Interview: Words with Chuckie

You’ve probably heard him more than you’ve seen him and that’s no dig at his height.

If Chip can’t run out of bars, it’s safe to say Chuckie can’t run out of bookings. Sounds like absolute macaroni cheese but understand that this man of smaller stature has a lot to say about the evolution of Djing.

These days anyone can DJ, right? We can all shuffle tracks on our computer tabs, blending one YouTube video to another. On a more complex level, software and technology has advanced and this convenience has left many people wanting to pursue a serious career in music let alone DJing. But everyone has to start somewhere and Chuckie did so at the age of just 12.

All my friends used to MC so one day I thought: “I could MC.” So I just started chatting shit on the microphone. I went to the under 18’s, started chatting shit, went on stage chat shit again and at that moment I knew I wanted to be involved in music.

Yes, we can all sip a KA and talk endlessly about Grime culture vultures however Chuckie witnessed the sonic transition, the shift from Grime to Garage left the aspiring MC to reconsider his path yet his passion for music collecting remained. Then you question, we can all do that so what’s new? Well, Chuckie began to play on radio, but not like today, nah. This guy dragged his records back and forth from set to set and this authenticity, fortunately is something which a DJ today will never have to experience. Chuckie was in his element as he sat talking endlessly, answering every question with thorough explanations but what really made his eyes light up was when began to unravel the scrolls of his childhood to share who actually influenced him to DJ.

Who is Jason Speed?

Okay, so I grew up in Northolt but I had cousins that were close to my age that lived on White Flats estate in Hanwell and I used to go on that estate all of the time. I ultimately grew up there to be fair. On that estate was a guy called Jason Speed and he had a pair of decks, so I used to play with his younger brother and I just saw them and was like “what are those?! I want to learn!” He used to teach me how to play Reggae music and then I remember looking at him thinking, “this is what my dad does” because my dad was a DJ. While everyone was downstairs playing football and doing other bits and pieces or skating…I used to stay in Jason’s room all the time. He was a lot older than me and he taught me how to mix. Only then I started making tapes with my friends while mixing music and whatever. I just loved it.

When did you get your hands on some turn tables?

I bought mine late! I couldn’t afford them. At that time, my parents weren’t really making money like that so I literally depended on going to White Flats estate every weekend, couple of times during the week and just learning how to mix on them. We used to make so many tapes, these times it was Jungle and Garage so I literally used to mix like a DJ for them…and then occasionally grab the mic and chat shit.

With a father as a DJ and being around music enthusiasts, Chuckie began to learn the technicalities of Djing by the man Jason Speed himself. In this world of short cuts, people are desperate to reach a following, fans, an audience to share their passion. Let’s take you to the streets of Camden. We’re all guilty of avoiding that eager, slightly damp smelling guy who’s holding a bunch of CD’s ready to pounce when you give them a second of eye contact. However laughable this practise may be, Chuckie solely believed in getting himself heard and so off he went to the street parties of carnival one day and made a life changing move.

I remember around that time I thought ‘okay, cool, I’m gonna’ buy 3,000 blank CD’s and I’m going to burn them all myself. So I done a mix CD, I bought a CD duplicator as well; I only had one at the time. It burnt 7 in 2 minutes. Taking them to carnival was obviously hard, I had loads of bags and had some help from my friends. Then once we got there, I’d pick a spot then just gave them out and because not a lot of people was doing it at the time, literally that day or the next day my phone line would be blowing up. That was one of the first ways people started to know who I was, just by doing loads of mixed CD’s.

It’s hard to imagine that DJ Khaled’s face on a CD would look weird but upon a time this was the moistest thing you could do. But thanks to the power of those 30,000 CD’s Chuckie’s phone line was Hotline-Blingin’ and the networks could only keep growing.

Now it’s normal, people would have a mix cd with their face on it and it wouldn’t be a ‘thing’ but when I was doing it…firstly I was giving them away for free. Secondly, they were like “who do you think you are?” these were just the people that didn’t understand and thirdly I had my number on it so I tried to make a connection between me and people that didn’t know me.

Do you think DJ’s do that now?

Not really. It’s different now, because it’s so over saturated. You can go outside of the club and there might be 15 people handing you a CD and half the time the CD’s are bollocks because people are not putting the time and effort into it. Me, when I do mixed CD’s it takes me ages to do it because I’m thinking of the order of the tracks, the songs I want, how I want it to sound, the effects, it takes me ages to do it! People used to approach me like, “can you do a mix CD for me?” I don’t mind it cos you’re going to burn it and sell it to loads of people but at the same time it’s going to take me a long time to do it. Not a case of, I’m just going to bang them out within 45 minutes.  I don’t work like that.

Do you think DJ’s truly understand the concept of beat juggling and the technique behind DJ’ing or is it just the case of blending songs now?

Do you know what? I don’t think they do know the concepts, well some of them. I think it’s funny, I think some of the new generation DJ’s don’t really know what they’re doing. They are beat matching but they don’t really understand exactly what’s going on. I don’t know where the fault is, I don’t know who necessarily is to blame for that but it works for some people. If it works for somebody and someone else sees it they’re going to follow that format.

Is it easier to become a DJ now compared to when you started out?

It’s harder, in a sense that you probably will find that a lot of people want to become a DJ but I think a lot of the people are doing it for the wrong reasons. So, it’s harder for you as a person who loves music, loves the idea of just playing music and you’re a music collector; it is harder for you to prosper. As opposed to a model, part of a modelling agency who wants extra bookings and the agent will then sort them out. That ultimately takes them away from the person who collects music.

