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  Syanyde Interview
interview 0424 added
03.06.06 words: Panos
technical:
QED
Panos caught up with South London emcee Syanyde
to chat about his discography past, present and future; conspiracy theories and his political aspirations. Enough summaries of the interview though, just read it!
Alright Syanyde? I know you, but some people reading this may not, so introduce yourself...
 Yeah wassup bruv, ummm my name is Syanyde aka Arnold Scorchabredda aka Spray Guevara aka Billy Longshanks aka that little bald cunt with a fucked up attitude.
You used to be in a crew called Frontline, are they still about or have you all gone your separate ways?
Yeah the frontline thing's kinda dissolved for now, as far as a project I can't rule it out, it might happen in the future. We all fam though you'll still hear me doing shit with LeEo at some point, big him up still my man's doing his thing, got the video on U & shit, as far as Chemo you're always gonna hear me on his beats, some things being worked out on that front right now.
I still bump the Frontline “Poison Penz” record from time to time, it’s probably about 4 years old now isn’t it? Is that the only 12” you’ve been on?
Hahaha shit you bought that? Not many people did still, damn that track musta been written in 2000 so 6 years? Fuck, I can't even listen to it no more, it's one of them things that was cool at the time but when I hear it now it just sounds horrible, everybody involved has stepped it up since then & moved on I been on a few releases still, lotta features on other projects but as far as my own shit that's it so far.
You’ve got a signature really deep voice, kindof like how the biggest Billy Goat Gruff’s voice is read out as… did you have to smoke a lot of cigarettes to achieve this?
Hahaha yeah it helps I guess, I started at 10 years old so it musta done something, so please go buy my shit I need to get this rap thing jumped off before I develop a basketball sized tumor.
You’re in SIN Army aren’t you? Who else is part of that and what plans are there for releasing anything?
Yeah big up the whole SIN militia still, I dunno who's in it right now to be honest I just know it's a lotta fuckin people, it's probably the biggest crew ever assembled, last time I heard it was up to about 50 heads, I know it's got heads like Antiheroes, Manage, CLG, Grimlok, Rhyme Asylum & dem I'm pretty sure you'll see some kinda project in the future.
“...There’s some things that we felt just needed to be said that was more important than getting P's for ourselves...”
You and Manage released a track called Riot last year about the G8 summit in Gleneagles last year. I guess with a track like that it’s not about sales, more about getting the track heard; but was there a market for records like that?
Yeah it definitely wasn't a sales thing cuz we didn't make a penny off that record & that's the way it should be. There’s some things that we felt just needed to be said that was more important than getting P's for ourselves, there's definitely a market for it cuz people are fucked off with the way things are & a change needs to happen soon.
There was a video too, but Channel U wouldn’t play it, I don’t think they want anything too clever on there. Did you get any better responses from the radio or live performances?
Ahhhh channel U's channel U innit, we didn't really expect them to pick it up, I'm not sure which stations played it but if you're a DJ & you spun that record big up yaself & thank you we appreciate it, we got to perform it at the G8 in front of the protestors & it went off. I think that's one of the most positive experiences I've ever had, generally the live response to it is amazing, every time we do it & come offstage I get at least 5 people coming up to me saying “yeah what you're saying on that tune is real” & to me that's the best compliment I can get. As far as musically, it's deeper than sales or spins cuz something you've said resonated with people on a deeper level, to everybody who
came up to me, sincerely thank you, if you feel like I feel lets build & make something positive out of the situation cuz nobody's gonna do it for us.
It’s on the mixtape I’m putting out in a month or so with Blufoot (The Flying Ploughmans.. plug plug) I don’t remember if I asked first… is that okay?
 Of course bruv, the more people who hear it the better.
Excellent, because it’s already mixed and ready for pressing. What else is Manage up to? Are you both still recording tracks together?
