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Scotland Yard Interview

interview 0081 added 29.08.01 words Hiz

If I were to ask you who you thought were the best emcees in Britain, who would you say? Chester P, Farma G, Rodney P, Roots Manuva? I reckon one of them would be in your selection.
Well I’ve got five more names to add to the list…. Mr Jinx, Profisee, Necarus, E-Hybrid and Big Stoo. Five emcees who form the Edinburgh based Hip Hop crew Scotland Yard.
Believe me when I tell you that all five lads come healthy on every track I’ve heard them on, and without a doubt deserve to be up there with the best of them.
I took a wee wander round to Profisee and E-Hybrid’s flat to find out a bit more about the Yard Emcees.
Missing Big Stoo (working in Japan) the rest of the Yard gave me the gen on how they came together, the Scottish scene and a whole bunch of other verbal cack I threw at them.

Necarus, Profisee, E-Hyrid and Jinx

How long have Scotland Yard been together?
[Necarus] As a crew we’ve been together for about three or four years now, but we’ve all been kickin' about together for about five or six so when you say how long, it’s hard to find a definitive point because we all just sort of fused and came together.
On to your name - Scotland Yard. I know folk who think you’re all from Scotland but that isn’t the case is it?
[Jinx] None of us are from Edinburgh, this is where we all came together, I mean me and Stoo are from Scotland, Necarus is from London, Profisee is from Manchester and as for E-Hybrid, well he’s from all over really.
[Necarus] Scotland Yard really. Well you've got Scotland Yard (the original), you’ve got your Old Scotland Yard on the Mile, you’ve got your New Scotland Yard in London and basically when the pigs down south couldn’t get their act together they had to team up with cops up here to develop a whole new precinct where they could look at their whole methods of crime control and whatever in a different, new light and that became your New Scotland Yard. So we said fuck the old, fuck the new we’re just come together from around the UK to team up as a team of emcees that will demolish all crews, to deal with them how they need to be dealt with, you know what I mean? That’s the essence of Scotland Yard.
[Profisee] Scotland Yard is the people, you know what I’m saying. When you say your yard, it’s like your back yard right, so it’s like when people say, “yo come to my yard”, it’s like saying come to my house you know. So when you check a Yard tune you’re coming to our sector, and that’s what we’re saying, Scotland Yard, that’s our area. What actually started the whole Scotland Yard thing was I was going to the States right, I started writing a tune about Edinburgh, a big up to all my mans 'cos everyone only knew their crew tunes you know, especially in the States, they’re like “I’m from Queens” etc, etc so I was like “fuck it” I’m a call out where my crew are at. So I’m like “it’s like that, Scotland Yard where you at?” that was the tune, we were never Yard before that, we all just had our own names and that. It was just a tune, I mean the tune was big, it was like a fucking anthem, so we were like “Let’s just call ourselves Yard” you know what I mean. It was just right that we had a name, it just fit. We’re thinking of breaking it down to just Yard Emcees when we release an EP. The thing is when you say Scotland Yard you instantly think of Scottish Emcees and you want to hear Scottish? It’s gives off a bit of a misconception.
[E-Hybrid] A lot of crews are coming out with Shadow Cabinet, MI5 and that, the Government is represented man.
What do you think of the Scottish scene just now?
[Jinx] Healthy
[Profisee] it’s alright man, I tell you what there’s a lot of talent.
[Jinx] I wouldney go as far as to say that it’s fucking blowing up but it’s better than It was.
[Profisee] - It’s on an up in places but it levels out in others. The problem is, there’s not much exposure. Come to think of it though, look at Blackanised, you go to London and a lot of mans have heard of Blackanised. The way I see it is, it just takes one man to make it and he can bring different mans through you know. Finlay Quaye could’ve done it if he'd done it right, he could’ve brought mans through. Edinburgh’s got a lot to give, not just Hip Hop but Drum and Bass, Salsa and that. It just takes one man or tune to get some exposure or attention.
Who are your main influences?
[Profisee] Basically the influence (for me anyway) is a general thing, not one particular artist or group, it’s just eras. My era was the early nineties you know, that was when I was like “yeh this is the music I’m into” you know. You had your Mobb Deep, Nas came with Illmatic know what I mean, that really started it off for me. You know you had Jeru, Black Moon, Smif n Wessun etc, they kind of mans. East Coast was running it, then Dre and that came with the West Coast thing, I was into it but it was just before then you know, that was my time. We also had healthy mans over here…. London Posse, Hijack, Gunshot and that, mans represented healthy over here (and still do).

