After a long-awaited need for Why Not 3, it’s finally the day we have it to ourselves.
North London MC Capo Lee gathered some of the biggest names in the UK music industry together in one day which included the likes of Jammz, Crafty893, Jososick, Kamakaze, Kabzinside, Coco, Talifah and RD just to name a few.
Not only did Capo enlist the hardest of MCs within the grime scene, the most proficient of producers rolled through Pirate studios situated in the heart of West London featuring Rude Kid, P Jam, Sir Spyro, J Beatz and more in an attempt to create a collaborative mixtape within the space of 10 hours.
“It sounds more simple than it actually is” Capo explains.
Boasting some of the most recognised individuals the scene has to offer, all studios were filled frantically with eager creatives keen to create greatness once again. Successfully doing so previously, Why Not 3 is now the rapper’s third combined project, with the last two bringing success to local artists such as Mic Ty, Nico Lindsay and Spooky.
Speaking about the concept behind his project, Capo said: “This is the third one I have created. I wanted to bring together a range of artists and producers, it’s a bit of a task but I didn’t want it to be segregated. I wanted both the new and old generation, so that it was balanced and new talent can be exposed.”
Capo Lee isn’t a stranger when it comes to creating the most energetic sounds to come out of grime, regularly paying homage to Tottenham throughout his music along the likes of music pioneer JME and Mercury Prize winner Skepta.
Collectively hitting up the studio, both male and female artists went back-to-back, room-to-room, mixing and mastering tracks produced by different producers, some even showcasing their abilities both as an MC and Producer.
Not only featuring the best of what London has to offer, midland emcees from Sheffield and Leicester also made an appearance on the mixtape. Explaining that the first concept was a trial, Capo said he was further inspired to create more after knowing it was possible to do so in such a short space of time.
Speaking to producer and BBC Radio 1XTRA DJ Sir Spyro, when questioned about how he feels on the concept and how it differentiates from his usual projects he added: “It’s such a good concept. From it being an idea to reality, it great that we can all work in the studio together. The people that are on the tracks are those that I’d never necessarily work with and it allows me to meet new people.”
The mixtape ensured both new and old generation artists involved, just as the track list displays:
Kabz, a new gen MC who’s also featuring on Lord of the Mics, was present during the making and allowed his energies as an MC to be outwardly expressed on a range of tracks. Restricted to disclose too much inside gossip on the clashes, he told GRM: “There’s not much pressure when it comes to creating this” Capo interrupts the chat to reassure there is “Never any pressure! Boom.”
Someone who may feel some sort of pressure however, could be rising female rapper Bekz as this was her first ever studio session at Pirate. “I’ve only just started, I feel like I will succeed. In general, I really look up to Ms Banks and Miss Dynamite. Skepta is one of the biggest inspirations to me. Today, I’ve been on two songs already.”
After GrimeReportTV provided a segment of what collaborative talent that we could expect from the rappers project, we no longer have to refer to that short cypher as we have an 11 track wonder all to ourselves available to stream where, and whenever we want.
If that wasn’t enough, a short documentary featuring on Pirate Studios is also available to watch to back up all the ‘behind the scenes’ gossip.
Be sure to listen to Capo Lee’s latest collaborative mixtape Why Not 3 here on GRM Daily.