Fonzie - Drank In My Cup

'Football is my wife and music is my side chick' says. Fonzie the 22 year old member of the music collective Non Stop which includes Magic, Handles and D-1. Fonzie is a musician from West London who ironically picked up a mic and decide to pursue career in music only 4 months ago after his 1st performance at iLuvLive. Since then he has continued to release music such as Drank In My Cup and I Get Fly Girls' via YouTube.

I thought I’d catch up with him to find out who is audience is, the best place he’s performed and his plans for 2012.

‘I have fun with my music’ says Fonzie when he’s not gaming on skateboarding or playing football. I got my alias from my dad we used to watch "Happy Days" and he just used to say I’m cool as Fonzie, so i took that and never went back.

‘I’ve always been interested in it so 4 months ago I picked up a mic and thought "let me give this a try.  A lot of the artist these days are too serious and forget to be themselves, so I think they all tend to be the same.’

‘I try to aim at everyone when making music. I used to be on the road thing so I know what those who hustle are going through. I stopped because I started to see my brother was following in my foot steps and I didn't want him to go down that road.’

‘I’m a laid back cool guy so I do, do some tunes for the cool dudes. I was also brought up in a house full of women, so I tend to know what they are going through as well, so generally I just try and make music that EVERYONE can relate to.’

One of the best places I’ve performed at would have to be ‘iLuvLive, because it was my first performance’ He continues, ‘I was drunk so everything sounded on point, but I got mad positive feedback so it’s all good’ he laughs.

I think in this industry, ‘artists should be their own person. Everyone’s talking this gun thing or drug thing which is messing the minds of young people. Artists should definitely change their tune and talk about something else; everyone doesn't have to know you’re a “roadman”.

He would advise up and coming musicians to ‘NEVER STOP WORKING’

‘In 2012 you can expect to hear my name everywhere. Not just my name though, also my team Non Stop which includes. Magic, Handles and my producer D-1, look out MAYNE!!’

You can now follow him via Twitter and Facebook  as well as check out his music via Youtube. 

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.