Lovebox returned to Victoria Park in East London again this year over the Friday 18th and 19th July 2014. SBTV‘s Shireen headed down there on the Saturday, with the sun beating down on us despite the rainy forecast…
First up we caught some of Supa Dupa Fly action over at the Roller Boogie stage where they were banging out some old school hip hop beats courtesy of Emily Rawson, CJ Beatz and more, with a similar vibe to that of their nights held at the Jazz Café in Camden.
Heading straight over to the main stage, we caught the British soul & funk legends that are Soul II Soul , who many know for their smash Back To Life. Their music filtered through the crowd, with a nice mellow and relaxed vibe, perfect for the summer, Saturday, afternoon.
Maverick Sabre was next up on the main stage, leading on perfectly with his soulful, jazzy and reggae influences, he kept the crowds ambiance on the same level, lifting it slowly as his set moved on playing tracks from his album, Lonely Are The Brave. Similarly, I Needgot everyone in the crowd singing loudly – as did his latest single, Emotion.
Then, it was time for Nas, a crowd of people begun walking up, and what seemed like a reasonably spacious main stage was now packed. Joined by DJ Green Lantern, the Queensbridge legend took to the stage to perform tracks from his seminal debut, Illmatic, celebrating 20 years since the release. Tracks such as Got Yourself A Gungot everyone buzzing and raising their gun fingers.
Other tracks that seemed to please were One Love, If I Ruled The World,N.Y State Of Mind and Made You Look. Nas had turned the energy levels to 100. He proved why he is one of the best hip hop artists working the stage and fans with complete effortlessness.
Next up was MIA who blast onto the stage which was now filled with lights and around 20 dancers who threw glow sticks into the audiences to their delight. She started straight intoBucky Done Gun, but unfortunately this was the beginning of the audio issues as she asked for her Mic to be turned up.
Unfortunately the Mic cut out completely and her and her dancers walked off stage leaving MIA looking not very pleased. She came back on stage to the audience’s gladness, but the sound quality was still poor as she performed Paper Planes and Bad Girls leaving again because of the audio. It was a disappointment as we, along with I’m sure many others in attendance, were similarly looking forward to the performance.
Day 2 the sun was shining and it was a lovely warm day. I was pleased also that the mud from the previous day had all disappeared. Tight shorts and revealing outfits were in force today! It didn’t seem as busy as the Saturday, even though the sun was out, and everyone had a day off work tomorrow too!
Sven Vath impressed over at the The Big Oudoors – Cocoon stage and it was a better day to be stood enjoying the sound system. I got there early enjoy to Tough Love too over at Toolroom Knights who dropped some pretty impressive tunes along with Tensnake.
Andy C had his Ram tent for the Drum & Bass heads on the Sunday where I watched the likes of Noisia, Loadstar, and Andy C. The tent although was not as packed as the first day still brought the ravers loads of energy. Loadstar and Andy C were definitely my two favourite sets I watched over here and the Ram tent was full of nice vibes all day.
I went over to the main stage to see Duke Dumont who played their own tracks such as ‘I Got You’ and tunes from other artists. They had a really nice mixture and the crowd really enjoyed their set with the sun blaring down and everyone dancing. Annie Mac was another DJ I watched on the main stage and of course in she didn’t disappoint playing all the biggest summer cuts.
Headliner Fatboy Slim did the title justice as he played his classic tracks such as ‘Praise You’, Right Here Right Now’ and newest one ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’ along with some of the biggest dance tunes ever. There was a lazer light show during his set, fireworks going off at the side of the stage and big fireworks once he had finished shooting across the sky above the stage, ending the festival magnificently.
We Are Fstvl took place over the bank holiday weekend of May 24th-25th. Based in Upminster in Essex, the festival is only in it’s second year. The first day after checking into the hotel and getting to the site we arrived around 4pm, with the sky filled with clouds and rain about to descend we weren’t going to let that ruin our fun. The site itself for the festival had got increasingly bigger, and so it seemed had the VIP where you could go and relax and pamper yourself with MK taking over in the tent.
