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Incisive on collabing with Shakka and keeping it real
RnB/Hip Hop | Thursday 8th September 2016 | Christina
West London rapper Incisive has been making music since the nineties and now he's riding another wave of succes with his latest single 'Push' featuring frequent collaborator Shakka, which has been one of the tunes of the summer. We caught up with him to talk about the inspiration behind 'Push', working with Shakka and bringing the realness back to UK hip-hop.
Hey Incisive, you good? Enjoying the summer?
Yeah I’m good thanks. I’m a summer baby so I love the summer.
How would you describe your current state of mind?
My current mind state is do WHATEVER feels good. Don’t overthink it.
Your new single ‘Push’ is a definite summer anthem. Talk us through the inspiration behind the track.
Funnily enough, it was that mind state. It was literally what felt good at the time. We met up (myself and Shakka) and simplified EVERYTHING and focused on the vibe and feel good energy.
You’ve collaborated with Shakka again on the track – why do you like working with him so much?
We’ve been working together for about 8 years. We’ve grown a lot together as recording artists, as performers. We grew together in the same gym…like Ryu and Ken! So it’s just natural and fun to work together.
I’ve seen people tweeting you asking for a joint Incisive and Shakka EP or album, are you gonna do it?
Haha, people been asking for that from the beginning of time. Technically, the amount of songs we have together, you could make your own EP / album but again, if we get together and it feels right to make that many songs, we will. Again we wont overthink / over plan anything.
You pride yourself on making music and videos that are non-stereotypical and meaningful. Was that your attitude from day one or is has that been a gradual change?
I think that has been my attitude from day one of actually shooting videos. From absolute day 1 when I first started making music, I was that angry rapper, typical 90s hip-hop MC, metaphysical, hyperphysical type stuff. It was all inspired by those 90s artists so if I could’ve shot a video then, it would’ve been a stereotypical video. I think over the years I’ve grown as an artist, developed my own sound and attitude, and when it came to shooting videos, I knew I wanted (and NEEDED) them to stand out as I didn’t have budget to match other people. And also that I wanted to be able to show them to ANYONE…mandem, arents, nephews / nieces etc.
Who else is bringing the realness back to hip-hop?
There’s quite a few UK artists – Adianker, AKS, YJ to name a couple. I guess they maintain the Hip-hop sound but I’ve also started to realise that just ‘cause it’s a different sound, as long as the message is right, its still “real hip-hop”, so trap sounding artists can be just as real.
What’s the biggest change in the UK scene since you came through in the nineties?
I think it’s the respect for UK hip-hop. I think back in the day, people would listen to American hip-hop and jungle, then American hip-hop, and garage, then American hip-hop, and grime. Finally, people actually listen to UK hip-hop in playlists as normal.
The music industry can be very fickle, what do you think the secret to longevity is?
I think you gotta close your eyes to the industry and always remind yourself WHY you do music and WHAT you do so that you don’t veer off your original path because of what you THINK the industry wants from you. You gotta be thick skinned as well man.
You used to perform with a live band, would ever get back into this again?
Yeah always. 9/10 times I perform with a band, if not, I’m playing myself. PA is always a last option. I think my live performance is something that helps me standout and I. LOVE IT.
What’s been the proudest moment of your career so far?
That’s a hard one. I don’t think I can put my finger on one moment, it’s ups and downs the whole way through. Honestly couldn’t pick one.
What song have you got on repeat at the moment?
My next single is on repeat! I’m mixing it so I’d make a change, put it on my phone then play it in my car over and over to figure out what I need to tweak / change. Also though, an up and coming artist called Nai Veronique has got a song on SoundCloud called ‘NTRNT’ that I’ve been killing too.
And what song changed your life?
Woah, that’s a heavy question. Um….I think the Paul Simon Graceland concert changed my life. That dude like an African hero so when I was young, my mum used to watch that all the time. I saw him perform in front of this crowd of people, a mix of his folk music and African music. I think I fell in love with harmonies and melodies when I saw him perform with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Then years later, I got to see him perform live and I realised the power and message his music had. I think that’s what made me change my music to more message based. I wanna make a song that can change the world. Like Michael Jackson - ‘Heal The World’. You listen to that song and you feel like changing. Gave you and album AND a song but hey!
If you could fill a swimming pool with anything, what would you go for?
M.O.N.E.Y
Do you have a life motto?
D.I.Y
What are you most looking forward to for the rest of the year?
Just enjoying putting out more music and more people getting to know my stuff.
Follow Incisive on Twitter.
