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Nex Wavelength Interview

interview 0029 added 06.10.00 words HennaCee + Celltrait

It's 9pm on a Wednesday evening, my mobile rings, I answer it and it's the familiar voice of Celltrait, telling me he's outside in the car. I grab my Dictaphone, and leave my house.
Inside the car I'm greeted by McM and Que, two thirds of " Nex Wavelength " (Code Red couldn't make it tonight.) A short drive and we're at Que's house and almost straight away we begin talking about the current state of the UK scene.
It's now that I turn to McM and show him the kind of things I want to know, explaining that if there is any thing he don't wanna talk about, he best let me know now.
[HennaCee] Where's Code Red?
[Que] He lives in West Drayton, man, so it was a little difficult for him to get down today. [McM] What's funny is like if there's one of us, there's three of us, cause it's jus love man.
[HennaCee] It's all good man.
[McM] (to Que) Ya know what I'd like you to talk, cause I'd like you to, No I'll talk yeah, but I like to be inspired. Ya know when I used to do interviews back in the day, I remember people used to come in, an be like " Yeah so um, what where you trying to say on this song".
[Celltrait] What ya trying to say man?
[McM] I'd be like "listen to the song man, I really can't tell you right now."
[Celltrait] "What do you get from da song?" that's what I would a been asking them, ya know, "what do you get when you hear it? "
[McM] Exactly, I was like " ah man " ya know " Did you listen, do you wanna listen, ya know."
[Celltrait] They're asking really stupid questions.
[McM] the thing though , they jus sound like people that are doing an interview, they sound like they're jus not into the music, an if they sounded like that to me it was hard, ya know, unless it was someone that was like ya know, " I don't have a clue about this music, can you tell me what it is" I'll tell you, or I'll show you what I think, or how I feel yeah, an I'll talk, but when they say " So tell me, where did you begin, how did you start" ( turns to me ) I know you got questions like that an that's cool ya know, cause we've known each other for time an I know where your coming from, d'ya know what I mean, it's jus difficult.
[Celltrait] ( to McM ) So it mus a been like the same interview 5 times a day.
[McM] Yeah
[Celltrait] Bwoy that would do you head in or something still, ya know what I'm saying.
[HennaCee] I think they way that people should fix up like, is fucking jus,..if ya know ya gunna be interviewed by this magazine, that magazine, this website, that website, man should get them all in the same room at the same time an man can fire off the questions.
[Que] That's exactly what it is.
[McM] It becomes too much of a job.
[Que] Listen Henna, get up in them pieces man, cause they need proper Hip Hoppers to get up in there, to know how to treat this thing properly, ya understand. Ya know you get somebody who's been picked for something, because he went to college, ya know, ya can't go to college to learn anything about Hip Hop.
[McM] Ya know they'd come in with their bags an be like, ( he gets up an mocks ) " Oh hi,..hi." an they come in late an they're like " The traffic was really bad ya know " and I'd be like " Look, I've been waiting here for half an hour man, for you to tell me this " ya know there was no..it was jus, to them it was just a job.
[Celltrait] There's no love?
[McM] Nah ,Exactly, I was " Ya know there's a break shop up the road that's where I wanna be at, an your holding me up. ( Celltrait an myself uncontrollably laughing at this point, as we both know about McM's love of breaks ) Henna man, don't let this put you off.
[Celltrait] It's like you wanna go home now.
[HennaCee] En it doe, damm.
[McM] Nah man..cause it's all love man, we know that this is your time, an you really wanna know man, it's like...ya know what I'm saying....(looking at Dictaphone) Oh is it on.
[HennaCee] Yeah man, that shit was deep, I'm telling ya, that's gotta be on there fa real, that shit was deep mate.
[McM] (to Que)..You answer the first question man, ya know, I like to be inspired man, It's jus like..ya know when we do the music, it's like sometimes I like to be left on my own sometimes, when we're in the studio or we're vibing, I like..I like to be inspired, cause ya know, it's like..anyway man ask some questions.
[HennaCee] Ya know what, I'm gunna hit ya off wid that same question that you man was laughing at ( group laughter ).
