Interviews Lowkey | Lowkey |
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Lowkey (born Kareem Dennis 23rd of May 1986) is a Poet, Playwright, Political Activist and award winning Hip Hop Artist of mixed British and Arab descent who has received airplay on numerous major radio stations including BBC Radio 1, Capital FM, Kiss FM, Choice FM and BBC 1Xtra, toured internationally performing to crowds everywhere from Glastonbury and Trafalgar Square to Germany and Amsterdam.
Lowkey, firstly like to say thank you for taking the time out and allowing me to interview you! It means a lot.  It’s all good, I fully appreciate the support. So we’re mainly here to draw our attention on your latest project which includes the new band ‘Mongrel’. Can you tell us more about this? MONGREL is Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Andy Nicholson (ex Arctic Monkeys), Jon McClure and Joe Moskow (Reverend and the Makers) and Drew Mcconnell (BabyShambles). The sound is a mixture of Hip-Hop, Indie, Dub, and Electro etc. Our aim with this project is primarily to make a political statement and speak up for those who need it the most but it is also to shine a light on our Hip-Hop scene here in the UK. We are doing a show in Beirut, Lebanon in August and touring England, Ireland and Scotland in October. How did this band form? My latest single “Alphabet Assassin” is available for free download from www.myspace.com/lowkeyuk . That’s taken from the forthcoming mix CD “Better Than Your Album” Vol 1. Got a bunch of bangers and surprising features on there, the next single is “Revolution” produced by Faith SFX, which should be hitting the airwaves soon. Other than that, I’m in the process of writing and recording my album; I’m working on a track with Immortal Technique for that, looking to get Natty and Benjamin Zephaniah in the studio as well. Our site holds a lot of discussions, but a main one is to do with why our Uk scene is so unrecognized. What do you believe is blocking the whole UK scene out? Why can’t artists like you be earning top money just like any big named American rappers? You have to look at who the tastemakers in this country are. Who determines what’s hot and what’s not? Why are certain rappers promoted over others? The tastemakers in this country are the Press, big DJ’s and the major record labels, all of these people have the power to make or break artists. What do the people in these positions largely have in common? The media is mostly made up of middle-aged Caucasian males, as are the people in positions of power at major record labels. Who is the biggest Hip Hop DJ in this country? A very well known middle-aged Caucasian male. Now when these guys are telling you, me and kids from all different backgrounds, which rappers are good, there is a problem. That is literally, like my Dad telling me which rappers to listen to. It shouldn’t work like that. The problem is also, that to us, the artists in this country, it is art, to the labels it is business. We are trying to express ourselves; they are trying to sell a product. When we are creating a song, it is art, but when it is finished it becomes a science, everything about us, and our music becomes a formula. Did you notice how after Eminem blew up, the major labels were sniffing around frantically for “the next Eminem”. Name me a White rapper from this country who hasn’t been called “the British Eminem” by either his own label or the media? Do you know why this is? Because they see they don’t see this as an art form, they cant get past the fact Eminem is white. He was so successful and had longevity because bar for bar he was a lyrical animal, and every other rapper in the game knew it, but these people in positions of power didn’t, because they don’t listen to our music as an art form they view the whole thing as a marketable science. As soon as one prototype is released, they instantly look for an exact replica in order to capitalize. This is because as oppose to the average Hip Hop fan, who has an interest in the music, they have an “INTEREST” in the music. These people who profit billions of our music don’t care about Eminem’ s personal issues they care about the money he, as a brand can generate. The reason why the media and the people in positions of power at these major’s have not fully backed anyone from the UK, is laziness. They have not had a sure fire bet, because the UK rapper is not a stereotypical prototype, which has proved successful yet. This is why they only promote rappers who perpetuate a known stereotype because they know it sells. These are people who deal in stereotypes. They have a genuine perverse interest in 50 Cent’s story of getting shot 9 times because it’s so far from their reality, but they have a material “INTEREST” when Puff Daddy, Jay-Z and Kanye West spend every other bar in their songs advertising billion dollar brands. And we as the people lap it up, because they know we will. Thus far very few artists from the UK, have been willing to play that game, two who obviously have, recently both hit the top two in the national charts, you figure it out. Jay-Z, Kanye West, Puff Daddy are not artist’s trying to express themselves primarily they are hit factories; they have it down to a science. Rhianna, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake are like robots which have spend their lives being programmed how to make hits and advertise, Britney Spears was one of those robots but she is desperately trying to re programme herself now and get free, it’s sad to see, she’s dying to express herself. 