Reflect - Burp

Reflect is a rap artist from Birmingham, England who grew up listening to American, Westcoast rappers such as NWA and 2Pac, which influenced him to start his career in music. He is now in the process of completing his debut album entitled ‘Burp’ which illustrates his interpretation of everyday life collaborated with his warped sense of humour that he uses to entertain and engage his listeners, along with an occasional burp, he says ‘I'm not going to lie, I do say things for the shock value.’

I thought I’d catch up with Reflect himself to find out more.

'It all started when I bought my first rap tape - yes tape, not no MP3 - "KID N PLAY" off my school mate for a couple of quid - my lunch money – I’ve never looked back. I thought the way they rhymed was so cool and clever; I just wanted to do it and be just like them. I explored more into rap and came across NWA, 2pac, etc. I really found the west coast music moving especially 2Pac. I remember growing up, I had one of his tapes and I'd be in my bedroom with a pad and pen listening to his 'All Eyes On Me' album ’.  

‘It played and wrote down all the lyrics as he said them, I'd rewind the tape back to catch the odd words I missed here and there. Obviously being a kid, there were some words I didn’t know the meaning of so I'd search the dictionary and find out what it meant. I felt so free and relaxed and enjoyed doing it to fill my days; we had no internet back then’. He used what he learnt to write his own lyrics where he began to learn, explore and develop the craft of rap.

‘Growing up as a kid into an adult as an emcee, I'm sure like other rappers, I had loads of rap names. I used to battle a bit back in the day, I was called Machete’, he laughs ‘but now, I’m known as Reflect, which represented my feelings towards my music. My music basically reflects what is going on in this world but I just put my style into it and make it different, amusing but sometimes - well most of the time - harsh’.

‘It ain't pleasant but hey, life ain't always. By me putting it that way I guess I'm just trying to enlighten the mood of the situation. I am a joker in normal life and a smart ass so this does come across in my music. How does Reflect differ from Peter? 'Well, Reflect just says and does what he wants to say or do without thinking twice about it. Music is such a powerful thing and I believe in freedom of speech, so when 'Reflect' is on the mic, all hell brakes loose’.

‘My music represents the people that are not easily offended and have a sense of humour and do understand that I’m just trying to entertain people through my music by making light of all the dreadful things that we have to deal with in life. By actually, highlighting things that are bad in this world, maybe people would take notice and try and make a change. I'm not going to lie; I do say things for the shock value’.

‘My audience are the people who understand that I say things for a laugh. My music is comical and not to be taken too seriously, people should listen to me because I say so, if they don't, I will curl up into a little ball and cry myself to sleep every night until they do’.

‘I used to be a semi pro basketball player so I probably would of headed into that direction’ if he didn’t choose music as a career, he continues ’I love this sport and I am still a big fan of it. Come on Miami Heat!’

'The industry has changed in a big way'. He feels its all ‘internet, internet, internet. 'Many artists do everything for themselves nowadays, promoting, selling and networking all thanks to the internet. Record labels also search on the internet for the artists too. For an artist, it's so easy to promote online, sell music and build up their fan-base. A lot of record labels expect the artists to build up their own fan base, so unfortunately, many artists are too busy promoting themselves than actually concentrating on their music which means they don't take time on their lyrics as much as before.

When asked to describe his journey in one sentence he says ‘thank you so much aspirins, BURP!!!

He has just finished his debut album entitled Burp which is receiving amazing feedback which he is very grateful for. You can expect a lot more from him including live performances, videos and albums, he says ’I love to perform live, I get so amped’ he laughs ‘I’m looking to promote this album as much as I can, via the radio, magazines, blogs, etc and in the new year I’ll be finishing off my next album entitled 'Pardon Me!'. All the funds for that album will be going to MIND- Mental Health Charity’.

Stay tuned for more of Refelct, check out his Official Site, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and Youtube. 

Fatal Hitchkoch - BreddWinnaz

‘I view my lyrics as a movie script; I always try to give that cinematic feel to my records, my listeners can actually picture scenes of what I'm saying in their head’ said Richard Anaman, also know as Fatal Hitchkock CEO of the urban music label BreddWinnaz. In 2010 his remix to 'Hello Good Morning' featuring Tinchy Stryder was spotted and promoted by P Diddy, since then he has made appearances on DJ Mixtapes including the likes of DJ Woogie , DJ AME and DJ Drama as well as featuring on BBC 1xtra Home Grown Selection.   

