|
|
|
No matter whether you rate him or slate him, fact is, no other British emcee has yet been blessed (and some would argue cursed) with anything hinting at the incredible hype that now dwarfs the very humble, amiable man caught up in the roots of the mythology his work and antics have engendered. Everybody seems to have their own Skinnyman story and it's easy to lose sight of the truth when trying to keep track of all the sensational anecdotes and Urban Music legends in which he stars. Conversely, his live performance during the CALM event contradicted much of what I had been lead to believe by the media portrayal and popular perception of this "Skinnyman" character. In light of such confusion, I was understandably eager to try to find out something about the real man at the heart (though rarely the helm) of an evergrowing cult of personality. Unfortunately, when the interview finally happened, poor mobile reception at his end meant that I had to repeat every question thrice, making any sustained in-depth questioning impractical. Furthermore, Skinnyman seemed to be unfamiliar with ukhh.com interview steez and gave his answers under the misapprehension that his responses would be published in their original audio format. Subsequently, I fear his Defiant barstool barrister cross-examination of every question, and his issuing of ready-made official-style statements, may not translate well into text. I hope the guy's sharp wit and infectious optimism are not all lost in translation - but whatever the case, please enjoy what Skinnyman did have to say about hecklers, negativity in rap, conspiracy theories, weed and harnessing the power of hiphop. Yo this is Skinnyman from the Mud Fam live on ukhh.com. Log on or jog on.
How did you get involved with the CALM event.
I was asked the previous year before to do it but unfortunately I wasn't around to be able to do it. I wanted to be able to come through because it's all about tension through things for the youth and they have to calm themselves because we face so much frustrations you know? So I was down for the ethics of the cause.
and what did you think of the day?
The day was brilliant except the weather wasn't making up it's mind whether to shine or be rainy. So it was rainfall/sunshine/rain all day. The main stage - not the hiphop stage - but the main stage seemed to attract quite a good crowd and they had an atmosphere going all day.
One thing that was different about your set when compared to all the other acts was that you got two hecklers.
Oh yes.
is that regular for you? Are you used to getting hecklers on the regular?
No I'm not. That's kinda like almost alien to me. But the fact that I did get heckled I was happy for that.
Do you think you coped with it well?
Yeah I think I coped with it well. I think I calmed them. It was a calm day and I calmed them for CALM so yeah…
Are you not tempted, after hosting that event, to go into presenting on MTV or doing live presenting on T4?
Am I interested in that? If the pay's right.
One thing I noticed that stood out about your performance is how it really contrasted with your reputation. You were really funny -
Oh thank you -
and really up-beat and yet the way you've been presented is as quite serious?
Yeah.
Was that a deliberate effort to be more light-hearted on the day?
Ummm, no. I suppose that every kind of different performance that I do, I do try to sum up what kind of audience they are and what would be more appropriate for that crowd. Obviously there was children there and there was mothers there and stuff like that so yeah, I was trying to present something that was more appropriate for the occasion yes?
But are you aware of the popular image that's been presented of you? Your image is of a serious and dark person?
Well you know hehehehe. You only have to meet me. I'm very approachable y'know. You can come up and say "hello" to me and nine out of ten times I'm smiling.
During your performances you were making fun of a lot of what you've said before [on record and in interviews] regarding conspiracy theories - you were like joking about David Icke and all that sort of thing. Do you actually believe that stuff or is it purely for entertainment?
No what I do is… Beliefs and knowing are two different things and I like to actually base my subject matters on facts. And what we actually KNOW, without turning to conspiracies, is that an unprecedented amount of mass wealth gets spent by the Americans on Nuclear weapons defence advancements. We also KNOW that a third of that budget that the Americans spend on advancing nuclear weapons would be enough finance to be able to provide food, shelter, medical facilities and schooling facilities for all of the children who are hungry, dying, starving and impoverished around the world. That's not a conspiracy theory, that's a blatent true FACT. So there doesn't need to be a conspiracy; there's enough facts to show us how 'wrongteous' the world is whilst trying to live righteously.
