L Momrelle - The Easy EP & Blue Bars series

Although he’s a full time student he dabbles in music part-time which has allowed him to work with over 25 up and coming artist from South London, namely MC Tigz and Bartoven. He says “as soon as I finish my degree this year music is going to be a lifestyle.”

L Momrelle is a musician from South London who plans to take his music career to the next plateau after his studies. I caught up with him to find out where it all started, who he’s collaborated with and his plans for the future.

'I'm a music producer from Lewisham; I've worked with loads of musicians from Lewisham and worked in 5 studios as a recording and mixing engineer.

'I mainly produce, but I dabble in everything music wise other than singing and dancing.'


'It all started Primary school; everyone would mess around rapping and beat boxing in the playground and rap to monophonic ringtones. Then in secondary school it just continued and over time progressed.

'I found that I was much better at anything creative like art, music and media than subjects like history, geography and science. So after my GCSEs I studied music technology at college and loved it which is where it all really started for me.'

‘When I make music, my focus varies, it depends on the situation.  Sometimes I'll have something in mind that I want to make so I'll focus on capturing a feeling, or sometimes I want to make something better than my last beat, so I try to outdo myself.'

'With the 2 projects I'm working on “The Easy EP” series and “Blue Bars series” I'm focusing on making good music with people from the borough - Blue Bars - and focusing on making the deepest music based on sampling - Easy EP.’

‘At the moment there isn't really a set audience, it’s just people that like my music so it ranges from young aspiring teens to adults. Ideally I'd like to appeal to everyone and anyone but more importantly I have to make what I enjoy making, so anyone that hears my stuff and likes it is my target audience.'

Some of his inspirations include Ryan Leslie, 40, Terrah Danjah and Davinche. He explains ‘Ryan Leslie and 40 - Drakes main producer - are big inspirations because in my opinion they’re the best, but I have respect for producers like Terrah Danjah and Davinche because they've done a lot for the scene I basically grew up in.'

He decided to take his music more professional during his ‘final year of university.’

He explains, ‘I felt I've secured "the normal" lifestyle, meaning I could have a stable job with my degree, but instead I want that to be something to fall back on. What I really want is to take my producing skills as far as possible and just do my best.'

When asked what 3 important qualities of a musician and why, he replies are ‘their personality, being genuine and being good at their craft,’ he elaborates, ‘it’s important to show personality because then people like the artist and not just the music.'

'Being appeal to appeal to a wider audience is important but, it’s just annoying when the person’s not genuine, like they're just trying to do music because its kool but they have nothing to say.

'If you’re trying to be a lyrical artist and your contents not good then it’s just not good! But if you’re trying to be a wavey mc and your contents wack but your mad wavey then you’re good. If an artist does all the above then they're good.'

When asked what we can expect from him in the future he says ‘Loads of collaborations, the “Easy EP” and "Blue Bars" series.

'A lot of work with MC Tigz and Bartoven - I'm feeling them at the moment - Grime, Rap and possibly some Bashment. Just expect the unexpected really...'

For more of L Momrelle log on to his Official Site, listen to his music via Soudcloud and Youtube and follow him via Twitter and Facebook .

Young Kingz - Road To Stardom

‘As far back as the age of 6 I remember me and Fari running around the house singing and pretending to be superstars’ says Zei one half of the duo Young Kingz from London. The duo grew up with music, using their Caribbean and American heritage to retell stories and issues embraced with U.K flows and concepts. They have had the pleasure of working with artist such as Lethal B, Double S and Timbar and are now in the process of releasing their forthcoming EP 'Road to Stardom' which will be available by November.

I thought I’d catch up with Young Kingz to find out their influences, meanings behind their alias’ and plans for the future.

‘We began to take music more seriously in 2008 and 2009 when we saw the amount of hits on our videos and songs as well as promising feedback from our mixtape. Says Zei, who explains how they made the transmission from music being hobby and now their career. He continues ‘it was these kinds of early accomplishments that proved we had the talent and the drive to reach new heights as artists. Since then me and my brother have undertook college & projects to expand our knowledge on music business & technology understanding of the industry.

‘A lot of our influence came from our father, who was also a musician and our role model. Naturally growing up with music side by side helped us to develop our love for entertainment and media. As far back as the age of 6 I remember me and Fari running around the house singing and pretending to be superstars’

‘Young Kingz was originally a group of 7 people, but no one else in the group was taking music as seriously as us. The work load got heavier and people started to drop out. Our music comes at a great cost at the moment. We make a lot of tunes with varied narrative and lyrics, currently the police our trying to take our away our right to perform because certain songs tell a harsh story of the world in the perspective of the urban subculture’.