How did it feel to meet Nas?

I couldn’t even believe it! So, I get there before him and when Nas came through he sat next to me and we were chatting about what we were going to do. I couldn’t believe I was sat next to Nas, I wish I had Snapchat back in those times! The biggest thing for me, was telling Nas “nah let's do this and let's do that and these are the reasons why” and he was saying “okay, let's do that.” I will never forget that. He doesn't know how amazing that was for me, of course he's not he's just Nas and he's cool.  I'm sure if I saw him he would remember me from that moment. Afterwards he invited me to the club and I didn't go, I was too in the moment. That will always be the biggest highlights of my life. I would listen to Nas before I can even remember and then to DJ for him was crazy. I told my mum but my mum didn't know the magnitude of it. It made me think I'm really out here, for them to call ‘me’ shows they respect me in a certain way, they could have rung anyone!

As a DJ how do you feel the audience’s vibe?

 This is a good question you know because I do it without thinking about it. Now that you’ve asked me that question I’m starting to think about my thought process... I kinda’ go in and I look at the crowd: the age, the types of people that are there and the time that I am playing. Let’s say, I come to a gig and it’s a student event, I’ll think “cool, it’s one o’ clock, the DJ hasn’t played the new Hip Hop so I’m going to test the crowd with that. I will play the main stuff that everybody knows and occasionally I’ll throw in the new song that’s going to be big, to see if people know it. If they do, that would be my opportunity to play extra new stuff.

Has technology changed DJ’ing for the better or the worst?

For me it’s changed for the better because I like change. I like when things evolve and I love the thought of going into a record store and buying vinyl; love that. That’s the one thing I miss about DJ’ing and music collecting, you can still do it now but it’s just more expensive. Now, people will send you an mp3 file, which is a positive because I went through the stage of going to a club with boxes of music and I was really young. I had to get a cab and get the cab man to help me take some of the boxes but now I just take my laptop. There’s a flip side to the coin because now you can just download music or someone will give you a hard drive of music and that gives a short cut to people. People think “sick, I’ve got this music, I can take it to a club and be a DJ!” Nah that’s shit. That’s proper shit. You’ve got House DJs for example, who will play a two hour set of House music and will not know the artist, the name of the song, or anything! That is bananas! That is crazy! I love having music conversations. Music can take you back to a certain time when certain things were going on. You’ll ask a DJ now what’s their favourite album and they won’t even know. That’s mental. So, for me it’s changed for the better but ultimately it has changed for the worse because if it was about going to the record store and buying vinyl, half the DJs that are around today would not be around.

So who are your DJ role models?

All of them are Jamaican. I was looking up to David Rodigan, Stone Love, Mighty Crown, these were all the selecta's really. With EZ its funny, what he was doing was so mad to me, I just knew this is something that I could do. I looked at him and thought he was sick. When I loved EZ I was MC'ing, aside from that when I was collecting music I was looking at DJ's from Mighty Crown thinking, “that is what I want to do!” He was a role model for a lot of Grime and Garage DJ's at the time and it's sick to see what he's doing now because he's been at the top of the game for years. 

What's the future of DJ'ing looking like from your perspective?

 It's looking grim. I just feel from my experiences, a lot of the people that are getting into DJ'ing are doing it for completely different reasons and it worries me about where this will end up going. if you have somebody who doesn't have that genuine interest to be a DJ and just wants to be a star and somebody looks at that and thinks “I can do that” they just have the wrong mind set. It doesn't mean that you can't be a footballer and become a DJ but I just think people think it's so glamorous. People are looking at the crowd who are throwing their hands in the air, they aren't falling in love with a song or a type of music to play at parties because it makes them feel a certain way. I want to make people feel a certain way when I play my music. If that's how people were looking at it then it would be wicked. However you're always going to get a crop of good DJ's who are out there doing their thing.

What makes you different from other UK DJ's?

The things that make me different are the things that should be normal. I feel the game is bullshit. Being able to structure my set, that is something which everybody should know how to do it because it's become such a rarity now that's what makes me different. On a more technical aspect, what makes me different from DJs now is that I am very comfortable on the microphone, I can address a room of 100 people or a stadium of 10,000 people I can make them put their hands up and while out and make them jump up and down whatever it may be. I don't think a lot of DJs have that level of confidence.  

3.4.16 | میں نے ایک فیصلہ کر لیا |1

Digital Art Lord: Mister Westrup

There’s a niche of young artists who excel at merging underground music with art, and almost every time they’re overlooked. We’re not talking about the #hiphopart hashtag. Nah. Let’s talk UK now. Let’s talk Mister Westrup.

Mister Westrup is sick at vomiting drawings of women and rappers on my Twitter feed. A single Tweet just doesn’t cut it when it comes to this talented digital artist from Colchester, Essex.

Westrup’s favourite: the hypnotising illustration of Grime god, Big Narstie. Source: misterwestrup.com

Digital art is more technology intensive than it may seem. We’re surrounded by it, Starbucks festive cups to the futuristic spaces created by artists Dalziel and Pow. We are either too used to seeing digital art in our everyday lives or we see it as a complete extreme. What Westrup has done, is introduced his art as an alternative to traditional portrait methods used with paint and other familiar medias. The beauty behind it, is that the textures and brush strokes trick our eyes into thinking that it is a painting, revealing his gift to produce realistic yet expressive portraits. 

