Skepta Interview
The London-based rapper, producer and DJ talks to us about everything from his crazy year to his future plans and even his dad...
Hello and welcome to The Guestlist Network. This is Osh here ladies and gentlemen, welcome home. We always bring you the big dogs right here and we’re with none other than Skepta. How’s it going?
I’m bless man, I think this is my fifth interview.
Like always you must be saving the best ‘til last?
Yeah man.
I feel you, I feel you. It’s nice to be on top of the roof with you. How you feeling right now?
Yeah man I’ve had quite a good year, I’ve released my album Doin’ It Again at the beginning of the year, done two sold out tours, got a single coming that’s gonna drop on New Year’s Day 2012. So it’s been a good year man, can’t complain.
2012’s looking crazy for you right about now! So you’ve come a long way from two cousin’s, three brother’s and a dog, yeah?
Yeah!
Are you still using Mario Brothers to do your tunes for old time’s sake?
Nah it’s straight Apple Mac now!
And you don’t have to share that with your brother?
Haha no!
Is it right that your dad was a DJ?
Yeah man my dad was a DJ. I grew up in a household full of music, you know, late night parties the last person usually would leave the party at eight in the morning or that kinda time. Yeah, I’ve just always had music around me from when I was young.
So was that the inspiration for what you do now?
Yeah, yeah I think so. My dad is quite a big part in my music, love, and hence all the reggae style I have in my productions when I make beats. I think my dad’s influence is still there.
So when you came back there and when you bought him a car, that must have been a big moment?
Yeah it was good man, it feels good. They’re from Nigeria and they came over here to get a better life for themselves, work for themselves, they had some children. I never had everything I wanted when I was younger, it was a hard upbringing. They were struggling with four children, trying to do the best for them. The feeling, you know, it’s priceless to be able to do something like that for them. It emotional man.
They’re from Nigeria, you just went back there didn’t you?
Yeah I went out there last week, I flew my mum and dad out there. And me and my brother, me and Jay, went out there later, did a show. Before the show I met all my family and they brought them all out, you know there was a lot of tears and all that, everyone being emotional.
I see you was doing it big out there!
Yeah, proper man, proper. They love me out there.
It must have felt big to go back there! I see you were in Egypt too.
Yeah that was a little while ago, you know, a few years ago.
But you done a bit of Africa?
Yeah.
So you kind of liken yourself to 50 Cent on a house beat?
Is it?
Haha you don’t remember that?
Ah ok, I get what you’re saying. I said something like, basically, that’s what it’s like being abroad, you know what I mean, when you have a good dance record, whether it’s grimey or dubstep or dance, they enjoy it because it’s like 50 Cent. They’re used to listening to that music anyway, so when you put the artist on top of it, they’re like, ‘oh we’ve got like a 50 Cent now’, there’s a rapper on the beat now. I think that’s a good way of explaining what it’s like being an artist overseas.
Any other similarities between you and him?
Nah, nah, nah I wouldn’t liken myself to him at all.
One thing about him, he’s gone from being a kind of bad boy to being a bit of a good influence, he’s gone out there to feed Africa. Can you see yourself going from a bad boy influence to being someone who’s gonna go out there and save the world?
What should I say... I’ve got a plan to try and give back to the youths but I don’t wanna say too much ‘cause I don’t want anyone else to steal my idea.
I heard you mention before you’re gonna do some sort of workshop maybe?
I’ve got a few ideas. The only thing is trying to find the time ‘cause I don’t wanna do it half-heartedly. Me and my dad are sitting down and we’re devising some something that we could do to give back to the up and comers.
Nice so your dad’s still there pushing you in the right direction?
Yeah, yeah.
So did you have any sort of influence from UK hip hop at all? Or were you completely influenced by the Shabba’s and the Skibadee’s and them kind of things when you were growing up?
Hello and welcome to The Guestlist Network. This is Osh here ladies and gentlemen, welcome home. We always bring you the big dogs right here and we’re with none other than Skepta. How’s it going?
I’m bless man, I think this is my fifth interview.
Like always you must be saving the best ‘til last?
Yeah man.
I feel you, I feel you. It’s nice to be on top of the roof with you. How you feeling right now?
Yeah man I’ve had quite a good year, I’ve released my album Doin’ It Again at the beginning of the year, done two sold out tours, got a single coming that’s gonna drop on New Year’s Day 2012. So it’s been a good year man, can’t complain.
2012’s looking crazy for you right about now! So you’ve come a long way from two cousin’s, three brother’s and a dog, yeah?
Yeah!
