Maxim: Tell us more about how you made the transition from DJing to producing to making your own music. And yes, we stole that off your Wikipedia page.
Skepta: I used to be into Garage and when I was younger, then just started MCing in 2005 or 2006 on underground radio stations like Wiley and Roll Deep did. By the time we started doing that they'd already released their debut album, In At The Deep End, so me and my brother Jamie weren't on it. When they started going around touring we weren't with them, so we decided to do something that we could own and push and that's where Boy Better Know (BBK) came from.
How is it running your own label? Any brotherly arguments?
Naaaaaaaaah. We're very individual as a label. Everyone knows what they need to do, based on their position, so there's no stepping on each others toes or anything. And because we're an independent, nobody really makes any stupid decisions, we just support each other. This year, 2010, is the year of our solo albums, mine, Frisco's, JME's and Shortee's with more to come in 2011 and 2012. That's the plan anyway.
Tell us about your album, and some of the tracks or anymore singles you're gonna be releasing.
Well, I've released Bad Boy already, and Rescue Me is coming out on the 27th June with one more being released before my album comes out. To me, I've been playing a lot of live shows and I've realised it's very important to write good music and tunes that people can sing along to. I'll keep the Grime sound though. I've released two albums before but this is gonna be the one that everyone is looking at and judging me on. Basically, I wanna make something where each track could quite easily be released as a single. If it's not good enough to be a single, I don't want it on there.
All killer no filler as the saying goes. The video for Rescue Me has had over half a million views on Youtube... are you a bit freaked out that that many people have seen your face?
I get used to that stuff. It's part of the parcel isn't it? I've had quite a good response from it though. I just really wanted to make a video that explained and shows what I'm talking about in the record. Being hard done by after trying to do something good. In the video I'm there getting everyone to play football and Connect 4, then they just come and take the ball and shut me down, I try and escape then they bring me back. I wanted to make something a bit different because people in the Grime scene rarely step out of the box to make videos, they just stick to the normal club stuff. I could've just done a video with me on stage and loads of people going wild, so hopefully I'll be winning some awards – Best Video from the MOBOs, something like that!
Yes, it would be nice. Do you do much freestyling anymore? I watched your freestyle from Tim Westwood’s show... mighty impressive. We can't even think as fast as you spit. That's had a fair amount of views too (rapidly approaching 2 million!).
Not really... the UK version of a freestyle is not actually what a freestyle is supposed to be though. For example if you said to me 'freestyle about the things in this room' I don't reckon I could do it. That's the sort of thing that Professor Green would be able to do. A grime type of freestyle is literally just spittin'. Whether you wrote the lyric before, on the day or not at all, it's all about just piecing it together, and then just doing it for ten minutes. When I was doing it, I really felt like I had something to prove to myself. At that time I was changing from being underground to becoming more commerically known, so I really wanted to show myself and others that if I do this, I can do it properly, you know, MC and still be one of the Grime greats as well as being a mainstream artist. Finding that medium is kinda hard. I never ever would've thought that the video would get as many views as it has, I think only Chipmunk has gotten more than me, but I'm definitely proud of that freestyle. It's legendary.
As you should be. How do you see the evolution of Grime?
[Thinks carefully] When Grime changed to half time, it wasn't easy to dance to, and that's where the funky house came in and overtook Grime, then you can actually go and dance to it. The funk MCs do sing-a-long lyrics like "Are ya gonna bang? Do the migraine skank!" and stuff, so I think that's what happened to Grime; it got very artist based, it ended up being more about the artists than the music. It started off people like Dizzee and Kano, people started to look at them more. Being an artist in the music world you need to be able to MC over any kind of music, because someone's eventually gonna approach you like... I dunno, Lily Allen's gonna approach you and ask you to do something on her record and it ain't gonna be grime speed. Well it might be, but it more than likely won't, so you need to be versatile enough to do it. There's a very small or niche underground grime scene, and a lot of the… trying to think of a good word here… lovers involved think the artist should take Grime with them. On my album you will hear a lot of Grime music but what I'm not trying to do is make Grime mainstream. The beauty of underground music is that it’s just that – underground. Grime is as the name would suggest – grimey and non-conforming. Occasionally you get songs that break out, like Stand Up Tall by Dizzee Rascal, those songs are phenomenal songs that the mainstream can relate to, but as for the genre itself becoming mainstream? That's a bit of a silly thing to say because as soon as it does then it’s not underground anymore. Children of today, go and MC on Grime you know, do it, then if you get the chance to go mainstream, do that too.
As you get bigger and the love increases, inevitably so does the hate. How are you handling that?
In person, I smile at it. If everyone liked you, it wouldn't feel right. It wouldn't give me the drive to be better, and show people wrong. On the internet side of it, I'll just block them on my twitter or I just won't read it. There's no point, these people are hiding behind a screen and a keyboard, no picture, no location, no nothing, so I just don't let it faze me. It's gonna happen and I just take it in. Sometimes I'll be able to make a joke out of it, or use it in a lyric, but like I said in 'Rescue Me', I tell my haters I love them loads.
Who are your main influences? Anyone you'd like to collaborate with?
