Skits9 - Skitsophenia Vol 1

In 2005 he featured on the notorious underground anthem Real-ion in alongside artists such as JME, Lethal B and Shizzle. This exposure open doors, giving him an array of platforms to perform across such as Deja Vu FM and Heat FM as well as stage shows across the country. Since then he has released 'G Rap A G Is Born', 'A Few Good Men', 'You Can't Handle The Truth', and on the 21st August he released his début EP 'Skitsophenia Vol 1'. Zeph formally known as Skits9 is a musician from Tottenham, North London who is also a model and event organiser for Streamline Entertainment.

I thought I'd catch up with Skits himself to find out more about Skitsophenia Vol 1 and his views on the current music scene. 

‘From as far back as can remember I’ve been doing music’ Skits replies when I ask him how and when he got into music, he continues, ‘I used to freestyle with Professor Green in primary school. Then in secondary school I gained mores exposure featuring on underground radio stations’. He highlights Heat FM and De Ja Vu as some of his early platforms where he showcased his musical talents. ‘I got my first feature on a track called Real-ion, which also featured the likes of JME, Flirta D, Napper, Neeko and many more. 

From there ‘I went on to feature on DVDs like Risky Roads, L.B.T.V, and loads more. 

I dropped a CD entitled ‘Skits9 G Rap A G Is Born’, featuring Shizzle, Mike GLC, Dj Ironik, and  many more. I try to merge grime - which is the scene of music I came from - with rap - which is the music I express myself in today - to create a g-rap’. I then dropped my promo CD ‘A Few Good Men’ followed by ‘You Can’t Handle The Truth’ featuring Corey Johnson, Chipmunk, Fresh and Ryder. Now I'm releasing my first free EP entitled ‘Skitsophenia Vol 1’ featuring Chocks the rapper which is now available via digital download. 

‘My poetry is real to me and I choose not to glamorise my music in the hope that it will sell. I believe i speak from my heart. If I speak about general issues and my life, as well as create good music, it will place me in a position where  I am different from the rest. I am motivated by the things I see around me, other artists that work with me - Random Impulse being one of them - and basically the drive to do better than those ahead of me in the game. I mainly feel my videos are doing it at the moment for me but I guess it can all change'.

‘I took some years out to sort out my attitude towards my music and to educate and re evaluate my surroundings’ he replies when I ask are there any sacrifices. He continues ‘ I don’t regret it. I’m wiser, smarter and a better person than I once was. Hopefully it can be seen through my music’.

Three songs that he really likes are  ‘Otis Reading - One More Day’ he explains ‘it’s like he spoke from his soul on the track. There’s so much pain and so much concentration in one song. Real music carries real emotion. The next is 'Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up’, he explains, 'it’s an inspiring song which always possesses the power to uplift me. Lastly ‘Max B - Tryna Go Home’, he explains ‘I think his life experience can be heard through his music. I really related to the vibe of the song so I decided to get Random Impulse to refix it and create my version.

'I believe that the UK industry has a lot of good musicians, good music, character, class and charisma. The UK industry will continue to strive and push the boundaries of music. The UK has come along way from just listening to rappers to becoming rappers.Three artists that I admire right now are Wretch 32, his poetry is outstanding to say the least and his music and swag are on point. Ed Sheeran, his talent and song composition is incredible, he’s truly inspiring. Lastly, a band called The Milk. They’re absolutely fabulous and I had the privilege of being invited to a few of their gigs'.

Skitz promotes himself via variety of different mediums that include Twitter, Facebook, blogs, videos, and shows. In the future you can expect ‘Skitsophenia Vol 2’, new vids , especially ‘Tryna Go Home’ filmed by UKoverstood as well as his new track entitled ‘Ready To Go’. 

Keep your ears and eyes peeled for more Skits ! 

Xploder - Line OF Fire

From being the centre of attention at family function to taking his music abroad to The Czech Republic and Italy as well as receiving major support from radio stations such as BBC 1Xtra, BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100 and Choice FM after the released of his EP ‘Line Of Fire' as well as being described as ‘an artists to look out for in 2011’ by BBC Radio 1 DJ Ras Kwame you could say this musician is destined to succeed this year.  Xploder is an up and coming musician from East London who has been pursuing a music career for just over 4 years.

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

Similar to many artists, Xpolder started, rapping and producing his own material underground. He then joined the infamous ‘Highly Rated Camp’ alongside Beckz Winter and his brother DDark as they shared the same ambitions to further their music careers, individually as well as a collective. The camp was a huge success and became recognised as an underground company, which then gave them the chance to appear and perform on UK pirate and internet radio stations such as Mystic FM, Deja Vu, Rinse FM, Heat FM and Axe FM.

Since then he has released two singles ‘Don’t Trust You’ and ‘So True’ which have both accumulated mass support and following in addition to being selected as an ambassador for the “I Am Awards” which aims to offer unsigned and self-releasing artists a platform to share their music. His name alone may come across as intimidating to most, but it’s simply an expression, that represents his unexpected talent.  He describes himself as ‘quite a reserved individual’ yet he is ‘known to astound music lovers with his explosive lyrical energy and musical abilities’.

’I'm a grime musician from East London, so I write and perform songs’ says Xploder  ‘From a young age I always used to be the centre of attention when it came to family gatherings whenever music was played. I remember singing and dancing around with a small toy cassette player that had a microphone attached to it. So music has always been part of my life.'

He would say that the best place his music has taken him has to be ‘abroad to Italy and the Czech Republic. He explains ‘seeing hundreds of people being able to connect to my music even with the language barrier, it's amazing trust me! He would say that he’s more interested in that fortune rather than the fame as ‘as it gives you the power to invest and build.’

‘My inspiration is my mum as she is such a hard worker, and has always made me believe that anything is achievable with working hard’. He is also inspired by a range of artists include Dizzee Rascal, Coldplay, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Michael Jackson, Nas, Outkast, Stevie Wonder and UB40. 

Four qualities he feels a good musician should have are ‘Consistency, organisation, focus and versatility. He says 'all these go hand in hand. Once you leave one of these elements out, you end up falling short. In the UK I think we’re all finding ourselves within the industry and understanding the infrastructure behind it. This is helping to boost the music we love and make to the forefront of the UK.  This definitely helps me as an artist, as it creates many avenues for me to get my music heard.’

’I promote myself in many different ways. For example, I have a good team consisting of a plugger, PR and booking agent. I also make sure my social networks are always buzzing with something. He says 'The most effective way to promote yourself as an artists is the internet.  You allows you to have unlimited access to a wide range of people instantly'.

Although his Line of Fire EP is out now via iTunes, in the future we can expect him to be ‘pushing a few single from the EP with visuals’ as well as a ‘single release and video for HYPE SHOW’

You can now contact Xpolder via his Official Site, Facebook and even follow him on Twitter.