Are you still using Mario Brothers to do your tunes for old time’s sake?
Nah it’s straight Apple Mac now!
And you don’t have to share that with your brother?
Haha no!
Is it right that your dad was a DJ?
Yeah man my dad was a DJ. I grew up in a household full of music, you know, late night parties the last person usually would leave the party at eight in the morning or that kinda time. Yeah, I’ve just always had music around me from when I was young.
So was that the inspiration for what you do now?
Yeah, yeah I think so. My dad is quite a big part in my music, love, and hence all the reggae style I have in my productions when I make beats. I think my dad’s influence is still there.
So when you came back there and when you bought him a car, that must have been a big moment?
Yeah it was good man, it feels good. They’re from Nigeria and they came over here to get a better life for themselves, work for themselves, they had some children. I never had everything I wanted when I was younger, it was a hard upbringing. They were struggling with four children, trying to do the best for them. The feeling, you know, it’s priceless to be able to do something like that for them. It emotional man.
They’re from Nigeria, you just went back there didn’t you?
Yeah I went out there last week, I flew my mum and dad out there. And me and my brother, me and Jay, went out there later, did a show. Before the show I met all my family and they brought them all out, you know there was a lot of tears and all that, everyone being emotional.
I see you was doing it big out there!
Yeah, proper man, proper. They love me out there.
It must have felt big to go back there! I see you were in Egypt too.
Yeah that was a little while ago, you know, a few years ago.
But you done a bit of Africa?
Yeah.
So you kind of liken yourself to 50 Cent on a house beat?
Is it?
Haha you don’t remember that?
Ah ok, I get what you’re saying. I said something like, basically, that’s what it’s like being abroad, you know what I mean, when you have a good dance record, whether it’s grimey or dubstep or dance, they enjoy it because it’s like 50 Cent. They’re used to listening to that music anyway, so when you put the artist on top of it, they’re like, ‘oh we’ve got like a 50 Cent now’, there’s a rapper on the beat now. I think that’s a good way of explaining what it’s like being an artist overseas.
Any other similarities between you and him?
Nah, nah, nah I wouldn’t liken myself to him at all.
One thing about him, he’s gone from being a kind of bad boy to being a bit of a good influence, he’s gone out there to feed Africa. Can you see yourself going from a bad boy influence to being someone who’s gonna go out there and save the world?
What should I say... I’ve got a plan to try and give back to the youths but I don’t wanna say too much ‘cause I don’t want anyone else to steal my idea.
I heard you mention before you’re gonna do some sort of workshop maybe?
I’ve got a few ideas. The only thing is trying to find the time ‘cause I don’t wanna do it half-heartedly. Me and my dad are sitting down and we’re devising some something that we could do to give back to the up and comers.
Nice so your dad’s still there pushing you in the right direction?
Yeah, yeah.
So did you have any sort of influence from UK hip hop at all? Or were you completely influenced by the Shabba’s and the Skibadee’s and them kind of things when you were growing up?
Yeah, well I think my dad started me off on the whole reggae thing, he was heavy into reggae man, so it started from there. Then my dad bought me my first album and I’ll never forget it, it was at Edmonton Green shopping centre, he bought me Snoop Dogg the album Doggy Style. He bought it for me on tape - it was a tape! And you opened it and it had the leaflet inside and I remember he came back and I was listening to it and I was like ‘oh my God, this guy’s lyrics are just so raw’, you get me and I could feel myself thinking this is a young guy like going for it. I got into like, around about the same time I got into drum and bass, or jungle should I say, I used to love it off. I used to go to all the...
Sidewinders?
Yeah, yeah, I can’t remember but they used to do them at Ally Pally, in Alexandra Palace. Ah cold, so cold! They I got into Heartless Crew and from there I started making my own beats and my brother and them lot used to spit on them and they used to do little sets here and there. Then we got into the Pay As You Go’s, Nasty Crews, Roll Deep and all them crews. It’s been a long journey man!
It has been! It’s been a big journey. One of the things you can do is you can safely say you’ve smashed the underground, you had that on lock, and now you’ve come and smashed certain mainstream things. You were out there performing with Diddy, you’ve made some serious milestones in grime, you’ve done some big things. But what’s the thing gonna be that makes you go ‘yeah, I’ve really smashed it in the mainstream?’
For mainstream, I just think, I don’t think there’s an end ‘cause artists can have a number one and then they’re just gone. For me I just think it’s about longevity. I always have big milestones in my career, to make a grime track with Diddy was a massive thing for me, ‘cause I was mad into Biggie Smalls back in the day and for a man that used to roll side by side with him, to me that was just priceless, you get me?
