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Rewd Adams Interview
RnB/Hip Hop | Wednesday 7th December 2011 | Osh
Rewd Adams is the man who was formerly making waves as Skandal, with a new album out and his launch party at Brixton Jamm to look forward to on the 18th February. Things are looking big for the UK rapper.
Hey, so firstly why did you change your name from Skandal to Rewd Adams and how was the reaction from your fans?
I changed it because Skandal wasn’t really original, it was the first name I thought of. I wanted something that was me, Rewd Adams is an anagram of my name so its more me. That is pretty much it. People have responded well to it, supporters and everyone. The thing everyone wanted to know was WHY I changed my name not your new name is shit, change it back. In a years time, people would have forgot that I was called Skandal.
Diddy always changes his name so its not uncommon...
The thing with Diddy was that he was pretty much a world wide star when he changed his name. I’m just an underground artist, you know..... Let me live! I just want to change my name and do what I want to do. That’s my artist right, be creative and live in the feeling. If I would have thought about it, I would have kept Skandal. But I didn’t.
How was the process of making your new album Rewd Awaking?
I not going to lie, we had a lot of trouble with it. Studio, madness, people messing us around, features (not features that made it on the record), creative differences and a lot of back and forth. When your going back and forth through email, going to the studio doing a version sending it to them then them saying I don’t like this, I don’t like that. I still have to pay for the studio time when these problems occur. It can drag on so the process was a killer. I’m just glad its done. I just want to get it out and move on to the next one.
You worked with many artist on there from Black the Ripper, P Money and Klashnekoff. What was it like to work with all of these artists?
It was easy. They obviously know I’m in the position where I can use some of their features. They helped me out. They saw that I am an up and coming artist and I needed a leg up, they handle their business. Big ups to all of them for coming in and blessing me with some of their sound.
What were your main influences when getting into music?
Everyone loves music anyway, so I just grew up loving music. Locking myself in my room for hours on end, listening to the radio and other pop sort of stuff. I was sitting there listening for hours to Atlantic 252 and then got into music. I was a fan of UK music like Jungle, Hard Core, Drum & Bass, Garage and a bit of Trance, so I’ve been all over the shop. I then met up with a couple of MCs and I was like ‘oh wow, how did you do that’, because obviously I grew up listening to Shaba, Skibba, Stevie Hyper and what not. They told me its easy to do and they basically gave me a pen and a pad and told me to write a lyric, and that was it. I slowly caught the bug from there, its all fell in my lap to be honest with you. The people I met along the way have all come into my life for a reason. It just happened really.
With all of different genres you listened to, you could push your music to new boundaries in the future?
I think that helps because even now I’m listening to things that I didn’t listen to before. Like Soul, Funk music from the 60s/70s, even The Beatles back catalogue I’ve been listening to these last few months. I think by just having a wide range of tastes will make me push music to new boundaries but I think it will try and help me understand when I ‘m trying to do things out of the box. I don’t want to rap forever, I will rap but at the end of the day, I want to start singing a bit more a developing styles. I’m someone who gets bored pretty easily and I can’t make the same music for the rest of my career.
Sort of like Plan B.....
All props due to Plan B, he dropped an amazing album. It was so creative and it was a concept album as well. People don’t do that shit these days. But if I was going to do some Blue Eyed Soul, wearing an Armani Suit, straight away I would lose all credibility. I would be lying to myself, I wouldn’t be being creative. I would be doing that he’s done. I’m gonna get compared to him anyway, I got compared to him on Radio One the other night because I have a song with Black the Ripper where I was singing the hooks on Just Away and they compared me. I can’t complain, I’m getting compared to one of the best that’s doing it right now. But I’m not going to try and do what he does because he does it so well, I would look like a fool if I tried it.
Have you got any UK dates coming up?