I guess I was curious about digital art. I’m a bit of a geek so I've enjoyed the fact there is so much depth to digital art. There are so many possibilities, it’s so versatile.

Digital art can be produced on a massive scale. Don’t you think it takes away the true value of an original drawing that you can have with a raw piece of art?

I think there are ways to have an original image in digital art. There is still a great deal of stigma attached to digital art, suspicion to the techniques as people try to understand how you did it more than appreciate the piece in front of them. I find it pretty weird, we quite quickly accepted digitally created music alongside traditional instruments. I’m not sure why people find it so hard to do the same with Art. You wouldn't question a hip hop tracks credibility when no traditional instruments have been used, why do we do it with art? Personally, I think its snobbery within artists. I could rant on this topic for some time but don't want to bore you!

With Twitter’s instantaneous sharing ability, exhibiting artwork online has never been easier, whether that is building a fan base or being recognized by underground artists. The fusion between the underground music scene and Westrup’s illustrations is something which many Instagram/Twitter friendly artists experiment with. Especially when it comes to mixtape/album artwork, or even art work for online releases. It’s a clever relationship and has been favoured by many artists.

There has always been Hip Hop art, there are literally thousands of illustrations of Tupac and Biggy all over the internet, you don't see it so much here in the UK. I'd never really seen that kind of work done here, not on that scale. In terms of the fusion with music and art, I feel like it's one in the same. The arts seem to support each other, you can't really have one without the other. Music is an art, photography, videography, it all supports each other and it kind of intensifies itself.

The cover of artist, Abel Miller’s “Patience” EP designed by Westrup. Source: misterwestrup.com

Notice the CC on the jacket: Westrup’s logo design of US Rapper Chriz Millz label “Check Chaser Music” Source: Mister Westrup

The reality is, the words ‘urban’ and ‘art’ stereotype to graffiti, but never portrait art. It’s original to the British urban scene that we know of and Westrup is one of many artists (like Reuben Dangoor’s Legends of the Scene) who are transforming the conventions of high art into something relatable. That’s what transforms the whole stigma behind the word “art” as being elitist or a rich kid phenomenon. These illustrations demonstrate a hard graft to create a career from his passion.

Certain times when there's not enough interest, if I’m not selling as much as I'd like, or I don't seem to be reaching the amount of people I'd hope to. It's funny though, every time I start to feel like that something happens. Like it could just be something someone says, or like an exciting new client. There’s always something there to remind me why it's worth it.

Iesha Mariee from the Art of Seduction collection. Source: misterwestrup.com

Westrup represents the fluidity of art, both in time and expression. The boundaries for audiences have been broken, with absolute exposure inspiration is everywhere and so is competition. If Doctor Who could bring Monet back to draw on a tablet, would he faint? Who knows? But what’s certain is that Westrup reveals an exciting evolution of still life digital art.

This, what I’m doing now excites me, there’s so much to learn, there’s so many possibilities, it would be insane to give that up in pursuit of short terms gains. Whatever they may be.

Darling

Innocent Asma, who wouldn't dare question anything and would always be corrected.

Innocent me, who always said "yes" to make you feel that I was absolutely down for you, no matter what.
Innocent me. As if you was to rest your hand on my shoulder and whisper

"It's okay. I understand you. You're not alone."

Innocent me, who thought having you was euphoria.

Stupid me, for sharing my silence with you.

Stupid me, for crying when we were new.

Stupid me, for seeing the warmth of truth in your eyes.

Stupid me, for wearing outfits which you dared to rip apart to resurrect your fantasies.

Stupid me, for giving you my ear as well as my heart when you laughed at giving me your hand.

Stupid me, for believing you had a dream that married mine.

Stupid you, for staring at a screen, revealing your masquerade of emotions as you swapped feelings with another.

Stupid you, for calling me strong, it wasn't because of you.

Stupid you, for requesting flowers, my flowers won't make your soul beautiful.

In return for loyalty...deception.

In return for honesty...promises.

It was all an act. I realise now I was just playing the part.

So thank you for releasing me from the shackles of your pride.

You weren't worth it darling, you weren't worth it at all. 

Photo essay: Love

Again?

Colour, always colour.

Lust, a mess.

Waiting, for what?

Knowing.

Solitude.

A well of leaves

Just activating the writing muscle. Please, get comfy.

Mind.

"I remember me sat on him as he lay beneath me and we look at each other in peace. Hands locked perfectly and words marrying the sounds of rap melodies. He taps my nose and I shake my head in embarrassment and laugh at the prospect of this attention. I had to wipe the lipgloss off his tender lips as they cushioned my thumb and I held on to the side of his face. My thumb trembling because of the passion not the nerves. Because it was closure because he was a failure at unclipping the clasp but a successor when he eventually did it. 

"I'm bleeding" 

"that's supposed to happen" as I stare at the sin stained on his sheet. I didn't imagine it to be this way. I carry on dazing into his eyes and we kissed like animals in sync, our hearts pumping. The lights off now. The TV screen lit up, their mouths moving but no sound. Our hands a mess, I was caged under. He was confident on top. As we breathed into each other we rolled over and over until our bare bodies lay side by side. My leg held on his. It's not sex. It was sharing pleasure as we dismissed our pain for this one moment. Bliss." 

Synergy.

"Drink in his hand and arm round my neck I felt the spark of something new. The build up to an attraction but too good to be true. November night, alone intoxicated on my sheets drowning in conversations. Questions after questions the curiosity growing like the mould which is left now. Smiles and thoughts filled the air, my palms sweat in anticipation on my thigh. 