Manage is doing his thing, the album's done & ready to come out, it's called Live In Protest & it's fuckin sick so go pick that up. Yeah Manage is family, we have the chain of command project with CLG as an official thing but I'll work with Manage anytime, he's a stand up brer & a sick sick MC so it's easy, big up Snuff & speaker's corner too, that's the movement right there, any artists out there wanting to come up & getting fucked off with running into locked doors, get your stuff to either snuff or manage & they'll give you a set & a chance to show the people what you got, I'll big them up all day for that cuz it can be hard trying to get a foot in.
Do you listen to any non-english hip hop?
Yeah I check quite a bit, french shit mostly but theres others. Actually for heads who don't know go check my man MV Bill from Brazil, hands down the realest MC who ever lived, I can't big this man up enough, when you see where he's come from & what he's had to do to get his spot it's incredible, working on doing something with him soon so watch this space.
Do you speak any other languages then or just like the sound of the music?
Nah, I usually get people to either translate or just go off the vibes.
If you were to start a political party, what would your main policies be?
Installing a functional democracy would be a good idea, I've written a manifesto already but you don't want 20 pages of my ideas that wouldn't interest a lotta peeps, all I'm gonna say is if this music thing jumps off & I get some P's behind me I'm good to do it or I'm good to try anyway & so are my peoples, saying that I might just fuck off to brazil & live a peaceful life away from all the fuckry, I got 4 years before I'm good to leave so depending on how society is & how much money I got we'll see.
“...Every time we do it & come offstage I get at least 5 people coming up to me saying “yeah what you're saying on that tune is real” & to me that's the best compliment I can get...”
That’s cool; I’d defiantly go to Brazil rather than go into politics in this country. There are a lot of fucked up things in Brazilian politics though too. Ross Kemp went out there for some stupid show he did where he met the “Worlds Deadliest Gangs” or something. Unfortunately they weren’t deadly enough and he’s back in Eastenders now. Would you ever get involved in Brazilian politics?
Yeah I saw that show. Brazilian politics? Nah it's not really my place to do that.
You mentioned MV Bill from Brazil before, what’s the story about him? Is there anything of his music online I can check?
He's a rapper from the City Of God favellas, MV Bill came out of there & used Hiphop as a way to express the problems of the people living there this is a dude who has real power in his community & uses it in a positive way to make a difference, he runs organizations that provide kids with recording equipment & computers, formed a political movement, made documentaries & wrote a book on his experiences, the establishment are scared of him because he speaks the truth I got to link him when he was promoting his book out here & to me it's like meeting KRS or Rakim cuz he's one of the few people that I looked up to for a long time it was a real humbling experience.
I heard somewhere you were going on tour with David Icke soon as a roadie, is there any truth to that or have my cold-blooded contacts been lying to me?
 Hahaha where the fuck do these rumors come from man? Nah, it was some talk about doing the sound desk for one of his shows but nuttin came of it, it's been & gone but if he needs a warm-up act or something I'd be happy to do it, David hit me up.
I’ve not read up too much about David Icke, apart from the lizard stuff, is it a case of taking what he says with a pinch of salt do you take everything he says serious?
Nah, a lot of it I don't take serious but the thing is he questions everything that's why I rate him, he challenges people to think for themselves & that can only be a good thing. Don't follow David Icke, don't follow me & don't follow nobody, think for yourself, analyse information & weigh it up for yourself & be your own leader.
I’ve looked at a few websites briefly about the “NWO” and seen pictures of pyramids on dollar bills, and aerial photos of buildings with 5 points and shit, do you think theories about symbols on buildings and stuff have any substance or is it all a way to distract the conspiracy theorists from bigger issues? And have you heard about schools in America that are putting microchips into the kids so they can pay for their lunch by swiping their hands over a sensor? You reckon things like that are destined to start happening over here in the UK?
See this is the thing, you can call the new world order a conspiracy theory, but from George Bush snr saying ' a new world order will emerge' at what point does it stop being just a conspiracy theory & become something with substance? It's not a theory that he said it, it's not a theory that he meant what he said, so the only arguments that can be drawn from it is what was meant when he said it, you get me?
