Q. The Huffington Post called you ‘the UK’s answer to the Beastie Boys’, who would you compare yourselves to, or do you consider your style truly unique?
Yeah that quote really follows us around – which is great as it makes people check us out, but also can be bad as many a hiphop purists say “they are nowhere near the beasties” and get all angry about it. Haha. They’d be pretty right though – The energy in the live show is similar and the tongue in cheek fun aspects, but I’d say we’re much more like the UK’s answer to Ugly Duckling. Saying that, the new stuff we’re working on doesn’t sound like anything else! I’d say there’s no one else like us in the UK really, some dudes called Great Scott are probably the closest thing – they’re wicked by the way, check em out.
Q. Your debut studio EP, ‘The T.P’, was an epic affair, how has your sound and philosophy evolved since then?
Things are a lot more polished now and we’ve both found our comfortable style as rappers. There is also much more thought about making songs now rather than a couple of decent verses on a beat. But I guess the philosophy of not taking yourself / things too seriously and making hiphop music that people can dance to is still there – we just be ourselves and always will be – authenticity is key, especially in hiphop as there’s too many people putting on a front.
Q. Last year you guys performed at Bestival and Camp Bestival, where has been the most obscure place you’ve performed?
Obscure? Ha we’ve had a few of them. We’ve played on the top of a half pipe whilst skaters and BMXers are having a session. We’ve done a set in an Arabic café with no amplification and we even did a gig in some student’s living room because they won a competition! We played an epic set at Stone Henge once too.
Q. If you could describe your live performances in one word, what would it be?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Q. Out of all the artists that have shaped you musically, which three would you regard as the most profound or notable?
Ross: Edan, Big daddy Kane, Eminem
Leon: Biggy, MJ, Eminem
Q. How would you compare the current UK hip-hop scene with the US? Artistically, are we really as far behind as many believe?
It’s a really different scene – the US like to big themselves up a lot and boast and brag. UK rappers prefer to tell you how shit things are or go into real detail about their meticulous marijuana intoxication process, ha. Its deffo a different angle, but I’d say a lot of UK rap is much more intelligent and intricate than main stream US. And with bands like The Mouse Outfit, it’s becoming a much more interesting and respectable scene – but it will always be considered ‘behind’ the US.
Q. Dead or alive, you can grab a beer with any group/solo artist, who would you choose and why?
Bit cliché but would probably have to be Eminem. We would love to get his view on how he came about in a black scene and how his style has changed (i.e. got worse and cheesier!) over the years and hear some of the stories from when he became a mega star and was boshing a bucket load of drugs everyday. Bet they were mad times!
Q. Lastly, can you tell us your most embarassing live performance moment?
Haha, Leon once completely stacked it over a monitor speaker and face planted on the floor. You see the crowds grimacing faces and heard them go “oooohhhhh”.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC7OzRpRVxk[/youtube]
By John Glynn
Rishma