I spent a lot of my time in the Hospitality tent on the Saturday. Being a D&B fan I got to see some of the best DJ’s play everything from liquid to jump up. I was especially excited to see Shy FX, Friction, High Contrast and Camo & Krooked who played tune after tune mixing in some Grime tunes in the middle such as ‘German Whip’.
I ventured over to Defected In The House too who were really successful at the festival last year made a return where we sam Kenny Dope, Nick Curly, Sam Divine and more spin to a happy and packed crowd. Oliver $’s and Guti got a really good crowd reaction over at Defected.
The two outdoor stages were not affected by the rain and mud as festival goers could not miss the big names headlining at the Big Outdoors – We Are Elctrnc and the Main Stage. We Are Elctrnc saw the likes of Knife Party, Chuckie, Hard Rock Sofa and more take to the stage and make everyone forget about the miserable weather.
The main stage saw brothers Disclosure who have shot to fame play an early set along with heavyweight in the game, Mary Jane Coles. The headline acts Richie Hawtin and Matador closed the main stage leaving the festival goers smiling and ready for day two.
Lunar C is well known for his battling days with the coveted Don’t Flop where although he only did 6 battles he won all of them leaving undefeated. Following on from the release of his 2012 mixtape ‘SewerSideSex’, he is back to show a more deep and personal side to him with his new EP ‘Good Times and Dead Brain Cells’.
You are due to release your EP ‘Good Times and Dead Brain Cells’ in a few weeks. Tell us how you have far you have come from the 2012 release of ‘Sewer Side Sex’ and how this shows your development as an artist.
It’s come a long way, there’s a lot more deep, personal stuff on there. I just think overall it’s a lot more better, a lot more personal, the things I talk about and the subjects I touch on and the concepts. There’s a good mix of stuff, I reckon it’s an all round improvement on my other material.
Can you go into more detail the personal subject matters you talk about?
There’s a track called ‘Good Times and Dead Brain Cells’ it’s a loose concept about life and embodies what I mean when I say good times and dead brain cells. It explains what the concept is talking about; you kind of have to listen to it to know what I mean. There’s another one on there called ‘Contradict’ which is about how I contradict myself a lot, and how I look at things differently when I’m in different moods. It shows how I’m a bit egotistical and self depreciative at the same time, all the things about my personality that contradict each other.
Do you find it hard delving into your personal life and exposing yourself?
It’s new to me I’ve never really done that, especially with battles and stuff I usually keep things like that close to my chest so I don’t give anyone any ammo. It’s not the most natural thing to me in the world but I definitely enjoy it.
Your working with a lot of really strong upcoming artists such as Mic Righteous and Scrufizzer, what other collaborations can we see on the EP?
There’s not a lot of MC’s on the EP. I got them two on the track because they’re my favourite two new UK rappers at the moment. Other than that I’ve just got Orifice Vulgatron from Foreign Beggars who I’ve been a fan of since I was young with Pete Cannon and Wizard on production.
Was there any decision to not choose more established artists?
I did try and get one other artist on there who is kind of big but the collab didn’t happen, so I’m not going to lie and say I purposely didn’t try and get big artists on there. It was never the intention to have big names on it in the first place. It’s more about who sounds good on the track.
Not many names come to mind when I think of MCs from Bradford. Has your initial success inspired more of a scene in Yorkshire, and is there anyone from your neck of the woods you think we should look out for?
There’s kind of a movement going on up north in West Yorkshire everyone called it WY, they have t-shirts like the Yankees one but instead of NY it’s WY, a lot of people are pushing that. There’s quite a few artists doing their thing like Chief Wiggs, Minus, people in my crew Fly Tippers. DS Fam who have been doing there things for a long time. Craze Nott have got a new project coming out which should be amazing. Everybody also look out for Jack Flash he’s going to be doing some massive stuff soon.
A lot of rappers in the battling scene stay there and don’t really make ‘tracks’. Did you always know that you weren’t going to stay on that scene forever?
