|
  HKB Finn Interview
interview 0295 added 13.04.05 words: Nikesh
technical:
QED
Bladow! He’s not just one
of the guys from mid 90’s group, Katch 22,
he’s not just a labelmate with Def Tex and a hip-hop soldier
from way back. He is an intelligent soulful brother with oodles
of information on the history of African music and the
connotations of slavery filtering down through the ages into the
information age. HKB Finn is a true-skool rapper, an inspiration
to listen to and an impeccable candidate for interview. Heaven
knows why we didn’t suggest this earlier.
He’s just released an album, “Acoustic Afro Hip-hop”, which sets
the scene perfectly for his blend of searing and uplifting
lyrics, excellent soulful, Afrobeat-esque production and spoken
word griot rhythms, learnt from the masters. HKB Finn has
contributed to films, already is working on his next album and
has been awarded an honorary degree in music from the University
of East London. He’s probably also one of the first UK rap
artists to be gearing up to release a “Best of…” set.
This man is a pioneer. Nikesh caught up with him on a dreary
South London evening, to hear his words of wisdom and
aspiration.
Introduce yourself to the UKHH.COM
audience and tell us about your last great adventure?
 Greetings to one and all, this is HUNTKiLLBURY FiNN aka HKB FiNN.
My last great adventure was working with a legendary artist, a
griot. For those who don’t know, a griot is the keeper of
history in oral culture. He passes the history of his people
through music and stories. Each generation of griots reinterpret
the same musical issues and stories for themselves in order to
remain relevant for their generation. The griot I worked with is
a legend in West Africa and his name is: Kasse Mady. Working
with an artist from this background was a great adventure
because, by working together, we’ve managed to complete a circle
that began with Africans leaving for the new world via slavery
over 500 years ago and being cut off from a part of our
heritage.
As a pioneer of the UK rap scene, what
are your thoughts on the scene in 2005? Who do you rate?
The current Hip Hop scene has so many amazingly talented
musicians now. To be honest they’re far too many that I
personally rate. I really rate new and established talents like:
Blak Twang, Roots Manuva, Ty, Jehst, Skinny etc, but I also dig
new school Kats like: Doc Brown, Harry Love, Estelle, C-Mone,
YunGun, Tommy Evans… the list goes on. For me, trying to say
who’s banging in the UK is like asking me to count the hairs on
my forearm. I ain’t got the time bro…
What was the scene like when Katch 22
were around?
During the Katch 22 days, the scene was a bit like it is now: we
all had/have a sense of family. The scene is led by the US
machine. A few manz was/is still biting U.S. styles and palming
themselves off as the authentic thing. The only changes I see
is, DJ’s don’t get props like they used to, it’s all about the
emcee now. We’ve got a lot more heads prepared to put out and
work their own tunes without big labels (who ultimately are
either too weak to beat the Yanks or they’re just an American
outpost set up here to siphon UK monies back to America to make
their music industry stronger while we all stand in the rain
like beggars to blood cleat). I believe, we actually make a
better product than most others, but we need to work on our
marketing and mastering techniques. Too many good tunes get
un-noticed or end up sound like tin pan city, with no bassline
or the vocals gets mixed like the producer hates the emcee.
"...The
music & musicians have gotten better, but the sound engineering
has gotten worse...."
What was the general response to your
sound?
The response to the Katch 22 was good across the scene
worldwide. We combined a little of skill learned from Hijack
(old school Hip Hop Gods), threw that in with Mad Marga’s love
for all things dense and complex, stirred that in with my own
Jamaican musical education and tutelage from Funk Mafia and our
sound came out as Leytonstone meets Peckham versus Stockwell
Funk.
Did you feel like you'd end up being
elder statesmen of a scene then?
No. I thought, I’d do one or two albums, probably get done in by
MI5 (you know, dying from athletes foot or sneezing or the usual
tying hands behind my back and shooting myself in the face… it’s
quite common) or simply get killed by the BNP for being a
freethinking Blackman intent on showing white youth that we can
be defined collectively as humans and not by our pigmentation. I
was awarded an honorary Masters in Music Law by the university
of East London last year and this was the first time I felt like
I was an elder in Hip Hop. I still ain’t used to it though. To
me, I’m just rebel trying to do my thing and stay true to my
inner voice.
