one. I eliminated the crowd, the prize money and all that
from my head so I was pretty relaxed but focused. Battling Reveal was madness
since we're bredrins and all. We'd battled before but only at his yard and shit
like that, so it was kinda awkward. But, we knew that whoever won between us, it
would be all good and no beef. That final round I fed off of his aggression and
energy on stage to just turn his lyrics around and flip them back at him. I
think I came off real laid back which I was trying to do... make it look like I
didn't really have to use any effort to win ya know what I mean. After I won
that though, I got a shitload of attention and all that, but still, even if I
look back at the tape of it now I'd say I was unimpressed with my performance.
And that makes me happy because Battle Scars didn't leave me satisfied ya
know...it just pushed me harder and motivated me to keep going, ya get me...raise my own standard and up the scales.
Who would you fear as a battle MC?
Honestly, I'm not afraid of anyone as a battle MC. And that's not
arrogance it's just confidence ya know what I mean. I try to keep
myself at a level
where I can say I'm writing or spitting shit that's better than
anything else I'm hearing. If I can't say that to myself it's not good
enough. So I'm
really a perfectionist and my own standards are extremely high. Always
been
hungry... I remember when I used to write 5 verses a day a few years
(no way I
do that now though, haha). And that's just practice ya know what I
mean. But now, I think it's better to battle emcees that are doper than
most. Cuz
taking out someone you already know you're better than isn't really
gonna do anything for you or improve your skills. Personally, when I'm
battling I feed
off of whatever my opponent is throwing at me. So if I'm battling a
proper nice rapper, that's gonna get my adrenaline rushing and just
make me work
harder, which I think is better for me as an emcee and also ends up
being a lot more fun.
Where can people catch you ripping the mic? Do you host any nights or get down on the regular?
Well if you see a mic that's anywhere near me it's gonna get burnt.
Haha, nah jokes, but
serious... I'm kinda slowing down on the open mics and all that,
getting more into shows and bigger things ya know what I mean. I feel
I've paid my dues and went through the effort of getting my name out
and now it's
just time to try and build on that. Still though, another part of why
I'm leaving open mics alone is cuz I think the standard has dropped a
bit. I
remember when every open mic was just full of tight emcees who would
usually leave most mans scared to spit after them. I don't see that
much anymore.
Nowadays it's a lot more newcomers and mediocre cats stepping up. I
mean, they gotta start somewhere too I guess but at the end of day I
wanna be
accomplishing goals and moving forward instead of staying in the same
spot. It's not being arrogant or anything or saying that I'm above
them, but I just
don't get excited or inspired to rhyme so much at open mics anymore, at
least over here. That's just a matter of opinion. But trust, if there's
a dope
emcee ripping an open mic, guaranteed you'll see me come up after him,
haha.
Are you looking to get a demo out and maybe get a record deal?
I've got a lot of old demo's and literally thousands of lyrics
accumulated but basically the first thing that's coming out for me is a
track I recently
finished with the Nextmen called "Global Warming" for their next album.
They heard me at the first Battle Scars then said they wanted to do
some work
together. It was just a big opportunity for me being as the record will
come out state-side as well through a major label. But they ended up
giving me a
lot of freedom when it came to the material. That track is just some of
my nicer punchline shit, pure lyrics. I wanted the track to be
something that'll
leave people saying, "Did you hear what Kera just said?" ya know. And I
try to blaze everything I get on so I knew I had to make this track
extra sharp
being as it's gonna be heard by a lot of heads. Just two 32-bar verses
of fire. The b-side is a track called "Fallen" featuring Est'elle.
We're working
on that at the moment. That's more of a relationship track about what a
guy goes through when he actually encounters a girl he has feelings for
but
doesn't really get the same in return. It's gonna catch a lot of people
off-guard, but it's some deep shit and written from experience so I'm
hoping
it'll do well and show that I have versatility. I also got two tracks
on the Dark Disciple's upcoming album, one solo cut "Euology" and then
a future
single called "Lensmen" featuring Slaunye and Malarchi. In addition to
those, I got tracks in the works with Malarchi, Reveal, Skinnyman,
Grimlock, Natural
Born Spittaz, and a few other artists. What's mad though is that I'm
gonna be going back to the states soon. So basically I'm gonna wait and
see how these
records do and take it from there ya know what I mean.
What artists would you like to work with perhaps to produce for you or just to collaborate with?
In the UK I've pretty much worked with or am working with almost
everyone I'd like to collaborate with. That's just through networking
during the past few
years and getting to know bare cats. Most artists I work with thought I
know as people as well, which is very important to me cuz I have to get
along with
whoever I'm making material with ya know. It helps when you can admire
someone as an artist and plus as an individual and makes it easier to
come up
with some dope shit. State-side I guess it'd be nice to work with most
of the rappers I mentioned earlier. When I go back later this year I'm
hopefully
gonna connect with Canibus so I'll have to see what happens.
Producer-wise I'd just love to bless a Premier beat. He's pretty much
uncomparable when it
comes to making raw shit to spit over (most people know that by now I
guess). I'm also feeling the other obvious mans like Rza, Dre,
Alchemist, Pete Rock,
Beatminerz. I'd really like to get on some Hi-Tek beats as well. I
think he's one of the nicest at the moment, plus he's from Ohio, haha.
I think Timbaland
is definitely a musical genius and bare heads are failing to recognize
that he's well ahead of what most people are doing. I was impressed by
Eminem's
production. Havoc, Beatnuts, Neptunes...the list just goes on and on in
the states. I think that's mostly due to the resources available to
them over
there though. UK could easily be at same point in a couple years.