"What do you want right now?" 

"In life I..." 

"No. Right now, in this very moment." And a kiss shut me up. Fire blazed, his body got hotter as his hands searched my dress. My hands holding his face before it falls into my breasts. A pause, curtains drawn, little lights flickering, we remove shoes and his layers and we continue with the hum of RnB soul in our hears. I sat on his lap and we drove far away. I saw the wrapper in his hand and I refused the idea. I slept on his chest and his one night stand left me tucked up in my sheets. I dreaded to see him again. Fast forward. Stood beneath a storm of lights as a band plays on stage, "I still have a few films in mind" my mind, heart, body and soul stood still." 

Artistic.

"A Leo. Promised fire and a passion that I couldn't resist. The face of someone I'd lie to. An accent that left me asking him to repeat everything again and again. I stood outside Westfield shopping centre and waited. Next thing I'm on a dark street with my lips massaging his. Our first kiss was inside the club, we danced closely and security only stopped us three times. An engineer was his prospects. Mine were to get out of this sticky situation before I start lying to myself. On his Arsenal sheets we flick through his most wonderful drawings of portraits and a tattooed figure was his next challenge. A unique mind that wanted to create a master piece with me. The flirting was distracted by my fascination with someone else. I lived the moment nevertheless, Real played as I stared into nothingness.

"Would you ever visit South Africa?" "Yes." 

He burnt his foot on the radiator twice. Clumsy man. My heart felt uncertain but my body wasn't. The thought of water- sex, Your favourite colour- Personality, animal- your attraction. Mine was calm, black and a lion. A two week silence and that was it. Over." 

Emojis.

"American Boy as he sat on my chair resting his elbows on my desk. The first time we were in a room together. The face spoke a foreign language. And I'd do anything to be fluent. But seeing through to his heart a wall of ego stood between me and his romance. To ponder now is easy. I knew every word to the song but not every word of his sentences. Awkward silences but comfortable in his arms as we lay and watch the screen. Tight fit so I thought "what next?" Intoxicated on MD, 15% of what happened was only remembered. I can't remember our first kiss but I remember our last. As he slept my fingers entranced by his beauty and they touched every corner of his face to his neck and his chest. My lips quivered. Only a beam of light came through my curtains, the blanket a mess our clothes in a hurricane beneath our storm. My nails buried inside his back and I gasped my pleasure. Fast forward. We stood outside Leicester Square station after I gave him a book for his future. My arms swung in the awkward goodbye between us and I kissed hard, leaving a tinge of purple. His hand on my right hip and I let go of this medley and left with thoughts of "stupid me", "oh well" and "this is defo the last time isn't it." 

To the people that Tark too much

Reflection is important, not just to be nostalgic and be sad. 

But to seriously see how far you have come. 

So, this was my "June-August" lets just say.Let me just give you a slice of what people said to me in these past few weeks...

"You are rude"

"You are defensive"

"I never talked about you"

"You are loud"

"I know you're sensitive"

"Our personalities clash"

"You're not the bigger person"

"I know you have a problem with me"

"Just do it right, what's wrong with you?"

"What's with the tattoo and you then?"

"Is your hair blonde or brown?"

"I've had a problem with you since November"

"Life is unfair"

So when I did share these comments with people they replied:

"Why do you let idiots get to you?"

"You are very enthusiastic"

"You're the pengest Pakistani I have met, no lie"

"Are you lonely?"

"Just get out of it man"

"Don't be weak, just wait and you'll come out stronger"

"People don't always mean what they say and say what they mean"

"You need to find people that make you happy"

"They don't need you"

It's just a bit crazy. To think I have vividly remembered every word said to me and to think people are so selfish to believe I will continue to communicate with them. Honey, we are in the world of social media, unfollow me all you want. Block me. Suck my left tit, or my right one, you know? You are free. I couldn't give a dogs bollocks. Why do people invest their time in being sour? 

Have some jalebi and Kool-Aid, chill the fuck out and know that if you're someone who's said something negative to me I am laughing at you. I am loving every moment. Waking up early. Super fresh, rubbing Original Source on myself, smoking a zoot till I can see life through a Kanye "Heartless" video lens. I have people remind me that I am on my way to something. I am content.

So take me seriously or not, that's your problem. Invest that time you spend looking at others on yourself and see what you can achieve. That's all I wanted to say. Perhaps you can relate too. 

Rant over, let me make love to this blueberry muffin real quick. X

(Don't take that in the wrong way pls.)

True Story

Just one of those moment when you realise where you were exactly one year ago. Well this was me...


January 10th 2014

Didn't really expect this. I didn't think about what I was wearing, just turned up in a jumper and jeans and trainers. Looked around for a bit and thought "what if this was a joke?" Didn't think too deeply anyway. So he was late and I just stared at everyone walking past me...wondering if he was looking for me too. So I spot him, the light turned green. I crossed over and gave him that half air hug. He smelt nice and confused. Then his feet took us to McDonalds. I didn't care, not here for food tbh, just want to see if he's got the walk as well as the talk.

His vans didn't match his outfit but his teeth were perfect and we perched up on a stone wall and talked endlessly about school.

Still staring at his teeth. Then we walked and walked and our lips haven't touched yet, didn't want to do that just yet.

Then his phone rang, awkwardly he looked at his phone saying "oh..I'm not going to the thing with my fiend anymore." It was 8pm. It was getting dark. I looked up at the sky asking "do I laugh yet or?"

His sense of humour and dream of acting/MC'ing was cool, it made me think a lot about my future.