50 Cent, said himself that he never got into it for the music, he got into it for the business, it is a formula and science to people like him. The by product of this lucrative formula is catastrophic, rappers like him and Jay-Z have lead generations of kids into believing they can sell drugs, even get shot and then capitalize off it and make billions. These big business pimp a brand and a lifestyle that glamorizes prison, murder, death and all things negative. It wasn’t necessarily intentional but it is definitely a result. People in the spotlight have the power to morally legitimize and condone certain things. When you have a voice that reaches billions like Dr. Dre and on your album Nate Dogg randomly sings “Smoke weed everyday” what does that statement mean, because young kids who are literally like plasticine take it sub consciously as a command. When you understand this, you realise that literally billions of children are living another mans twisted, perverse fantasy. I’ve got this lyric which I thought of recently, might chuck it on my album “you think getting shot will make you the next best thing/ but for every 50 cent there’s 550 MF Grimm’s”. You might not know who MF Grimm is, he is an undeground rapper in the US who like 50 Cent, got shot but instead of going on to a platinum selling walking talking billboard, he will spend the rest of his life in a wheel chair, because unlike 50 Cent, his life of crime left him paralyzed. My point is that, it’s all a myth and a fantasy, don’t believe these robots. In the UK, we have not yet learned how to pimp ourselves and cater to stereotypes, that’s why we are not really making the big p’s. However I want to congratulate Dizzee Rascal, because he’s sitting on top of the charts as I write this, with a single that he released on his own independent label, that deserves respect. So things are looking up for us. Rah, yeah that’s real talk! As a site we’re trying to support youths in getting there music recognized. If it’s by working together on Cd’s and handing them out up and down the country or simply spreading there name by mouth. Do you believe these younger artists have a big weight on their shoulders to be a top artist like yourself? We are all in the same boat, I feel it for younger artists because nowadays there a so few platforms which haven’t been saturated to death. The live scene is now almost non-existent, now it’s all digital, but the thing is everyone has a Myspace, and everyone has a video on Channel U, that just dilutes any good music that comes through those channels. Also videos and MySpace cannot improve you as an artist, the ONLY way to do that is live performance and practise. Even selling CD’s on the street has become everybody’s hustle, when I was doing it there were less people doing it, which in a way made it easier for me, nowadays anyone who has been to Oxford Street has been asked “do you like Hip Hop” by someone trying to sell their own CD. This makes people less receptive to your hustle. The same logic applies to Channel U and MySpace. So yeah I think nowadays even though there are more platforms for younger artists, there is also way more competition. How important do you feel the talented ones should be heard? We should all be heard. It’s just about how much you want it. You have to want it more than the next man; Hip Hop is based on competition. If you take two artists, one has loads of talent and no drive or determination, the other one has loads of determination and just a bit of talent, which one will get further? Which one will be remembered in 10 years, the one with loads of determination. The grind does pay off in the end. By grinding I do not mean bullying people and forcing them to buy your CD, that’s not grinding, that just makes you look desperate. Grinding is the “networking,” something which I have never really wanted to do. Some of the biggest names in the game have got where they are by “networking” and befriending key players, those who’s opinions seem to matter. It’s a shame but that’s the way it is. What advise could you give these younger artists? Take every opportunity you can, because they do not introduce themselves to you. You can spend your life just waiting for opportunities to come to you, you just need to take chances and risks. Hit as many open mics as you can, spit your lyrics to everyone and anyone. Just eat every single microphone that is ever handed to you, any time anyone asks you to spit to them, spit at least 100 bars. Book your own studio time, make your tracks, manufacture your own CD, and send it to magazines, radio. Take it around the country and sell it yourself, anyone who you recognize as a player in the game, give them your CD and tell them to make sure they listen to it. Any DJ’s from radio you see get their number chase them up and get them on your side, because you need the DJ’s. The work rate must be pretty high. Talk us through a normal day with Low-key. There’s no normal days you know, everyday I try and do something different, just generally stay active. I think the key to life is to do something positive with today so tomorrow you can look back on yesterday and be proud. Where coming to the end of the interview now. We have had a lot of members wanting to ask some questions but I randomly picked out a few quick ones. How did you first start your life as lowkey? how did you manage to get your name around? I was always writing lyrics from the age of about 12, but at that time they were mostly cheap Yankee imitations. By the time I got to 17 I was a bit better. My friend told me about this open mic, so one week we went down there. I wanted to spit but there was already a regular MC there called Lowkey, so him and me battled for the name and I won. After that I just kept going every week, then I met my manager Myst, made a few mixtapes, sold the first one myself hand to hand and got distribution for the other two. What do you think you would be doing now if you wasn’t a artist? At the moment I am at University, so regardless of music I’m trying to better myself. Education is a life-long process and your mind is your deadliest weapon. I’d probably be doing anything to avoid doing a 9 to 5 for a living. When I was younger I worked in Woolworth’s, but I hopefully I wouldn’t have to do that again. I would like to be a journalist one day. Hopefully I would be doing a job I enjoy which serves a cause I believe in, rather than doing a job I hate just to pay the rent. If you can get paid doing something you love, then that is a real blessing, because the majority of people are stuck doing things they hate just to survive. How much has this changed your life around? Doing something like this really changes other people more than it changes you or your own life. People’s perceptions of you, as a person change. At the end of the day, you can’t do this part time; the most successful artists are switched on 24/7. It never stops. Well thanks again for taking this time out to spend with us. It’s a lot. All the best with the new band and hopefully we’ll see that CD in our shops sometime soon. Related Links Comments (1)
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