Interview Time: Skinnyman
Skinnyman Who are your earliest influences?
Yellow Man, Papa Sam, Gill Scott Herring
Later Influences?
Poor righteous teachers, Just Ice, Early hip-hop artists, KRS1 Beastie Boys.
What types of music do you like? (Musical styles)
My own style is made up of lyrical style patterns, opposite to personal tastes any type of music bar Rock guitar twang hard edge stuff.
I have made tunes with a rocky feel but not feeling the heavy metal, but Onyx is something I feel.
Do you have any new music coming out? (Collaborations)
New music varied range of releases solo – to Mud family to- collaborations and I want nuff new work with artists.
You seem to have a unique relationship with the youth of the day, in regards to music and education?
The children’s aspirations to be around the music, the fastard smoke screen disappears but I can relate to them and give direction, my love of the youth, as children are more open minded.
How do you see the change in UK hip-hop from when you started?
15 years later rap is over house and garage it has carved itself out to be the voice of the British urban youth, represented by a new generation of artists like Heartless crew, Roll deep crew (Dizzy Rascal), More fire crew, Miss Dynamite etc etc.
What are your earliest musical memories?
It started in the whom, when I was a baby my mum used to play George Benson to get me to sleep. By the time I could walk I was always requested by a home audience to give performances, which used to range from Michael Jackson to Shaken Stevens to Busta Blood vessel and Madness and Bob Marley.
With UK hip-hop there is a sense of unity in the crews and collaboration with other crews?
In any urban community were people are hungry to get out there at the same time there deprived of the opportunity to have a platform for there artistic expression through music, you’ll find that people come together to collaborate in hope of reaching a wider audience also when you have a tight nit community you do become familiarized with the regular heads on the circuit.
What’s the Mud Family all about?
Mud Family is a vibe and a movement planted as a seed in our hearts, which has branched and stemmed into what it has become.
The original members Chester P, Mongo and I were in a collective called Bury crew, which was made up of people from Highbury, Canonbury and Finsbury hence the name.
Bury crew with egos and attitudes we felt the Mud Family represented no rules and regulations but still had as much ego and attitude as you could possibly want.
Are there any live performances that were exceptionally memorable?
Brock well park cannabis festival Mud Family billed to perform on main stage at the highlight spot of the day.
Memorable occasion for me, when we turned up my mum was already they’re rocking her wallabies with her cannabis gold leaf medallion (blingers) smoking high-grade sess with the dogs and rest of family.
We took our opportunity to protest against the laws of the land in the country, which denies people who are suffering from illness, multiple sclerosis, arthritis etc from using cannabis for its medicinal purposes to relive themselves of physical pain.
Through out the middle of our performance with the sun blazing across the whole filed on to the stage, we freely distributed over ten thousand bags off of the stage into the crowd and it was a moment of happy chaos. (Raining weed turned into a Mexican wave)
How do you view the crime rate and police crackdown?
Statistics serve the murder rate from London to New York is three-time s higher, since mayor Giuliani; the murder rate is down by 80%. This has now left London with a higher death rate than New York
The crime rates are at an all time high the government needs to employ more police to match the rates of arrests of crimes being reported to achieve this statistical balance which leaves lots more youths on the streets being victims of harassment.
How do you feel about being a role model and influencing youth?
Despite projecting my views to the listeners I still disregard any responsibility of being a role model or enforcing my views on anybodies or influences.