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OK. I suppose we can start with some feedback on the show. How did you get involved in The CALM Urban Games?
Well Neil Hannah is a friend of ours from Luton and he’s the representative from CALM down here in Bedfordshire. He’s been doing a lot of stuff with Phi Life Cypher over the past couple of months anyway so we knew about The CALM Urban Games right from the planning as it was an idea that we all had together. There’s nothing to do with hiphop in this area really – well maybe not Luton but certainly in this area. We had the idea to do something with Skinnyman and Blade and that lot to kinda introduce people here to UK hiphop. Because there’s a lot of people down here who haven’t really got a clue about any UK hiphop. The only idea of UK hiphop they get is off Channel U or whatever.
and from your perspective, how do you think it went?
The idea of it was good. It went off OK but it just didn’t kick off like I’d hope. There just weren’t enough people there and the weather wasn’t on our side. The vibe on the day was alright but it could have been a hell of a lot better.
Who was the other emcee you had with you – was it “Leroy Brown?”
Yeah Leroy Brown. He’s from High Wickham. Do you know MCM? Caveman? We all linked up through him. We’re friends with him and he’s going to be doing some stuff with Nappa in the future. So keep a look out for Leroy Brown.
Has he got any stuff out at the moment?
Nothing out at the moment but he will have some stuff out in the near future.
How did you feel about pretty much headlining as a solo artist? That’s unusual for you – even on the Phi Life material – and I’m not trying to be rude - but you’re more of a second-string or a sidekick to Life?
Yeah that’s cool – I know that, believe. I felt like a right fish out of water completely that day. I’ve been trying to get some solo stuff out there for time but it hasn’t been the time yet where we’ve been prepared for me to do something on my own. And that day, we hadn’t prepared for me to do something on my own and I wasn’t prepared at all. From now on, we’re going to work on something so that we’ve got something set for me to be able to do solo when live situations like that come up again.
Do you think you handled it well ‘cus I quite liked it.
No I don’t think I handled it well at all man. I hated that day heheheheh. But that’s taught me I need to be one hell of a lot more prepared for whatever I’m going to be doing in future.
The setting of the show was a boxing ring and yet it was surprisingly (to me at least) friendly between all the acts?
Yeah of course. Well there’s a vibe in UK hiphop where all the acts are struggling to do the same thing. It’s not really a thing about there being any bad vibes between acts. It’s about everybody coming together to do something like that. I don’t really see there being any opportunity for there to be bad vibes between acts unless you’ve got straight battle shit going on – or like with SAS and what they’ve said about a lot of our people as well. If they were there as well I could see there probably being problems – and even more if Scorsayzee and Lee Ramsay was in the same venue too. But apart from that, it’s about positive vibes.
And touching on this SAS thing, who started it and who’s going to finish it?
What d’ya mean?
Well I’ve heard you Phi Life are doing a diss track to answer them?
Who’s written a diss track?
You guys? An Answer track?
Nah we haven’t written an answer track to SAS. We haven’t got any beef with SAS. The only time we’re going to have any beef with SAS is if they call our name on anything. There is no beef. It’s nothing of us trying to big ourselves up. They’re trying to do what they do and that’s all good. But at the same time, I’m not really feeling what they done and how they dissed everybody in the UK scene like that. They tried to do a 50 Cent thing and all it’s done is diss people struggling and trying to eat same as them. I don’t really see that sort of thing helping. We haven’t got anything planned against SAS or anything like that.
And don’t give them the publicity?
Yeah I’m not really looking to give them publicity. They get enough as it is heheheh.
For you specifically and for UK hiphop in general, which would you say was a larger motivator: aggression or celebration? I ask because hiphop started out as a party culture but it’s evolved into more of an aggression thing?
I think it’s swings and roundabouts man. There’s always a use for everything in hiphop no matter whether that’s an aggression thing or a party thing because there’s so many different vibes in hiphop now. Me I use hiphop to express myself in terms of how I’m feeling at the time. I can see what you’re saying how most of all the hiphop that comes out at the moment is about aggression and that kind of thing but I just think that that’s where those artists are coming from at this point in time. I think everybody changes as an artist while they’re doing their shit.
As a fan and as an artist, is there a difference in the way you approach and receive music?
