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Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolves?
interview
0122 added 10.11.02 words
Riz
Wolverhampton is on the rise… its got city status; just as the Wolftown Committee have Legendary Status. Now if you ain't heard these guys then you must have seen their videos on MTV and Rapture TV, or checked there free hip-hop publication Rago Magazine…no? Well if you live in the Midlands area you might have had your house turned over by them!!!
It's the Wolftown Committee, a collaboration act of the labels talents, and the massive Wolftown Recordings as a label are several releases deep. Tricksta (who featured in our hard workers section) & LATE have brought this clique together, and Tricksta he has put the beats on track alongside Pez, and in between doing his UK Runnings Vol1 CD mix and the magazine he has found time to put a new LP out and promote it. So if you been sleeping on these guys, its time to wake up and check them. Sleeping with Wolves? You will catch more than fleas!
So people, tell the readers who make up Wolftown Committee and what you bring to the feast?
 Late: The visionary concept creator and MC
Tricksta: Energy, producer, DJ and occasional MC
Jai Boo: Female Contender, MC
High Timez: Raggatastic B-Boy, MC
Size8: Street Life reporter, MC
10Shott: A different delivery, MC
Conman: Too rago to be on record! MC
Wayney G: A yout wid a mic, MC
Lee Dee: 17 year old street veteran! MC
Pez: The man at the helm, producer, engineer, keys, bass, studio don.
What do you think makes you all different from other UK crews out there these days?
JAI BOO: Well look at Wolftown Committee. You got ten people in the crew… black, white and mixed race. You got older, more experienced headz in the crew, but we also got young artists that bring a younger vibe, plus there are male and female members. We also got our own label, our own magazine, our own mixed tapes, and our own studio. We doing shit independent and making moves, and we do big up other peeps in the scene (and that's something that makes us very different to a lot of other labels!!!), and don't watch no face! Everything is original.
LATE, you come across all the time as a blagger, a burglar and all round bad boy, is this fair?
LATE: I think I'm very misrepresented. I am very focused on what I am doing, and what I am doing is hip-hop. People get very confused and think we make gangsta rap! In Wolftown Committee we all add different things to the table, that's why as an album it's fucking brilliant. We are about reality.
You get a lot of stick off some people for your record covers, bling bling, what would you say to this?
LATE: Our album covers aren't bling, bling. There are no mansions, diamond studded fonts or platinum alligators!!! Our covers are computer generated art, which we done to grab to peoples attention… and its worked really well, because I am doing an interview four years after I did it and still being asked about it. Big up Andy Hayes at Pencilworx for everything.
So Tricksta, you have put out a lot of material and you still carry on, where do you get the energy?
TRICKSTA: Working with Hip-Hop music and Wolftown Recordings are things I really want to do. I love hip-hop, it's in my bones, my blood and my veins and the label is a main focus of my life. The things that have happened have came thru running the label and both myself and Late decided to write and produce RAGO Magazine the same time we had the idea for the label. UK Runnings is again another vehicle for Wolftown and UK acts, with good promotion. Sometimes we wish there was more going on with home-grown hip-hop but by keep having the 'energy' we might get there quicker. I work hard and having the recognition that this website has given me and the label means a lot to me. We all have to work hard to make this thing work. The work is only its infancy; the next five years will be the most tiresome! I also get inspired from the people around me, got to big up Late for excellent concepts and an open-minded approach to the whole game - we do run the label and magazine together and run a tight ship, and LATE's knowledge of global hip-hop is immense. Big up Pez for holding it down in the studio, he is defiantly the best producer I have worked with - he's got mad talents. He can also play live bass, keyboards, flute - he's sick and we want to get him singing hooks next!! Also all the members of the label, acts and behind the scenes - they keep my head up. Positive vibes = energy, which in turn makes Tricksta make things happen.
".
... We don't concentrate on coasts or borderlines; we just appreciate all styles of hip-hop. This is reflected in the music we
create...."
To each member, what does Legendary Status mean to you in one sentence?
Late: The original members showcase.
Tricksta: My arrival point.
Jai Boo: All of us coming together, having a laugh, and all the tracks represent each individual's styles, but you also get to hear what we are like as a crew.
High Timez: True British UK hip hop music.
Size8: It's the first time that ten people have got together and represented on one album. That's what makes it legendary in my eyes.
10Shott: A piece of chicken with different herbs and spices.
Conman: It's the all included package. It puts the love into rape.
Wayney G: A Chance to shine with a lot of microphone skills & wordplay.
Lee Dee: Basically now yeah, it's showing where we from. What lifestyle we are living… ghetto fabulous… you know them ones!
Pez: There's a lot of blood, sweat and tears in there but there's a lot of pride. I think everybody who features on the album played an integral part in making it what it is.