And the setting of the event was a boxing ring.
Yes
What I found interesting was the coupling of hiphop culture with the cause. Do you think it worked? 'cus to me, hiphop is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy; it's kinda aggression and paranoia feeding itself..
Hmmm…no. Well to me - well would you say that's what writing books are?
It depends..there are downbeat books - but as a whole, books don't feed off -
Look, if you were to describe Will Smith to me as that - I mean, repeat to me what you just described?
Heheheheh. Hiphop is feeding off of negativity. It's feeding off the aggression and paranoia of young men.
Would you say that of Will Smith?
No I wouldn't say that about Will Smith.
Would you say that about Big Brovaz?
No I wouldn't say that of Big Brovaz.
So we can take the biggest selling American artist and we can take the biggest selling UK artist in the hiphop market and we both agree you can't say that about them? You understand my point?
Yes but! What I'm saying is that it is a bit of a contrast to have this combative culture attached to a cause that's dealing with trying to help people out of depression and insecurity.
Yes well I think you'll find that… In my own experience, hiphop has been the voice of the urban youth feeling the angst and the tension and the stress of wanting to be heard but not being heard. Hiphop has now come full circle where we have to look at what Rap music and hiphop culture is now. Rap music and hiphop culture now in today's society is the biggest marketable culture and best way to make anything else marketable and commercially viable. Therefore, if I was a company that sold cars conglomerately, I would be using hiphop as my music. Reebok trainers are using 50 Cent to sell Reebok Trainers and so we have to look at how the corporate-Urban voice has now become the voice of the world. It's the biggest selling, most heard voice. But also, to me, in rap music, you have every type of expression whether it be happy sad, love, hate - every single emotion I have experienced I have experienced within my experience of rap music.
That's cool. In general, you personally, when you've hit hard times in life, are you the sort of person who wants to confront your problems head on or are you the sort of person who wants to avoid dealing with it? Y'know? Like fight or flight? What's your usual instinct?
Well to set the question straight, 90% of the world remains impoverished to the 10% who control the world's monopolies. Therefore we are having hard times. And yes, I do plan on doing something about it.
OK, but I was thinking more along personal lines of dealing with life's stresses?
On a personal level? Meaning what?
Are you the sort of person who dives straight into sorting something out or do you try and avoid issues?
What issues?
Just everyday stresses in life? In life are you the sort of person who wants to sort things as soon as possible or do you want to try and avoid situations as much as possible?
Ummm, you would have to give a specific example because in some certain circumstances, in some situations, time has been the greatest healer. Time has been known to be the biggest forgiver y'know? So maybe with some things it's best to give them time to heal. But with some things you might like to deal with it instantly. So that's why I'm saying I think you'd have to be more specific with your question.
Nah that's OK. On a similar note, do you feel you are now the master of your destiny because I know you've had certain troubles on both a business and a personal level?
I believe that within our destiny, what we have is, we have opportunity, we have luck and we have chance. Within those three things of luck, opportunity and chance, we are the controllers of what goes on within the realms of that. Do I take the chance? Is it my destiny? Do I wish to fulfil it? Do I have determination? So to an extent we all are and to an extent we are all not. Because if you wanted to be the controller of your own destiny yeh? You might want to leave the country yeh? But you wouldn't be able to leave the country without a passport. Therefore we have a government that forbids us from controlling our own destiny - you understand what I'm saying? Huh? Our governments forbid us all from controlling our own destinies.
But again, on a personal level, you've had various label troubles and whatever. Do you feel you're on an even keel now?
Now let's just clarify this. I've never-ever - or at least to the best of my knowledge - I
can't ever remember having any trouble with any labels.
Hmmmm, well you've had a few false starts - you've been associated with a couple labels over the past few years - and I get the impression that you've been held back a bit over the past couple of years and you've been raring to go?
