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  Roll Deep Crew Interview
interview 0331 added 25.08.05 words: Ben Spurr
technical:
QED
Roll Deep have been repping the UK grime scene for some years
now.
Dizzee Rascal may be long gone from the line up but with
Eski pioneer Wiley fronting their army of emcees and DJ's it's
their time to shine. Having already clocked up 25,000 in album
sales for 'In at the Deep End' and various appearances on
mainstream TV shows like Top of the Pops and CD:UK, it's time to
take the underground to the overground. Ben Spurr quizzed the E3
entourage after a recent appearance in Leicester.
Do you think that DVD's like Lord of the Decks are still helping
to push the Grime and Eski sound forward?
 Flo Dan: That's definitely a positive thing, the DVD's give
everybody a vision of what's really going on in the scene as
opposed to MTV Base and things like that that only get to show
the glossy stuff so yeah the DVD's are big thing they are
needed.
There are no female emcees in your crew, if you had one, who
would it be and why?
Trim: No, nothing like that, we wouldn’t have no girls like that
are really in the scene, as you know Roll Deep is one away, we'd
have a one away girl rowing everyone’s boat off, y' get me, that
no one even knows about, but who are you, we'll find her one
day!
How is E3 entertainment coming along and what does it involve?
Breeze: E3 entertainment consists of a collective from East
London, E3 obviously that's the post code, just doin' their
thing right now. It's still early doors yet but things are
happening, you can see things in the pipeline. Music is a
business innit so their just trying to cover every aspect of it
y'get me, it's not just music no more.
On Lord of the Decks 3 you said you had beef with Lethal B, how
did that come about and is it resolved?
Trim: We've never had beef with Lethal B, please forget about
Lethal B, we don't give a shit about Lethal B.
Flo Dan- “...We've got guys like Dizzee, Kano, Roll Deep and
it's all professional, so now we're gunna get the respect. It's
too late now- we did it, y'get me?...”
I know Roll Deep has been popular amongst underground heads, how
do you think you are being received by the more commercial
consumers from places like CD:UK and Top of the Pops?
 Flo Dan: Their lovin' it cos they ain't really seen nothing like
that, were back again in a different light, in a different way
and it's all positive, they love us.
Not only is the album heavy but the artwork is unique, who's
idea was it to turn you mans in to 13 street monsters on the
album cover?
Breeze: That was an artist, some Chinese guy, he designed our
characters, it was our idea the concept to come up with it but
they had to keep going over it until they got it right
eventually. It's all for marketing purpose but it's paying off
man, definitely.
On a SkinnyMan track he spits 'We've been going this long, to
get this far, and we still ain't got nowhere' about the UK Hip
Hop scene. Do you agree that sometimes you are fighting an
ongoing battle to make the UK scene accepted and taken
seriously?
Flo Dan: Well right now it's not gunna take very long cos we're
really reppin' it properly, we're not really doing nothing like
no one else. We've got guys like Dizzee, Kano, Roll Deep and
it's all professional, so now we're gunna get the respect. It's
too late now- we did it, y'get me?
Roachee- “...I wanna be at the top. I'm bringing everyone who I
know and who I like through...”
Any idea of how many units the albums sold so far?
Roachee: 25,000 approximately.
Were do you see yourselves in 7 years time when the Olympics
comes to your ends in East London, you still gunna be reppin'?
 Roachee: Yeah, hopefully I'm gunna be a big artist in the scene
doing my thing with my people, or maybe on my own, but with my
people still, and be up there at the top, I wanna be at the top.
I'm bringing everyone who I know and who I like through,
including the youngers.
Are there any plans for a UK tour where you will be performing
in cities in the north as well as down in London?
Breeze: Yeah, we've got a tour coming up I think it's in October
and I believe most of them are up North anyway so yeah you will
see that definitely.
Roll Deep's album 'In at the Deep End' is out now on Relentless.
Peep the website at
www.roll-deep.com to find out the rest.
-
Ben Spurr
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