If I could collaborate with one person it'd probably be Timbaland. I just feel like he's got that thing where he's not really pigeonholed, he can do whatever he wants. He can just make go in a studio, sit down, make a tune and it'd be amazing. Definitely the kind of person I'd wanna work with. Musicially he's a big influence for me as well. Lyrically, D Double E from Grime, Drake, Biggie Smalls, Lil' Wayne.. those kind of people.
Do you have a favourite track of your own creation?
I produced a track called UFO, an instrumental track, which is probably my favourite Grime track I produced. My favourite vocal track would have to be Too Many Man. I just feel like it's timeless. Whatever or where ever you are, children’s party, club, concert, tour, however underground or commerical the situation or place, that song is a winner. Someone told me it was playing in Egypt the other day! It's my favourite song. I love it.
Going back to your label, how do you scout for new talent? Do you go out and seek people or do people submit stuff to you?
Nah, on BBK we're all friends. Me and my brother JME, Frisco is my friend from North London, so is Shortee. Me, Shortee and JME all went to the same school. Solo 45 is our friend from Tottenham and DJ Maximum we know through mine and JME's time at Roll Deep. Maximum and Carnage were the two DJs, so when Carnage was away doing stuff with Roll Deep, we used to meet Maximum to do stuff. When things started getting professional we took him on board too. It's good to be doing something like this with your friends... any arguments that happen you know it's all good and you're gonna be talking again two days later...
How was it on the recent tour?
Without a doubt I got a few more supporters that listen to me and understood me. I'm one of the Grime MC's that write clear lyrics for people to sing along to. It's just a case of hearing me and listening to me and hopefully thinking "Oh right ok, he's the guy that made 'Too Many Man' from BBK, oh and 'Bad Boy'... I like his lyrics. 'Rescue Me' is his new song?". It was good to reach and talk to new people. I can't wait to do my own tour you know... I'm gonna smash it.
It won't be far off.
Alright, need to know information. Hottest girls in the world: Where the hell are they?
The hottest girls in the world? You know what, I actually woke up this morning and thought to myself "I need to find a girl from Brazil". I NEED a Brazillian girl in my life somewhere in my phonebook, because I don't have one. I was watching a Snoop Dogg video the other day and they're just... too much. They're aliens. I definitely need to get one. So yeah, hottest girls are in Brazil. Or maybe Puerto Rico.
Well you know where to start your tour then.
Anyone you'd like to meet?
I think I'd like to spend the day with Nicki Minaj. Take her out bowling and that. Most other artists I wouldn't really wanna meet unless I was gonna be doing a song with them or something. But yeah, definitely Nicki Minaj. I wouldn't wanna meet her and just go "oh, Hi", I'd wanna meet her and spend some time alone with her and talk about things.
We're sure she'd be up for that.
Any crazy stories from the tour? There's gotta be at least one.
Without doubt, DJ Maximum ate something really bad and had the worst farts ever. We were on the motorway as well so there was no escaping. We ended up keeping count and he did a record 24 farts in an hour’s journey from one city to the other. That was the craziest thing, Maximum’s Fart Attack.
Sounds... horrible.
Yeah it's... um... not nice.
Leads us nicely onto our next question: Best and worst experience that's happened since you've been on this musical journey?
My worst experience... one of the worst is definitely when I missed two flights to the same place on the same day to do a show. I woke up at 7 in the morning to get to the airport for 8 to catch a flight at 9. I was so tired, went out the night before like I do, like an idiot, I got there late and missed the flight. I couldn't believe it, so I went back home, called my agent and said "I missed my flight, what should I do?". She got in touch with the promoter who managed to get me on another flight for about 5 in the evening. I said I could make it. Bearing in mind I had no sleep from earlier, I'm soldiering on, staying awake, staying awake. Got to the airport, EARLY, and I'm sitting in the departure... sitting in the departure... still sitting in departure.. sleep catches up. I'm out. Next thing I know I'm being woken up by this woman saying "Is this your plane?", I look up and see that it is so I grab my bag and go to get on. She stops me and says "No no no, you've missed it". I was in disbelief. "You've woken me up to tell me I've missed it? Why didn't you wake me up when you were doing last calls and see me sitting there?". Anyway, I went down to the desk to see if I could get another flight out, but there were no more flights. The promoter had booked me twice on two different flights and I missed both of them. Lost out on two grand booking money... one of the saddest days of my life. I just wanted to kick everyone in the airport... worst part is the promoter thinks I did it on purpose and he'll never book me again... to be honest I don't blame him.
That's quite a story. Hopefully he'll see this and reconsider! Now, aside from being here right now, what has been your best experience thus far?
Yeah, it is pretty good being here actually! My best experience... hmm... there's been alot. It's hard to pick one moment or event out of them all though. The most buzzed I ever get is when I'm on stage. There's nothing better than that. Being up there in front of all those people, saying lyrics that you wrote down in your bedroom or put down on your phone, your own personal lyrics and you go somewhere and there's 3,000 people singing it back to you. It's the best. Everytime I perform, and every time the crowd gets bigger, it's my new best moment.
Awesome. Anything you wanna add on before you go?
'Rescue Me' is out on the 27th, everyone get it! Also, look out for my album, 'Doin' It Again' out this year, everyone get that too. That's it.
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