I thought I’d catch up with him to find out his ambitions, sacrifices and influences.

‘I'm a Jack of All Trade, Master of All’. He confidently replies when asked how and where it all started. He laughs and confesses ‘I had to change the ending of that expression. I'm a business-man, rapper, producer, manager – big up Maveriq - label owner, video and photo editor, web designer, should I go on? I'm 360 degrees. I do a lot of everything, if that makes sense’.

‘I know this is going to sound real cliché, but I just knew. It’s always been music. Ask all my Ex girlfriends. It’s always been MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC! I studied it in University; I spent all of my student loans and grants on recording equipment. Plus I knew I was too good to just let this gift go to the scrap. I mean P.Diddy thought I was good enough to promote my remix to 'Hello Good Morning' on twitter twice, so u know. If I got Diddy's attention off just a short 16 bar, imagine the effect im'ma have when I really go H.A.M.’

‘I started rapping when I was about 8 or 9 after I heard my brother playing 2pac's "Hit 'Em Up" I was hooked. I was one gangster 10 year old talking about a whole lot of sh*t I knew nothing about. I thought I was the Sh*t I had the American accent locked, bandana's I went the whole 9 Yards with it. I remember recording my 1st real structured track when I was about 14, at my secondary school friend J-Flowz house – who now produces for Wretch32. He put me straight about the US accent. I got a Cubase 5VST that’s real old school, a piece of wood from my bunk bed ladder, a karaoke mic, a chair and some duck tape and from then it was on’.

‘Richard handles the Business side of things, and is the brains behind the Brand BreddWinnaz and Fatal Hitchkoch is the brain that lays the music’, he replies when asked how he differs from his alias. ‘The Fatal part of my name actually stands for ‘F*ck All Traitors And Liars’ and well the Hitchkoch part came Alfred Hitchcock as he is like the originator of the thriller and horror genre. He put his personal stamp on all his projects, which have influence so many films to date. I see myself like that. I view my lyrics as a movie script; you know I always try to give that cinematic feel to my records, so you can actually picture scenes of what I am saying in your head’.

  

‘My music is for anyone that appreciates my music. I don't want to close bracket and exclude anyone. I mean I make music for myself; I’m just fortunate enough to have people that appreciate and support it. I have a wide audience from the ages of 13 - 60. The music I make is aimed to inspire, entertain, inform and educate. I remember some one telling me once. "Yo forget the man'dem. Make music women love, because the man'dem will want what ever women are on" Which to me makes too much sense, so I always have women in the studio with me when I’m crafting, asking what do you think of this lyric? Should I say this? What do you think of this song?’  

In the past he has had the pleasure of collaborating with other UK acts including Roll Deep, Baby Blue, Donaeo, Selah, Davinche, Maveriq, PW, Base N Rebulz Entertainments and many more. He says ‘I always try to ‘Keep it Real’ in the respects I don't try to sugar coat the truth. There is a problem, just come to inner city London, or any low income area across the country people are getting their heads blown off; people are hook on dangerous drugs, child molestation, and underage pregnancy. Real issues. But you know it's like out of sight out of mind. I'm not with that. So I act as the voice for the unheard. My lyrics are real life stories, somewhere I’m the main character, and sometimes I’m just the observer, the narrator.’

If he wasn’t a musician he’d probably be ‘Manager of WIMPY burgers, what else?’ he laughs and continues ‘only playing it would have to be something based around music or the film world like a Manager, video collaborating and photo digital editor, actually a pilot. I love planes. I'm actually in the process of completing my Private Pilots License; I'm at different altitude. I love it. It’s a weird feeling. Because you’re just orbiting in the air, there's not left, no right, no top, no bottom. You’re just orbiting. Once you try it. You’ll know exactly what I mean’. 

