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  Late & Tricksta (Wolftown) Interview
interview 0523 added 03.08.07 words:
Ben Spurr
technical:
Spoon
If you are in any way involved in promoting and supporting the UK Hip-Hop scene then no doubt you will have received a barrage of e-mails from the Midlands based label Wolftown Recordings. As the content of these e-mails prove, CEO’s Late and Tricksta are always on the grind with a new project up their sleeves. With one of their 50 plus releases featured in the Hip Hop Connection Magazine all time Top 50 British Hip Hop Albums this month, Ben Spurr thought it a good time to get to know what the head honcho’s are about on a deeper level.
To start- let's get the formalities out the way... A bit of background info on yourselves?
[Late] I got into hip hop around early 80's started breakin', taggin', then went on to pirate radio, club promotions club, DJ'ing then stared making music around 1994 and released my first record in 1999 ‘VILLAINS - UK SOUND’ on our own imprint WOLFTOWN RECORDINGS. It was just a natural progression through hip-hop!
[Tricksta] Started DJ’ing in 1989, worked at my local record shop from 1991 to 1995, then left to work for a record label and worked there until 1999, then left to set up shop with LATE and start Wolftown Recordings and Rago Magazine. Started my ‘UK Only’ mixtape series UK Runnings in 2001 and my own PR company Park Street PR in 2004. I started producing in 1994, and produced albums by LATE, Villains, Vicious Circle and Wolftown Committee.
Hip Hop Connection Mag just put a Wolftown record 'Bagged Out' at number 29 in the top 50 British Hip Hop albums of all time - how do you feel about that and what was your involvement if any?
[Late] I feel very proud; the release is on our label! We met VICOUS CIRCLE when we were recording the VILLANS album in 1998/9. They were rapping on the stairs in the block of flats where Tricksta had just moved into, we let them feature on the VILLAINS album then we helped them to develop their sound. They started recording their album straight after the VILLAINS album was released.
 [Tricksta] I feel that a lot of people took Wolftown as a bit of a joke back then, but looking back we where just ahead of our time and now people get it. I feel proud because I produced the album, and had a lot of input into the songs. So for me I look at like I have produced one of the top 50 albums in the UK. That’s a big look. Some people even say that ‘Bagged Out’ was the first ever grime release. It was a fusion of all thing British.
You are known as some of the hardest working artists in the game- do you hold down day jobs or has this become a full time business for you guys?
[Late] No this is what we do full time. It's been like this since 1999.
[Tricksta] Yeh we just couldn’t do it part-time. I get up at 7.30 and work till 6pm, then get back on it from 8pm to midnight. It’s like that 5 days a week and I work on a Saturday too. I fit my life around the label, not the label around my life. We are so committed, so focussed and now we got things moving internationally there is no time to sleep.
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I fit my life around the label, not the label around my life
..."
How do you get the Hook Up's for so many big US artists and did you ever feel star struck when meeting them at first?
[Late] We just reach out to them, we do so many projects we have so many plans and when we speak to them 99% of them get us. Sometimes you get a bit star struck but usually were focused on the business.
[Tricksta] Yeh for real! There’s no time to be all shaky when meeting these big stars. They are just human beings. Although I must say when I meet Willie D from the Geto Boys and Devin The Dude it felt proper trippy, just because I grew up listening to them. But again, a lot of the American rappers are so humble. Devin even brought us a crate of beer!
You have released a whole bunch of compilation mixtapes recently what sort of units do you push and what is your main point of selling them (i.e. Internet, HMV, MP'3's)?
[Late] Because we're independent all of them usually balance out the same. When your product gets in HMV you do sell a lot more than if you don't get it in there as they are the biggest retail outlet in the UK.
[Tricksta] For us it’s not so much about selling 100’s of thousands of CD’s, it’s about pushing good music whatever the style or origin. We don’t just make releases for the UK; we make them for the world! HMV don’t stock mixtapes anymore, so we don’t really have catalogue in there, but we are blazing some albums in the near future so hopefully that will change.
What are your thoughts on the recent talk about the death of the album due to declining sales and will you miss this format if it becomes extinct?
 [Late] I think there will always be some fans that want the whole package and if it does happen it will be sad. I suppose it won’t disappear just that the format will just change. There will always be some sort of artwork/package to promote the song/album artist.
[Tricksta] I love CD’s man, but then I’m old skool. I got like over 10,000 vinyls and over 1500 cd’s. I want the product with the sleeve notes, otherwise I don’t know who produced the track or in some cases about the guests. I love reading the sleeve notes, sometimes it’s an education.
I'm from the East Midlands myself so I understand there is less of a scene outside of London, with you guys being from Wolverhampton, do you think the place you live has restricted your movement in any way?
