Chip goes in hard on his Fire In The Booth with Charlie Sloth for BBC Radio 1.
April 24, 2012
Blade Brown – Fire In The Booth
Blade Brown goes in on Charlie Sloth’s Fire In The Booth.
April 17, 2012
Mic Righteous – Fire in the booth PART 2
Mic Righteous returns to Charlie Sloth’s Fire In The Booth, and absolutely kills it.
April 11, 2012
Exo – They Call Me E-X-O
Exo releases the visuals to new single They Call Me E-X-O, which was Twin B’s ‘Best of British track’ on his morning show and Nick Bright making it his ‘Shut Up and Listen’ both on Radio 1Xtra. Charlie Sloth tipped it UK’s biggest rap track of summer 2012. The track is produced by Show n Prove and is due for release 22nd April.
January 24, 2012
MTV Best Of The Best: UK MCs 2011
The 10-6 best UK MC’s were announced a few days ago for 2011. Last night on MTV Base the last 5 were revealed by Joseph JP Patterson, Charlie Sloth, Posty, Morgan Keyz, Nardene Scott and Hyper Frank. Here is the full list…
10. DVS & Blade
9. Krept & Konan
8. Skepta
7. Lowkey
6. Ghetts
5. Giggs
4. Chip (Chipmunk)
3. Professor Green
2. K. Koke 1.Wretch 32
Well done to Wretch who fully deserves the No.1 spot, and K Koke who is one of my favourite artists who made the No.2 spot. The other 8 were also well deserved and all of them have worked incredibly hard. In my opinion I would have put Joe Black, Mic Righteous, Benny Banks and P Money in there, but this is always a hard one to think of only ten top MC’s so big up to the panel for making the hard decisions.
What do you think of the list, and was there anyone crucial you think was missing?
January 11, 2012
Mic Righteous – The Mike Tyson of rap
Mic Righteous, real name Rocky, oh yes, is one of the most talented and honest rappers in the UK. His music speaks volumes and takes rap music back to its grassroots where it’s about oppressed people having a voice. His mixtape Yob Culture comes with a hard and passionate delivery of lyrics – hear his anger and hunger as he take us deeper into his world…
His parents fled Iran in the early 80s, moving to Margate to begin what they hoped would be a better life. This was not to be. By the time Mic was 10, both parents were not around, so he and his sister faced maybe going into foster care. His brother looked after them for a few years, but at the age of 14, Mic was left to survive on his own again, this time without his sister who had gone to university. He left school and his seclusion from the world took his writing to new heights; it became a form of escape.
On Yob Culture, in ‘Tied to the Tracks’, he says, ‘Mic Righteous is back, the Mike Tyson of rap.’ The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world is where Mic Righteous he got his name. ‘I used to be called Mr Reid because my brother was called Mr Blitz. Eventually I thought that name’s kind of whack, so I decided to change it. Mic Righteous was kind of like Mike Tyson, and I was really influenced by Mike Tyson at the time; I love boxing. I just thought of Mic Righteous, it just My manager said, ‘That’s it, we need to take over now, were ready to go.’ The name suits him well as his raps are packed with punches.
Mic Righteous first came to people’s attention shortly before he turned 18, when he featured on English Frank’s album The Hardway, then on Lowkey’s LP Dear Listener, which put him at the forefront of conscious rap and brought him to the attention of hip hop’s underground movement, gaining him a fanbase worldwide. About Akala, Lowkey and English Frank he remarks, ‘All them guys, they’re my dawgs.’ What does he think about people comparing him and Lowkey, even though the differences are obvious? ‘I don’t know why people say it. I don’t think I sound like Lowkey in any way; but if I do, it’s because I listen to a lot of his music, so it’s probably rubbed off. I’ve acknowledged that people have started to clock that, but it’s not like I try and copy him, he’s just one of my friends. Lowkey took me under his wing at one point when I was young. He’s taken me to the side many times and been like, ‘This is your future.’
The two discuss politics and religion in their songs. ‘I have beliefs,’ says Mic, ‘I believe in a higher power. I don’t know about religion, but I believe it’s a basic skeleton to live your life by. Everyone knows you shouldn’t steal, you shouldn’t kill, you shouldn’t do bad things. My parents were religious and moved here – nuff said [laughs]. My mum still prays and that, but she does a lot of things that contradict her religion at the same time; but we all do, don’t we? That’s why I don’t label myself as anything; I just have my own beliefs.’ Wise for his 21 years, likely down to an emotional and turbulent life, he is also sweet, charming and open despite this.