‘Young Kingz is not only a music group it is a brand and lifestyle so we appeal to the urban scene specifically, as we take inspiration from our experiences. Anyone that falls under the category of the urban scene can relate to the concept of our lyrics. More broadly we appeal to people who enjoy quality Hip-Hop and R&B’.

Some sacrifices they've made include time and money, Fari explains. ‘Time is a precious resource to us, as we all know; the window of opportunity doesn’t stay open forever. So a lot of social luxuries get missed like parties and chilling out with friends. We take our music very seriously were always on time and stick to our word, after all this is music industry; you’re not going to go far if you cannot stick to the basics'.

'Our dad always told us we were Young Kingz throughout our childhood, so it stuck and we ran with it. All our fans have a Young king or queen inside them'. They go on to explain their alias’s individually.

Fari, symbolises our family as well as leadership. It being our last names & name of Haile Selassie Fari the last king.  Zei is pronounced Zee, as a kid a used to play the Saz and was pretty good, fom there, I developed the nick name ‘Saz Master’. The Saz is a musical instrument with Mediterranean origin in string family, with a pear-shaped body and a long neck. As I got older I got rid of the first 2 letters and was know by ‘Z’, the last letter of the alphabet, there have been letters before this but none after.

‘We’ve worked with a range of artists such as Timbar, Kraze, Lethal B, Hardpalm Dun, YoungStarz and Double S - Of Marvel Boys - we don’t discriminate on the basis of recognition but talent. So we have worked with some names that may not ring a bell. The tune we did Double S is still being debated when to drop and the date for our shoot with Lethal B is approaching’.

‘On a larger scale we are working towards releasing a pre-album 'Road to Stardom' which is a more censored and mass market piece, this should be available from November. Just a couple days ago we got the ball rolling on creating/directing a new single concerning the London riots. We have managed to get Nims Obunge behind us with this project and it’s looking promising. Those are the main releases; in the meantime we have about 6 videos ready to drop for our fans that will be out on the internet to progress our buzz’.

When asked their views on the current industry this is what they had to say. ‘I think music industry is in a tough state because of how the record labels and DJ's are operating. Instead of playing music based on talent they are basing it on how much buzz they got already’, says Zei.

‘It is a money thing now days, they don't want to spend as much money branding & promoting anymore. It’s more about how much money could be saved and made than making good music & selling it. With that said it seems like every week someone is blowing up, so that can only be a good thing for the U.K music. I think 'Ed Sheeran' is a very underrated artist his tunes are deep and banging! He’s a talented fella’... he’s next to go global’, says Fari.

Artist that they are inspired by include Busta Rhymes, Drake, Lil Wayne, Sizzla, Freeway and Ludacris. They explain ‘purely on the basis of natural talent, intelligence, wordplay, flow and lyrical insight. Listening to music of all these different genres and origins has definitely played a part in growing our sound'.

‘We are able to put together hooks, flows and concepts that combine U.K life with Jamaican and American influences, which makes us unique and gives us a diverse sound. Producers that inspire Zei to make beats are Dr Dre and Mannie Fresh! They’re the best in the game, with talent that seems to be unrestricted by ability’.

'We’re just going to keep doing us that means work & more work. We are always trying to improve as artists and true entertainers, so we looking to push the boundaries of music. Look out for ‘Road to Stardom’ the EP and stay up to date with all our videos dropping subscribe Youtube and follow us on Twitter. 

MC Tigz - The Coundown EP

After hearing him on SBTV’s Warm Up Session I was blown away by his lyrical ability. To date, the same video has received over 30,000 views and he is continuing to accumulate a large following on and offline. MC Tigz is a 19 year old musician from London who has been pursuing his music career since school. He is now in the process of realeasing his EP ‘The Countdown’ which will début later this month.

I thought I’d catch up with MC Tigz himself to find out what his music represents as well as why people should listen to him.

‘Predominantly I’m a grime MC but I do dither about with rap occasionally. It all started in the playground; people would gather in circles and spray the SAME lyrics for  30 minutes on the SAME beat’, this is where his music career stemmed from.

‘My music represents me, my experiences, my life and just my ideas but in audio form. I’m a simple guy.  A normal day for me consists of studio, Xbox, chillin with my music brothers because they’re my actual friends outside of music. I’m always on the look out for new music, from Drake, Lil wayne, Rick Ross and J Cole’.

