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Asian productions have graced hip-hop tunes for years now (think Jay Z ‘Big Pimpin’ to 50 Cent ‘Candy Shop’) so don’t you think its time, since Asian beats are so hot right now, that the real Asians please stand up and show hip-hop the real thing? Well that’s what UK producers RDB are doing. With their new single “Ishq Naag (Love Bites)” featuring Elephant Man and more tracks on the way, this could very well be the next big Asian hit since Panjabi MC.
Tell us about the UK Asian-Urban scene…
Well what can I say, the colour of this year in the UK is brown I guess. The scene is doing really well and it’s good to see more people appreciating Asian talent. The UK has opened up some major doors for people all over the world to be recognised into the mainstream, whether through radio, TV, or magazines. They've brought out the Asian talent towards the front of the line I guess but it’s still not at the front just yet.
What do you want to tell people about RDB, those who have never heard of you before?
Well we are 3 brothers who originally started a career in music production. Now we also play instruments and sing in our own songs too. We've always been stamped as the producers who have blended east and west music together so well, that anything we touch turns into gold....lol....hey hey ..thats what they say.
Describe your influences…
How did you get to work with Elephant Man?
Well it was all down to a lovely lady called Ashlene from New York (Bollyhood Records). We got chatting to her and threw a few beats her way and hey presto! She liked our production and hooked us up in doing a track with Elephant Man. This was a huge step for us and we appreciated every bit of it.
Is it hard, coming out of the UK, and trying to be known as a mainstream act?
Oh I think it is for sure. I see the UK as mainstream to a certain degree...but I feel that the UK follows the USA more. Anything that they push and make famous....the UK loves it automatically. So coming from the UK and getting the rest of the world to recognise you as mainstream is not as easy as people may think.
Where have you travelled to and have there been any crazy experiences that you would never have expected?
OH GOD......we've been to....USA CANADA AUSTRALIA BELGIUM ITALY INDIA PAKISTAN MALASIA DUBAI SINGAPORE AFRICA cant remember the rest but a lot more. The craziest was when we did a show in Pakistan in Islamabad. We decided to go shopping without taking any security.....oh BAD IDEA....we got mobbed and had to exit quite quickly. Next day it was all over the newspapers- saying that we were out shopping and got mobbed by fans. That was incredible, totally crazy.
What can people expect from the future of RDB?
Just watch this space because we ain’t just any old Indian music producers. We have done some kick ass hip hop beats and some crazy dance tracks too. We're so versatile. No one can stop us and we aint gonna stop neither.
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Skillz
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© ukhh.com 2005
RDB Interview
RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass) are a group of three brothers right from here in the UK. Well-known in the Asian scene, RDB have been hustling hard for over 4 years now, and their hustling has very well paid off. They’ve travelled the world, and in some places such as Pakistan, have even been mobbed by fans. But the mainstream world has yet to be acquainted with the boys from Leeds / Bradford, until now. The newly independent NY based label Bollyhood Records recently launched its Hip-Hop & R&B CD titled BHOOD allowing Indian & Urban artists to collaborate on original tracks. RDB appears on three tracks with Elephant Man, Yukmouth and other upcoming MCs. We grabbed a few words from the crew to hear why some people think Its clear RDB have much bigger things to come….
Our influences are old school people from the Asian music culture for example Kuldip Manak, Yamala Jatt etc and people like Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley, Dr Dre and so on. These are the people we've grown up listening to.
For more information on RDB go to www.rdbdjs.com. For more information on BHood the Album go to www.bollyhoodrecords.com
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