Last week’s Artist Spotlight introduced a very distinct voice in Hip-hop’s UK Underground scene. Yes, distinct, meaning one-of-a-kind because this rapper takes the words persistence and realism, and cranks them to insane heights. RAPStation seized the opportunity for a lengthy chat with the British artist, which led to this very detailed interview with MURDS himself.
What’s the story behind the name?
“I was pretty dedicated to grinding and jumps on my skates as a teenager. One of my skating hero's was Mike 'Murda' Johnson. Due to trying to skate like him and being a bit of a naughty teen, I got nicknamed 'Murda'. The name has stuck in my hometown and surrounding areas. I always thought Murda is a name that would cut off a large portion of my intended audience though. So Murda was shortened to Murds... And here I am”
You mention in your bio about being a “lifelong hip-hop fan”, what thoughts can you share about that?
“I used to have a massive collection of parental advisory rap cds at like 12 that my mum and dad would bin whenever they discovered the new cache. They must have binned close to a Grands-worth through time! I used to have to listen to music on headphones late at night or while skating… Since listening to Blackstar's 'Respiration' on Coup De Tat (an old skating video), I was hooked. Now that i'm a more mature artist and person, I really try and value the little things in life. That extends to the historical pleasures of having a glass of wine or spliff, or basking in a song’s emotion…
I think it was really started from skating videos and graffiti etc. The whole culture just got me. I guess because it was so different from where I started life. They were shit days being raised in a regimented religion, but hip hop and skating were always where I ran to. Love it”
Having dismissive folks about your music—that sounds tough man, so which artists would you say influenced you the most?
“I used to listen to Necro and Ill Bill all the time. I can't tell you how many times I got mad dramas for playing their shit. Blackstar, Xzibit because i knew we had similar roots. Big L, Big Pun, AZ, Jedi Mind tricks, too many to think of. On the UK scene, I hammered the MFTC albums from Taskforce, CEOM from Skinnyman, Joe Black, Yungun, Klash, Jehst, Foreign Beggars, Genesis Elijah. I could obviously go on forever but I specifically remember Skinnyman's Council Estate Of Mind having a massive influence on me. He was so connected to the lifestyle and it bled through in his music... He used to get talked about in HMP WherEver too so I always loved him for being legit”
Tell me about the Hip-hop scene in the UK, I heard it’s a pretty obscure genre over there
“Great question! It depends what you’re looking for in your rap. Yeah we have the more American style Trap beats doing the rounds from Giggs, Joe Black, Stana, and Squeeks and Dru Blu but they really are making the style their own! I love that style and I’d do a couple of trap tunes but then you’ve also got the likes of Fliptrix, Akala, Jehst, Klash, and Mystro representing true Red blooded hip hop even now...and killing it!! Then you’ve got the crossover artists rapping over house style tunes, Tinie Tempah and his kin being very successful commercially. Finally, there’s a few that are just doing their own thing who really deserve credit, Wretch 32, Devlin, Ghetts, Mic Righteous, honestly I really could go on all day. The question asks if Hip Hop is an obscure genre over here, truthfully I think that it's at its best commercially, and underground for a long time. The artists here are so bold in the directions they take!”
What was the biggest factor behind deciding to write Hip-hop music?
“I think life and music were always entwined for me. I used to escape to the world of rap from my religious parents etc.. and in the end I sort of shaped my life (probably negatively) into the world i was so familiar in from young. Rapping has always been an identity for me when I didn’t know what I was. Much like shotting I guess.”
What was it like during the early years of your music-writing and producing?
“Haha, very quiet. I used to write lyrics long before I recorded anything. I used to record my horrible remixes over mini disc at college and assault all my friends with the headphones every day. God bless you Malyon, Splodgy and Duncan. They had too much patience for my shit”
Just goes to show how persistent you are, mate, but what obstacles did you face?
“To start with, it was the impossibility of being supposed to be a God-fearing teenager while still being drawn to the illegal. I wanted to go Reading music college but got sent to engineering courses. I wanted to skate, smoke weed, rap and fuck but had to go home with an angelic expression for a couple of years. Even before that though I was doing midnight recording through some dodgy wireless mic setup to the old school massive dictaphones, with a left and right input for the beat and vocal. In adulthood, homelessness, the police, drug dealing and drug abuse were the biggest factors. I had so much police attention up until recently I could barely do anything, they never want to believe in someone changing their life. Drugs too stopped me believing in myself for a few years here and there. I sort of tricked myself into hibernation. All of that was bollocks though, thinking I'm Mr Ghetto only ever led me to the point where I got stabbed”
Dude that’s heavy, you musta had something that kept you persevering
“Just the knowledge that a rapper was all I ever wanted to be. I can do a lot of things academically or career wise, I don’t consider myself stupid. But I always wanted to keep it real… and my reality was that I was always supposed to rock stages! I can't claim solo responsibility though. I am a bit of a mad bloke sometimes and I can be impossibly stubborn when I want to. I can't thank Sarah and Legs enough for always believing I was something more than just a street boy. Slough boy pushed me too!”
What message do you want to achieve through your music?
“I used to want to change the world with my music. Maybe I can, maybe I can’t but the effect music has on me I can't explain… I just want/HAVE TO pass that blessing on if I'm able”
So what’s next in line for you, any stuff we can look forward to?
“Obviously 'All We Got' is awaiting release date, however the video will be released within the next few weeks. Head on over to murds.co.uk to subscribe to the mailing list so you don’t miss it. I have a couple singles at mixdown stage. One or two self-produced, the other few are other's beats but believe me I'm picky with what I use! I love what we're building at the moment though. I'm using this single's release to try and generate some time on stage, I can’t wait to get in front of some crowds again!”
Awesome! Any last words you want to express?
“Perhaps this would be a good time to express a balance of opinions... Fuck the British police and their lazy, linear approach to people and crime! On the other hand, thank you so much to Rapstation's firm for taking the time to introduce the single and myself to the public! I'm stunned to have produced something the American public liked, Big ups to all of you who have requested the track and pushed it to the top ten in the charts.
Thank you for the support! You, You and of course You, from the bottom of my heart!”
By Jods Arboleda for RAPstation.com