When asked why people should listen to him he says ‘I feel as if I’m one of the few MC’s that actually care about being witty with words, having good metaphors and not just blurting out the 1st thing that comes to mind. I never tell lies in my lyric, no guns, and no murders. It’s all me, I’m versatile and make sure there’s definitely quality control with whatever I release’.

‘I don’t really tend to work with MC's a lot simply because I keep the majority of what I do within the circle I’m in. So the collaborations you will see will be with either my circle OR singers!’

Alike many artists he uses social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube to promote and publicise his work, which include his two previous mixtapes 'About Time' and 'Hard Way', he describes this as his ‘main avenues’ for promotion. He continues ‘the most successful video I’ve released is probably my SBTV warm up session video which got just under 30,000 views. It was successful because I released it under a good friend of mine Jamal Edwards. I used his Youtube account which is a good platform for up and coming artists!'

'In the future you can expect my music video ‘Superstar' produced by a close friend of mine L.Momrelle and my new CD called ' The Countdown EP' which will be out in September‘.  

Shadez The Misfit - Misfit Maximus

His performances at I Luv Live propelled him to the centre stage of the Channel 4 EVO Music Rooms where he was described as ‘one of the best unsigned acts’. Since then, he has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Drake, Cee Lo Green, Kelly Rowland, and B.O.B, so his dreams of featuring with Andre 3000 or The Noisettes may soon become reality. Shadez The Misfit is a musician from South London who has just released his début mixtape Misfit Maximus.

I thought I’d catch up with Shadez himself to find out more about where it all started, who his influences are and what he has planned for the future.

'Everyone has music in them. Only the gifted have the ability to share it with the rest of the world. I always saw music as a way of venting my thoughts and feelings and story telling or creating scenarios with melody’, he explained when asked what music meant to him and how he initially got involved. ‘I found it hard to keep a diary so I saw music as a way to illustrating my journey but also adding emotion with beats. It was purely me knowing that I can bring something different to the table so I decided to pursue it' in which hie means his career in music

He decided to take his music professionally in comparison to just being a hobby because of the ‘response from the crowds and people in general, he explained ‘I started out doing open mics events, performing at I Luv Live. I wanted to see how the crowd would respond. From there people started asking me for more material so that for me confirmed it all'.

He would say that one of his greatest achievements was wining Channel 4's EVO music rooms where he was described as 'one of the best unsigned acts'.  He explains 'this was a huge milestone which really impacted my career. It gave me a chance to perform alongside Plan B and the fun loving Criminals, music has taken me to a lot of places. I've been able to meet and be in the same room as people I consider to be great. I feel the best place is yet to come. I am still growing as an artist but  I’ve been fortunate to meet Jamiroquai, Drake, Cee Lo Green, Kelly Rowland, B.O.B and Tyler the creator.’

'I'm grateful to have worked with a lot of talented artists in music. Most recently I've worked with Ski Beatz who has produced for many US stars such as Jay Z , Curren$y and Jim Jones. I've also worked with Toddla T on the Redbull Mixtape.'

So would you say you've made a lot of sacrifices and if so there are any regrets? 'Yeah I have. I've made many sacrifices in life and in pursuing my music career. I feel my biggest sacrifice is sleep. It can be hard balancing music with your studies and living your life on a low battery. What's worse I'm a workaholic so I don't know when to stop or rest. I don't really have regrets or don’t see it as regrets, I call it learning life's lessons really. I strongly feel that if I didn’t go through those lessons, then I wouldn't be where I am now, knowing I have the opportunity to become something bigger than myself.'

He would say that is main inspiration is 'God', he explains 'I feel I owe my all to God after coming from a place where people doubt you and don't believe in you, to doors now being opened and being seen as a new influence in UK music scene. I feel that my prayers are being answered one by one'. He feels that another inspiration is 'life itself' although he has faced struggles, hurdles and negative experiences; they've each contributed to him as an artist giving him something to write and say. Also, he can't forget the' support from friends and family who always have his best interest at heart and inspire him to be better, especially his Mum!

Some words of advice he would give to up and coming musicians would be 'to understand yourself, there's no rush. In such a competitive market, knowing what you stand for and your niches are key for people to understand you as a character and as an artist. Always aim to do what has not been done, there's no point living your career being compared to others. Most importantly be yourself, don't try to be something your not, there's no need to live a lie   People like sincerity and knowing that the music is coming from you.