[Late] To be honest, I'm not interested in living in London if I was to move I would move to the states, I drive so I can usually be in London in 2 1/2 hours anyway so it isn't that much of a problem but I'm not going to say we don't miss out on opportunities because of where we live.
[Tricksta] No, the exact opposite. While people in London are linking at club nights and politicking we are working on our next release, and to be totally honest I think a lot of clubs in the UK play one style of Hip-Hop, which I think is a little lame. It’s the same old classics, and the same current tunes. Back in the day DJ’s used to take risks, but them days have gone. So going to clubs for me, ain’t no thing, all I do is moan about the music being played!
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I want the label to be remembered as the label that took UK Hip-Hop to the rest of the world
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Talking of the best British albums of all time- I want your top 3- no bias, your top 3 British Albums of all time please?
[Late]
1. LONDON POSSE ‘GANGSTA CHRONICLES’
2. DEMON BOYS ‘RECOGINTION’
3. HIJACK ‘THE HORNS OF JERICO’
And why this choice?
[Late]
I think these albums laid down the foundations of UK hip hop. To me in those days the music wasn't pigeon holed so much it was just hip hop and the artists just happened to come from the UK. It was just good music.
 [Tricksta]
1. MC DUKE ‘ORGANISED RHYME’
2. DEMON BOYS ‘RECOGNITION’
3. MC MELL O ‘THOUGHTS RELEASED (REVELATION 1)’
And why this choice?
[Tricksta]
Don’t get it twisted I do agree with LATE on his choice, but the reason MC Duke is my top choice because I loved the way he built his rep and come with concepts. MC Mello is in there because it musically stood up against US releases on the same tip such as Tribe, Gang Starr and BDP. It’s a pity I only get three choices, because I feel Blak Twang’s first album should be in there, as should Overlord X, Blade, Black Radikal Mk2 and Skitz first album.
Now I want three names who you consider to be responsible for getting UK Hip Hop this far- the scenes greatest pioneers?
[Late]
1. TRICKSTA
2. RODNEY P/LONDON POSSE
3. DISORDA
And why this choice?
[Late]
Tricksta because of his UK RUNNINGS mixtape series that has given a lot of up n coming artists their first break, Rodney P because he it still doing it and Disorda because he has give a lot of UK artists a chance to get their music out there.
[Tricksta]
1. BLADE
2. MILLION DAN/DEMON BOYZ
3. BRAINTAX
And why this choice?
[Tricksta]
Blade because he is the only man who was released UK Hip-Hop records over three decades, Million Dan & Demon Boyz for bringing the ragga-hip hop to the UK in a big way, and Braintax for releasing music that he believes in and starting Lowlife Records when it wasn’t ‘trendy’ to have a record label.
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people even say that ‘Bagged Out’ was the first ever grime release. It was a fusion of all thing British
..."
When you hang up your mic's and put down the Wolftown Flag for the last time, how would you like your legacy to be remembered?
[Late] I don't wanna ever hang up the mic really, as long as I’ve got an opinion on things I will probably reinvent my voice. Ice T and Chuck D are still rapping and they are in their 40's. I will probably take more of a back seat and focus more on the business side. I don't want WOLFTOWN to be remembered I want WOLFTOWN to be still relevant! We would like to be known as the label that didn't watch anyone else and done exactly what we wanted to do as well as bringing the world quality international street music.
[Tricksta] Well I’m not a rapper I’m a Tricksta! As far as the label side of it goes, I want the label to be remembered as the label that took UK Hip-Hop to the rest of the world. The work Wolftown does for UK Hip-Hop on an international level is real cutting edge. We are the first major independent releasing all styles of Hip-Hop, just like how labels like Def Jam and Tommy Boy did back in the day.
Final thoughts and shout outs-
[Late] I just wanna thank you for taking time out to interview us, and I wanna big up all of the WOLFTOWN fans. Shouts to all our affiliates world-wide SPC, 2520, TEAM AFFICIAL, DOM at THE HIP-HOP VILLAGE, OYM MEDIA and HHB RADIO. Too many to mention so just fill your name in here _______________________!
 [Tricksta] Yeh man, I big up all them man too! Special shout to the Mafia Don (you know who you are!) and props to everyone involved in UK Rap! As far as final thoughts go, this one goes to anyone thinking of being involved in the game. Remember this… to be loved you have to be hated too, but the haters only make you stronger. Those haters are the ones that have led to Wolftown Recordings releasing over fifty CD’s in eight years and having distribution in over ten countries! Respects to anyone who has brought a Wolftown release, you’re the proper superstars not us!
'Metaphors & Verbs' a 50 track Wolftown compilation which includes previously unreleased material together with some exclusives and forgotten Wolftown classics is out now on double CD
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Ben Spurr
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