Nah - actually I don't ever recall anybody standing in my way. So there's nothing been holding me back. As for "False starts," could you break that down for me?
Well you had the deal with Talkin Loud and you did the Def Jam thing -
Are those "False starts?"
Well you could have been a lot bigger sooner - well at least that's the impression I get?
Oh I see…I see.
But you feel that everything's going according to plan now?
There isn't a plan brother, that's what I'm saying. There's no plan.
OK then. What's your favourite way to let off steam?
Marijuana and sex.
heheheh - in that order?
Probably yeah. Marijuana then sex then marijuana then sex and marijuana then sex - yeah in that order.
Cool. Well that's another contrast on the day. It was the CALM event but everybody had a pro-weed attitude and yet weed is a habit-forming depressant. So how do you feel about that contradiction?
You're talking about weed here right? I consciously do not promote the intoxication of any form therefore smoking of any substance - even down to fuel emissions of cars yeh - I disagree with. Therefore I cannot condone any of it. Yes? Smoking of anything is an intoxication and an impurity of the lungs yes? Driving a car on the road, creating fuel emissions is also an impurity of the lungs. I cannot condone any impurification of Mother
Earth or Mother Nature or mankind. But I do say that Marijuana herb is a natural medicine. It's a great ailment for many different sicknesses that people suffer from and I do believe that it should be legalised to be used for medicinal purposes for people who are suffering.
Just one quick question about the LP, why did you pick the older tracks that you did? Why not release an album of completely new tracks?
Because I felt them relevant. Had you heard them before?
Yeah I had heard F' the hook. I hadn't heard anything else tho.
Yeah so then…how can anybody know if they're newer or old? They're all new to you because you've never heard them before. Yes? And nobody's heard all of them before so they're all new to everyone. So no there isn't an old track on the album and you'd be mistaken in saying that.
Alright-alright! Fair enough.
That's alright but let's just have it right.
Just a general question, do you have two or three favourite songs that you turn to to cheer yourself up?
Yes…I like John Holt The way nature planned it. I like Erykah Badu's Time's a wastin. I like…what else do I like that lifts me up when I'm down? Because the more you give to life is the more you're going to get from life - What's the name of that John Holt song? [digression as Skinnyman asks everybody else on the bus with him if they know the proper title for that song]
And finally, to wrap it all up, anyone you want to biggup, any words of wisdom?
I'd like to biggup the power of creation for making all things possible.
Fraksha talks to Skinnyman (2002)
Nikesh talks to Skinnyman (Jun 04) © CD Goldie for ukhh.com - 2004
interview 0241 added
26.09.04 words: Sumo Kaplunk technical:
Spoon
Having
proved himself the indisputable ruler of the ring that afternoon, Finsbury Park's Skinnyman went straight to the top of my CALM-related "must interview" list. It took a few calls and emails to hook up but here it finally is….
"...
there isn’t an old track on the album and you’d be mistaken in saying that
...”
"...
You can come up and say “hello” to me and nine out of ten times I’m smiling
...”
"...
Our governments forbid us all from controlling our own destinies
...”
Many thanks to Skinnyman for taking the time out of his hectic schedule to speak with me. His long-long-long awaited debut album, Council Estate of Mind and its strong lead single I'll be surprised are both finally out now on Low Life Records. Given it's moral ambivalence, over-reliance on cliched perspectives and narratives - and Skinnyman's notable avoidance of any genuine revelation or insight, it's a problematic album that's met a problematic critical reception. Nevertheless, in spite (or maybe because of) the album's striking flaws, Skinnyman (and friends) have inadvertently succeeded to show UK hiphop, Urban culture and the times in which we all live warts and all. It's not the best hiphop album to come out of England so far this year but certainly one of the most interesting and potentially most important to the course of "uk hiphop."
Related Links:
photo's © Wayne Pilgrim for CALM or Mr Quiz