How did you fall into spoken word
poetry then?
I started my creative career as a poet, but I was not ready to
embrace that fully. If you’ve ever heard some of Hip hop’s
original rappers like the Last Poets or Linton Kwesi Johnson
then you’d know the Word is not to be taken lightly. I later
developed my skills and began inserting poetry into my works.
The first spoken word track I ever did was an ode to the death
of vinyl on the second Katch 22 album (Dark Tales from Two
Cities- 1992).
What do you love/hate about the London
spoken word scene?
For me, true spoken word is part rap and part poetry. It needs
the attitude of Hip Hop and the wit and intelligence of the
written word…the London scene doesn’t always capture that. The
more powerful Spoken word artists can be found up and down the
country, not just in London. Kats like Len Sisey, Phenzwaan,
Zena Edwards are beyond all the local bullshit and represent the
UK internationally. I’m humbled by their skills. There are a few
others but I can’t think of them right now.
"...I
am more Hip hop than a lot of these tourists who wear the
clothes, talk the talk, buy the music then they later abscond to
the next thing… Traitors...."
Tell us about the new release, Acoustic
Afro Hiphop? What sound did you go for?
The new album is something I’ve wanted to make for a while: A
Live Hip Hop album. The Roots encapsulate the Philly sound well
and I wanted to capture the sound of Babylon Don. The record was
made with an old sound in mind. Rough sonics, Hiss, 2inch tapes,
using old instruments, playing live together rather than
layered, sampling drum parts and then playing them live from
beginning to end so even though it’s digital it has a live feel.
No blood cleat quantize.
What lyrical themes do you explore?
 I wanted to explore more personal issues like being in love with
a girl who’s moody, forbidden love, crushing emcees, exposing
frauds, exploring the inner sphere and representing my shit out
in the open, no fear, no frills, just a bit of truth and rights.
I was bored with hiding behind bravado… I just wanted to put in
all on the line… like Kurt Cobain.
How long did it take to make?
The recording was done over a year in different studios. It took
that long because it was hard finding studios that specialise in
dirty sounds. A lot of today’s music is clean and there’s little
room for dirt. This meant that the gritty, dirty sound is more
of a specialist thing. I can’t do a tune without that dutty,
nasty, nail scraping duttiness you get with tape. I prefer the
irregularity of the human feel in my music, so it has to have a
live element. It literally took a year of dragging big tapes on
trains and buses around London’s dodgiest districts to get the
Acoustic Afro Sound.
What are your hopes for this album and
what sort of audience do you expect to find with it?
My hopes for the album is to sell a whole lot of CD’s but it’s
always up to the public what they go for. As for audience, music
finds itself to all nooks and crannies. No one can define their
audience (no matter what the marketing kats tell you). People
love good music… so all I can say is… if you like something a
little different from the regular or something musically
challenging or just real, check it out!
How deep into your African roots did
you delve, for research into this album?
I delved back into antiquity to research my connection to the
tradition of music making and it’s relationship to wider African
culture. As Africans have moved from our old world into the new
world via slavery, the role of the musician has remained the
same. This through line was an important revelation for me. In
Katch 22, I was a member of a generation trying to come to terms
with our presence in the UK as an unwanted element. We knew
little of our heritage, because our parents were brainwashed by
a colonial education. They taught us nothing and we found
ourselves adrift in an alien culture. When I delved into my
African heritage, I realised that Africa is a diverse continent
with over 700 languages, cultures and peoples. I learned that I
was a part of an African Diaspora (a people outside of their
homeland) and I felt the need to make a reconnection.
"...As
Africans have moved from our old world into the new world via
slavery, the role of the musician has remained the same...."