hiz in the middle

Who are you feeling in Britain the most?
[Jinx] Everything man, almost everything in Britain just now is fucking fresh. A lot of shit’s coming out London just now man…Mud Fam, Task Force, Boys at Defcon. Fucking Krispy have been keeping it healthy…..Skinnyman, definitely, Jehst. I could go on forever honestly.
What about Troy Scalpels, you heard of him?
[Profisee] Never heard of him
British freestyle champion, battle Chester P and that
[Jinx] So he’s battled decent mans aye
I’ve heard he’s got an EP out but I’ve heard it’s not up to much
[Profisee] See sometimes you get man that’s healthy live but doesn’t transpose to tracks or vice versa
It’s hard to get both eh?
[Profisee] - yeah that’s what I’m saying, that’s why I respect people like Skinnyman and Chester P, they come solid in both areas. That’s what I really rate, know what I mean.
[Jinx] The whole British scene’s been a fucking healthy influence lately man you know what I mean, because almost every man’s coming up to Edinburgh lately, The Bongo Club, the Venue and that. Everyone’s fucking healthy you know what I mean.
[Profisee] We blow some of the US acts away as well
[Jinx] Awe fuck aye
[Profisee] It’s proper organised now
[Jinx] Proper real Hip Hop man, a lot of the US shit’s pants the now where as the UK’s still keeping it healthy
How did you come about working with Reachout?
[Jinx] Edinburgh’s a small place
[Profisee] If you’re doing something to a certain standard in Edinburgh then man’s gonna notice you know. I tell you what, back in the day, I used to go to all the jams and pester mans for the mic, honestly man, pester them to get on the mic and blaze it. People started taking notice and that. Anyone who does anything to a good standard will get noticed, plus it’s a small place and there’s only so many clubs.
[Necarus] You can’t forget you had Seen also for a long time, that was like the perfect meeting place for mans to come together. I mean it was one of the few places at the time that was really bigging up Hip Hop so it was kinda inevitable that mans would come together.
What have you got in the pipeline?
[E-Hybrid] I’ve done a track with AJ on the Blackanised album. There’s a lot of stuff going on right now, we just finished a track the other day called Purple Zone that should be coming out soon. I had a track with Blood Boyle on the Ragga vs Hip Hop compilation. We have a lot of Yard stuff coming also, me and Profisee did a track, me and Jinx are supposed to be doing a track real soon and me and Necarus are doing a track soon also. We’re just trying to get as much out there as possible you know what I mean. Get Scotland Yard into peoples heads.
[Profisee] I mean a name is a name, it’s what you make it. We’ve all got acronyms and that but it’s irrelevant if no one knows you. Sometimes you can get enwrapped in your own little world.