In the future he would love to work with Andre 3000, The Noisettes, J*davey, Muhsinah and Everything Everything. He says 'their sound and what they bring to music is very unique and I would love to see what we could make in the studio. This year has been great so far and there's still a lot more to come from the misfit in 2011. Expect more music and more visuals. I'm just trying to represent something which is not heard in the UK, good experimental music. 

You can now download Misfit Maximus via his Official Site, add him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

El Khaled - Leicester Choir Boy Aims For The Mainstream

'We’re bridging the gap between the US and the UK ' El Khaled replied when I asked his views on the current music industry, the same industry he's been hoping to break into since he could talk. At the age of 14 he played the lead role in the BBC2 documentary The Choir - Boy's Don't Sing which has now accumulated well over 3.5million Youtube views. Now at the age of 18 he's been inspired by the likes of Drake, Jay Z and Lupe Fiasco to further his music career. I thought I'd catch up with him to find out more.


When did your career start and how?

A few months back, I started up a little youtube channel of me recording other artists freestyles and such, and I knew I could rap and sing but I wasn’t really feeling to be the one in front of the camera until one day I just decided it was time to chase my dream 100% no holding back.

Considering the influx of up and coming recording artists, how do you keep on top of your game?

Work rate is the most important thing to me, you can be really really good at what you do, but if you’re not putting in the work then what does it count for? I try to work as hard as I can possibly push myself because as they say, there’s always someone working, while your in your bed sleeping!

If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your career what would be?

Nothing, everything that has happened to me, good and bad, has made me who I am today and I wouldn’t change my position or who I am right now for anything.


What was the last album you bought and how important is it for you to buy music?

Wiz Khalifa’s “Rolling Papers”. I think it’s really important to buy music because you’re showing your support to the artist and you’re keeping the music alive as well as supporting, which everybody who listens to music needs to do I think.

What are your views on the UK music scene and what do you feel you can bring to it?

It’s a good point at the moment I think, I mean we’re bridging the gap between the US and the UK quite nicely with Tinie Tempah and Chipmunk collaborating with US artists so I think the UK scene is getting the recognition it deserves at the moment.

I think I could bring a fresh new type of artist to the scene, an artist who is simply not confined to one skill - rapping or singing - but brings to the table both skills with equal talents in both areas, rather than simply being a rapper who can sing or a singer who can rap, but an artist who is working on perfecting both crafts..


If you could perform with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

Most likely Jay-Z because he’s been my music Idol for so long now and is such an inspirational person aswell, so being honoured to share the stage with him would just be amazing!

What can we expect from you in the future?

My mixtape is set to come out July 1st but things are moving quite fast so could be sooner! I’m going to flood youtube with more and more videos and just generate a buzz around my name so the question on everyones mouths across the UK and eventually the US will be “Who the f*ck is El Khaled?”

For more of El Khaled you can find him via Youtube or contact him personally via Facebook.

What Do You Know About Nayta?

Although he was laughed at by his brother's friends when he spat his first '11bar' at the age of 10, he didn't let that stop him. Since then he has worked well known industry professionals, featured on Tim Westwood's Radio 1Xtra Show and now has his own music video Friday on Channel AKA. Nayta is a recording artists from East London, who is determined to 'open up' the UK music scene. For Nayta, music is his 'diary, lover, friend, brother, sister and his everything'. I thought I'd catch up with Nayta to see where his career started, as well as what his forthcoming plans for 2011 are.


Where did your music career all start?

When I was 10 years old I used to watch the midnight sets my brother held on a saturday evening with his crew Kaotic Trench. I continued to watch them until someone bought me Dizzee Rascal first album "Boy In Da Corner" for my 11th birthday. From then on I started listening to Rolldeep & Nasty on De Ja Vu. I vividly remember writing my first lyrics after hearing Dizzee on radio getting crazy reloads and hearing the amount of hype in the background. I just wanted to be someone that everybody listened to aswell. I wrote my lyrics, but kept it to myself until that saturday evening came. I spat my first verse and got laughed at by all of my brothers mates for spitting an '11 bar', but I continued writing and kept improving. By the age of 13 I was known by many of my peers in every school in Newham. I started getting involved in MC clashes against the year 11 in the school playground, every time there was a huge audience. At 14 I was taken to a youth club called YAP where I went every friday and was introduced to Brutal, Griminal, and some other young Grime MC's at the time. By 17 I was on the Tim Westwood show.

What sacrifices have you made in your career?