Not really. Music to me is music. As an artist I try to listen to artists that will inspire me to do better. There’s a lot of artists out at the moment that don’t inspire me to do anything at all. But I will listen to stuff like 50 Cent and G-Unit because I like it as a fan. They’re not something that makes me wanna get my pad out and rush to write something straight away like when I hear some Talib Kweli or Pharaohe Monch or some new Taskforce or some shit like that. Those are the people that inspires me and fires me up to get on with it. Really to me, I listen to music all on different levels. I take whatever I want to take from different artists. AS a fan, I think about some of the crap I listen to and
as an emcee I would never dream of spitting or trying to make something that sounds like it – especially that Southern shit y’know? But as a fan I can understand where they’re coming from and the whole vibe of it really.
When life’s getting you down, what’s the first thing you’re going to turn to? Are you going to turn to your friends or the music or bottle it up?
Bwoy I’m the type of guy who bottles it all up y’know? There’s a lot of times when I’ve got a lot of shit piling up on top of me and I can’t concentrate on what I want to do with my music and at the same time, I wont turn to my friends because it’s my problems and I don’t want to just fling it all on other people to get me out of it. A lot of the shit I’ve gone through, I bottled it up – and not that I didn’t deal with it in the end but I tried to not let it effect everything else around my life. But in the end it does end up affecting your life because you end up affecting your life because you don’t concentrate properly on the things that you need to concentrate on.
Regarding the cause of CALM, do you think that Urban Culture is a good medium through which young men can express themselves in an honest way?
What you mean the music?
The music, the breaking, the skateboarding –
Of course believe. Because it gives them an opportunity to express themselves. I feel it’s a good way for any people to do something they enjoy doing and express themselves at the same time. It’s like if a skateboarder gets on a skateboard, not every run is going to be the same as the last; each skateboarder takes different lines and pulls different tricks. It’s a good way of expressing yourself whilst getting that little blow out that you need – just getting that release and showing who you are.
Do you remember the last time that your life was on the ropes?
A couple weeks ago hehehe. But with this hiphop thing, it’s one of those things where the money isn’t there and so you have to do so many other things just to get a little piece of money. It’s one of them things where it’s a constant struggle. There’s certain times where you’ve got bailiffs coming to your door and at the same time all you’re doing is trying to get on with whatever you’re doing. It’s hard where you’re trying to do something productive like we’re trying to do as Phi Life Cypher and then you’ve got all these other people saying “your music’s this…your music’s that..you should be doing this..” but on the flipside of that you’ve always got debts coming out your arse and you can’t seem to survive without doing a shitty job that you’re doing at the same time as the music.
Do you have a day job at the moment?
Yeah I work for NOP (National Opinion Poll).
I guess you’re aiming to make music your full time job?
Yeah I’d love to be able to do that but until UK hiphop starts to make proper money and sell proper units and until it’s promoted properly, I don’t see a time when I will be able to do that – well that’s in the near future anyway.
is there any chance of any more cross-genre collabos like you did with The Gorillaz?
I dunno… We still chat with Damon and them every now and them. They’ve got a new album coming out before the end of the year but I’m not sure if anything is happening with them. We’d definitely like to do more stuff with people like them and The Herbaliser. Right now We’re just concentrating on Phi Life Cypher and just trying to get our own name out there properly.
And speaking of Phi Life, still quite a controversial song to this day (well within UK hiphop anyway) is Herbaholics.
Ah yeah?
Especially the claim about multiple sclerosis.
Oh yeah…?
Was that put in deliberately to stir things up or is that what you believed at the time?
I’ve read too much literature about marijuana curing multiple sclerosis or at least easing the pain toward it. My point in the track was that…well They know what cannabis and marijuana does for multiple sclerosis right? There’s no point in Them knowing that and still criminalising it. Instead of criminalising it they should make a cannabis pill for people to ease their pain. People have been criminalised for smoking, eating or even drinking marijuana because it’s the best thing to ease their suffering. They try and tell you all this bullshit that weed will send you mad and do this and do that to you – that’s just bullshit at the end of the day. We didn’t really do it to wind anybody up. Basically with y verse, I tried to make it as much about facts as I could – rather than just me talking about love of smoking weed or trying to be a stoner or anything like that.
And in terms of Phi Life’s release schedule. All your releases so far have been really long and you guys always seem to be stockpiling a lot of material. I get the impression that you’re a bit impatient and that you’ve always got a lot more material to come?