A musical reconnection. I needed to forgive our forefathers for
selling us into slavery, for the years of inter-cultural wars
that preceded the European and Arabic Slave trades and I needed
to make a journey to my inner to find the real truth. Once over
this hurdle, I began to recognise a connection that is found
when cultures meet and they automatically begin to exchange
ideas. I started to see how many old world instruments found
themselves recreated in the new world, sometimes presented as
being completely disconnected from their original African roles.
For instance, the West African Harp aka The Kora came to Europe
with the Moors and became the Lute, then Cello, then Harp and
later the piano. These things filled me with a sense of pride
and confidence that no matter what bullshit humans get up to or
do…music transcends all barriers of language and culture and
speaks to our inner truth.
How did you collect the sounds and
melodies that hark back to Africa?
I grew up in Jamaica and was lucky to work in Jamaican folk
music as a child. In particular, I have some knowledge of a
Jamaican folk form called: Mento. A lot of Mento melodies are a
combination of old English shanties (Old English sailor songs
dating back to the 1600’s) and African worship songs. I also
worked with Tunde Jegede who is a modern day Griot and a
composer of western classical music. He’s also a Kora player and
his instruments repertoire dates back to 1400 AD. By combining
the two musical concepts, we were able to extract the common
African melodies and this became the basis of the music on
Acoustic Afro Hip Hop.
What do you plan to do live with this
release?
We’re currently on tour across the UK and Europe from April
until September doing various shows so check the website for
full details.
"...I
can’t do a tune without that dutty, nasty, nail scraping
duttiness you get with tape...."
What next projects are you working on?
 Well, all this Acoustic Afro stuff has given me a new lease of
life. I’m working on a new sound for a new album. The album is
called: CONFESSiONS OF A TROUBLEMAKER and we’re in the studio at
the moment with it. I’m working with legendary producer Derek
Johnson who did stuff with Soul 2 Soul, Caron Wheeler,
Blacksmith, Johnny Clarke to name a few. I’m also working on
tracks with Don Jose, new producer Maya Jobarteh (who’s got some
ill shit) and Tunde Jegede. We’re also hoping to finish a Best
of HUNTKiLLBURY FiNN collection for all the heads who missed out
on the 3Knights, Moving in the Right Direction, Katch 22 and
other wayward gems over the years. I’m in talks with SON records
who may do it in 2006 but the new album is my priority at the
moment.
Do you still see yourself as a hip hop
artist or more of a world music/spoken word pioneer?
Hip Hop is my mother and Reggae is my father. I used to be a
good little boy and I did what mum expected of me. However, with
mum’s guidance I’ve grown into a Spoken Word artist. My mum used
to hate it when I played with Jazz, Rock and even electro-dance
music, but I’ve learned to do what’s right for me. I’m a man
now, no longer mummy’s little soldier. As for World music…
that’s a concept developed by colonial morons who wanted to
create a genre to rip off unsuspecting artists who come from
cultures where music is shared and not owned. But, to answer
your question straight up…I am a Hip hop artist. I am more Hip
hop than a lot of these tourists who wear the clothes, talk the
talk, buy the music then they later abscond to the next thing…
Traitors. I’m a Hip Hop artist because everything I do is real,
from the heart and the five elements are always present in my
music. I keep things fresh by presenting the 5 aspects of Hip
Hop in new and unfamiliar ways.
How has the live atmosphere of UK
hip-hop jams changed for you in the last 10 years?
The music & musicians have gotten better, but the sound
engineering has gotten worse.
Any final shout outs shameless plugs?
I contributed to a film recently called 500 Years later. It’s
being shown at the ICA on May 1st. If you can’t make it, why not
check out the trailer at:
www.500yearslater.com.
It’s heavy…
ACOUSTiC AFRO HiP HOP is out now on Savage Music. You can order
a copy from
www.savagemusic.co.uk or visit my website for full details,
free downloads, a video or two, short stories and other bits.
Thanks for reading… don’t just support UK Hip Hop, buy the
records and always ask your independent retailer to stock all
our products…
Watch out for my forthcoming album: CONFESSiONS OF A
TROUBLEMAKER…my Fazer is set on ‘Kill’ this time…
Guidance: HKB FiNN
-
Nikesh Shukla
Related Links:
 
|