J Boo, Female rappers get ignored a lot more than the male Emcees, why do you think this is and how are you planning to take it to the next level?
 JAI BOO: Well to be honest I think that female rappers used to get unnoticed and unheard, but it has got better. Look at the female artists that have rolled with crews and blew up… Rah Diggah and Eve are just two examples. I think female rappers get noticed more if they are part of a crew. Personally I am trying to make it to the next level by continuing to work hard and keep doing what I'm doing.
So who is the oldest and youngest member of the crew?
WAYNEY G: I'm the youngest… 17. I signed when I was fourteen though.
HIGH TIMEZ: I'm the oldest but ain't disclosing my age!!!
Wayney G and Lee Dee, you both make up Vicious Circle, how did "Bagged Out" do in the shops and how do you think Legendary Status compares to your LP?
LEE DEE: Both Wayney and myself are down but not 'officially' part of Vicious Circle. I am Size8 & Wayney G's cousin, and Wayney G is Size8's younger brother.
WAYNEY G: The album did okay in the UK, but seemed to make a lot of noise outside of the UK. Bwoy, ya dun kno Tricky & LATE are on that international shit!! I am not allowed to disclose sales figures though.
LEE DEE: Legendary Status is the fucking bomb trust me. We all gave 101%, so its got that extra flex. It's the third album, and is by far the best. We have developed our styles more and the beats are tighter, and the album has no 'fillers' - just bangers, ya get me.
You have a lot of support in the UK, but you also get a lot of love outside the UK; tell us a bit about it?
WOLFTOWN COMMITTEE: We don't concentrate on coasts or borderlines; we just appreciate all styles of hip-hop. This is reflected in the music we create. With Wolftown Committee each member is into different artists and you can hear that on the 'Legendary Status' album. So with this approach in mind, we get fans from all over the globe. We get love from Europe, Australia, and the States and push things always on an international level. We also got a good feature in Murder Dog Magazine, which spread over six pages. It's on line at http://www.murderdog.com/august_articles/wolftown/WolftownRecordings.html
Are you planning to tour the UK with the LP?
TRICKSTA: Trying to do that right now. All promoters please contact us at bookings@wolftown.co.uk or call us up on +44 (0) 1902 564 795. Check the website at www.wolftown.co.uk. We got a real live stage show, trust me.
Tricksta & Late, you both appeared on BBC Radio One recently, do you think that the UK media are paying more attention to UK Hip Hop?
 TRICKSTA: Things are getting better, but there are still bare walls to breakdown… radio play, video play, front covers of magazines, its all still a long way away, although things have improved since we put our first tune out I December 1999.
LATE: They are paying more attention to 'urban music' more than hip-hop. They are looking for pop acts and acts that can 'crossover'.
Size8 and 10Shott, where do your names come from and how does Vicious Circle blend in with Wolftown Committee?
10SHOTT: 'Weigh' it up yourself. The Wolftown Committee members make up Wolftown Committee. Every one of the ten people involved brings different blends. Vicious Circle brings the same flavour we did on our debut album 'Bagged Out', but obviously we have progressed and 'Legendary Status' is where we are.
SIZE8: The name was adopted when we started Vicious Circle. Late originated it, as it was appropriate. We easily blended because had all collaborated before on the first twp albums, and we are all bredrin.
DJ Amo, what other DeeJays do you look up to?
DJ AMO: Favourite DJ's would have to be Mr Thing and the legendary DJ Noise for their awesome Cutting. But my main inspiration comes from my right hand man Bluey, we bounce ideas and techniques off each other all the time and just having someone else around who's as addicted to Hip Hop & Scratching as myself is highly motivating, well nobody wants to be second best do they? Production wise I'm really feeling the Nextmen stuff at the moment and a big fan of DJ Shadows work, and obviously feeling Tricksta & Pez, Juttla and Jay Are on the Wolftown label. Quite often interested to hear DJ's and acts I haven't heard before and there's a lot of UK Acts pushing boundaries right now, it's exciting times to be involved in the UK Hip Hop scene.
Conman, Sovereign ring or gold bracelet? Slut or a Rich girl?
CONMAN: I need the bracelet… you can't get 10oz on ya finger!! As for da gyal… bwoy, I'm the slut that needs the rich gyal - ya get me!
High Timez, tell us what Wolftown Committee offers to UK hip-hop?
HIGH TIMEZ: A different sound, its got a that Midlands vibe. The accents are different. The scene is so small we need to work together and build the scene, once the peeps start buying it, they will but all of it.
".
...
there's a lot of UK Acts pushing boundaries right now, it's exciting times to be involved in the UK Hip Hop
scene...."
To you all, how does the Wolverhampton Hip Hop scene look at you? Is there any tension with other crews?
10SHOTT: Bare love really. Out on the street mans do give it up.