I’ve got a launch party on February the 18th at the Brixton Jamm where I’m performing with Klashnekoff, Black The Ripper, Gratsia, Loki, Logic and Rodney P. A couple of up and coming artists as well like Jimmy Jitso, Nicki Black Market, Snuff, Charlee Brown. So yeah that’s going to be a nice night. Then I got one in Manchester on the 24th of February at the Ruby Lounge. With Stig Of The Dump, Myself, Envy (The girl who was on the female Game Over remix), so yeah that’s going to be a nice night.
Whats been the craziest party that you have ever been to?
I haven’t really been to any parties like that. I’ve been to a few house parties back in the day where everyone is off there faces.There’s one coming up actually that I think will be quite good, the guys that did that parody song Being A Dickhead Is Cool have got a party in the Queen of Hoxton in Shoreditch on the 10th of February. That will be quite crazy because everyone will be dressing up like the people they are taking the piss out of. But I don’t really go to crazy parties man, I tend to stay in.I like to mellow out.
What’s the greatest lesson life has taught you?
There are so many lessons, if I sat here and told you all of them, you would be here all day. I guess try and be the best person you can be. That sounds very cliché but I try not to spread any negative energy because karma is a real life bitch.
If you could have a swimming pool filled up with anything, what would it be?
Beautiful women, low water because I would be able to bring my Mac and my modem, can’t go anywhere without the internet. Speakers, microphone, lots of alcohol and a plane to take me out when I’m bored. A pool party in other words, with the sun and sun lotion because I’ll burn!
If you were invisible for the day, what would you get up to?
There’s a couple of choices. Would I go into number 10 Downing Street and listen to whats really going on or would I go into the sexist girls dressing room. I’m a pervert, so what, who wouldn’t. Or maybe listen to what some people really think of you in music, that would be quite good to what they think about my music. They are a lot of people who would say you’re good and it would be good to hear what they really think and who are your closest friends.
Can you give us an exclusive?
Yeah I’m going to be disappearing for a bit after this, I need to recharge my batteries. The last year or two has been hectic to say the least. Then I’ll be working again, back on music, staying away from Twitter and Facebook and of that. I think we will have a single coming out later this year hopefully with Skeptic, maybe even a EP. We’ve got a tune called Everythings OK that’s really gonna take me over and above what I’ve been doing now.
For more details check out www.myspace.com/rewdadams
Hey, so firstly why did you change your name from Skandal to Rewd Adams and how was the reaction from your fans?
I changed it because Skandal wasn’t really original, it was the first name I thought of. I wanted something that was me, Rewd Adams is an anagram of my name so its more me. That is pretty much it. People have responded well to it, supporters and everyone. The thing everyone wanted to know was WHY I changed my name not your new name is shit, change it back. In a years time, people would have forgot that I was called Skandal.
Diddy always changes his name so its not uncommon...
The thing with Diddy was that he was pretty much a world wide star when he changed his name. I’m just an underground artist, you know..... Let me live! I just want to change my name and do what I want to do. That’s my artist right, be creative and live in the feeling. If I would have thought about it, I would have kept Skandal. But I didn’t.
How was the process of making your new album Rewd Awaking?
I not going to lie, we had a lot of trouble with it. Studio, madness, people messing us around, features (not features that made it on the record), creative differences and a lot of back and forth. When your going back and forth through email, going to the studio doing a version sending it to them then them saying I don’t like this, I don’t like that. I still have to pay for the studio time when these problems occur. It can drag on so the process was a killer. I’m just glad its done. I just want to get it out and move on to the next one.
You worked with many artist on there from Black the Ripper, P Money and Klashnekoff. What was it like to work with all of these artists?
It was easy. They obviously know I’m in the position where I can use some of their features. They helped me out. They saw that I am an up and coming artist and I needed a leg up, they handle their business. Big ups to all of them for coming in and blessing me with some of their sound.
What were your main influences when getting into music?