Whatever month 2014

Yeah, anyway so we talked for ages, three months maybe? Can't remember now. He was busy then I was busy then he was busy then I was busy. Uni work overload etc. He wanted to see me.

My intention was to understand him that's it. I think I gassed him up to be honest. Anyway, we sat in Costa and I told him straight, "your ego is bigger than your high top and your dick put together." He looked confused and laughed. Told me about his dad and how that influenced his life. Whatever. There was more to him and I knew from the moment he once opened his drop box and rapped over the American Boy instrumental.

Then same thing...Urge to see each other again. I kinda aired it for a week considering I didn't see it going anywhere.

Then, it was the case of me moving back home. I just wanted to see him. So I rang him...he told me how he's in a lot of trouble, buying shares and losing money. It was all alien to me, I didn't get it. But he was still in trouble for the next few days. I still wanted to atleast see him, so I did what I always do. "Save people." Call me fucking Wonder Woman.

On the phone he was going on and on about bills, overdrafts, debt, money. So I simply said "I'll give you money, today."

Him: "what? No come on don't..."

I wasn't whipped don't get me twisted but he said he had nothing to his name. His voice was in pain and it convinced me. (If he lied, the Lord knows best). I took out £200 that day. Money that I had but didn't need at the time.

We met again, same place, it was dark and he was going out that night. Drunk girls wobbling past. We sat, I gave him the roll of money and a note book. And simply told him to keep both and not look back. I kissed him goodbye and that was it.

So, this time last year, I rang him under the influence and told him how much I missed him. Yeah I opened up, fucking clap for me. I was deluded, I thought the first person you think of in that state "mattered." Yeah right. I asked him how things were and he said they were all right.


No thank you. No nothing. He never messaged back again yet remained active on social media. :))))))))))))))))))


I got the hint. And so I did what I do best, erased him like a mistake.

In the present time, all is well.






I just wonder, who was the fool?

The journey of HighDefRazjah: ASAP Ferg's top producer

Artists, artists, artists but what about the people who make the cogs turn before the beat was even a beat? What if they took the stage? I looked over at the US and caught up with one of ASAP Ferg's producers HighDefRazjah to get an insight into what he's up to and to get a real grasp of what's poppin' in their streets today!

Introduce yourself, for those who haven't come across you before...

I'm HIghDefRazjah, 23 outta' Suffolk,Virginia in The United States. Indigo child, music producer and artist. I produced ASAP Ferg's Last single "Let it Go" off his Traplord Album.

What was your starting point?

I Started doing marketing under my old boss/manager Batman Va Promoter (@BatmanVaPromotr) he is currenty the Def Jam rep for the Virginia Market. Under him I learnt the game and business of music to go along with my craft. He basically educated me on everything I know.

What genre do you associate yourself with, or is that something that isn't so important to you? 

Genre really Isn't important. Music is music. The genre is the feeling or the vibe you get for the song... I can basically create any sound from how I'm feeling at the moment. That's how I create the best music.

What's your thoughts on Lex Luger and his EP LOWPROS?

I heard the project months before it's release. Lex is venturing off, creating new sounds, having fun with music, touring Europe, so all that stuff he's soaking up, he puts into his craft and Lowpros is a different sound, EDM and Lex Luger... awww man .. thats super ill ..I've been recording for LOWPROS2 tho' ha ...

You’re asked to make a beat, what's the first thing you do?

Smoke, do drugs...Just to get in the element of focus and creativity. I become someone with the sounds to create the best vibration possible for your ears, to be addicted to my sound.

What project have you worked on that you are most proud of?

Uhhhhhhhm, my EP honestly. Producing my own records and creating songs to them, Ferg's project was dope because his first album was destined to be a classic but working on debut in general is dope because you have a chance to make a mark; creating a vibe or sound.

You’re working with Travis Scott, what’s that looking like?

Me nd Travis is cool. We haven't spoken in a while but we def have done a production. I haven't heard it yet but I sent him some files, he added to it and that was that. I met him at Trillectro fest, we were excited t meet each other and the energy was crazy. Hes a dope dude man. Talented.

Do you like staying behind the scenes as a producer or do you see yourself performing in the future?

Haha, I just did a show last night (June 30th.) Nah, I love stepping out from behind the scenes to showcase my talent...showing face is important in music, so people can get a feel for you and feel your vibe!

Who’s been the best artist to work with and why?

Has to Be Bia and Lex . They work ethic and creativy is a mirror image of myself .. and we are all young and cool with each other like fam...we have chemistry...we have something in the works for you guys.

Is life in the studio all about sippin lean, getting high and vibing or is there more to it?

It's not what it seems, drugs just put you in the vibe to work and be more creative and in tune with sound and yourself...to create the best sound.

Where do you see yourself going with your music, would you ever come to the UK?

I Wanna be the Next Kanye West. Point Blank and of course! I need some shows there hahaha!!!

Do you feel like your work gets the recognition it deserves, in terms of making a hit record, or is that something that you don’t pay mind to?

I rarely don't pay attention, the music will speak for itself. Recognition is perception, we are recognized everyday, just in different ways.The people decide a hit records.  

Who in your opinion, is killing it right now?

Future, Travis Scott are 2 of my favourite artist right now. They have the Youth and the Streets.

If you could see yourself working with anyone, who would it be and why?

I would like to sit down and work with Rihanna on a project. She has the sound, the brand and the image. She's Talented and I would love to build with her.

Damn right about that. 

What can we look forward to see from you in 2015?