CONMAN: Sick still. There's no real tension, we are all trying to make each other elevate in this game called rap.
TRICKSTA: When we do video shoots, photo sessions or like when we hired out the cinema to show the short film we did the soundtrack for, there's always bare peeps giving us love. At first people didn't really warm, but now they just rolling with it. I got mad love for Wolverhampton… big up everyone who knows us!!! We all on the map now.
JAI BOO: No there's no beef, everyone in Wolves doin' tings in hip-hop is signed or affiliated to the label.
WAYNEY G: It's good man. We just hold our own and concentrate on doing the music. There are haters, but there people who love our vibe. We just try and stay positive and do the music.
LATE: I've had a lot of love off the people that have always supported me really. We tried to stay focused on the business side of things rather than focusing on the negativity.
LEE DEE: There's not tension but man wanna be like man basically. We inspire a lot UK rappers, I've heard mans spitting shit we chat. Inspiration is all-good though really.
SIZE8: Well, to me it seems like they like it… but behind closed doors - who knows?
PEZ: Everybody that I know is well into it. Even the people who aren't normally into hip-hop like it.
HIGH TIMEZ: No direct tension, there's love man. Some of it may be false.
To Dass, Early B, Staxx, Sikes Man and DJ Amo, what was it like to work with Wolftown Committee on the 'Legendary Status' album?
 DASS: It's kinda like a dream come true. I purchased the Villains and the Vicious Circle album, and I live like two or three streets away from they dwell. It's good to be featured on the Committee album because it's history in the making - dunn kno.
SIKES MAN: Very professional and a really good experience.
DJ AMO: 'Wolftown are the most professional hip-hop label I know. They don't mess about when it comes to hip-hop. Every member of Wolftown brings different things, but each person is on top of their own game. Big up Pez for engineering my scratches & cuts so tight. Niff love.
EARLY B: 'After being involved in the local scene for over fifteen years in the reggae act 'Progression', it was good to work with the yout dem and jam on the 'MC's For Days' lick. Big up my lil' sis Jai Boo making proper moves and everyone else involved in 'Legendary Status'.
STAXX: 'Big up LATE & TRICKSTA because without them there would be no record label! Wolftown Committee is a vibe like no other, It was good to get alongside my bruv' HIGH TIMEZ, and look out for me on 'High Grade Jugglin' with some heavy collobo's like 'S.H.I.T.'…
Early B, you alongside Dass, Staxx and Sikes Man you are considered the "next wave of Wolftown talent" how do each of you intend to stand out from the pack?
EARLY B: 'As I mentioned I have been involved in music for fifteen years, so being the 'next wave of talent' goes, its kinda the other way around. It's a family ting, a Wolftown ting. They asked me to be on the track and I just grabbed the opportunity to get on the mic once again. I am writing some new stuff, but just taking things steady. I am looking to get more into the production side of things and give mans some killer beats!!!
What's the next thing we can expect to see from the Wolftown Committee?
LATE: 'The album drops January 20th 2003, with a limited DJ sampler dropping on the streets just before. It's a five tracker that features radio versions of 'Dangerous Place' & A So It Go', as well as an instrumental of 'A So It Go', 'MC's For Days' (which isn't on the vinyl for the album), and a bangin' remix of 'Think' by Jay Are. Then there is a second 12" that will be 'Boxed' and feature some more remixes and instrumentals. We got some live dates forthcoming too, but to keep updated check our website at
www.wolftown.co.uk.
To Pez, as a producer/engineer/studio manager, can you give bubbing beat-makers five production/studio tips?
1. Start with kicking sounds, it may sound obvious but get a decent set of sounds together and it will save a lot of fucking around later.
2. Keep it simple. Space in ya music is an important as the creativity.
3. Try getting the bass and drums tight before tweaking anything else. It will make it easier to get everything else to fit in later. If ya mix still sounds too busy - CUT STUFF OUT!
4. Relax ya vocalist… make sure he/she is in the right mood for the session. Wherever it's a spilff, Tennets super or a just a glass of water, give them what they want and record every take they do.
5. Enjoy it!!!! At the end of the day we are doing what we love, yes it can stressful in the studio, but stay positive and that will shine through in your music.
What's next for Wolftown Recordings?
LATE: Next up is going to be my 'International Rhyme Spittin EP', which is a collaboration project with artists from all over the globe. It's ten tracks deep and will be released on CD and 12" Vinyl. Watch out for out.
TRICKSTA: RAGO Magazine Issue 6 is done and we will be working hard pushing that out on the underground circuit. More EP's, more albums, more of what ya used too as well as a lot of surprises.
Who you wanna shout?
All the people that have supported and purchased product off us for the last three years. Those are the peeps that need the props, without them we would not be able to continue in doing what we do.
Peace, thanks people and I will link up with you all soon.
- Riz
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