Grime's New School ™/
4th March 2008

The Cut speaks to four of the grime scenes most explosive artists who’ve been on the grind since their early years about how they’re raising their game.

Little Dee ™/ Text / Matthew Sackey / Pics / Grimzy

How did you get into the Grime scene?

I just liked music from when I was younger. As I was getting older everyone around me liked the same type of music. A lot of people around me were also MC’s aswell. So I just used to muck around saying other people’s lyrics, then I started to write my own beats. 2006 started taking it seriously and I got myself into the Grime scene

What/who are your inspirations?

So Solid, Essentials, Dizzee Rascal, Wiley and the older people around me aswell. My community was my inspiration as well.

What’s behind the title of your album?

The title is a message aswell, ‘Don’t let the name trick you,’ because you might see the name Little Dee and think that it’s a little boy running around trying to mc, but its not. Little Dee-Don’t Let the name trick you’ says it all for itself.

Do you think you can compare the UK Grime Scene with the UK Hip Hop Scene?

Hip Hop is a different thing. You see hip hop, its grown already in America so when UK people do it it’s just seen as copying.
Whereas, Grime is original to the UK. People in Britain have built it (Grime) themselves so hopefully, slowly but surely we can make it big.

Who do you rate as an MC/ Producer?

Wiley, Wonder, Ghetto, Maniac, Skitz, Wiley, Younga.

Does anyone try and beef you?

Yeh young mc’s always try it but I don’t have time for it. I don’t care about clashin.

Who do you want to work with?

I wanna do some work with The Streets, Lily Allen, Craig David, Nathan.

How did you get involved with Eski Beat?

I was the first member in Eski Beats with Wiley. He rung me and said he likes my music so we met up spoke business and he told me he was making a label and he was going to help me to get signed. Its less of a record label and more of a team, helping each other.
What do you think of Essesntials?

They’re older MC’s from my area and they didn’t want to help me at first but Wiley started helping me and then they started helping me. You don’t really need anyone to help you, you just have to help yourself. But I do have a lot of  respect for Essentials, big up

Maniac ™/ Text / Matthew Sackey / Pics / Grimzy

How did you get started?

I got my computer at 14 and started making beats straight away, remixing a lot of grime tunes that were about. I progressed, started making tunes of my own. When I was fifteen, I started improving, word started getting around about me. I had a little tune called Bow E3. I wasn’t going to originally do anything with it, but I started speaking to Wiley and he said, “yeah, let’s just do this tune.”

Are you sticking to grime or are you trying to branch out?

When I make beats I’m just doing my own thing. I’ve got grime in my head already. When I make a tune it’s harder for me to make a ‘happy, everything is nice’ tune, than it is for me to make an angry wile out grime tune.

Who do you think is the best producer?

There are producers that I respect in grime, such as Rapid, JME, Skepta, Davinche and Wiley. But the people who are ‘doing it’ right now…I can’t really say anyone.

Which MC do you want on your beats?

I don’t really care. When I was younger I was more interested in that, cos you need to get known, but when you’re more established you can just do your own thing.

What’s your thoughts on Wiley?

Grime legend. Grime Godfather. He helped to start up the scene. He stayed at a high level and never really dropped out or went away. I got a lot of respect for him and he helped to bring me through. He will stay at the top until he retires.

How has your life changed?

I’m too bait. If I go places outside of da ends then I’m a bait face. It’s a bit of a risk as well, more beef. It’s all good really, because if people recognise you for what you’re doing, you must be doing it on a high level.

What do you think about Chipmunk?

Chipmunk is a badman. Me and him linked up and I introduced him to Wiley. That guy is the future. He’s unique, he’s not copying anyone, people are  copying him. 

What’s the best advice that you can give to an aspiring producer?

The best thing for them to do is practice all the time. Imagine someone that is at a higher level than you and then you don’t stop making beats till you’re better than them. You don’t stop doing that until one day you’re the best.

P Money ™/ Text / Matthew Sackey / Pics / Grimzy

Why the whole grime scene?