In 2015, expect the unexpected. I'm coming full steam ahead, artist wise and production wise.

What has been your biggest accomplishment?

Being a father to my daughter and focusing on music.

Was a pleasure to talk to a producer wanting to venture out as an artist, that transition isn't discussed these days so it was dope to discuss his vision. I hope to see the future Kanye West take the lime light in the near future. Ch-ch-check him out gawdddddd!

Twitter: @HighDefRazjah

Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/taeguxxi  & soundcloud.com/drughabitrazjah

Random train journey

I don't understand why I am seeing the things I am seeing right now. 

A couple playing tonsil tennis, a home less man sucking every cheese crumb from his 5cm, grey nails. And a German woman's varicose veins pulsing as she exhales in exhaustion. 

The homeless man now looks up a young woman's navy blue felt skirt as if he was looking for shelter. Lol.

Another woman's beige sweat patch is now in my face and a little toddler is screaming for no f****** reason. 

The train is more packed now, on top of the cheese crisps I can smell wet dog and sour sandal feet. The homeless man gets up from the floor now, and squints to make out what it says on the tube map. He doesn't leave and neither does the wet dog smell. There's more people on the train now, all pressed up against each other and I feel bad for sitting down. Actually, no I don't, I've been standing for 5 hours my bum has lost all it's jelly, what am I to do in the doggy position now? 

I can feel my top lip collecting sweat and now I'm worried that my back is going to start crying. Flipping great 'look' for an event and an interview aye.

An LV bag is pushed against a man's arse in denim, I wonder if he's taking that as a hint or not. The kissy kissy couple are still talking and breathing in each others eyelids, I just know if I was the woman I'd have hot breathe sticking my eye lashes together. Now the LV bag is in my face, dunno how I feel about that, and she's wearing a Pandora bracelet, I thought they were dead? Her legs finish in some Primark pumps with a belt embellishment, you know them old skool ones. I just know she works in central, probably at an all white office where she's crushing on a co-worker and will drown her secrets in wine tonight. 

Who knows? I'm just another TFL customer waiting for my money back. 

4i, the North London Rich Soul Rapper

Getting lost in Kings Cross station isn't funny… because whether you say ‘take a left’ or ‘take a right’ you're benefiting no one but your Walkometer.

I’m stood outside Costa. A man plays the piano providing an element of tranquillity as the cleaners chase people, who were ignorantly walking over the freshly mopped floor. A Michael Kors bag whacks my breasts as I try to peer over the crowds of people, in search for a dreadlock pineapple.

Well, after several phone calls, we came to realise that we were BOTH lost. It was like an unintentional game of hide and seek but I eventually met 4i. I arrived with that glamorous natural hair-blowing-in-the-wind and something-in-my-eye-but-I'll-keep-smiling look, but he was really cool about it and so we proceeded to sit in a nearby Starbucks.

Hot coffee air, walls covered in coffee bean timelines, people hypnotized by their screens and then there was us engaging in a conversation deeper than Starbuck’s pockets.

Yes, he goes by “4i”. Dominic began to laugh upon reflection of his past regretful tag-names. A North London rapper, who refuses to confine himself in a specific genre, as his music shuffles from poetry to Soul, sometimes dipping into Drum and Base but is also influenced by Reggae rhythms and Hip-hop. His recent mixtape “Soul Rich” dropped in December 2014 and was launched through his Paradime Collective, a group of equally artistic talented minds that helped to celebrate Dominic’s body of work.

But, it’s 4i’s music videos that put the rapper’s journey into context. From the very first video “Headhunters” when his hair was in the brushed-out pony tail stage, the lyrics speak on the grind as he reflects on his pride, which is visually depicted in a rush of time-lapses, showing Barnet crowds, his gym flow and a few faces from the Paradime crew. Now, “Soul Rich” includes ear pricking vocals and optimism but lyrics that relate, delivering his progression as an artist and the professionalism of his team.

I’ve done a bit of working in my life and my soul just tells me: ‘that is not where you were supposed to be.'

Did this stem from school do you think?

I wasn’t so anti-system it was more like ‘why?’ Like one plus one equals two…why? Do you know what I mean? ‘Oh cos that plus sign means you’ve got to add it together’…but WHY?

I was always that guy, it just didn’t make sense to me, but obviously that led me to getting into trouble d’d’d’d’duh, before you know it I was that little rebel at school.

Not even a whole minute went by and I had already dived into the ocean of 4i’s philosophical brain waves.  

How did it all start then?

The story of how I wrote my first verse…I was going through my dad’s CD collection…I don’t know if you know of KRS-One? 90’s Bronx, its proper old school! I heard one track called ‘Criminal Minded’ I must have been 13, 14 at that time… I was like ‘this just sounds so sick.’ And then literally from there, I began chopping up a beat, then wrote my first verse and that’s just how it started.

Your lyricism reminds me of Akala, obviously it’s not that political, but it’s that intelligent…

I was actually at a show with him the other day.

Whaaat, really?

Yeah, he’s a sick performer. But, no it’s funny you say that cos I’m tryna’ find that balance to make music where people can vibe to it, move to it, but there’s still some substance there as well. I feel Akala is very political, he really wants to put a message across and there’s nothing wrong with that, I really rate people who do that cos we need that.

So how did you go from writing your first verse to becoming 4i?