Yeah, yeah.
And it wasn’t where they done a song and they done some green screen thing where they sent each other their videos. We were together. We performed a track and did a video and you can see that video. That’s a priceless moment for me. Secondly, touring. To sell out tours. ‘Cause I come from a place where you go to a club, everyone’s already in there, drinking, you come as a guest and you come in there, do three songs, they might take a couple pictures and then they carry on drinking and get drunk. To go from that to... My name is Skepta, buy a ticket and wait in a queue to see me, hold the ticket in advance for a month or so and then come later. That’s like ‘wow’ for me, that is good. ‘Cause really, grime artists aren’t supposed to be that. So that’s the second one for me. Third: for my mum and dad to come to over here from Nigeria, have children, and we do music and then I take them back, back to their hometown, you get me, and I perform for them their family and everyone showing me mad love and they’re crying, treating me like a king. Those are the three milestones for my career. I’m good now, you get me! I feel like I’m a successful man, I’m a proper man. So, now for me, it’s just the longevity, I don’t ever wanna fall down on my workload and feel like I don’t like it no more.
What about greatest hits? You can’t do a greatest hits album, you started with the greatest hits!
You know what, if I go into the memos on my phone, I was saying to myself the other day I can’t believe I called my first album Greatest Hits.
You once said “No one can spit like me apart from JME, Big H, P Money and Tempz.” So who can’t spit like you?
When I was saying that, I meant like the aggression, I would add Getz in there as well. You know, on the mic, that UK style. I think it’s hard, it’s not just something you can try and fake, you get me. Like you can hear a few Americans try and do it now, like they’re trying to sound English a bit. I think it’s a natural thing, you have to have been there from like the beginning of grime to know what that’s like.
So it’s only you and your peeps that have got that flavour. So you had something produced by Mushtak in Wembley, is that right?
Yeah, my new single ‘Hold On’ is produced by Mushtak. Yeah they sent me the beat and I was listening to it and I thought... I just dropped a mix CD with Who Kid, a DJ from Miami. When I dropped it I took a little break ‘cause I was preparing to go back on tour again. So when I was coming back I was like yeah this is a perfect sounding motivational and uplifting track. And Mushtak loved it, I loved it.
So that’s coming out on the new album?
Yeah, my album’s coming out next year, early next year. The single’s out on New Year’s Day, ‘Hold On’, then I’ll bring out another single then I’ll bring out the album.
Have you got a track on there that tops ‘So Alive’ as one of your biggest tracks?
On my album? Yeah, yeah, of course. I’m always getting better man, progression for me is key man. Progression and being consistent, man, that’s key. I don’t ever wanna make a song that’s not as good as my last one. So when I’m in the studio I’m constantly in there trying to make something that’s better than my last one.
So this one’s gonna big! You’re mixing mainstream music with some more hard stuff, is this a hard road to follow?
Nah, nah. I think the hardest part was the transition. Getting people to understand where I was going with it. ‘Cause when I first made ‘Rescue Me’ they were like ‘this is bit commercial though, but how comes when when it drops... he’s still spitting hard!’ And then bam, I hit them with the ‘Cross My Heart’ tune. ‘Ok, ok, he’s still going hard.’ And then when I did a couple of underground grime raves and people were going mad. So people were like ‘hold on, this guy’s cheating, this is not supposed to happen, that doesn’t work here.’ And then I dropped ‘So Alive’ and people were like ‘I see where he’s going here’. So getting them to understand where I was going was the hardest part, but now, I just feel like I’m being myself, people have accepted that ‘yeah, he spits and he’s doing his thing, we like how he’s witty, and he’s got his humour’. So now it’s easy.
And now you’ve got that freedom, you can go forth and do that wherever, I think you’re treading that road in the right way. So Twitter’s been a powerful influence for you, right? How much do you think that was to your rise?
I think it’s a gift and a curse, man. Twitter, because it’s the power of your thoughts at your hands, sometimes I look back and I think ‘I can think that but I probably shouldn’t really say it’. But because it’s in my phone I’m just like bam, bam, bam. Some people are like ‘you Tweet too much, don’t you work!’ I’m never not near my phone, it’s not like I’m just sitting on the PC, I’m with my phone all the time but sometimes I’m like I shouldn’t have written that. But on the flip side I’ve met great artists through there, I’ve networked with great artists through there. It allows me to be in touch with my fans with what I’m doing. I don’t particularly want them to know everything about my life, but if there’s something I feel that everyone thinks, or that people should be thinking about or that’s happening in my career it’s like a broadcast message to show everyone that cares.