the Yard and a breaker called Nico

Do you not think that too many folk are trying to be too underground these days like, trying to be the most abstract or whatever. Some heads hate anything that’s not about space or gutters or whatever?
[Profisee] That’s exactly it man, people have blinkers on and at the end of the day it’s good that people have different styles, you would hate it if everyone was the same so just respect it for what it is. People always ask the question why are we rhyming. I’m rhyming so man can hear what I’ve got to say you know what I mean. I’m trying to get a message across to certain man.
[E-Hybrid] The thing is, we all have our own styles man you know what I’m saying.
[Jinx] Yeah, we are Scotland Yard but we all come solo you know. I mean Profisee and me come as Armoured Mics, Profisee and Necarus come as Dark Paragons. We’re all different you know.
[Profisee] When me an Necarus do our thing the context is on a spiritual level. You check any Paragon tune, even if it’s punchy, what we’re saying is a bit deeper. When me and Jinx do stuff it’s - well Armoured Mics speaks for itself really, we’re on a battle vibe.
[Jinx] We’re not even trying to battle mans, just coming with hard hitting rhymes, not even getting into a relevant subject, just ripping rhymes up.
Will you be releasing anything soon as a whole (Scotland Yard)?
[Profisee] Basically at the minute we’ve got that many tracks that we’re just goinna put everything on PC to a reasonable standard and then burn it on to CD and just do an ‘out the boot’ type thing to sell them. Take them to different cities when we gig and that, give them to shops to sell for us. Just do this before we start releasing vinyl just to get a buzz from it, see what mans think, you know.
I heard you got your track ‘Throughout the Years’ played on Westwood, Jinx
[Profisee] He got the bomb baby, he got the (Profisee does his big bomb impersonation)
[Jinx] A coupla times man aye, although I never heard it. It was the next day, man’s were coming up to me like “awe man I heard you on Westwood last night” I was like “FUUUCK”!!!!!!. See I never listen to Westwood now, it’s all that Jiggy pish the now, that’s all he plays. It’s alright man, fine shake you ass, get my dick rubbed and that you know but that’s not Hip Hop to me.
[E-Hybrid] I tell you what, I went to the States and the only decent shit I could get was Biggie, it’s all Jiggy over there.
[Profisee] Yeah, I tell you what. I got a cousin in DC and I know more about underground DC stuff than he does, it’s mad.
Do you all get together regularly to practice ?
[Jinx] When we done Henry’s Cellar Bar it was a regular hook up on a Tuesday to practice sets and that. It sorta stopped but we’re getting back like that again, getting sharper.
[E-Hybrid] With my graduation too, it’s been hard for us all to get together. Necarus might be doing a back shift, Profisee might be working etc.
[Profisee] - We’d love to do it full time mate, make beats and write rhymes all the time, so if anyone wants to pay us, my number is………na man, it’s like Ras Kass said, “Skills don’t pay the rent, money do”, it’s true, far too many man is like “I’m just gonna stay underground”. We have lives outside our music, we like to play pool and that, go to clubs, check out girls and that you know.

Lastly lads, do you have any shout outs?
[Profisee] Yeah, my mum, my dad, my dog, little Barney from the corner store….lol Na, my personal thing is, big up anybody doing their thing, keep doing it.
[Jinx] Big up Gael Force, STS, Reachout, Kibo 160, Yush 2K, Shauny B, Ruftone, Kimo Kuts, Extra, Plus One, Incorpareal.
[Profisee] All UK mans.
[Jinx] Krispy get a shout out, Rodney P, Skinnyman, Mystro, Jargon
[Profisee] See a lot of man don’t know, we link with all these mans, there’s a mutual respect you know.
[Jinx] Big up Natty and Dwella, Defcon.
[Profisee] You go to any if these places and ask man about Edinburgh, they’ll be like “aye, Edinburgh’s healthy”
[Jinx] Lootpack came over a while back, they hadney seen hash. Ritchie had nine bars an shit. I had this big fucking pipe and I was sitting blazing in Scratch. I’m blazing this quarter of shady Penicuik soap bar man, I was blazing a spliff at the time actually and the Arsonists DJ came over to me (he got burned by Extra and Plus One earlier on that night) I was like “do you want a toke?” he was like “na, but my homie will” I didney click he was the DJ like. Anyway the emcee came over, I was like the Joker in Batman wi' this big pipe, I whipped it oot. I must’ve put about a teenth of hash in it, the boy was sitting toking it like 'fuck man'. He must’ve blazed about a teenth In five tokes man I shit you not, it was ruff gear an all man, he must’ve been feeling it harsh on the mic. He bigged me up healthy for it though.