I was sat at the back of the bus and I was writing down notes on my phone and I just came across 4i, like the number four with the letter I, it looked really cool…Something just resonated. Basically like, the number four in numerology has real characteristics that represent me as a person and I was like ‘that sounds like me, that genuinely sounds like me!’ And the ‘I’ is that level of being aware of everything around you, and I’ve got like a little phrase which basically goes ‘4 is the vibe and I is the vision.’

Not going to lie, when I googled ‘4i’ I couldn’t find much, why is that?

It’s just part of the growth of an independent artist. You gotta’ do everything yourself, I’ve been kind of on-the-low doing my thing, but now we’re really pushing. Before it was the case of finding the music, finding ourselves. But, you’ve definitely found me at a very early time.

Are you into spoken word as well?

In certain songs … I’ll listen to and I’ll be like ‘hmmm, you can’t put a hook here, you can’t really go hard with the bars here, what can you put here? Ah let’s open it up to some spoken word.’ ... it makes you realise what you are ACTUALLY saying, cos lots of people rap in front of a beat, but you take away those beats. People get to hear what the lyrics are about and the substance and the concept rather than just the music and someone bopping their head to it.

I listened to “One Song Away” and you mention using a YouTube beat….

Ah, yeah! Give me a second, I have to remember this! Errr…’You hear this beat I didn’t even lease it, downloaded it off YouTube cos that’s what you do when producers give you stupid quotes like ‘who are you though?’ can’t you see I’m numero uno’ yeah yeah!...

How did you progress from a YouTube beat in ‘One Song Away’ to ‘Soul Rich’?

Shout out to DA, like a really close friend of mine, he does all the production. And it works so well with where my mind is at, where I’m trying to go with my music. That’s why I act funny working with any other producer because I’ve created such a chemistry…they don’t have that spark of inspiration and creativity.

I’m working within a team of close friends, it’s called ‘Paradime.’ So we’ve got my brother Karl who does production, design, he’s also an actor as well, we have DA who does producing, there’s a rapper called Patch he’s about to drop his Pirate E.P that’s coming out, we have Xon who does all the video-graphing, Jonathan again, cameras, editing… Shout out to the whole team. Bobby, Levi, who else is there man?

If it was possible… Dominic would be combing through his dreads to find every single person he’s missed off the list.

A woman’s hand, thick with dead skin, poverty and hopelessness waved around in front of us.

“Sorry, I’m just tryna’ get enough for a coffee,” she said as she revealed her unkempt teeth.

“Nah I haven’t got anything sorry.”

And she left in time to ask a business man who was busy brushing his shoulder off. (No Jay-Z). 

...Erm, why do I feel like I’ve missed someone so important from the team? We want to be the pioneers of our field together.

What’s the one song, which you’ve written that really hit you?

The one that I had a real connection with is ‘Live to Love’ which is the last one because I think it’s so relevant for our time right now. Like just scrap the skill, scrap the metaphors, scrap everything just listen to the message, you know what I mean. That really came from a pure place. But yeah, they all come from an honest place!

Why are your lyrics so clean?

I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, so swearing was already forbidden in my household and as a child if I swore that was like…the wooden spoon would come straight out you know.

It’s incredibly degrading. I’ve come across more women hence why I don’t really talk about hoes. Because I’ve never really experienced that sort of element of a woman, well I have but…

And on the n word, for me it’s the history of where it comes from. As much as people like to sugar coat it and say ‘we’ve changed it now’, it’s really not cool.

What’s ‘Deep Space’ about?

When you’re in a relationship there’s this constant ‘ah what you doing?’, ‘come see me’ and there’s times where it’s just like ah you just wanna’ be by yourself. It was inspired by a true experience and I wasn’t even with the person, that’s what killed it. I was just like *kmt* I’m just not on it man, ‘I’m in deep space right now and I’ll get at you when I can.’ I think it’s something that everyone experiences it, everyone talks about it but I’ve never heard it in a song before.

What are some U.K artists that inspire you?

I don’t really listen to U.K artists.

Why?

I have no real reason. I listen to a lot of music from the U.S and I listen to a lot of Reggae. I mean I think who really inspires me right now is Wretch 32, I’m a big fan of Wretch 32 and have been for years.

Why does he stand out?

I feel that there’s loads of lyricists in the UK but few of them who are making moves right now… he’s one of the very few artists that I’d love to work with. I definitely don’t listen to UK rap apart from Wretch 32, nah like all this trap stuff nah not for me.

I stay away from this ‘UK scene’ I feel there’s so much pollution within it. There’s a lot of talent but there’s a lot of monsters as well…just dead music, rappers rapping the same words, the same flows on the same deep voices…

What about female artists?

I don’t know how to pronounce her name, it’s like scissor or…S, Z, A? She is dope. Her sound is wicked! There’s another artists who I’ve been listening to her a lot, it’s Rapsody, she’s from the states and she’s got a dope flow.

Have you ever diverted?

From, music? Nah. Music is in me. I can’t run away from music like I can’t run away from my hands. There have been times, where I’ve thought ‘is the music industry, like what comes with it, is that what I wanna do?’ Nah, I’ve never thought twice, if I blow up or if I don’t blow up.

Who inspires you, musically?

I mean, I’m a big fan of Kendrick Lamar cos I just think what he’s able to do with his music, the concepts that he puts forward, it just sounds so sick. The things he talks about, it’s just so relevant. J. Cole is another artist that I’m a big fan of.

Artists like Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, big fan of Bob Marley, Tu-Pac, Nas, KRS-One. I think Common is sick his album ‘The Dreamer, The Believer’ is one of the best Hip-hop albums, no one really spoke about it but when I heard it I was like ‘Oh my days!!!’ Easily one of my best Hip-hop albums, alongside Illmatic, alongside ‘good Kid M.A.A.D City.’