Have you been signed?
Yeah, I’ve got a distribution deal with All Around The World.
Is that you, or is that your crew?
So basically, Boy Better Know, they’ve licensed Skepta from that. So they get to basically promote my music and release it exclusively to them. So I just get all the creative control, I just to make what I want and they give me some advice and let me go with it. It’s like a joint adventure not like they’re trying to use me as a puppet to sell music.
Ok, so one thing you wanna do before you die?
Maybe have a child. I don’t have no children. Sometimes I see my friends with their children and there’s something in their eyes when they look at their child that I feel like I’m missing in my life, but obviously I’ve been busy doing what I’m doing and I never ever...
It gives their life a little meaning.
Yeah, you know what I’m saying, you look at that child and it’s you. There’s someone there to carry it on. Yeah I think that would be good to have a child before I die.
And what message would you have for your unborn child?
To not live off my name and do it’s own thing. Obviously I’m your dad and I’m Skepta but I want him to do his own thing. I don’t want him to be calling himself Young Skepta or little Skepta. It’s got to be it’s own person, man.
Alright, so you’ve done five interviews today, have you got any exclusives for The Guestlist Network? Something no one else knows?
I can’t think of anything man!
But you’re gonna hold out and let me know when you think of something!
Actually, you know what. I didn’t know about this but this is the kind of thing I’d like to read but just the cover itself is selling it to me and I didn’t know that this kind of stuff is on the trains. And I wish everyone that’s behind this all the best ‘cause we need stuff like this out there so definitely gonna keep in contact.
Thanks man!
Check the new video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5iqtQLm-BM&ob=av2e
‘Hold On’ is out 1st January 2012
Sidewinders?
Yeah, yeah, I can’t remember but they used to do them at Ally Pally, in Alexandra Palace. Ah cold, so cold! They I got into Heartless Crew and from there I started making my own beats and my brother and them lot used to spit on them and they used to do little sets here and there. Then we got into the Pay As You Go’s, Nasty Crews, Roll Deep and all them crews. It’s been a long journey man!
It has been! It’s been a big journey. One of the things you can do is you can safely say you’ve smashed the underground, you had that on lock, and now you’ve come and smashed certain mainstream things. You were out there performing with Diddy, you’ve made some serious milestones in grime, you’ve done some big things. But what’s the thing gonna be that makes you go ‘yeah, I’ve really smashed it in the mainstream?’
For mainstream, I just think, I don’t think there’s an end ‘cause artists can have a number one and then they’re just gone. For me I just think it’s about longevity. I always have big milestones in my career, to make a grime track with Diddy was a massive thing for me, ‘cause I was mad into Biggie Smalls back in the day and for a man that used to roll side by side with him, to me that was just priceless, you get me?
Yeah, yeah.
And it wasn’t where they done a song and they done some green screen thing where they sent each other their videos. We were together. We performed a track and did a video and you can see that video. That’s a priceless moment for me. Secondly, touring. To sell out tours. ‘Cause I come from a place where you go to a club, everyone’s already in there, drinking, you come as a guest and you come in there, do three songs, they might take a couple pictures and then they carry on drinking and get drunk. To go from that to... My name is Skepta, buy a ticket and wait in a queue to see me, hold the ticket in advance for a month or so and then come later. That’s like ‘wow’ for me, that is good. ‘Cause really, grime artists aren’t supposed to be that. So that’s the second one for me. Third: for my mum and dad to come to over here from Nigeria, have children, and we do music and then I take them back, back to their hometown, you get me, and I perform for them their family and everyone showing me mad love and they’re crying, treating me like a king. Those are the three milestones for my career. I’m good now, you get me! I feel like I’m a successful man, I’m a proper man. So, now for me, it’s just the longevity, I don’t ever wanna fall down on my workload and feel like I don’t like it no more.
What about greatest hits? You can’t do a greatest hits album, you started with the greatest hits!
You know what, if I go into the memos on my phone, I was saying to myself the other day I can’t believe I called my first album Greatest Hits.
You once said “No one can spit like me apart from JME, Big H, P Money and Tempz.” So who can’t spit like you?
When I was saying that, I meant like the aggression, I would add Getz in there as well. You know, on the mic, that UK style. I think it’s hard, it’s not just something you can try and fake, you get me. Like you can hear a few Americans try and do it now, like they’re trying to sound English a bit. I think it’s a natural thing, you have to have been there from like the beginning of grime to know what that’s like.