So does George Bush want us to live in a peaceful world full of democracy & happy people? I'd say no based on the fact that he's a murdering cunt & US state sponsored terrorism has overthrown more democracies than it ever created while he was head of the CIA & it continues now, but it's not just an American thing we have our own state sponsored terrorism too, just look at Mark Thatcher in Equatorial Guinea or MI6's involvement with the UDA in northern Ireland, those ain't theories they're proven & admitted, so when you look at how government agencies & think tanks are created & see where they connect with each other it's not difficult to understand why some people feel it's part of something bigger.
The symbolism is all open to interpretation so I won't either vouch for it or deny it, I think there’s some substance to it but definitely not all of it. Yeah the chips seem to be something that's being pushed subversively, they're already here, and you got the Baja club out here that only accepts you as a member if you've been chipped.
I work with computers so I’ve looked at the insides of them a lot, but I swear that sort of technology isn’t the sort of thing a human brain can come up with. Do you think it’s more likely a non-human brain shared their knowledge or is it just a case of people not using their brains to their potential now so the occasional technological breakthrough seems less realistic to me?
You talking about aliens? Man, personally I don't believe in aliens at all, I mean I believe in the possibility but as far as them being here & influencing our technology I doubt it, I respect your point of view still.
I dunno, I’ve not convinced myself either way about the aliens yet. Theres no real right opinion on it, its like when you’re asked your opinion on the Louvre in France, if you say you like it then you’ll get gunned and told its horrible, and if you say no you don’t like it then you’ll still get gunned and told great it is. The trick is to answer “I think the architect was very brave”. Wait… I’ve confused myself.
“...Don't follow David
Icke, don't follow me & don't follow nobody, think for yourself, analyse information & weigh it up for yourself & be your own leader...”
You’ve done a lot of collaborations with other artists. I’ve heard you on tracks with Conflix, Rippah, Manage, Wordsmith, and I’m sure I’m forgetting lots. Who have I missed out?
Ahhh shit lemme think, off the top... Reveal, Jehst, Verb T, Beatbutcha, CLG & a whole bag of others I can't think of, big up everybody I worked with lots more coming soon still.
You’ve featured pretty heavily on the Character Assassins’ mix tapes, and the Who Run Tings one too, which have all been pretty solid releases, are you still working on the mix tape scene or is there going to be a proper solo CD or record soon?
Ahhh yeah I'll definitely keep doing the mixtapes, as far as a solo CD yeah I got a couple EP's coming soon the tracks are being put together as we speak.
In my interview with Chemo he said you’re a wicked emcee, but you only record twice a year. Is 2006 the year you start getting to the studio more?
Hahahaha yeah I read it still, to be honest Chemo got a lot of projects on so more times I'm happy to take a backseat & let him do his thing, the way I see it the more heads he works with the more damage I'm gonna do when it's my turn to drop cuz his name is out there now & people are aware that he's a fuckin monster with the beats, in a lotta ways I like that nobody knows who I am yet cuz it gives me the opportunity to really sit down & build my shit & tweak it, when it hits you'll know, believe but yeah I'm gonna be in the lab a lot more from now on.
What producers are you working with?
 Right now Beatbutcha & Chemo, they family, to be honest unless a producer is fucking sick there's no need to step outside cuz I've had 2 of the sickest in my corner from day, chemo especially, with those 2 I'm positioned to win. There are other producers I'd like to work with in the future but we'll see what happens.
When you’re listening to hip hop, is it more important to hear a good beat, or better rapping?
I tend to analyze the MC a lot, sometimes too much cuz a lot of times that takes the enjoyment out of just listening to the music, if the vibe's good then that's all that's really important innit.
What inspires you to write a track then?
Could be anything, a conversation, something I saw, something going on around me, anything.