It was always the plan, I did music before battling so it was always just a thing where it was just to get me some hype for my music. I was always aware of the fact that battlers always get caught in the loop of just having to battle until they fall off and they become irrelevant and never really do anything with the hype that they have gained. I always wanted to do what Eminem and Professor Green have done; they actually used the hype for their music and actually got somewhere. They didn’t get eaten up by the battle scene and that’s what I aimed for.
That’s what propelled you into the limelight and got you recognition so will you ever return?
I don’t think I will ever return I’m grateful for what it’s done, but I always saw it for what it was. Myself and the people that run it Eurgh, we always had a clear understanding of why I was there, I was always there to promote my music. Admittedly I only wanted to do one battle but I ended up doing 6 because there was a demand for it..
You said this statement on Twitter “I can’t lie theres MC’s I rate but cant listen to coz I think they are a b*****d”. Is there anyone in particular this applies to for you especially in the UK. Don’t you think there music is more important then their personality or do you think artists have to have image, personality and music?
Yes but I don’t want to say there name and give them promo because there a b*****d. I think people took what I said on Twitter a bit too personal. I don’t have to personally no or like someone to rate their music, that’s not what I was saying at all. I just think there are some artists who have a really s**t attitude towards what they are doing, and when that shines through in your music and your actually talking with that perspective in your music it just ruins it for me. Dudes who are clearly from a rough place who have been doing grime music and rapping about guns and knives for years but now there an established artist, they don’t need to still be proving that that’s who they are. It’s not positive for anyone, there’s a time and place to talk about violent stuff, I’m all for that I do it myself, if deep down that’s all your trying to promote and prove to people your some road guy, it’s a s**t attitude to have, that just makes me hate some artists.
You’ve always come out with some quite funny stuff on Twitter, does this ever get you hate, what kind of reaction do you get?
I think most people no I don’t take myself too seriously and I’m winding people up. Some people do take what I say seriously though. I said something like “real rappers take heroin” and I’ve been getting questions about whether I take heroin. I put the worst things up sometimes just to make people talk and it works. Real rappers don’t take heroin by the way!
Apart from yourself who in the UK hip hop/rap scene do you think deserves to blow and why?
Jack Flash he’s been doing a lot of stuff that people aren’t taking notice of, but I think soon they will. Mic Righteous, Scrufizzer. I rate Remus he’s Farma G’s son, Chester P’s nephew, there UK hip hop legends. Now he’s a bit older he’s doing his own thing, I reckon he will be one of the sickest artists. I’ve done a track with Remus and the Rascals on their EP so look out for that.
Lloyd is back with a vengeance with his new single Do It Again, featuring Chipmunk, and the recently released single Dedication To My Ex, which peaked at No.3 in the UK charts.Shireen Fenner sits down with him during a recent trip to London…
You were born in New Orleans and lived in Atlanta. How did growing up in the south influence your career direction, and were there any music artists from there that were instrumental in shaping you into the artist that you are today?
I don’t know if this has anything to do with the south but it’s definitely more family orientated. The attitude is realistic, it’s possible, and it’s down to earth. At times it’s simple, country, just simple. I also think coming from the bottom you have that mentality of having to claw your way out. I see a lot of strength in where I’m from. If anyone knows New Orleans like I do, then they know it’s like a third world country sometimes. It’s really violent and corrupted, the home of the mob and all kinds of stuff. I just think when you’re born against certain circumstances it usually makes you stronger.
My father was into music he was a saxophonist and a choir director; he was a pretty popular singer in his neighborhood. My mum, I watched her sing in the choir for most of my early life, she actually got me singing in church first before anywhere else.
You’ve had a successful music career from a young age. Was this always your dream as a child?
Yeah man, I mean what child doesn’t dream of these things. I had many other dreams as a child, dreams of being Michael Jordan, or an astronaut, a fire fighter or a doctor, different stuff at different stages of my life. Music was something that I always enjoyed very much, I think ever since I can remember
Dedication To My Ex, is your biggest international hit so far. How does your rising stardom outside of the US influence the type of music you are making now?