Things are looking up now he has signed a publishing deal with Sony ATV/Naughty Words. Naughty Boy is the producer behind Emeli Sandé’s hit ‘Heaven’ and new song ‘Daddy’; he has worked with Wiley, Chipmunk and Professor Green, among others, and previously with Mic, Dot Rotten, Griminal and Sneakbo on the single ‘F**kery’. ‘I signed a few months back, so Naughty Boy is my publisher. Shah’s one of my good friends and I love Emeli Sandé, she’s like my sister.’
As we’re there on the shoot of video ‘I Know’, Mic talks about the new track and the album follow-up to Yob Culture. ‘The new track is “I Know” – Charlie Sloth and DJ Semtex have been spinning it; we’re going to put it out soon. It’s the first off the album Kampaign, and every single beat is produced by Preston Play. It’s kind of like Preston Play presents Mic Righteous’ Kampaign. This is the new thing I’m trying to bring to the table, the pain, the essence. Kampaign is the new movement, Yob Culture is the movement, Mic Righteous is the movement.’ And the next big thing.
Back to the Future
Favourite childhood memory?
Probably leaving school. Yeah, my last day of school.
Favourite childhood film?
Terminator 2.
Best food:
My mum used to make this dish called ‘subsi’, but you won’t know what that is.
We do actually…
[Looks excited] You know what it is? That’s sick! Do you like it? Oh I love you!
If you could bring a memory back from the past what would it be?
That’s quite hard… I remember one time, my brother took me out and we emptied out Coke bottles, cut them and put them on our arms so it was like we had guns on our arms…
[Anyone else confused?]
Cos the bumps at the end look like a machine gun.
[Of course…]
We took them out and pretended there were aliens in the field – then we shot them.
Favourite album?
The Marshall Mathers LP.
Favourite old-school tune?
[Ponders for some time] Tupac,
‘Hit ’Em Up’ or ‘Holla At Me’ or
‘Dear Mama’
What’s your most embarrassing
childhood moment?
Probably when you’re out and about and a bird just squats on ya. In Margate there are a lot of seagulls and one will just decide to squat on ya and it will land on your face or something. That’s pretty embarrassing.
Worst childhood telling off?
One time I had a fight, my first fight, and I got told off because I didn’t win it, so I wasn’t allowed home. I was so pissed off I went out, found the kid and slapped him. Then I went home and my dad was alright!
Follow Mic Righteous on Twitter @MicRighteous or visit http://www.micrighteous.com
* published in Flavour Magazine
January 4, 2012
Everyone Wants A Lil Bit Of Cash
Cashtastic is an artist set to take the underground scene by storm. He may have only recently turned 18, but his music is already punching way above his youthful years.
The early guidance and encouragement of an older brother to do music was reinforced by teachers at school, telling the then eleven year old that he had a gift for writing. Dedication and hard work soon led to a joint mixtape with LP called, ‘The Formula’, which sparked a lot of interest in the gifted artist, and soon after Big Lee Records of Peckham chose Cash to join their ranks. Whilst at Big Lee Records, he released a single and featured on other singles and mixtapes. 2011 was Cashtastic’s year as he featured on Charlie Sloths show on 1Xtra alongside Yung Meth, also featured on Ace & Vis’ show, performed at the Wireless festival, G Shock store and went on the Bigga Fish tour. Shireen Fenner interviews him to find out Cashtastic’s story, his new releases and what 2012 holds for him.
Tell us a little bit about who Cashtastic is.
I’m a rapper, just turned 18 from South London. Sorry I’m an artist that’s who I am.
How do you bring your personality and your life experiences into your lyrics?
I tend to tell the truth instead of lying and fabricating the whole situation. You would be surprised at the amount of people that can relate to you telling the truth. When you tell real life situations you have to remember people are living real life so they can relate without you even noticing that anyone else can relate. I just put anything that I’m going through at that present moment in my lyrics.
It sounds like you had a quite a tough childhood. Was music an outlet for you where you could escape?
Yes definitely. I came from the streets, the streets were an outlet for me to go and do madness. Growing up I was trying to go to a different direction, and music is what I chose to do. One of my older brothers used to do music, so I looked up to him as my role model. It got to the age where I started doing it and enjoying it for my own purposes.
How does being religious guide you and help you make decisions in everyday life?
It has. It’s a bit of both I’m Muslim, so I’m not really meant to be doing music in the first place. I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I’m doing this at this present moment for a reason. I pray every night and every day, so I believe that if I’m doing something like this interview today it was meant to happen. I don’t really bring religion into my music; I just say God willing and inshallah because it’s in my daily grammar.