So it’s only you and your peeps that have got that flavour. So you had something produced by Mushtak in Wembley, is that right?
Yeah, my new single ‘Hold On’ is produced by Mushtak. Yeah they sent me the beat and I was listening to it and I thought... I just dropped a mix CD with Who Kid, a DJ from Miami. When I dropped it I took a little break ‘cause I was preparing to go back on tour again. So when I was coming back I was like yeah this is a perfect sounding motivational and uplifting track. And Mushtak loved it, I loved it.
So that’s coming out on the new album?
Yeah, my album’s coming out next year, early next year. The single’s out on New Year’s Day, ‘Hold On’, then I’ll bring out another single then I’ll bring out the album.
Have you got a track on there that tops ‘So Alive’ as one of your biggest tracks?
On my album? Yeah, yeah, of course. I’m always getting better man, progression for me is key man. Progression and being consistent, man, that’s key. I don’t ever wanna make a song that’s not as good as my last one. So when I’m in the studio I’m constantly in there trying to make something that’s better than my last one.
So this one’s gonna big! You’re mixing mainstream music with some more hard stuff, is this a hard road to follow?
Nah, nah. I think the hardest part was the transition. Getting people to understand where I was going with it. ‘Cause when I first made ‘Rescue Me’ they were like ‘this is bit commercial though, but how comes when when it drops... he’s still spitting hard!’ And then bam, I hit them with the ‘Cross My Heart’ tune. ‘Ok, ok, he’s still going hard.’ And then when I did a couple of underground grime raves and people were going mad. So people were like ‘hold on, this guy’s cheating, this is not supposed to happen, that doesn’t work here.’ And then I dropped ‘So Alive’ and people were like ‘I see where he’s going here’. So getting them to understand where I was going was the hardest part, but now, I just feel like I’m being myself, people have accepted that ‘yeah, he spits and he’s doing his thing, we like how he’s witty, and he’s got his humour’. So now it’s easy.
And now you’ve got that freedom, you can go forth and do that wherever, I think you’re treading that road in the right way. So Twitter’s been a powerful influence for you, right? How much do you think that was to your rise?
I think it’s a gift and a curse, man. Twitter, because it’s the power of your thoughts at your hands, sometimes I look back and I think ‘I can think that but I probably shouldn’t really say it’. But because it’s in my phone I’m just like bam, bam, bam. Some people are like ‘you Tweet too much, don’t you work!’ I’m never not near my phone, it’s not like I’m just sitting on the PC, I’m with my phone all the time but sometimes I’m like I shouldn’t have written that. But on the flip side I’ve met great artists through there, I’ve networked with great artists through there. It allows me to be in touch with my fans with what I’m doing. I don’t particularly want them to know everything about my life, but if there’s something I feel that everyone thinks, or that people should be thinking about or that’s happening in my career it’s like a broadcast message to show everyone that cares.
Have you been signed?
Yeah, I’ve got a distribution deal with All Around The World.
Is that you, or is that your crew?
So basically, Boy Better Know, they’ve licensed Skepta from that. So they get to basically promote my music and release it exclusively to them. So I just get all the creative control, I just to make what I want and they give me some advice and let me go with it. It’s like a joint adventure not like they’re trying to use me as a puppet to sell music.
Ok, so one thing you wanna do before you die?
Maybe have a child. I don’t have no children. Sometimes I see my friends with their children and there’s something in their eyes when they look at their child that I feel like I’m missing in my life, but obviously I’ve been busy doing what I’m doing and I never ever...
It gives their life a little meaning.
Yeah, you know what I’m saying, you look at that child and it’s you. There’s someone there to carry it on. Yeah I think that would be good to have a child before I die.
And what message would you have for your unborn child?
To not live off my name and do it’s own thing. Obviously I’m your dad and I’m Skepta but I want him to do his own thing. I don’t want him to be calling himself Young Skepta or little Skepta. It’s got to be it’s own person, man.
Alright, so you’ve done five interviews today, have you got any exclusives for The Guestlist Network? Something no one else knows?
I can’t think of anything man!
But you’re gonna hold out and let me know when you think of something!
Actually, you know what. I didn’t know about this but this is the kind of thing I’d like to read but just the cover itself is selling it to me and I didn’t know that this kind of stuff is on the trains. And I wish everyone that’s behind this all the best ‘cause we need stuff like this out there so definitely gonna keep in contact.
Thanks man!
Check the new video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5iqtQLm-BM&ob=av2e
‘Hold On’ is out 1st January 2012
