Krept and Konan and DJ Target are set to host a new television show called The Rap Game UK which will see them seek to find the UK’s next urban music star to sign to their Play Dirty Record label.
The contestants will live together for six weeks and develop their music skills, range, lyricism and natural ability. Rather than a weekly elimination, the acts will be ranked each week, and the winner will be revealed at the end of series and will receive the coveted record deal from Krept and Konan.
To prepare for the series, we caught up with each of the contestants and spoke to them about their personal journey’s into music, their inspirations and how they define themselves as artists.
Here we are joined by F.O.S which is an abbreviation of Freedom of Speech who hails from Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire who explained to us how his small town upbringing has shaped him, his plans to release a mixtape and his experience filming The Rap Game UK.
Where are you from?
“I’m from Scunthorpe. Pretty much just a steel work town, pretty small place. Everyone feels like it’s a few years behind everywhere else. There’s not much going on, it’s more like a place where people go to retire.”
“I’ve always been passionate about music and sport; my Grandad had a heavy influence on that, he’s from Ireland, he’s a magician as well and a performer.”
“My other gran is from Ghana and that’s why I feel like I was able to rap. I don’t really want to go into too much detail about my story, because I leave it to the music to explain”.
Do you know any magic tricks?
“A couple. Not enough though. He (my Grandad) wants me to film him doing all of them, he’s 90 now but he still can do quite a few”.
What does being from a small town add to your artistry?
“Music from the cities is related to by people from the cities and then it spreads out. I’ll be the most versatile artist because I am in love with all styles of music. I feel like I’ll be able to make music for any individual, anybody on the planet”.
How would you define yourself as an artist in relation to musical genres?
“A musician. That’s all I can say really, an all-rounder. Like if you put me on the football pitch, I can play in defence, goal, mid-field and upfront, be the referee and then be manager. (Laughs)”
“That’s what I mean, that’s what I want to be, a musical all-rounder”.
Do you play any instruments?
“I’ve played anything that I’ve seen when I’ve walked in the studio and it’s there. Without even being able to read music, I can make my own melodies with any instrument. As long as I know with my ears that I love that sound, then its cool”.
Who are your biggest inspirations?
“There’s too much, too much that I’ve listened to over the years, there’s so many. The main ones, would be, Wiley, Drake, Biggie, Tupac; mainly Tupac just because of the type of person he was, which I didn’t find out until later because I used to like Biggie more. There’s a lot more like Partynextdoor, Angel, Jaykae… there’s too many”.
“I feel like if you put a bit of all the people I rate to the max in a box and shake it, and try to combine them, that’s what I feel like I am”.
What are your dream collaborations?
“I’d like to make a tune with JME. Octavian, he’s special, because of the unique brain that he’s got, his mind is different. Shadow from Australia… there’s too many to mention”.
What inspires your writing?
“Love. I write about love, that’s always gonna last and people are gonna relate to that”.
What is the main thing you want listeners to take from your music?
“I just want them to feel the same way that I did when I was writing it. I want them to relate to what I’m saying and have to go back and listen to that, maybe when they’re having a bad time so they can feel better because music does that.”
“And then obviously, inspire people with who I am. Maybe not as much on the music but try and change the world as well by changing people.”
What is your creative process like when recording music?
“I’m sat here now in the dining room with my Mac, mixer… I’ll put the beat in. I’ll maybe write for four minutes and then I will put down the next four, do it like that and then build up the track. I don’t really write it down, I write whilst thinking about it there and then”.
Do you prefer recording the studio or performing live?
“Performing live. I feel like there’s people at the very top who can make banging tracks cos a lot of people can but then when it comes to performing in front of thousands, they need to have the vocals that will make you sound good, like they need the backing that weren’t there”.
“I want to shock people singing as well, and the crowd enjoy it and be able to prove a point to myself”.
Do you have a favourite performance thus far?
“Yeah, that was on The Rap Game UK. Just because of the song, it was the perfect song to perform”.
“I want to perform for thousands of people, that is the aim. Thousands, packed out, then I want to see what will happen. The reaction from me doing everything I’ve got on stage which I feel is hard to match because of how in love I am with what I’ve been doing since I was 13.”
“I’m ready. I feel like.. I’m not in my prime but I feel like, I am the best that I can be”.
What was your main reason for applying to The Rap Game UK?
It wasn’t even for the exposure really, it was for the experience, to get out of my town for a bit, it’s dead. No one is as hungry as what I am and it’s annoying because I’m just trying to get people to be as hungry as I am cos I know you can achieve and be able to do anything.
It was good to get out and meet people I needed to meet. The exposure was obviously great but I didn’t feel like it was for that because the time will come when it needed to come if I put in the work.
Did you face any unexpected challenges whilst filming The Rap Game UK?
“There was one where I had to clash two of my best mates in the house which was weird but we still did it. I made friends with them in the house but it’s like a good friendship that will last. Me and Kiico, we’re going to make a chart hit, definitely”.
What are your career highlights thus far?
“It’s hard because I feel like I’m so focused on what I’m going for that I’m not there yet; I’m nowhere near. Until I’m on the Wembley stage or a festival stage or something, my goal is to be the biggest artist in the country and if I believe that then obviously, I think it can happen”.
Any future plans or things in the pipeline for fans to look forward to?
“At the minute I’m working on a back to back mixtape where I’ve got an artist from pretty much scattered all over the country and artists from all over on the mixtape going back to back. That’s pretty sick and I’m doing videos from the top five ones”.
“I have visuals and just need to be able to put them in the right place. The ideas I have for visuals as well, I feel like they’d be on another level if the right person works for me. And that’s without budgets, I feel like I can do it without budgets as well. I don’t need £10,000 budgets”.
“Lord of the Mics 8 but we haven’t got a date (for release)”.
BBC Three’s The Rap Game UK is coming to iPlayer on Friday 23rd August.