How did your brother help in shaping you into the artist you are today?
I wouldn’t say he helped shape me, because when I was looking up to him and following his style of music it was more just doing exactly what he was doing. When I got to around Year 7, I started to shape myself. Them times I wasn’t even an artist. It was really a year and a half ago when I started shaping myself into an artist and trying new stuff and actually making a format for a song, and strategising without just rapping over a beat.
You’re from Peckham, growing up who else inspired or was influential to your musical journey from South London?
100% Giggs, because if your from Peckham, and your in my age group it was definitely Giggs that was doing this thing 100%. He’s made a lot of people start rapping. My brother made me start rapping, but Giggs defiantly influenced me to say well he’s from Peckham and he’s doing it so I can do it.
When did you realise that you could pursue your hobby as a career, and was there anyone in particular who really supported your decision?
I don’t like feeling like I’m wasting my time and that I’m doing something for no reason. I was building up a fanbase so I gathered that people were loving my music. There was a good amount of people that were supportive. Firstly one of my English teachers Ms. Fernandez. I loved English in school, so she could see my writing skills from there. She pushed me and a couple of other teachers pushed me. My friends loved the songs anyway; they banged the songs out and promoted it by sending them round and making everyone aware that I had new stuff coming out.
Talk us through your earlier days with Big Lee Records
There like the man dem from the ends. Big Lee was one of the mandem from the ends but he died, and his friends decided to make a label with his name in it. I’m still among Big Lee, the managers and CEO’s they are a part of my management team at the moment. They just got a collection of artists from the area, and just did songs all together, but I didn’t want people to think we were a group or a boyband. We started doing solo stuff and everyone went there own way.
Being young and a talented artist with a daily growing fanbase, what advise would you give to young people who want to pursue music?
Keep going, and I know you probably hear it and it’s a cliché but I’ve actually realised if its not happening now, its not meant to happen now. Don’t feel like your making however many tracks and your only getting 30 views, that doesn’t mean that you should give up. Just keep going because I remember when my only fans were my friends, now I’ve got fans in places that I’ve never been to in my life. I’d just say keep grafting and be persistent.
Did being on the Bigga Fish tour increase your presence on the scene and your fanbase?
Yes 100%. It was a great platform for me. That was my first time going on tour, and to not only tour London, but Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, which was my first time going to each of those cities. To go there and have the crowd sing back your lyrics, and I’ve never been there before was like how the heck do you know who I am. It was definitely great, and to finish up in London and get that love back from the hometown was wonderful.
You said recently that your female fanbase has expanded. Why do you think this is?
I don’t know I just think there feeling the boy. Females get attracted and I think if it’s not the lyrics they say it’s my looks.
Have you had any funny tweets from the ladies?
Yea, I get proposed to all the time. There’s a line for bookings and they phone and they book me, like they’ve got an event. It’s like, ‘yea we want to book Cash for a show,’ and they ask where’s the venue and they say, ‘my house,’ what’s the capacity, ‘no one just him and me. ’ I get that a lot, but it’s all love and I love the attention and the support.
A Lil Bit Of Cash is out soon, this is you first solo mixtape. Do you feel any expectations or more pressure because you don’t have anyone to share the burden with?
I don’t, the reason why is because I’m confident with the music I’ve got and if it doesn’t work its trial and error. You make mistakes to learn from them, so if I do this and it blows out the water and I turn into some next star overnight then I’d know I did the right thing. If I did it and I started losing fans, then I’d know not to do it. Personally I’m confident with the material I’ve got on it, and it will put me on a better platform than the one I’m on now.
Tracks collabs
I’ve shot 3 videos for 3 songs; they should all be on Channel AKA. I’ve shot ‘Gassed In The Rave’ ft. Krept & Konan, ‘Boasy,’ ft Stylo Gee and Rascals and ‘J Cole K Koke.’ ‘Boasy’ and ‘Gassed In The Rave’ are more up-tempo dancy kind of tracks. The majority of my stuff is about pain and slow kind of piano beats. I didn’t want people to think those were the only songs I could make, so I put those out. It’s just a journey throughout the whole tape. There’s a song on their called Flicker, and on the chorus I say, ‘I’m just here waiting, waiting for the day I can start celebrating.’ At that time I was thinking, I haven’t actually gone out and done something lately, I need some good news to celebrate. That’s earlier on in the tape, and later on in the tape, I got some good news and I needed to celebrate, so there’s a song called, ‘Celebration.’ The last song is called ‘Journey,’ and it shows the journey that I’ve made from where I was to where I am now, and the journey I’m trying to make from where I am now to where I want to be.
