Ill Move Sporadic & Big Toast: Interview

Ill Move Sporadic and Big Toast are already well established and respected entities within the UK hip hop scene, thanks to a number of projects that have emerged from both camps over the past few years. Most recently, IMS joined forces with Tenchoo for the incredible Panic Room EP, while Toast has enjoyed success with his Save Yourself Kill Them All collaboration, alongside Sofa King and also thanks to his part in UK supergroup, Gatecrasherz. Now the three of them have joined forces for You Are Not Special, an album which promises to deliver the best of both their worlds in one tidy and maybe slightly disturbing package. The album is due for release in August, so I had a chat with them to see what we can expect from the album and to find out a little bit more about what makes them tick.

Lunar C: Interview

Lunar C is quite a character. If you follow him on social media, or watch any of his old battles, or have had any sort of interaction at any point in life, you will know what I mean. He is also a fucking good MC and has new mixtape out, as well a debut LP en route. I had a quick chat with him about all that rap stuff.

High Focus Summer Block Party: Review

It was already in the mid-20’s when I rolled down to this year’s High Focus Block Party in Bristol and it was only going to get hotter, given the days running up to the event. Last year’s party had been a smash and this year looked set to at least rival it, if not surpass it. Doors opened at 2pm so I got down there at about 3pm and already had to deal with the huge queue that had formed; a teeming mass of the new generation of UK hip hop fans all fully loyal to the HF brand (and all of whom I’m pretty sure I was old enough to be their dad).

Children of Zeus: Interview

Children of Zeus – aka Tyler Daley and Konny Kon – have spent the last couple of years releasing a smooth blend of rap and soul. In the process they have scored a whole new batch of fans, plenty of critical acclaim and some crazy live shows – including a set in the infamous Boiler Room. I got the chance to speak with both Tyler and Konny about why they started making music together, their influences and the possibility of hearing a full album from them.

El-P’s Best Insults

Photo by Mike Lavin

El-P is many things to many people – producer extraordinaire, independent rap pioneer, deli owner, friend of cats, social commentator, high as fuck Twitter user… the list goes on. He’s also got some really strong insults. A good insult is as much a part of rap as bad spelling and squatting in photos, and there have been many purveyors of quality disses over the years.

Lee Scott: Interview Pt. 1

Last November I did a late night phone interview with Blah Records founder, Lee Scott. For one reason or another – ranging from my own laziness to my Dropbox being hacked – it has not yet seen the light of day. Until now anyway. Presented to you in two parts, this is one of the more in-depth interviews I’ve done and sees Lee talk about his early memories of his hometown, the making of his Nice Swan album and the birth of Blah. Part 2 will follow next week.

Atmosphere: Archive Interview

This is an old interview me and a friend did back in 2008. I thought it had been lost forever, as the site we did it for is no longer around. Then I stumbled across an archived copy online yesterday, so thought I would share it. It was the first face to face interview I had ever done and I was nervous as fuck. It took place at the The Social in London in 2008, at a listening party for Atmosphere’s forthcoming album at the time, When Life Gives You Lemons.

DJ Frosty: Interview

DJ Frosty is probably best known for his longstanding allegiance with the LDZ gang, but more recently he has come to the fore thanks to his role in the new Chapsville project, alongside Dabbla. I had a quick chat with him about his early days, the birth of LDZ, crate digging and supporting Rag N Bone Man.

HashFinger: Interview

Bradford producer, HashFinger, has been putting out quality instrumental projects for a good few years now and is arguably one of the country’s most prolific artists. He has become a favourite among fans and peers alike, thanks to the largely sample-based beats he creates. I caught up with him for a chat about crate digging, taking his music to Israel and his plans for future projects, among other things.

SonnyJim: $cramble (Brapp TV)

SonnyJim made an appearance on Brapp TV this week, as he delivered a performance of one of the tracks from his critically acclaimed Mud in my Malbec LP. $cramble is produced by Ayepee and features Da$h on the original album version. I recently interviewed Sonny for Brapp, which you can read here.