From young, listening to Drum n Bass, I was really into that, that’s what made me spit fast really, then growing up listening to garage that just got me MC’ing.

Did you have any role models?

Nah not really, I was my own inspiration. The obvious ones you know, everyone likes Biggie and Jay-Z. But really I was my own inspiration. I didn’t look up to anyone, really, I just wanted to be heard.

Do you try to put a positive message across in your lyrics? Or do you prefer to spit about real life?

The real bars innit, every now and again you have to put a positive message across innit, but I prefer to express my feelings and talk about real life experiences and situations. If there is something going on that I feel people should know, then yeah, I will talk about it.

How do you intend to boost yourself onto a higher level within the grime scene?

I’m in a very big collective, the OG’s, we’ve got a CD coming out, I’ve got my own CD coming out, it’s going to be a big thing, going out in HMV, on the album you’re going to hear a lot, it’s going to show you me. People need to realise the difference between a mixtape and an album.

Any possible features? Future collaborations?
 
Hmmm [thinks] I haven’t really thought too hard about that you know, but I think like Lily Allen and Ryan Smith, those types of people.

What about your beef in the music scene?

Nah, I ain’t got no beef, people need to realise music is music, and know the difference between a clash and beef. No-one needs to get afraid or anything. It’s just healthy, its healthy, a friendly clash is healthy innit. Just more promotion.

So what’s happening with Ghetto?. I heard that radio merk still.

I knew you was going to say that! All I’m going to say is that he said something I felt was aimed at me and I aimed something
back, we spoke and there you go. Whether it’s going to actually happen is upto us. He’s on a subliminal thing, I’m not doing that, I’ll just tell you straight ‘cos that’s how I like to keep it. But people need to stop getting it twisted, we’re cool.

So, what’s your ambitions for ‘08?

My main ambition is to flood with the album sales, and tear up Napa!

Skitz ™/ Text + Pics / Matthew Sackey

What’s good?

I’m just out here promoting my second CD which is going to drop in the next few months.

Is it going to be just grime?

Na na, were looking to get people like Sugababes on there, Pete Doherty [yikes!] up on there, flippin’ been speakin to Bobby Valentino’s people init, bare people, obviously nothing is in concrete yet.

Big big, what are you going to different this time?

With the last CD I didn’t fully utilise the media, this time I’m gonna do proper promotion, I’m looking to move proper units this time man. It’s not a joke ting! People are gonna be in Oxford Circus and see my flippin’ poster on the walls! [laughs]

Still still, what’s your views on the Grime Godfather Wiley?

Wiley is his own person innit. Since I been around him he always knows what he’s doing. Wiley is a brilliant person he has helped the grime scene, both through his spitting and producing, I think he is a badboy producer still.

Do you aspire to have Wiley’s status in the Grime scene?

Hmmm, nah it’s not a disrespect ting, he’s done a lot, but I don’t set my sights. Wiley has made a lot of money! I think he has had like a mil innit, but I’m not with Wiley day in and day out. You know what I’m sayin? I don’t know his full graft. But, I think if he condensed his Tunnel Vision mixtapes into one shower nang album, it would have been better. He has got everything on smash but I think the grime scene has suffered from the transition from vinyl to CD.

Who is the best MC you would like most to work with, to vocal your beats?

Hmmm boy [thinks long and hard] I’ve got vocals off most of the man I want on my beats, on there already. But boy, the MC I really want is Griminal, not saying he’s the best, but he’s got elements of MC’s I used to listen to growing up, like D Double and Escobar... By the time this comes out we probably would have already collaborated [laughs]

Who do you think is the producer that is doing the most for the grime scene? Apart from yourself!

Maniac has been mobbin’ for a while, a guy called Angry, he’s not doing a lot now, but on his computer he is doing a lot. Davinche, but he’s gone away for a while now. Lewi White has always been a lengman. There’s bare guys coming over night and thinking that they’re doing it, you don’t get paid for having your beats on somebody’s mixtape innit!

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