How do you feel about British society and some of the problems/issues happening in London at the moment?
I think there's definitely a lot of tension and problems going on
within London. Although it's a whole lot more diverse than places like
NYC or LA,
there's still nuff racism and it's still a pretty messed up
class-oriented society. It's just sad to see the police and the
government looking down upon
a lot of the lower class over here. People gotta understand that
everyone in London ain't living lovely. The youths coming up today are
just getting
cheated because the system isn't offering them enough opportunities or
making sure there's enough positive influences in their lives ya know
what I mean.
That's probably why you see bare youths just going on mad shit now cuz
they have nowhere to turn to ya know that I mean. It's always the same
story.
There's just a lot of anger and aggression stored up in the urban
youth. And I ain't trying to come off as revolutionary but I'm just
saying that the
people in higher positions need to realize how much the upcoming
generations are being damaged ya know what I mean. And I don't know how
to fix the
problem, but I believe it'll only help if you make an effort to try and
get people to wake up to the bullshit.
Moving on, what is going to be keeping you busy over the next few months?
At the very end of August I'm going back to the states (Boston, on the
East Coast) to study and go to uni. I'm attending a
communications / media school so
I'm looking to learn a lot over there. And I mean, I can't just rely on
hip hop as a career just yet ya know what I mean. And plus, I've just
been
blessed with nuff opportunities and uni is one of those, so why let it
go to waste. Just trying to make my future secure. As far as the UK
though, I'll be
coming back a lot... during Christmas and every summer. Hoping to move
back once I finish uni.
In the longer term what do you see happening to you as an artist? What are your hopes and aspirations?
As an artist, who knows what'll happen. My one main goal at the end of
the day though is to just get to a point where I'm making a living off
this hip
hop shit. That would be a dream come true ya know. Getting paid off of
doing the one thing I actually love doing and possibly the only thing
I've gotten
into purely on my own initiative and worked at primarily alone. I
honestly do want the money, fame,
girls... ya know, all that shit. But along with that I
just have to keep the skill progressing and stay true to myself.
Without that it wouldn't mean anything. But bottom line I'm just tired
of hearing all
these underground heads complaining about commercial cats "selling out"
and all that bullshit, cuz they know they wouldn't be complaining if
they were in
that position. I mean, ya don't have to fake it and act like a gangster
or anything like that, but what's wrong with having fine girls in your
videos
and buying cars and mansions if you're able to? Ya get me... there's
nothing wrong with that if it's actually you and you deserve it. I
ain't about
dressing up in some flashy shit and doing corny videos in nightclubs
sipping Cristal and shit like that cuz that's not what I do on the
regular. But
still, luxury would be nice. And plus, I like women, getting lean, and
partying in hot spots in addition to just chilling and taking it easy
in the
streets, so that's what I would reflect. Well, don't wanna get too
carried
away... Also I hope I'll eventually inspire younger people with what I
do in
the same way that rappers inspired me when I was little. Ya know...
show people that you can do what you want to, believe in yourself and
to prove it
doesn't matter where you're from or whatever. Just use your talents.
Apart from that I'd love to see UK Hip Hop reach the point where US Hip
Hop
is and to see all the heads over here finally get some long deserved
credit. I mean, those are the people that inspired me, so it's only
right that they
get rewarded.
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
Not really, ya know. I think I've made all my answers way too long already,
haha.
Is there anyone else you would like to mention?
Big Up to all my crew, emcees, family and the rest of my bredrins...you
know who you are. Big Up to everyone doing their thing in UK Hip Hop
and Hip Hop
worldwide. Don't give up y'all. I'd like to send a shout out to all the
sexy ladies that are on my jock and will be on my jock in the future,
haha. Keep
it up. Mad props to Brit-ish for letting me do this and nuff respect to
anyone that took the time to read this long-ass interview. Love is love
ya
know. And lastly, Thank You to anyone that's ever given me support or
better yet brought negativity into my life and motivated
me... y'all are the ones
that keep me going. Peace
Can you kick a quick rhyme for the readers?
The assassin is here, verbally passing my years
I should stop writing, I have enough verses to last a career
The way my mind thinks, I'm coaching this shit, I'm above game
A bedroom rapper, only in the halls if they're "of Fame"
I step on stage, that's when the ovation starts
Emcees bite my style so much when they write every bar needs quotation marks
Colder than glaciers with competitive nature
Putting money on me in battles is a repetitive wager
The most furthest, outshining me is basically worthless
It won't happen, I've killed more "mics" than Jamie Lee Curtis
Even people who hate rap are respecting my name
I plan to get more airplay than a pilot who has sex in his plane
Got my shit God, for hoes with the dough I keep my dick hard
I spit bars and I'm outta this world, I think I miss Mars
Like Nintendo games you get played, I beat you in spurts
Like windowpanes, y'all rappers are so see-through it hurts
What you hoping for? Probably me, I'm the one you don't ignore
I got more freestyles than a Salvation Army clothing store
I'm flowing more than anyone with tired faces
You can't bring anything new to the table, like a retired waitress
In terms of girls I'm in desired places
My mouth's on fire, and I won't stop rhyming till the entire place is
Admired phrases created, my spit soaking
Stopped using cigarettes but due to mics, I haven't quit smoking
Thank you very much to Kerosene
for your interesting and detailed answers. Everyone here wishes you the best in
your studies and for your rhymes.
Email:
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