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page 3 OK, so swift change of direction... Everyone knows that Lewis Parker is a mad Star Wars fan, and although he wasn't keen to talk about that at first, he soon warmed to his subject. The launch of ukhh.com has obviously overshadowed the release of the new Star Wars film, but it seems some people are still checking for it... LP: Ah all this anticipation man... it's too much. I mean the way I feel about Star Wars is, I personally believe the way of the Jedi, what that is and what that represents to me is mad important - that's not gimmicks and effects, that's talking about being a luminous being y'know. As Jedi masters do, as Master Fong does and as Master Tarka does, elevate your body to fly around the universe, and that's some mad meditation to the utmost. And that's what the Star Wars thing has led to in my life. Cuz anyone that knows me knows that I'm a stupid Star Wars fan - I know that shit inside out. But beyond that, when I say the way of the Jedi, it means a lot more to me than just some gimmick y'know. It's like saying I'm a chi master. It's about elevation. What do you think of the reviewers that come out and say the dialogue isn't all that, the plot doesn't do much... LP: I think all that's bullshit. Star Wars is a children's film - you have to look at it through child's eyes, cuz half of it is in the imagination. When you're a kid you see those small things, the small bits of Yoda when he spoke, the mad simple things that he said, left you with your imagination to realise things from that, and that's what Star Wars is about. It's a fairy tale, and that's how you've got to look at it. Star Wars is going to have mad effects, mad storyline, but it isn't going to be this acting-fest that people seem to be expecting. So are you going to be down there first day?
P: It'll be the same this time you'll see... Lewis'll be the first person in London to see it... LP: That's if I get the tickets... I'll be standing outside begging them to let me in... "I am a fanatic. I have rights. I am a Jedi, I have many rights". I'm sure Lewis Parker has been referred to as the saviour of British hip-hop at some point in the past, and this odd phrase, with it's implicit assumption that the scene needs saving, has been used more recently too. Did you see Roots Manuva on the Jo Whiley programme and she was calling him the saviour of British hip-hop? What do you make of that? JC: Well I don't know, but I don't think Rodney would want to be called that... but they always want to put stuff over like that. LP: I mean every time there's a new British album out it's like 'ah they're the new saviour' and all that... ST: UK hip-hop has been going for time, y'know, so you have to put yourself in that context LP: Yeah like a lot of people try to say like British hip-hop is on this new level and all that, but people are neglecting what came out in the past coming out of different circumstances, and situations that we're still suffering from like not knowing exactly how to mix a tune, or not being able to afford enough studio time, having to record in your room and all that - it's still going on, but it's slowly changing, and my situation is helping in a way y'know. One more man having a deal means that bit more money coming into the scene. But we're still suffering from that problem, and a lot of the time it's about getting that all-round quality, cuz there've been mad tunes coming out of this country y'know, but there's always been something y'know, bits wrong with them. That's what we're trying to do - establish this sort of sound standard. What it's about is bringing straight-up hip-hop that's obviously from this country, with its own originalities, then bringing that forward, putting it on vinyl and putting it out. That's what I'm trying to accomplish, what we're trying to establish.
ST: People try to narrow it down to a few people, but when you think of UK hip-hop you should be able to come up with nine, ten names just like that y'know what I mean? It's getting more towards that now. LP: A lot of what I do, what we do, stands on its own right, but people always want to compare everything, everything's always a competition. If hip-hop had less of the competition in it it'd succeed further, especially in this country cuz people still find it hard to support their own over here, everyone's mad critical. Everyone does it - everyone's an MC, makes their beats, and everyone is like 'I can do it better', it's hard to respect the man y'know... Do you see people and think 'I'd like to work with them'? JC: We were talking about that, y'know how it'd be nice to work with other people, American artists or whatever, but it'd kind of detract from what we're doing. LP: I think at some time there'll be collaborations with like Chester n shit. JC: Yeah I hope so - work with the best of British. I've kind of always wanted to work with Krispy actually, cuz they're from up North, and they were coming out at around the same time as we were, rapping in northern accents, just on the other side of the Pennines in Lancashire and we were in Yorkshire. Quite like that album - its got its moments y'know. I'd already heard the singles though, so there was only about half of it that was new to me. Nice album though. I used to want to work with Dres too, y'know from Black Sheep. Before I sold many records, when I was just making beats n that, I always wanted to work with the people I admired, but I'm not sure that that's the case anymore. Cuz you want to make music that really sort of says something, not just music that's just good cuz like "look who's on it". I'd like to work with Xzibit, but I wouldn't - I don't even know the guy y'know what I mean? So how could I do a track with him? PL: And maybe there's that other thing now where you're in this position and you want to bring people through. JC: Yeah definitely. I mean why am I going to go out of my way, or even pay somebody to be on one of my tracks, when I can go and get Jhest on it? Or Ricochet, or Lewis, y'know? LP: That's how I feel too man. I would rather work with the people I know. I mean it's an easier thing as well, especially with what I do cuz you have to sort of know what I'm about in a lot of ways... How do you feel about people coming out sounding US - people like Funky DL, Phoebe 1? LP: I know where they're coming from y'know. I've gone through the same shit y'know cuz like when Funky DL came out he came out at a pretty similar time to the time I came out and so people find it easy to compare the two of us. To me it's about trying to move into who you are and find yourself within the music and trying to express what's within. I don't know what Funky DL is doing - I know he can make bad tunes, it's blatantly obvious he knows how to make beats, he knows how to rhyme, y'know. He's on this thing where he's not happy to sound like the lad from Hackney, can't come out just like that - he needs to put this like mad New York twist on it. We all do it to a certain extent I mean that's where it all comes from, so no matter what we do we're always going to have a slight influence from that, but to try to imitate the greats, or the people you perceive as being the greats, is madness. Do you think you sounded more American in your earlier releases? LP: Yeah, but y'know things like 'B-Boy Antiks' I don't mind if I come off a bit like that, cuz to me that was just like mad natural young, like the first time I'd been in a studio and I just went in there with my samples, drums, loops and shit and with just an engineer in there, and that was who I was back then y'know what I mean? I was just a normal kid, just listening to records, writing my rhymes. I was 16 when I did that y'know. Everyone grows up. And that's what the it's all about. The accent too. If you listen to the few records I've put out, you can hear me growing up across them. They're not just a journey for the listener, it's a journey for me too. And long may the Low Life journey continue...
Only one question remained what are their favourite flavours of crisps? LP: I like them Salt n Lineker
...and safe in that knowledge, we were off.
Braintax 'Travel Show' EP is out now! For artist bios, release and mail-order information etc check the Lowlife web site.
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