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  Wordsmith Interview
interview 0346 added 03.11.05 words: Ben Spurr
technical:
QED
Raised in Tulse Hill, Brixton; rapper and thought provoking
lyricist Wordsmith
has come a long way since writing rhymes in his bedroom. From a
young age he was around Hip Hop influences and musical peers
that suggested he was born to write and spit rhymes.
‘The RoadMan Showcase’ LP released earlier this year received
critical acclaim from tour sponsors Hip Hop Connection magazine
and has garnered respect from underground heads throughout the
country. Currently on a UK tour with his partner in rhyme
Genesis Elijah, Wordsmith found time after his show at Lincolns
Po Na Na’s to answer a few questions from Ben Spurr.
Let's start
with the standard stuff, how did you get in to this music thing?
 Well to be honest with me I come from a very musical family, I
had two brothers who were very much in to Hip Hop, so them being
like ten years older than me, my mum told me that when I was
growing up the first record that I used to sing and hum was
Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel’s ‘The Message’. So without ever
really knowing it, it was kind of ingrained in me man and then I
got to a certain age and I just wanted to do it. I saw how
everyone loved listening to Hip Hop and because I’ve always been
in to my writing, my poetry, in to different sides of
literature, it was kind of a natural progression man. I would
say to anyone who wants to start, the best place to start is in
your bedroom with your best mate. That’s were you get your vibes
from, that’s were you get your influences from, so just sit in
your bedroom and work hard at your penmanship cos it’s not a
game out here there’s a lot of good rappers- like me!
How
frustrating is it to get to such a level with your rapping and
have such a message in your songs but still be battling with the
restrictions of the UK scene and seeing other artists with less
content making much more money?
It all comes down to the love for the music at the end of the
day man, I think everyone who starts doing this shit, minus
probably manufactured pop groups and stuff, they do it cos they
love it man. It's a bit of fun, we all start off in our bedroom
rapping to our mates and I think for a lot of rappers that just
carries through in to something that we love doing so much we
think 'right, I'm gunna try and make a career out of this'. I
think all this talk about UK's holding us back and the industry
ain’t feeling it, I think that’s bullshit to be honest man, I
think that if the music's good enough it will get through. Maybe
certain people are dictating what genres of music and what kind
of subject matters that are in that music that are getting
through but if its good enough and the message is strong enough
it will get through.
“...The first record that I used to sing and hum was Grandmaster
Flash and Melle Mel’s ‘The Message...”
Some of the
stuff that I listen to though, such as the Skinnyman album, that
touches me on a much greater level than most music, still
doesn’t get to that stage it deserves to get to, do you not
agree?
I think you'll find that with most artists through history that
some of the most talented and credible musicians have gone
unheard, they've never broken in to the charts but they are
renowned the world over from every music, from Jazz through to
classical, through to Hip Hop, there's always gunna be people
that are lurking in the background. Me personally, I'd actually
prefer to be bubbling in the underground in the position that me
and Genesis are in now, without ever having to transcend in to
the so called 'mainstream'. We've got our fan base, people are
listening, the people that we want to listen and are hearing our
message and their connecting to it, so- job done as far as I'm
concerned, it's never been about how much you sell do ya' know
what I mean?
So you’re
happy to be respected by the true heads and you not too bothered
about going to that superficial level were people like your
music because it's pumped so much by the media that you end up
liking it anyway?
Yeah, you know you can get a product pushed in your face until
you like it, even though you don’t know why you like it. To me
personally man, rap isn’t all about lyricism- it's about
character, it's about personality. You can get up on stage and
spit multi syllabic patterns and radical things but it's
probably only the lyricists that are in the crowd, the writers,
who are going to appreciate that. The average joe public is
pretty much picking up on the one line you say, or just one line
that stands out on your tune. That's why you get people, who
aren’t as talented lyricists and writers, breaking through to
that mainstream because they are easier to listen to.
“...It’s not a game out here there’s a lot of good rappers- like
me!...”
What are
your thoughts on the big Grime movement sweeping the underground
scene?
 The whole Grime vs UK Hip Hop thing to me that is bullshit,
because it’s all UK music do ya know what I’m saying? I’ve got
respect for a lot of those Grime heads because their treating
music like a business and their making bigger moves than a lot
of the so called ‘UK rappers’ are. Their on the streets selling
their things and it’s kind of made us sit up and think ‘Fuck, we
need to move on that level’, it is a business- it’s a
twenty-four hour job.
I’ve seen
Genesis Elijah’s video on Channel U but nothing from you- any
plans for a video?
At the moment were in the process of shooting a video for ‘In
This for Life’, virtually done- should be on Channel U around
the end of November/ December so look out for that- that’s an
exclusive bruv!
Any final
messages for the UKHH readers?
Yeah man, keep supporting, it’s all love, were all doing this
for the love of the music- its UK all the way, Brrapp!
“...rap isn’t all about lyricism- it's about character, it's
about personality...”
Wordsmiths album ‘The RoadMan Showcase’ is out now on Son
Records.
-
Ben Spurr
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