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 Kid Acne
Part 2
interview
0152 added 15.08.03 words
Spoon
You don’t take yourself too seriously
Not making hip-hop anyway, It’s entertainment. Unless you’re part of the original New York vibe and everything then you cant take it seriously because you’re basically taking components of a genre that you don’t really know anything about and re-assembling them to suit your taste and saying ‘this is my take on it’. I’m not really into that self indulgent, teenage angst, self-cleansing style either. People should leave that for their diary I reckon. Things like Anticon and that were quite interesting at the start but they fucking bore you shitless eventually - I mean how many problems can one guy have?!
Boris Vallejo eat your heart out
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So how’s your style being received?
This albums been received really well. Most people really like it, a couple of mediocre reviews as well which is good because you don’t want to be flavour of the month or anything. I’d rather have a load of people who love it and others who despise it. If everyone’s a bit half and half you end up making shit like The Nextmen, something that’s palatable that you can do the washing up to, play it to your mum, it’s too safe. The hip-hop I grew up on was like Son of Noise, Gunshot, the Kold Sweat stuff. That’s the shit I really like and the early rave stuff, the happy hardcore, a combination of these two things is what I really like. When you’re making hip-hop like I said I think you need a juvenile aspect to it as well, I have to go back into that younger state of mind when I make my music basically. I haven’t really got anything profound to say so I’d rather just talk shit and make it rhyme.
What have you been listening to on the tour bus?
The radio. Or singing, because Chase beatboxes while we go along we’ve written at least three songs just travelling around. Norwich was a good inspiration for that. We came up with some killer stuff after that. I didn’t want to get too hip-hopped out in the bus so we listen to all sorts of stuff.
So who do you like around at the moment
I dunno, I must admit I really enjoy listening to Jay-z, just what he says, the way he says it and the way he forces it into a rhyme. He makes it sound like he’s saying something really important when he’s not….. British wise all the Big Dada stuff basically, Infinite Livez, New Flesh, all of that.
But a lot of people would compare New Flesh and some of the other Big Dada material with the Anticon stuff.
Nah, I think they’re more scientific, more Ultramagnetic than Emo’. I really like New Flesh, I think their second album is brilliant…Roots Manuva as well. Other than that I listen to a lot of ragga and things like that basically. There’s so much hip-hop that I tend to find myself digging backwards rather than getting everything that’s coming out now, I’d rather get some of the classic albums I’d slept on. I listen to all sorts, but I don’t get inspiration from hip-hop as such. I like listening to it as a fan but the inspiration for my music is more image based - what’s around me. You can do hip-hop and graffiti and not be inspired by it, you look elsewhere to influence your style. I like listening to all the Jehst and YNR stuff but its not like I have to try and compete with it.
So how do you see the UK scene? Is there one?
It’s like a boys club in a way, everyone wants there to be a scene. When I used to read Hip-Hop Connection when I was younger everyone would complain that there was no solidarity or unity in hip-hop. I just think you should get on with it. It’s basically about individuals documenting their take on the genre or whatever. I couldn’t really care less for a scene.
Are you worried that it’s too pigeonholed that people won’t listen to your album for instance?
To me, there’s not point in making music unless you’re documenting it on a record. It doesn’t really exist otherwise but once you’ve documented it, it’s out of your hands really. It makes no difference how many people listen to it cos you’ve still made it. Making the record that’s the most important thing. I respect people doing it all themselves rather than doing a demo and touting it around to labels or whatever, the Nottingham heads, P Brothers and all that, they’re putting stuff out off their own backs which is good.
Do you have any day to day involvement with Invisible Spies still?
Yeah I still help run the label, cottage industry style, out of our flat, admin and piles of records.
So that’s your day job then really, running the label?
I haven’t really got a job, I just live off what I get. I mainly live off my artwork but it just changes all the while, record sleeves, T-shirts. I have some skateboards coming out soon, girls underwear and all sorts of shit. It’s good, I like it and I’m really into it but there’s no real structure to it.