‘If I am not in the studio, I’m performing, or I’m out on location doing some filming, or editing, or putting in work behind the scenes for other artists, I’m always on the move. I don't see it as a sacrifice more of an investment. My whole life is music. The only regrets I have are, umm well, they’re a few situations which I didn't handle right at the time. I don't really want to go in to specifics but I could have handled a lot of opportunities and situations a lot better. But life is for learning and I won't be making those mistakes again. Trust me!’ 

Hitctkoch would love to rock the Stage with Jay-Z, he explains, ‘like him or hate him, you can not deny his abilities, dude makes me appreciate music as an art, and show's me it isn’t just about pairing words together, it's a lot more. Look at all the best rappers these are all intelligent guys regardless of the persona they put out in the public eye. Just look at Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, all smart dudes! His ideal place to perform would be in ‘Africa’ specifically in ‘Ghana’.  
 

He is inspired by 2Pac who he says ‘definitely inspired me’, Jay-z for the flow, business sense, lyrics, style. ‘Hustlers inspire me, anyone that is not willing to just settle for the cards life has dealt them, and take a hold of the wheel and steer in their own direction are my inspiration. I'm inspired by creative people and like-minded people. I love to be around creative people, because they give me that spark I need’. 

In 5years time you’ll see him ‘back here with me doing another interview’, he continues ‘I aim to be in a much better place than I am in now, I want to take this as far as my God will let me go. I've got my company BreddWinnaz which is a management, production and record company. The aim is to build on that brand and acquire global recognition; I'm shipping out to the states next year for a few months to hook up with a lot of the links I’ve made. So I’m taking the brand out there with me’.

‘We set up BreddWinnaz Africa, which is a promotion company hosting events and promoting West African Artist. That is still in its baby stages so we aiming to get that running properly. We Taking BreddWinnaz global! I'm also managing the future of the R n B world. Maveriq in 5 years I want to see him touring the world, I want to see people that don't speak English singing the lyrics to his words!’

He is currently working on his debut EP entitled the ‘Kraft’ which is due for release 11/11/11 whilst managing and producing fellow label mate Maveriq’s EP entitled ‘5Star’.

For more of him you can check his material out via his Official Website, Youtube and Soundcloud, as well as contact him personally via Facebook and Twitter. 

Also Check out : 


HOLD ME BACK – FATAL HITCHKOCH ft Bee (BreddWinnaz)

LET’S MAKE MUSIC – FATAL HITCHKOCH ft MAVERIQ

Sam Khan - So Many Dreams

‘I was never encouraged to pursue my dreams I had to grab them myself’ says the North West London musician, Sam Khan who has had the pleasure of performing at some of the UK biggest urban platforms including JumpOff, The Sunday Show and ILuvLive when he’s not watching stand up comedy or watching contestants get fired The Apprentice. Not only has he received over 2 million Youtube hits, but he has also immense support from BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100 and BBC 1xtra for his latest EP 'So Many Dreams'. 

I thought I’d catch up Sam Khan himself to find out, where it started his sacrifices and ambitions.  

Like many musician, he recognised his talent for music from a young age, in his case, 8 years old. Sam loved writing poems, so he began working on verses and creating structures which allowed him to develop songs. ‘I enjoyed doing, it was how I dealt with a lot of things growing up.  Writing was always therapeutic for me, which is why called my first CD 'Me, My Pen and I'. I bought music equipment, built a home studio and the rest as they say is history!’

‘My ambitions motivate me as an artist. I want the world to hear my music and my story, I want to make other young people believe they can  strive for success regardless of their circumstances and that’s one of  the ideals of our brand 'B Somebody'. I've been through rough times but always maintain a positive attitude towards life. I  believe I've overcome problems, so I always aim to bring that message through in my music. When people tell me they can relate to my words and feel they are not alone, that gives me a great motivational feeling too.’

Although he;s performed at big industry events like ILuvLive, The Sunday Show, Astoria, JumpOff and other big festivals, he would say the the best place he's performed at would be 'at a high school for teenagers' aged 12 – 16 during their assemblies.' He explains 'I got a massive reaction, I told the kids to strive for whatever they believed in and because this is an issue close to my heart. As a kid I was never encouraged to pursue my dreams I had to grab them myself.  ‘

‘I feel like I have a chance to help others who are in the same position I was. B Somebody is not just about music,  its about inspiring people to positively believe they can do or be  anything, and so being able to make a difference to young peoples  outlook on life is the best feeling for me.’

