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Ralph Rip Shit interview by Delbwoy  Ralph Rip Shit Interview

interview 0481 added 12.10.06 words: Delbwoy photos Southpawvision.com technical Spoon

Ralph Rip Shit. Is this the best name in UK Hip Hop? Probably. But the praise shouldn't stop with the name. With last year’s superb Breaknecks release 'Music For Batchelors' and a couple of mixtapes already on his CV, Ralph is aiming to enhance his position as one of the best upcoming emcee's in the UK with his first foray into the vinyl market, his debut solo 12" "The Best Name", which drops on Associated Minds, very soon.

Ralph, firstly break down the tracks you've got on the 12", who's behind the boards and have you got any guest spitters?

Right straight off the 12" is called "The Best Name" featuring production by Apollo, Ben Grymm, Sam Rockwell and Secondson. At the moment its just about finished from lacing the vocals perspective but is still being mixed down by PLO (the dude in the camp with the mechanical ears) I’m not really one to go on about the actual tunes themselves because I feel they will explain themselves.

Explain to the uninitiated and unprepared what to expect from a Ralph Rip Shit record...

You shouldn’t expect anything from me. I deal in the unexpected. My head is an ever-evolving conundrum.

Releasing something on wax is the traditional Hip-Hop statement of arrival, but apart from the unrivalled coolness of having your own slice of wax, why is it important for you to break into the vinyl market? Do you feel it's possible to shift more units on wax than CD in the underground scene or is it to more to get the DJ's spinning your stuff?

Wax for show, CDs for dough. That’s the science the Mayor has instilled in me. Obviously anybody involved in the actual music side of hip-hop gets hard when they get on wax so I’m really pleased but the sad fact is that we will probably lose money on the fuckers. It’s all very good saying that "yo! We just doing it for the love" but when it comes to it, if you ain’t making your money back to put your next release out then where do you go? We ain’t bottomless pits of money.

Your rhyme style and flow is the epitome of the word 'fresh' and has been compared to Ghostface's no less. How did you develop your style? Which emcee's have inspired and influenced you over the years?

I don’t sound anything like Ghostface!!!! I wish I did. It was some dodgy Polish magazine that said that. My hip hop started with 2 Pac and Ice Cube which led me through to the Wu and all that slice your neck off shit. I didn’t really get proper into lyrics until I met Ruffstylz and Mayor. They introduced me into a lot of stuff that I hadn’t heard before like Atmosphere and Aesop Rock and indeed Ruffstylz himself. I mean before I met Ruffstylz I was just making word rhyme but since meeting him and linking him on the regular he has opened a valve in head which seems to seep a lot of odd shit. I’ve taken what he handed me and moved in my own direction. I believe I have almost found my base camp from which I can spread my wings a lot more than people might expect. That’s what I mean, don’t expect anything from me son cos I only deal in the unexpected!!!

There's a lot of humour in your lyrics. Some laugh out loud stuff. Where did your sense of humour come from? What comedy are you into?

I like to write and laugh. I mean writing is something I do everyday so I have to go through a lot of emotions on a daily basis. I don’t really think about writing funny shit I just do. I don’t really watch a lot of comedy anymore. When I was growing up I was into the Ronnies, Only Fools and Horses and that Fast Show shit. I can watch Eddie Murphy video and not move my cheeks when the boys are on the floor laughing like imbiciles, I’m hard to impress on the comedy tip. Having said that Barnie Rumble (formerly known as Harry Macadam) makes me laugh whenever I see him, his head is full of some dark shit that he tends to spill out in my company.

Whose music are you into at home and worldwide? Who would you love to collaborate with, producers and emcees? Are you into any other genres of music or are you strictly Hip-Hop?

I’m really only into hip hop, I’m not playing. I don’t sit here pretending to love off some faggot shit that does nothing for me. But you know good music is good music so my ears are always open. The Mayor (C.E.O. Associated Minds ha!!!) sends out these random emails or texts every now and again about some music that he’s loving. So I usually check his lists. For example, he put me back onto the Paul Simon album "Graceland" the other week and that shit is lovely. In terms of collaborating, I’m open to all. I love Quiet Poison and they’re mixtape "Phaze 1" and link them often enough to record the odd cheeky freestyle and stuff.

I've yet to catch you live but I hear you and the AM crew put on a good show? How much work do you put into the show? How much do you enjoy performing live and do you agree that a tight live show is vitally important to the underground scene?

The live show is our little baby. We put a lot of time and effort into shaping that shit and getting it right. I love the feeling that performances give me so put my guts into everything. If you come to our show and don’t see me sweat then you have my permission to slap Mudmowth.

You have a solo album in the pipeline with production from Ben Grymm? How far into that are you? How are you approaching making a solo album and what can we expect from that?

I’ve got some beats and I’m sort of on a break from my 12". After each thing I do that is released I chill for a bit and write to some other shit that ain’t really going to be released. But I’m just starting to pick up the pen and get on my album shit.

Your label, Associated Minds seems a pretty professional operation, a quality that is sometimes lacking on the UK scene, but you chaps seem to have it locked down and are making serious moves. Break down the whole Associated Minds family? Who's involved in the day to day running of the label and where do you want to take things with it? Do you have a studio set up? How big is the operation at the moment?

Associated Minds are kings. Me, Mayor, Ruffstylz, Barnie Rumble, PLO, Sam Rockwell, Beatbox Fozzy, Paul B and ummmmmmm, oh yeah and Mudmowth! ha. We are the strongest team about.

Going back to the Breaknecks...Do you have more material planned as a group? Because 'Music For Bachelors' was fucking brilliant! One of the best releases of '05, and not just in UK Hip Hop, but in Hip Hop in general. How did the EP perform? It certainly had a lot of critical success and the press response seemed really good.

Thanks man. It ain’t for everybody but for the people who are open to hearing some original fresh hip hop made the way it should be then its ready for purchase at www.assciatedminds.com/store. The press we got for it was great and pleased me no end, but it ain’t even the tip of the iceberg. As we all develop we are just getting better and better. We ain’t scared by anything. Fearless muthafuckas who make the best hip hop in the world.

I know you ain’t asked but I feel obliged to shout out all the crews and mcs putting it down in my area: Quiet Poison, Mullato, Direct and Caskade, Hum and Blaktrix, Picton and 4dee, Secondson and all the muthafuckas who step up to the open mics, battles and cyphers!!! Love this shit.

Ralph Rip Shit's 'The Best Name' 12" is released through Associated Minds on 23rd October. pre-order the 12 through their website and get a mixtape, stickers and all that sorts of goodness free as well!

- Delbwoy


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