hiphoplifeandtimes

Northwest London artist AC doesn’t really need an introduction if you know you’re UK Hip-Hop, but those who are unfortunate enough to have not heard his music then maybe now is a good time to start! A.C speaks the truth, raps with precision flows whatever the tempo and above all is one of the UK’s most hard working entertainers.

Easy fam, hope your good. First up big up on the ‘Prophecy For Profit EP’, loving every track on there to be honest! Good food! You must have been happy with how it came out yeh?

Thanks, glad you like it! Yeah i like how it turned out, thanks to all the people involved too like Deadman Walkn, June 25th, Grand Central, Mantis and SP the engineers.

Deadman Walkn kills it with the beats I must say. How long you known him and what’s he like to work with?

Yeah Deadman is a serious beatmaker, i met him in 2009 i think through Genesis Elijah and he passed me the beat for Allow That, then I said let’s do an EP and he was cool with it. Deadman’s cool to work with, he lets you do your thing with the beat which is cool.

The other producer on the EP June 25th is a man I don’t really know that much about. Can you school me (lol)?

I met June a couple of years ago when i played at Glastonbury, he came down with us and then later sent me some nice beats. He is from Leicester and has worked with alot of American rappers.

So on the EP you talk on various issues, but I thought it had a very positive vibe throughout it which I found quite uplifting to be honest. How important do you think it is to try and give out a positive message?

I didn’t really set out to make it positive or negative I just wrote what the beats made me feel like, I think it is a mix of positive and negative , but that’s cool if you find it uplifting and positive because that is what is needed right now i think! The world is in a bad state right now so if anything makes you feel better that’s a bonus! I think that music reflects what the artist is feeling because of the environment they are in mentally or physically: it can go either way. I don’t think it has to be positive as some of the best stuff written is negative in attitude or responding to negative aspects of society . I just represent whatever i am feeling at the time, so you might hear a negative track from me or a positive. But if its a negative track I do put some energy and humour in it as otherwise it just would be depressing.

So there’s been EP’s and loads of features & collaborations, but can you tell us will we be getting a full length A.C album one day soon? If so is there anything exclusive you can tell us about it?

Yeah the album is all recorded and my engineer Mantis is just finishing off mixing the last three tracks. I have seen a few labels about it but have not been feeling the contracts they offered so we’ll see what happens as I am not an idiot, like many industry types want you to treat you like. The album is gonna be called ‘Keep it Together’ and describes the journey from a very negative way of thinking to a positive mindset and all the obstacles along the way. Also I got an EP ready to go out that i did with Ill Thought Process, and have almost finished another EP with Otee the Scoundrel.

Outside of your own music you also emcee at jungle and dubstep raves. That must be great fun bro! How did that come about?

Yeah i started doing drum n bass mcing at raves all over London before i was doing hiphop or grime so that was always there, but when i was doing alot of hiphop shows i didn’t have time to do drum n bass raves. last year though i had time to do a drum n bass mix cd with DJ Kinzy from Wales, and that resulted in me getting residencies at some clubs over UK, so my next Drum n bass raves are ‘Show me your Bassface’ at Mass in brixton 21st october, Paradox at Wahoo in southampton 22nd october, and the Random Concept Innovation in the dam warmup at Roadmender in Northampton. I have now done a mix cd with fellow random concept resident DJ Blackley and am distributing that at raves and on the streets. I like mcing to DnB as the beat pattern and tempo are cool to flow on and when you have a big soundsystem the basslines and buildups in the tracks just get you hyped. Also the ravers are all going mad so it is a good vibe to perform in.

It says in your official press release that you’ve shifted over 40,000 units. Is this something you’re making up or is this honestly real? Can you explain this for other people who might think its all PR hype?

Yeah that’s real, it is more than that now, like 49,000, as i had sold 40,000 when i put the New Day EP with Jabbathakut out.  When Terra and I were making our first tracks I was selling the Jay Series RNB and Hiphop compilation cds on the streets, then i met Execution Squodd selling their own cd on Oxford Street in london. This was like 2003 or 4. I wanted to make music that was what I wanted to do, not what any label person or industry type tries to get you to make in order to get ‘sales’. The only way to make good money off it was to sell it ourselves as the independent shops like Mr Bongo’s and Deal Real didn’t seem to wanna push our stuff as they did not understand our sense of humour or energy levelson the songs. Its weird as they would understand Big L’s humour which was like our’s, but looked down on our’s so we said fuck all these people and did like Execution Squodd. People who were not involved in the music industry were loving our stuff though, and within the first week we’d outsold most UK HIPHOP artists who put their vinyl or cds in shops the traditional route. Then the same snobs from shops were asking us to sell their backpack rapper cds for them! If you go out everyday like we did and sell your cd and you are a good salesman then you will also achieve sales like these. Mike GLC and his street team sold thousands of cds as did Mr Drastick , Stylah, D21, D Raw, Final Element, Genesis Elijah, Lexus Dutty, Kosha, Predator and many other rappers but most media magazines ignore it as they are not earning any money from us as we are self sufficient. Now sales figures for cd selling on the street are less, as illegal downloading is the trend so other hustles must be employed, but at the time Terra and I were selling our cds ‘Human Trash!!’ and ‘Youthansia: Escape from the Land of the Wastemen’, the money was nice.

You seem to have a flair for all things creative and I saw that you do a You Tube series called C U Next Tuesday, as well as appearing in a film right? Tell us about the acting.

Thanks yeah I do all my own artwork so I thought i might aswell film my own videos too. So i started filming my own videos and dropped em on youtube every tuesday. This has resulted in a few offers for a current affairs rant show on youtube and some other acting-roles . I acted in a theatre play called Popcorn, where i played a lunatic serial killer in LA who holds a Quentin Tarantino-like director and his family hostage. That was cool to do as we did a little tour of the play and it got good reviews and full houses. I am gonna be acting in some online dramas coming up so watch this space!

So music wise what are you listening to at the moment? Any quality Hip-Hop out that you think people should check?

I am listening to alot of rap music from Texas, like Z-RO, J Dawg, Trae the Truth. Also the old stuff from the 90s from America. I also liked Lil B’s tune ‘I hate myself’ I thought that was a deep track.

Okay good luck in the future bro and feel free to plug what you need now before you go! Lol.

Thanks Tricksta good luck to you and Rago magazine too, check out my clothing label on www.aceshighclothing.com  , facebook.com/acthemc , twitter.com/acthemc , soundcloud.com/acthemc , youtube.com/acandterra, acthemc.bandcamp.com

Interview by Tricksta