It’s nearly the end of the year, so what are your plans for 2012?
Bigger and better, epic, everything I do has to be bigger and it has to be better and it has to be epic. It has to be different; I’m not trying to do what everyone else is doing.
Any New Years resolutions?
I want to become a better artist, I’m always keen to learn and I’m learning every single day. I want to aspire to more things, I want to go to more places and become bigger than I am right now.
A Lil Bit Of Cash is out now on iTunes
Follow him on Twitter @cashtasticmusic
* published in Flavour Magazine
November 15, 2011
Review: Lowkey ‘Soundtrack To The Struggle’ album launch
As I approached The Garage in Highbury & Islington for Lowkey’s album launch, ‘Soundtrack To The Struggle,’ at 7pm, there was already a massive queue of fans outside. The bouncers tell us that even though we are there to work, we have to get in the guestlist queue. It was never going to happen, as myself and the photographer for the event make our way round to the back of the venue, and into the backstage area.
The first DJ is already playing with host Jonzi D. We go outside and talk to Iraqi born, 18-year-old rapper Crazy Haze, one of the supporting acts for the night, who tells us what he’s been up to at the moment and that he has just come back from a tour of the Middle East. At 8pm the legendary Charlie Sloth graces the stage to gear up the crowd, who to be honest, don’t really need much hyping up. As he comes on stage he announces, ‘I was walking down here and I saw the queue and I nearly cried, it was emotional. Real talk.’ That’s kind of how I felt when I saw the support for Lowkey, who’s video’s and songs have been blocked from most airwaves.
While Charlie Sloth is in the background playing the best in UK and US hip hop, I’m introduced to New Jersey rapper Hassam Salaam, who gives me his album ‘Children Of God’ – which I’ve now listened to and am blown away by. He tells me, ‘I met Lowkey a few times, he told me he was having an album launch tonight. I haven’t heard the album yet, so that’s why I’m here to check it out. I know what his work is about and I know what he’s about and I respect him.’ I also hear him freestyling later and he is not a rapper anyone should sleep on, with Haze remarking, ‘where did this guy come from?’
Camden rapper Awate came on the stage to perform some tracks, including some acapella performances, which got an amazing response from the crowd. After this DJ 279 came back on, with Logic’s performance up next. Logic performed tracks from Freeman and Listen including ‘Price Tag’ and ‘Begging You.’ Special guest Jody McIntyre came on next to perform his ‘War Poem.’ One line I remember strongly from this poem is, ‘fight with a pen, but write with a sword.’ For those of you that don’t know, he is a journalist and political activist, and a very inspirational character. The last supporting act of the night, who comes on to rapturous applause, is Akala. Host Jonzi D comes on the stage and announces, ‘who told you conscious music does not fail.’
It was now time for Lowkey to come on. As he touches the stage he exclaims, ‘I feel like I’m Michael Jackson.’ He performs a whole list of songs including, ‘Obama Nation,’ ‘Obama Nation part 2’ with Black The Ripper joining him on stage, ‘My Soul,’ ‘Terrorist,’ ‘Voice Of The Voiceless,’ ‘Alphabet Assassin,’ and ‘Too Much,’ with Shadia Mansour. ‘Dear England,’ ‘Haunted,’ and ‘Cradle of Civilisation,’ which all feature singer Mai Khalil, when Lowkey performed, ‘Long Live Palestine,’ he got the crowds involvement, chanting, ‘Long Live Gaza, long live Palestine,’ before he performed the track. He also dropped a freestyle during the night, and was joined by another special guest Ghetts at one point. All in all this was a great night for political and conscious music, and one of the best albums of the year by far.
Lowkey briefly talks to me about the album, ‘the album is a culmination of all of my last few years of my life and the last few years as an artist. The main issues I talk about in it us being human. The experience of being a flawed human being in a world where we have clear currency on human beings. Some human beings are worth less and some human beings are worth more, and that’s something I want to change. That’s what the album is about, that’s what my life is about, I try to even the score.’
‘My favourite tracks are Dreamers Or Haunted because they’re both about very personal matters. When writing them I went on the longest journeys. A good song is where when your writing it, it takes you on a journey. You’ll be writing the chorus, and it will take you to a place emotionally.’
*published at Flavour Magazine
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