We’ve always got too much material to come. That’s the thing. If we could put out material as quickly as we wanted to put out material, it would be a heck of a lot easier on us. But as far as labels go, they can only put out as much as they can put out and even then, it’s nowhere near the time scale that we’re producing the material. It’s a thing of us just trying to make it ourselves. If we could be our own label and put out our own stuff as and when we wanted to, it would be easier but…
Have you found that you’ve had to keep reintroducing yourselves because the sound and the line-up of the two group albums was different and of course you had the Life solo album in between?
No I think the people know who we are and what we do right enough. The name “Phi Life Cypher” is literally “Phili” and “Life” so whatever we’re doing, whenever we return to the Phi Life Cypher nucleus it’s always going to be the same thing. I think people know what they’ve got when they see the name Phi Life Cypher. It’s really about me trying to strike out there with my own identity now and get my own name out there now.
Are you working on a solo album now?
Yes I am. I’m working on it now. Hopefully there should be at least an EP coming out from me by the end of the year.
Can you tell me what you’re aiming for with that and how it will compare with the Phi Life Cypher albums?
It’s going to basically be the same formula but it’s going to be me. It’s going to be “Phi Life Cypher” but with the emphasis being more on the “Phili.” I’m going to get a lot of other guest on there as well.
Have you got any in mind that you can name now?
I should hopefully be getting Yungun on there and I wouldn’t mind doing something with Jehst as well if I could.
Will all that be produced by Nappa?
A lot of it will be produced by Nappa but I’m going to try and get some other producers on it as well. I heard Yungun’s album and I like some of Harry Love’s beats and Mr Thing’s got some nice material at the moment. So I’d like to try and get as many big and respected producers on there as well y’know? Imma try and get Skitz on there as well…
What does the rest of the summer hold for you – that’s apart from a lot of rain I guess??
Hehehehh really – well apart from the rain we’ve got a few shows coming up. We’re going to The Czech Republic in August for Hiphop Kemp as well. So really and truly it’s about gigging and more gigging. A Life solo mixtape’s coming out in the next couple of months and then a Phi Life Cypher mixtape’s coming out a couple months after that – and then hopefully my album will be coming out after them. Really it’s just about doing more of the same thing.
What tunes are you turning to at the moment to cheer yourself up?
Right now I’m really feeling Nas’s Thief’s Theme. And The Roots’ Don’t say nothin. Other than that? Some Loop Troop.
And anyone you want to biggup? Any words of wisdom – y’know, just to round it out?
I just want to biggup the whole of the UK man. Just keep with the struggle and keep doing what we’re doing. The strong shall prevail, believe…
© CD Goldie for ukhh.com - 2004
interview 0240 added
26.09.04 words: Sumo Kaplunk technical:
Spoon
In
the glamorous world of pop music, It’s apparent that most acts are strongly dissuaded from expressing definite opinions. As human beings, pop stars must have prejudices and opinions but in their role as short-lived cash-cows, being seen to be siding with one side of an argument runs the risk of alienating as many existing followers as it does ingratiating new fans. In marked contrast, due to the more personal relationship acts enjoy with their far smaller fanbases, underground hiphop artists can afford to get off the fence every once in a while. Some UK hiphop artists still do like to play it safe but thankfully, Luton’s Phi Life Cypher never have to be asked twice to express an opinion on the day’s hot topics. Given his domination of the group and the launching of his solo career with the deliberately offensive single Bush and Blair, the tendency has been for people to always first seek answers from the group’s main man Life. However, I thought it would make an interesting change to get the tuppence worth of the guy who stands shoulder-to-shoulder with and holds his own alongside his more vocal partner. One afternoon a couple weeks after the CALM Urban Games, I caught up with Si Phili in Luton town centre to chat about the CALM gig, stress, the activities of the Phi Life Cypher crew and some other stuff.
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The only idea of UK hiphop they get is off Channel U or whatever
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We’ve always got too much material to come
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They tried to do a 50 Cent thing and all it’s done is diss people struggling and trying to eat same as them
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Many thanks to Si Phili for doing the interview. Thanks also to Tom from Zebra Traffic for making it possible.
Related Links:
photo's © Wayne Pilgrim for CALM or Mr Quiz