It may sound dramatic, but 2003 was a historical year: the invasion of Iraq took place and the Foreign Beggars released their debut album ‘Asylum Speakers’. Since then they have been like herpes, coming back when you least expect it. So after catching up with them via World Wide Web, we spoke about why Jeremy Kyle is needed to mediate the abundance of unused tooth brushes, fanatical fans and the consequences of eating spicy food.
Janine: You guys have been involved in hip-hop, since I was a spotty teenage girl in knee high socks. If you were not making music what would you be doing with your lives?
Orifice Vulgatron (OV): if I wasn’t involved in hip hop I’d probably be involved in Metal.
Nonames (NN): Maybe in a biology lab researching genetics or behavioural science, I have a BSc.
Janine: I’ve notice in a lot of interviews you get asked to describe your music, your culture or how eclectic and genre defying your sound is. I think that is lazy journalism, so if your music was a fruit what would it be and why?
OV: I'll say a pineapple. Exotic, spiky, hard soft and looks dope too. Sounds fresh and shit is fresh.
Janine: I reckon you guys spend a lot of time with each other, are there any problems that you need Jeremy Kyle to sort out?
NN: Oh we have this on-going beef about items on the rider and the issue of toothbrushes, because the other two always lose their shit and so there's new toothbrushes on every rider. I think it's wasteful, they think I'm a prick for bringing it up.
OV: We don’t always get toothbrushes; it's good to have the option. Yeah there are always issues but we're not gonna bring em up here lol!
Metropolis (M): I think it's more wasteful we always have a crate of beer on the rider and only every drink about three. Compare the cost of a beer and a Sainsbury’s basics toothbrush. There are always issues when you spend so much time together. When we tour hard we sometimes spend four days out of every week with each other, which is more time than I get to spend with my girl and my son. I mean these man are cool and everything, but…
Janine: According to your Wikipedia you performed over a 100s shows, which means you probably done around 800. Which one did you turn up on time too?
NN: (laughs) Most of them, actually all of them bar like two, ever. We’re good at making it to shows even if we're a bit late out the hotel. We missed a bunch of US dates on the Skrillex tour but that was because they added us at the last minute and we needed to get US visas.
OV: We rarely are late to shows, even if we have to end up paying more than we've earned to get too them. Hell we bought sixteen flights to get to one show: long story. One time we had to change trains three times, run through a town and get a black cab, to get to one festival in Leeds and ended up running the last bit straight onto stage, discussing the new set as the time was constrained.
Janine: As you are constantly touring, what’s the most annoying thing you forget to pack?
OV: Toothbrushes, and once my Serato box, jeans, I’ve just done the last two shows in swimming trunks.
M: Toothbrushes for sure and occasionally socks.
Janine: Wikipedia says you performed in Karlsoy in the Arctic Circle, what was that like and are Eskimo girls hot?
NN: There are no Eskimos there, but there are these people called the Sami people that are the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia, didn't meet any Sami chicks though. There was just one really old lean Sami dude, he could do this crazy loud kind of yodel and apparently every yodel you can tell what family they're from, they use it to communicate over long distances.
M: Karlsoy is a special place. If you ever get the chance you should go.
Janine: For your album United Colours of Beggatron, did the united colours of Benetton tell you off for creatively using their branding?
NN: Who's Benetton?
M: Do what?!?!!! (kisses his teeth)
Janine: What is the most intelligent lyric you wished you wrote?
OV: Wow. There are millions, that’s the shit that inspires me to write every day.
M: OV's verse on 'Hit That G@$#'.
Janine: I imagine you guys are a hit with the ladies, what was the most embarrassing way a female (or male) fan has propositioned you?
NN: Ha-ha Zani gets some pretty crazy ones because he tours with the Cash Money crew; Jay Sean etc. He showed me one of this girl that tweeted him with a link and when you open it she's holding a sign saying; 'you are my life' with this intense stare. Scary.
OV: What's all this "imagine" talk! I don’t wanna say but girls have said some fucked up stuff to me in the past and it’ll upset my girl to read, so no comment!
NN: We work in an environment where people are often inebriated in some form or the other, but normally its sweaty dudes that say the weird stuff unfortunately!
Janine: Where was the most interesting (foreign) place you had to beg?
NN: Pav begging the bus driver to take a shit in Chen Du Provence!
OV: Agreed. We were about to embark on a mountain trek and it took us eight hours to get there. Szechuan district has the spiciest food I’d ever eaten and I am Indian, believe me I was getting my beg on!
Janine: Rumour has it that you have a show in London on the 03rd Nov and is currently touring what is this all in aid of?
OV: Just repping really. I had some immigration issues and wasn't allowed into the country for fourteen months and this means I haven't performed in the UK for almost a year and a half. We wanted to come back with a bang and reach out to all the places I'd missed out on. Nov 3rd is like our homecoming show and a chance to flip our material through the ages for our Peoples in London.
By: Janine Francois
- http://www.reverbnation.com/foreignbeggars
- http://www.myspace.com/foreignbeggars
- http://www.dentedrecords.com