What have you been up to?

I want to create visuals for 80% 70% of the tape. I put a freestyle out in January. Performing wherever I can. Just as an individual artist, you gotta’ be your own everything you know. I got a few shows lined up coming up to summer and it’s just staying active. 

Me and DA got two projects already; they are there it’s just a matter of timing.

Do you make time to write?

I do make time to write…Sometimes, I’ll sit down to write, I’ll have my pad and my pen and I’ll be playing beats, like three hours of them and I haven’t written anything so…I try to make it a natural process rather than too much thought behind it, I just let it come out.

Did you watch the Grammy awards?

No I didn’t watch them.

Have you seen any award shows recently?

I don’t… watch TV.

Well there’s a debate about the under representation of POC in recent award shows, what’s your view on that?

This is very complex, it’s quite deep. I mean …Why do you feel that you need that, in order for you to feel like your work has been appreciated?

There’s a lot of discrimination involved, I don’t know the ins and outs, but these events are predominantly white events founders, chairman’s you know. So, it doesn’t surprise me at all.

You’ve got all these people now like ‘ahhh how can Macklemore beat Kendrick?!’ I completely agree. But ask them if they ever bought Kendrick’s album? The people who run this, they don’t care who’s a better rapper, they care about statistics… And that’s all they can look at because they’re so disconnected with what’s current right now.

There’s so much, corruption, deception and lies that people drive themselves mad to find the truth.

So how do you find gratification in music?

I had this girl from Botswana who messaged me saying ‘ah you’re music is so great for us, it means so much to us!’ For me, that’s like *dusts hands* job done. Some guy from America…was like, ‘Soul Rich,’ it made every day so much easier for him. And, yeah man that’s SO much more important than some piece of material they’ve put together and carved your name into, you know?

Are you a spiritual person?

It’s very personal, it’s just for ‘you.’ But, it’s funny cos I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness when I was younger. My parents are still Jehovah’s Witness now and me, I’ve kind of gone on my own little journey. Just being like, okay that’s one molecule of the bigger picture, let me go out there and explore for myself and see what else is out there. And that’s the journey I’m on right now.

Why did you choose to grow dreads?

What dreads represent to me, is honesty its truth, it stands for….I don’t wanna say ‘individuality’ but it says so much about a person in terms of patience that someone will have in order to grow dreadlocks. When Samson’s hair was cut off he lost his strength, it took away his manhood and dreads are associated with lions, being strong being fierce but at the same time protecting your family. Hence why I thought ‘let me get them,’ once you lock them up *kisses his teeth* I don’t have to touch them.

Where do you see yourself in the near future?

…in my mind I don’t know where I’ll be. Where I would like to be in the future, is touring the world with my music.

How do you escape from music?

Gym. Back in the day I used to run for Great Britain, a couple of times. What it was, I kind of got a bit injured then lost motivation, desire. I wanted to do some natural body building as well, we’ll see where that goes…  when I kinda re-evaluate myself I must sound so boring, cos I don’t watch TV, I don’t like fashion, I’m just so like…oooh *face palms his sentences in the air* stay away from all that stuff.

So do you not listen to the news?

Nahh.

Do you not think it’s important?

I believe ‘news’ is important, I don’t believe what we’re being fed is true. I do watch news, but it’s from outside sources …There’s no “okay we have this crisis people, these are our alternatives of what we can do, these are our solutions d-d-d-d-duh this is the problem, and this is what the government is going to … a lot of it is negative so it has a subconscious effect on people and they’re not realising it.

Do you vote?

No.

Why?

Because, I don’t believe that you can change this world by putting someone’s name in a ballet. It doesn’t make any sense to me. They never stick to their word, and there’s a saying…they’re like 

‘different sheets on the same bum.’

But some people truly believe that your vote does count…

If you look at politics throughout history, there’s always been an agenda already set. Its making people think there is a democracy but there isn’t. Well, I don’t believe there is. It’s divide and conquer, going back to Alexander the Great, they divide you through religion, class, whatever it may be cos it’s easier to control. They know that when people come together they are powerless.

What was it like when you met Justin Timberlake?

Ah you saw that! Yeah, that was surreal man. Okay, not surreal but VERY real.

What were you talking about?

…one of his managers came out and we were just talking about music and I told him I’m an artist as well. And he went ‘yo, spit some bars man’ and I rapped some bars and then he goes ‘I need to get JT out here’ then Justin Timberlake came out… he was like ‘yo man, waddup?’ We were just talking about music and like being at that level where, where else is there to go? He’s just one of the best musicians in our era, in terms of dancing and music…he’s so so talented.

Do you think there’ll be a time where you’ll be rewarded financially with your music?

I want to be able to live off my music. Where I want to wake up, go to the studio and know I’m being paid for it, you know and provide for people around me. I also want to open up schools and colleges and youth clubs, I’d love that.

Two hours with 4i provided a spectacle of a spiritual and intellectual reality of the inquisitive rapper who lies behind the Paradime masquerade.

What do you fear?

"The one thing that I fear is going deep in water cos that’s when I would feel completely powerless, water have never been on my good side, on top of that you got BEASTS! But then there’s the beauty of it. If you knew everything, what you living for? It keeps me searching."

If you're into lyrical orgasms too, check him out!!!

YouTube: 4iofficial

SoundCloud: 4ioffical

Twitter: @4ioffical