Sways had his 5 step plan, or however many numbers it was. It was like, step 1. Demo, step 2. EP, step 3. LP, step 4. something else, step 5. fame. Maybe it was just 3 steps. Either way he’s doing alright for himself now. Do you have a plan like that? What’s your goal and where do you want to be in 5 years time?
Yeah my plan is to get on mixtapes & keep doing EP's, that's all I'm on is EP's, cuz to be honest unless a major comes with at least a 1 mill advance I'm not gonna bother putting out an album. I ain't gonna spend a year in the studio working my arse off to do a few thousand units when I can make an EP in 3 weeks; that's not a productive way to work. 5 years is a long time especially in terms of musical careers, I don't even like to look that far ahead, we'll see.
Oh yeah, how was the Chemo benefit gig the other week? I couldn’t make it but the line-up looked sick. Did you perform?
Yeah it was a good night still, big up Double P, Kyza & kashmere who all fuckin smashed it & everybody else who came through, it's good to see people come out & support when something fucked up happens, Manage & Skanz hurt it up, I did riot with Manage but I wasn't really there on a music thing I just wanted to show my peoples they appreciated & we can get through whatever.
Is Redstar any better a venue than it was 3 years ago when we did some UKHH.com nights there?
Ohhh yeah I remember that show still, nah Imma be honest I liked the venue more last time we was there.
What emcees are you feeling at the moment?
As far as US, Saigon & Papoose mostly, I think Saigon's easily the best rapper since Nas. As far as UK damn there’s a few, obviously my team, also Double P & Terra Firma, those are the 2 standouts to me, no weak links in either team they're just pure sick.
“...When it comes to battling on record, shit, if it comes to it I'll eat a rapper on track that's not a problem I'm just waiting for somebody to call me out on that & we'll see, I'd advise you not to still cuz I'll end a man's career...”
Can you battle? Or don’t you really bother with that whole scene? I don’t really spend too much time listening to battles, but them jump off videos have been entertaining.
Nah I can't free for shit, I got a lot of respect for heads that can do it cuz it takes a lot of practice, it's an art in itself but it's something I never really tried.
When it comes to battling on record, shit, if it comes to it I'll eat a rapper on track that's not a problem I'm just waiting for somebody to call me out on that & we'll see, I'd advise you not to still cuz I'll end a man's career.
The jump off videos are sick though, big up Stig, Sonnyjim, Mic Assassin & them they're killing it.
Coincidently an American emcee called Syanide has just called out Mic Assassin and is coming to Lewisham for a rematch, I don’t remember who won the first time, who do you think will win it?
 Hahahaha you kiddin? Mics is gonna tear him up, he don't even need the home advantage, it's a done deal See one thing a lot of heads don't know about Mic Assassin, this dude been doing it for fuckin years, when I first started spitting seriously I would see him out just eating up cyphers, eating up mc's & destroying open mics he's been on it a loooong time, it's good to see him getting the props he deserves, got an EP coming with him soon watch for that.
What was the last track you recorded and when will we hear it?
Last track I was in the lab for was for the Chain of Command EP, that should be out sometime soon. For those who ain't aware Chain of Command is Manage, me & CLG, that EP's coming together real nice still.
Do you prefer doing the live shows or recording tracks in the studio?
Definitely studio, I like the creative process, when it's just me alone with a couple spliffs & a beat you get me? That's when I'm in my zone right there I like doing the live shows too but it ain't something I'm particularly good at, I need to work on that still.
Cheers for the interview mate, any final messages or shout outs?
Safe sir, appreciate the opportunity. ummmm yeah lemme see; big up yourself for the hook up, Chain of Command, Chemo, Beatbutcha, Last Skeptik, Conflix & all the Character Assassins, Rap 6 & Paragon, Snuff & the Speakerscorner fam www.speakerscornerlive.com, Samebrain, Logan, the whole SIN army, Mic Assassin, LeEo, Skanz, MV Bill, Bex my family & anybody else I've worked with or forgot to mention, peace.
- Panos
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