Interview Time: Slim Dutty
Slim Dutty Do you think your lyrics influence youth crime?
A: Definitely not I think my lyrics are more thought provoking, rather then infused the situation it kinda gives them an angle that they can listen to it and know what it’s like to be involved in the crime, but not necessarily have to be a part of it.
Do you see yourself as a role model?
A: No, not really, the jest of it is that people do look up to you and see you as a role model and hang on to every word you say, so yeah I suppose I am., but I don’t really see myself as one.
You’re from Harlesden, do you rep your ends?
A: Definitely!!! To the fullest! Harlesden is a very vibrant cultural town, and it spurred my musical hunger since the day I moved to Harlesden, which was 1984 when I was four years old!
You’re first single ‘Blood Puddles’, what was your inspiration behind this track?
A: In my area there was these period of times when there was allot of killings, allot of gang rivalry and the time before that I lost somebody, but I wasn’t really rapping seriously and then around the time I wrote blood puddles, there was another two people that I knew had been killed, and the sad thing was they weren’t even into drugs or anything like that. I wanted to write a song talking about the situation, but not necessarily condoning it, because at that time allot of rappers were talking about being the biggest and badest and boasting, I wanted to talk about the situation, but in a different perspective.
Who has influenced your style from early days?
A: I was influenced a great deal by Reggae music on my dads side, and on my aunts side allot of rare groove, so it was really allot of the old artists like Bob Marley, Peter Toshes, Eritha Franklin and Silver Stripeline and those sort of artists. I’ve always been amensed in music, so there allot of different genres that influenced me, while I was growing up.
What other UK artists do you rate?
There are so many of them…Demolition man, Klashnekoff, Sound boy entertainment, Choong family, Street politics. I respect all of there hustle, there are nuff names that I aint mentioned already…KANO…I just respect them as artists, there not just making music and jumping on the band wagon, there making music that has artistic direction and I’m feeling that.
Have you got any new music coming out?
A: I’m working on a new studio album now, which will be dropping in the early part of next year, it’s currently untitled, which I am working on it, and I’m working with a few artist and producers around the UK and London. Right at the moment I am doing allot of mix tapes and dub plates for radio dj’s.
I will be performing at ‘RESPECT’ festival.
In conclusion...
What I see for the future is a hard graft and continue to make music, and to try and be a positive role model, and to also help the industry as I want to see the UK industry build, I want to be a part of the infrastructure.
Right now it’s crazy, there’s so much talent coming through, so many talented artists from so many different areas and backgrounds; it’s a beautiful thing! The more diversity that we’ve got, the wider our audience will be. I support all the acts that come out, that talk sense and have conscience about what there talking about and even the ones that don’t, there still part of it so, I have love for them as well, there still helping the industry even though there stuff is negative or positive, there still bringing attention.
Coming soon to a record store near you, ‘The story so far’ will be out in all major retailers.