                               

His influences include the likes of 2pac, who he refers to as an ‘early inspiration’. Kanye West he says’ I loved The College Dropout’. J Cole as he’s ‘feeling a lot of his tracks’ as well as other singers and songwriters and Lowkey, he says ‘I rate highly out the UK coz he has strong morals and is mad lyrical at the same time’ Overall his biggest inspiration is ‘life itself’ and the things he experiences.   

He would say that is biggest sacrifice has been ‘spending time on things other than  music’ such as more time socialising, reading, or just relaxing but he’s continued to work on prioritizing the different aspects of his life. ‘Because I’m an independent artist I can’t rely on other people to get me airplay and gigs, making tracks isn’t enough. I have to spend time making sure the music is heard, and this means I have to sacrifice other fun things I could be doing, but its all to achieve the end goal so its all  good! Making a sacrifice to make sure the music pushes forward will only serve to benefit my career in the long run’.

He believes that in the current UK industry ‘there's a space for everyone and everything, and depending on your goals, you can be successful as long as you persevere. The UK Urban scene has really risen and more rap is being heard in the mainstream which is great. There's always going to be different tastes and preferences but if someone is in the charts, or selling records, then there must be a demand for that so u can’t hate on it! The one thing I don’t think is correct from a moral perspective is when the industry exploits certain topics that aren't positive, just to sell records. I think people should remember their principles and if the message in the music isn’t something you would agree with yourself, avoid supporting it.’

In the future we can expect ‘a lot more tracks, music videos and performances, so watch out for all the new material’

You can now check out his Official Site, add him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

Fdot1 - Money MusicK

After opening for Omarion in Germany and opening for Mz Dynamite at the Brixton Academy, he has managed to create an eclectic fanbase spanning a multitude of continents including Europe, South and North America. Fdot1 - formerlyFloriginu1 and now known as Flo to many in the industry - is a producer originally born in Barbados, but raised in US, Canada and UK. Throughout his musical career, he has worked with a handful of familiar faces, as well as underground home-grown talents such as the pioneer graffiti artist 'Eros' whose artwork is featured in Flo's pictures. Flo's forthcoming 3 track EP is set for release March 2011, which will be followed by his album Money MusicK in 2011 which will feature artists such as Malarchi, Dray Delta, Stat-Us, 2-Amplified and neo-soul queen Kyra Simone. I thought I'd catch up with Flo himself to see where he gets all his inspiration from as well as where it all started.


When and where did your career start?
My career started back home in Barbados what seems like a million years ago.... back then I was making music with equipment last seen on Noah's Ark! My first gig in the UK was at Flava Of The Month, an event hosted & promoted by DJ 279 from Choice FM. Around the same time, I was a regular performer at Jonzi D (of Hip Hop Theatre fame) and TY's (UK hip hop legend) 'Apricot Jam'.

What is the best place music has taken to you to?

Wow, that's a tough one, but I'd have to say Munich, Germany opening for Omarion and Paris where I met and became friends with 'Eros' who is one of the pioneers of graffiti in France. Almost forgot, opening for Ms Dynamite at Brixton Academy... that was amazing!

In as much detail as possible, describe a typical day in the life of 'Flo' ?

My day starts usually around 8am (if I haven't been to bed late lol!), switching on my Power Mac & while it's loading I go get a cup of coffee, 4 sugars. I very rarely have breakfast so it's straight to work after saying goodbye to my kids or taking them to school.

I check my emails/Facebook/twitter etc whilst listening back to what I was working on the day/night before and making note of the things I need to change, vocally or musically. After that, I start editing like I work in CSI, picking apart the tracks keeping the good stuff and throwing out the rubbish, it's a non-stop quest for perfection.


I usually have several projects on the go at any one time. At the moment I'm working on a an album for UK rap legend Malarchi which involves recording and editing vocals then mixing the tracks. I'm also co-producing, editing & mixing an EP with Vivid Beatz who I do a lot of work with featuring up & coming London rapper Dray Delta.