Everyone loves music anyway, so I just grew up loving music. Locking myself in my room for hours on end, listening to the radio and other pop sort of stuff. I was sitting there listening for hours to Atlantic 252 and then got into music. I was a fan of UK music like Jungle, Hard Core, Drum & Bass, Garage and a bit of Trance, so I’ve been all over the shop. I then met up with a couple of MCs and I was like ‘oh wow, how did you do that’, because obviously I grew up listening to Shaba, Skibba, Stevie Hyper and what not. They told me its easy to do and they basically gave me a pen and a pad and told me to write a lyric, and that was it. I slowly caught the bug from there, its all fell in my lap to be honest with you. The people I met along the way have all come into my life for a reason. It just happened really.
With all of different genres you listened to, you could push your music to new boundaries in the future?
I think that helps because even now I’m listening to things that I didn’t listen to before. Like Soul, Funk music from the 60s/70s, even The Beatles back catalogue I’ve been listening to these last few months. I think by just having a wide range of tastes will make me push music to new boundaries but I think it will try and help me understand when I ‘m trying to do things out of the box. I don’t want to rap forever, I will rap but at the end of the day, I want to start singing a bit more a developing styles. I’m someone who gets bored pretty easily and I can’t make the same music for the rest of my career.
Sort of like Plan B.....
All props due to Plan B, he dropped an amazing album. It was so creative and it was a concept album as well. People don’t do that shit these days. But if I was going to do some Blue Eyed Soul, wearing an Armani Suit, straight away I would lose all credibility. I would be lying to myself, I wouldn’t be being creative. I would be doing that he’s done. I’m gonna get compared to him anyway, I got compared to him on Radio One the other night because I have a song with Black the Ripper where I was singing the hooks on Just Away and they compared me. I can’t complain, I’m getting compared to one of the best that’s doing it right now. But I’m not going to try and do what he does because he does it so well, I would look like a fool if I tried it.
Have you got any UK dates coming up?
I’ve got a launch party on February the 18th at the Brixton Jamm where I’m performing with Klashnekoff, Black The Ripper, Gratsia, Loki, Logic and Rodney P. A couple of up and coming artists as well like Jimmy Jitso, Nicki Black Market, Snuff, Charlee Brown. So yeah that’s going to be a nice night. Then I got one in Manchester on the 24th of February at the Ruby Lounge. With Stig Of The Dump, Myself, Envy (The girl who was on the female Game Over remix), so yeah that’s going to be a nice night.
Whats been the craziest party that you have ever been to?
I haven’t really been to any parties like that. I’ve been to a few house parties back in the day where everyone is off there faces.There’s one coming up actually that I think will be quite good, the guys that did that parody song Being A Dickhead Is Cool have got a party in the Queen of Hoxton in Shoreditch on the 10th of February. That will be quite crazy because everyone will be dressing up like the people they are taking the piss out of. But I don’t really go to crazy parties man, I tend to stay in.I like to mellow out.
What’s the greatest lesson life has taught you?
There are so many lessons, if I sat here and told you all of them, you would be here all day. I guess try and be the best person you can be. That sounds very cliché but I try not to spread any negative energy because karma is a real life bitch.
If you could have a swimming pool filled up with anything, what would it be?
Beautiful women, low water because I would be able to bring my Mac and my modem, can’t go anywhere without the internet. Speakers, microphone, lots of alcohol and a plane to take me out when I’m bored. A pool party in other words, with the sun and sun lotion because I’ll burn!
If you were invisible for the day, what would you get up to?
There’s a couple of choices. Would I go into number 10 Downing Street and listen to whats really going on or would I go into the sexist girls dressing room. I’m a pervert, so what, who wouldn’t. Or maybe listen to what some people really think of you in music, that would be quite good to what they think about my music. They are a lot of people who would say you’re good and it would be good to hear what they really think and who are your closest friends.
Can you give us an exclusive?
Yeah I’m going to be disappearing for a bit after this, I need to recharge my batteries. The last year or two has been hectic to say the least. Then I’ll be working again, back on music, staying away from Twitter and Facebook and of that. I think we will have a single coming out later this year hopefully with Skeptic, maybe even a EP. We’ve got a tune called Everythings OK that’s really gonna take me over and above what I’ve been doing now.
For more details check out www.myspace.com/rewdadams