Boxes from 'Blood & Sand'
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So what’s next for you because the tour’s ending…
The album’s out in August and then there’ll be another single off it at some point and probably another tour in October or something when the single’s out. Then it’s onto the next project - Toah Dynamic, Invisible Spies and my third album. There’s probably going to be more people involved in that. Spectre from Wordsound in Brooklyn is doing some stuff with us as well, that should be interesting. But we’ve got to go on a researching holiday first. I want to go around a load of ancient sites - stone circles and castles and things, researching the concept for the next album. It’s this whole fantasy art thing I’m into. I don’t really know why it just feels the right thing to do, rather than say go to New York or something like that.
What have you got on art-wise?
T-shirts and that, got an exhibition in Manchester called ‘Blood & Sand’ which is like fantasy art illustrations. I did an exhibition in Grenoble and Paris and a couple of my French mates, we’re going to do a show over here at the end of the year. I cant really remember what else I’ve got on - a few magazine jobs but I’m trying to do my own thing more now. Now I’ve got a bit of money I don’t have to do everything. I’ve never liked doing that anyway, I never advertise myself, I wait for people to get in touch with me.
What’s your biggest sell out? Anything you’ve done that you regret?
No. I haven’t done anything I didn’t want to do. I’ve done some things for Levi’s, Volkswagen, people like that but the way I see it is they approached me so they’re interested in my work and my style. I do the same thing as I would have anyway, I just get more money!
So how much pressure would a company like that put on you to say ‘it’s got to be like this’?
Nothing, that’s the thing, I’ve not done anything like that. All the illustrations I do, like the Big Dada sleeves and that, people get in touch with me because they want me to do it in my way. I don’t do anything I don’t want to. As long as people want my work and let me have free reign then I don’t have a problem with who it’s for.
So for example, the whole range of TTC covers you did for Big Dada, that was just conceptualised from ideas from the music?
I worked with a designer, Ben Weaver, who’d done the Ty and the Roots Manuva album sleeves. It was just a concept we came up with - the line drawing backgrounds and the characters on top. They were fine. At first they wanted to see the sleeves before they went to print but by the end of the series they’d just let it go whatever. It was good because it helped my profile in France as well. I’ve been doing things for French magazines and that since.
They’re quite distinct because you do all of the lettering as well as the main artwork, like the copyright notices and things.
That’s the thing with doing art, I really like painting letters as much as I like characters, but the characters are there to entice people to look at the lettering. I like doing the whole thing.
laaaadies!
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What’s your favourite flavour of crisps?
Marmite Walkers
If you had your own pub what would it be called?
My mate was going to have a pub called ‘The Fire Arms’ which I thought was good, so I’d probably open it with him. Or he was going to have ‘The Mr Tickle Arms’ with a really long orange bar…
In ‘UK hip-hop the movie’ who’s going to play Kid Acne?
Fuckin hell…. I probably wouldn’t get a look in! I’d get duffed up in the auditions or something. It would be quite good to get Rodney P or someone to play me but I don’t think he’d be into that. I’ve always wondered what would happen if I wrote my lyrics and gave them to another MC, a New York rapper to do the delivery or whatever. I’m intrigued by that…. I’d get one of my mate’s little brother or someone like that to be me in the film I reckon.
Anything else you want to say, sell yourself and shout outs and stuff
Yo go out and peep ‘Council Pop’ and keep an eye out for all the Invisible Spies stuff. Word. Nuff fatal flying guillotines and bonafied respect to: Req, Chase, Remark, New Flesh, Infinite Livez, Toah Dingles, Akroe, Kev Grey, Man One, Izal, Krsn, Solo One, She One, Eko TCF, Role and Russ Rockwell.
Kid Acne's 'Council Pop' LP and 'Radio Music' 12" are both out now on Invisible Spies, check the site for info on these, other solo and group work including the Zebra Face bits.
Req One's solo material is out on Warp, and Skint before that.
Thanks to everyone who helped sort this out - Edna, Serena and all at logarhythm I spoke to or emailed
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Spoon
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