It’s just a broader spectrum; I think that’s just the way the world is. Hip hop is much more integrated than its ever been, with that said you always have the need to grow and to try new things. Being abroad gives you an opportunity to realise a new direction. At the same time if I don’t have soul then I’m not doing this. I really enjoy the music I hear when I’m away; I think that personally we should do more of that in the States. They are catching on now the States, but I think the world has been dancing to a different beat for a little while now; it’s more fast paced in most places.
You have been blessed by having many talented and successful label mates. How has the close proximity of so many young stars shaped your career?
It makes me work harder, it makes me just want to improve myself more. It makes me less afraid to talk to people and ask for help to ask for advice, to collaborate. I think that’s one of my greatest assets is my ability to collaborate with the likes of many. I think through collaborations I’m able to exist even when I don’t. Even when I don’t have an album that I’m ready to release I can still collaborate, so it keeps me relevant.
Compared to the slow jams of your earlier music, Dedication To My Ex, is a different sound altogether. What has led to the evolution in your sound?
Just growing, getting older, age, experiences, the yearning to grow, to progress, and to try new things.
Love, pain and loss can be quite deep subjects to sing about. Do you feel that you need to go through all these in order to be able to sing about them, and to what extent is your music fuelled by your own experiences?
You don’t have to go through all of them to sing about them, but I think going through them allows you to sing about them more convincingly. It has more passion, I think you can hear that when you listen to music, and I think that’s what people are listening for. You don’t have to go down the wrong road to see what happens at the end, with that said I think you still have certain traits that you can relate to, that you can sing about, but you don’t have all the things that’s necessary to sometimes pull it off the way its supposed to be and that’s where experience comes in.
The title of your last album is interesting. Are you the king of hearts? Whose heart are you the king of, and is there currently a special queen of hearts in your life?
I’m the king of all the hearts. All the listeners, all the fans, all the women that have listened to my music. Not just my music but also my style of music. To all the women that have never been told that they’re beautiful before, that’s what I’m here for.
Yes there is a Queen of my heart, her names Andy Anderson, she’s about 3 ½, 4 weeks old, she’s my little niece, she’s beautiful, my little chocolate drop. I’m very happy, I get to hold her probably a day out of the week, so when I go back home I’ll go and see her, pick her up and make her laugh a little, and give her to her mama if she starts to cry.
You have been both in a group and as a solo artist. What are the pros and cons of each?
The pros of being in a group is obviously having brothers, having support, knowing that it doesn’t always depend on you and that relieves the stress and the pressure that one may feel when in the spotlight. The con is in my opinion is it’s not on you, sometimes you depend on other people, and people are unpredictable at times. I’m really not comfortable with putting my life, my career and my dreams in the hands of others. As much as possible I like to eliminate that and take more control of my career, and that’s where the pros of being solo come into play. The cons of being solo are you get lonely sometimes.
You’ve collaborated with rappers and singers. Do you find it more challenging working with other singers where comparisons are inevitable, than working with rappers?
It’s not more challenging it just takes a little more effort, because singing is just a more prolonged process than rapping. I mean a lot more goes into getting a nice sound vocally than rapping. I wouldn’t say it’s more or less challenging, that all depends on the chemistry and how people work together. I feel pressured very rarely, I think that that’s why I enjoy doing it so much, because if I do feel pressured it’s a good thing, it’s not anything that’s nerve damaging.
Is there anyone in particular that you would want to collaborate with in the UK?
I always wanted to work with Chipmunk, and I’ve had the chance to work with him recently, so I’m excited about that. I like Adele, Jessie J, Labrinth, Tinie, I like the whole scene.
To wrap it up, what can we expect from you next?
The unexpected. I’m coming back with a full band this March; I’ll be in London two days performing. I’ve just released a single called Do It Again, which is only for Europe and features Chipmunk. We just shot a video, which is a play off of Top Gun the movie. I’m looking forward to that.
Drifter shot the video for Only If You Knew during Camden Crawl where he performed on the SBTV stage at the Electric Ballroom. This track features OG’z member P Money one of the best grime MC’s in the game. Drifter’s mixtape Catch My Drift, drops on July 2nd 2012 and will feature RoxXxan, Little Dee, P Money, A2 and more with a remix from True Tiger.
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