[Que] Hit it off man.
[HennaCee] It's like I said, the situations like..obviously McM I've known for time, we've both been doing this for years, know what I mean, how do you feel about the situation your in now, when you've been striving, and you see people like Richard Blackwood, an even flipping people like that Ali G, be like I'm gunna get up, do this, blatantly exploit Hip Hop, ya know what I mean, an release rubbish, an boom it's in the charts it's in ya face, how does that make you man feel.
[Que] What I think is basically...because it's not the first time it's happened, an..it's been happening for so long, it doesn't shock you anymore, ya see what I'm saying. So you don't feel the bitterness you would a felt the first time you see somebody cracking the role or something like that, but what it is, you think, why can't we be putting the proper stuff there, an be getting the same dues that these mans are getting, but then you know how the industry works as well, so you jus say, the only thing I wanna do concerning that, is to try an let people know that it's not Hip Hop, ya understand, that it's not even affiliated or related to, ya understand, an it's like a love, ya know it's like a love affair with this music, it's like your vibe, ya can't "wannabe" it, ya see what I'm saying
[Celltrait] Your talking about a love affair, don't you think...well I think that Hip Hop's like a long time girlfriend right, when you first meet Hip Hop, Hip Hop is everything, it still is everything now, but your really really infatuated right, but as it gets like older in the relationship, there’s more respect an everything comes into it as well still, ya get me.
[Que] But That's what I'm saying, it's like a love affair..ya know..it's like a marriage, ya understand, it's like a creation of music that....to me I find it's beyond an that it breaks all barrier points, because of the catastrophe that happens in it, it's organisation but catastrophe at the same time, everything that happens in there, how it makes you feel, what it does to your blood cells, ya know what I'm saying all a that stuff.
[Celltrait] When you here a dope tune, don't you jus feel funny sometimes.
[Que] Yeah ya chest feel funny, ya stomach pulls in "Bang"! ya no what I mean, ya head starts thumping, it's jus like..ohhh...an I find today, it's hard to hard a good joint.
[Celltrait] Albums nowadays just ain't saying it.
[Que] There's a few albums doing it out there, umm.."Common" ya know, a album ya can play right through, an get say 6 out a 10, or say 10 out a 12 or something, ( to McM ) Yeah you wanna say something now man, go on then.
[McM] Hip Hop is big business now, ya know, an it's the industry an, these corporations that control alot of what's going, as far as striving, cause we have the love for it, it hurts to not be in a position where we can have more of an influence..
[Que] (finishing the sentence )..On the fans or the people who are Hip Hop lovers " The Heads "
[McM] It's all part of the challenge an, ya know, us building as a team an making things happen for other people as well.
[Celltrait] Opening doors as well though..
[McM] Exactly..But as far the Blackwood thing, ya know...that's pop, an as long as people out dere know that it's not Hip Hop, it's pop.
[Celltrait] Don't you think that sometimes, the mainstream tunes, can draw in future "heads", cause I remember when I first started listening to Hip Hop, the first..umm..what's the word....the first exposure I had was things like " Melle Mell," ya know " White Lines " an " The Message ", dope tunes still but they were like, mainstream tunes cause they were popular at the time.
[Que] Yeah but they were proper tracks that made it into the mainstream. They wasn't pop.
[Celltrait] Yeah yeah yeah, they weren't manufactured.
[Que] Those dudes didn't go in an say, "Well lets do a tune to get into the pop charts"
[McM] Ok if you wanna talk about the " mainstream " I'd say the Beastie Boys had more of a influence then anybody, do know what I mean, as far as breaking down those barriers, Run DMC did walk this way, but cause the Beastie Boys were affiliated with rap, they are rap, people today..although they've got an alternative following now, you look at their roots an they are associated, they were a punk group first, but they still rap, so ya wanna talk about ya know, anything more mainstream, ya have ta look along them lines.
[Que] The group I think break all barriers "Headz " an "pop" was Public Enemy, ya see what I'm saying, everyone felt that, everyone got hit with that.
[McM] Next question Henna, cause we could go on about that for ever...