As a student I was always sacrificing school time for music time. I'd be writing lyrics in Maths and Science, when I was meant to be doing Mock Exams. However I did leave school with A*'s, A's, & B's. My mum wanted me to go College and study Law, English Language, & History. I knew such intensive learning would distract me from my music, even though I left with the grades I did I still only just made it through school. Being an Actor aswell, I decided to study Acting at the Broadway Theatre instead. Since leaving the Broadway I've been in the studio nearly everyday since February 2010, no exaggeration, ask anybody who knows me. (PS: I do not encourage kids to skip school for studio at all, get those grades in!)


Describe your style in one sentence?

Music with rapport.

Name 3 artist you aspire to be like and why?

I don't aspire to 'be like' anybody as such. However 3 artists I am influenced by in terms of their achievements and/or music/lyrics would be Jay-Z & 50 Cent for their songs, lyrics and outstanding business minds, & Drake simply because of the way I always relate to the things he has to say, not to mention his natural talent.

What are your views on the current UK industry and what do you feel you can bring to the scene?

Well, the scene is what it is. I don't want to individually name artists I do or don't rate but some spots are well deserved, some spots are being filled by people who aint really got much to say in terms of substance. Only I can understand this answer fully, but I'm looking to open up the scene in terms of intercrossing genre's from Grime to Pop to Rap to Jazz and etc.


How has your life experiences influenced you as an artists and who are your perspective audience?

There are way too many life experiences to mention. From working for charity to losing 6 of my friends, every little thing that's happens to me I put into my music one way or another. Music is my diary, my lover, my friend, my brother, my sister, my everything. I wish people could understand what I mean when I say I've got this fire in me. As for perspective audience, I'd say I want to reach everybody from the ages of birth to death.

Where is the best place music has taken you to?

Mentally, the stars.

Physically, Factory East Music Group - that's my family, that's our base FEMG all day!


What have you got planned for 2011?

I don't want to blow my cover, but watch out for ALOT of videos from me this year, + shout out to all my Grime followers I will come back this year just bare with me please. Watch out for the 'Friday' video on Channel AKA with my boy/brother from another mother MiniSparks. FEMG all day you know what it is.

For more of Nayta, you can contact him via his Facebook, or you can watch his latest video Friday.

Hector Artist - The Revealed Chronicles

Hector is an up and coming musician and entertainer from South London. He was once a former member of the Grime collective Regal Players who released the single Rudeboy in 2005. Since then, Hector has been pursuing and pushing his dream in the music industry, I thought I’d catch up with him to talk about his progress in the scene.


Tell me a bit about yourself and how you got into music?

When I was younger, my mother used to play a lot of soul in the house. As I got older I used to sing, but when I reached the age of 15, garage was around and collectives such as Heartless Crew, So Solid and PAYG were controlling the scene. Encouraged by my cousin, I began to take up the rapping side of things and branch out my skills.

After many years of practising in youth clubs, I was approached by a record label called Frog Music who signed up my team “Regal Players”. We had an underground hit in 2005/6 with a track called “Rudeboy” and I branched out to do some more work, in television, on the Paul O’Grady show.

Years on after focusing on other aspects of my life, I’m back doing what I love… making music and pursuing my career in the television industry.

Most of how I started out can be found on a track I have on now released mix CD “Revealed Chronicles”. The track is entitled “My Journey”. I chose such a name for the CD as I wanted to disclose anything I have held back over the years, including old material. That that this CD has been released I will we working with many other artists and experimenting more with my music.



What messages to you try to convey through music?

Be yourself and stand strong in the decisions you make.

How would you say you’re different from other artists?

I paint a picture when I rhyme. I tell a story. Most tracks I create are guaranteed to leave you thinking, so much so you might just have to reload it lol

When do you think its right for other musicians like yourself to make the transition between taking music as a career in comparison to a hobbie?

I think when you yourself know you have a decent fan base that are true to you and you know you put your all into what you write and your performances, then that’s when you need to make the transition from music as a hobby to an actual career.



Which of artists do you aspire to, and are there any similarities between you?

I’d say Jay-Z and Drake are artists I aspire to. I am often compared to the likes of Kano and Ghetto, I usually think it’s because of my diction and clarity, but what ever the reason, they to are good artists, so I turn the negatives to positives and see it as a compliment lol

If you weren’t doing music what would you be doing?

If I weren’t doing music right now, I would be pursuing a career in either television or radio. I love the media and I love to be centre of attention!

Describe your experience as musician in one sentence?

Remarkably gifted and fortunate to have had so much experiences.


For more of Hector, you can follow him via his Twitter, Facebook or Myspace pages.