Throughout the day I take breaks and check out videos/track on YouTube etc to check out the dare I say 'competition', see who's bringing that hot sh*t or on some bogus, weak, regurgitated nonsense because you have to remain aware of what's going on! I have to be honest, the industry does make me laugh at times.

After doing all that work during the day and sometimes most of the night, I usually crawl into bed between 1 and 3am. However, I have been known to be up for 3 days straight 'grinding' cause that's what needs to be done occasionally, if you want to be the best at what you do.

Now that's a typical day in the life of Flo, lol…..

Truthfully and as cliche as it sounds, I'm inspired by everything BUT if I have to name a few people musically, they'd be 2Pac, Bob Marley, The Roots, Mos Def, Dr Dre, Eminem, Durrty Goodz and Sizzla (both of whom I've produced for), DJ Premier, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo, James Poyser and Beethoven… Do you know what, there's simply too many to name, I just like artists that dare to be different.

What has been your best performance, and why?

It has to be a show I did in Brixton a couple years ago when the radio-mic stopped working & they couldn't find the battery or replacement mics so I stopped the music & finished my set acapella without a mic. That was the most appreciative crowd I've performed for cause they paid attention to the lyrics.


Do you think the music industry has change in comparison to 10years ago?

The industry has definitely changed, it's always been 'money motivated' but now the majority of music we hear sounds like it rolled off a factory production line. I think it's kinda sad really to see that most artists, singers, rappers and bands alike, are foregoing originality and creativity and simply 'following' trends and formulas. In short, almost every song is the same, lacking depth or substance and there's a lot of violent material… What ever happened to having a good time?
Instead of imitating what already exists, labels need to go back to finding the next UNIQUE artiste!

What advice would you give to up and coming musicians?

I'd advise any up and coming artists to work hard, persevere, focus and most importantly to be patient because it will be worth it in the end. Giving up is not an option, no matter how tough it appears to be to get YOUR music heard. Be prepared to compromise and experiment, but not to the point where you lose your creativity and 'sense of self' because more often than not, the reason people are attracted to you is because YOU ARE DIFFERENT…!!!

What can we expect from you in 2011?

Hell yeah! We got big plans for this year and beyond.

I finished editing, mixing and mastering my second studio album "Money MusicK" 2 days before Christmas at Abbot Street Studios (HUGE respect to the team there) and we're now in the process of doing the photo shoot, videos and artwork in preparation for it's release in April 2011. The album will be released on my own label fM Inc. featuring Malarchi, 2 Amplified, Stat-Us, Kyra Simone and Dray Delta. It also features production by Strat Carter (Barbados) & Vivid Beatz (London).

I'll be featuring on my homie Configa's next album "Inside The Echo Chamber", on a joint called "Pop Off" alongside Corporal Ass Kick out of Farrock, New Jersey and Serocee (UK/Jamaica) due for release early this year. Incidentally, I also appeared on Configa's last release "Configa Presents: Pac To The Essence Vol. 1" on "Dear Mama" Remix. The album was released on the anniversary of 2Pac's death last year and is available on iTunes. Almost forgot, the first collaboration Configa and I did together "Hot Off Da Press" (also available on iTunes) which was completed in less than 24hrs after we 'met' on Twitter, lol, that's a story in itself!


Also, keep a look out for Vivid Beatz collaboration with Dray Delta tentatively titled "Sonic Charged" which I am Executive Producer on. Not forgetting 2-Amplified's yet to be titled EP that I'm about to start mixing; Malarchi's album (me on Production again!) and also projects with Durrty Goodz plus two of the UK's hottest R'n'B vocalists, David Mensah & Kyra Simone.

There are a few more things I'm in the middle of negotiating but I'd rather not say until they're confirmed. So I guess you could say that 2011 is gonna be pretty busy for me and the fM Inc. team. Before I sign off I'd like to shout out my business partner Julez for all her hard work and support…, Julez you're the BEST..!!!

As you heard, Flo has a number of things in the pipeline for the forthcoming year, to keep up to date you can log on to his Official Site where you can also download his latest track Fyaaah. You can also contact him via his Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Youtube and you can also listen to all his latest tunes via Reverb Nation .