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Q&A With Norwich Based Hip Hop Artist Reds

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Hey Reds! We appreciate and love your new cutting edge UK Hip Hop sound, real recognize real!. Please tell us how many years have you been making music? Also, how did you come up with your artist name?

Thanks and big up that’s appreciated. I’ve been making music around 15 years although a lot of people don’t realize that as it hasn’t always got much exposure. The name started out as ‘Redeye’ , it was what I used to tag when we were messing with graffiti and I also DJed under that name. People that I was hanging with just started shortening it to ‘Reds’ and it stuck ever since…

Tell us a little bit about your city Norwich… How is the Hip Hop scene there!?

I love our city and it has a solid musical history but as it’s not one of the places considered ‘cool’ not everyone checks for us. A fair few heads moved to London and tried to pretend they never lived in Norwich but we see them fronting! Round here artists like Def Tex and DPF broke through in the 90s which got kinda knocked down the door for the rest of us since, and we have quite a fragmented scene but everyone knows of each other and collaboration happens where possible. The most active crew currently is Music Lessons but there are loads of people doing their thing, from rappers to producers and radio shows/ podcasts etc. we also have some decent grime artists, reggae sound systems and some big boy drum n bass producers so its pretty healthy musically.

The UK underground Hip Hop scene is amazing!!! Too many dope emcee’s out there! What is separating you from all the other up and coming MC’s for out there.

Yeah man it’s in a good place right now. I think my style is kinda different from most of my peers really, from voice to delivery and writing style you can always tell me apart so I’m happy with that.

Tell us about your Hip Hop and/or music influences? I honestly have a huge UK Hip Hop influence, and his name is JEHST!! This dude was the artist that made me really appreciate real UK underground Hip Hop! Ever heard of him?

Of course man! Jehst is part of an era of UK rappers that influenced a lot of people, and I’ve been on the same lineup as him at shows a couple of times, his pen game is nice. My influences come from a mixture of reggae, hip hop and UK sound system culture. Especially artists that have combined those elements like I try to do, so artists like Gunshot, London Posse and Skinnyman. I also grew up on Cypress Hill, Wu Tang and Mobb Deep like a lot of us did!

Please breakdown the creative process of your new album “Crowns and Camo”.
This joint came about through the help of my good friend and producer/engineer Gav Whitting and his EADubs studio. I would pass through every session with a lyrical concept and an idea of what drums and melody sounds I wanted and he would piece it all together throwing his ideas in to the mix with mine. Then when we had a skeleton of the track I would lay the vocals down and he would mix it and we could add the final touches.

Your honest opinion, out of all the songs on the project, which is the one song you feel stands out the most!?

Well the one that has got the most feedback is ‘2004’ , probably because it has that nostalgic feel and all the bars are 100% true so people who know us from then appreciate it. Personally though I feel ‘Sweet Chariot’ stands out the most, it’s a unique blend of dancehall ragga and hip hop and the combination of voices gets me amped. The style of delivery that Shabazz The Disciple comes with on that joint is something different to the rest of his work so it felt like we were breaking new ground when we made that one.

We noticed you’re pretty quiet on social media. Do you have a IG account?

That’s true, I have facebook and twitter so people can reach me but on the whole I feel like constantly posting mundane stuff and every brain fart you have is kinda corny. I don’t have an IG! I think that stems from when we were younger and some of the stuff we got up to it wasn’t wise to take pics as it was incriminating.

If it came down to 1 ALBUM only, what underground Hip Hop album would you consider THE BEST OF ALL TIME!!!???……One 1 album you can choose.

36 chambers!

Here it is! Our most popular question! What is your definition of “underground hip hop”?

To me ‘underground hip hop’ is the culture that exists outside the mainstream industry bubble. It’s the artform that is all around us but you have to scratch the surface to find it because it’s not going to be spoon fed to you by your TV or radio.

Lastly, and shout out?

Peace to everyone who checks for the album. Also shouts to DPF, Lyrical T, TSK, the whole ASML gang, EA Dubs, J.O.E, Franko Fraize, Littleface and all original Brains Kan crew….one…..

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Reds – “Crowns and Camo” (Album Review)

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When most people hear the words “Rap” or “Hip Hop,” they probably don’t associated it with the UK, instead thinking of West Coast, East Coast, and Southern rappers, as those tend to be the three biggest regions for cultivating style and sound. Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta: those are the cities were legends are made. But straight out of Norwich is Reds, who is here to put the United Kingdom on the rap radar with his latest album, “Crowns and Camo.”

Reds has an undeniable talent for the craft. His ability to weave words together is unlike most artists I’ve listened to recently. His flows are calculated and precise, his vocabulary is easily above average, and his vocals put on display the exact emotions he tries to reflect in each of his songs. For those who are familiar with half a decade old battle rap, the name Shotty Horroh might mean something to you. Reds has a style that is unique but reminiscent of Shotty, not just because of their similar accents and regional upbringings, but because of their “aggressively laid back” delivery, as I choose to call it. It’s a style that openly states superiority and dares you to challenge it, but without being overtly derogatory or abrasive. Walking that line is not the easiest thing to do, but it’s great to hear when done correctly.

“Crowns and Camo” isn’t all great, though. I found just about every single instrumental used in the album to be rather basic. Often times they seemed like 4 bar loops with little change throughout the duration of the track. That doesn’t engage the listener very easily, which is what we should want from our more lyrical artists. I’m also not a huge fan of EDM and throbbing basslines, but that can be considered artistic style. I just don’t personally feel like the use of EDM sound added anything to the album.

I listened to “Crowns and Camo” a handful of times, each time diving a little deeper into the individual songs and finding both things to love, as well as things that could be done without. Regardless of how I feel about the project, it’s definitely one that true Hip Hop heads should give a spin.

Rating: 7/10

Highlights: Flow, Lyricism

You can find Reds on Bandcamp and his crew on Youtube.

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Albums/Mixtapes

Reds – “Crowns And Camo” (Album)

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Straight out of the bubbling Hip Hop in the UK, Norwich based underground Hip Hop artist Reds releases his new highly anticipated album titled “Crowns And Camo“.

 

A product of the UK sound system culture, Norwich based Reds earned his stripes holding the mic at some notorious raves in an era filled with crazy characters and a spirit of rebellion that has shaped his approach to music ever since.

By the early 2000s he had founded his own imprint Chronic Redeye Music and started street -level distribution of a unique brand of reggae influenced hip hop, designed to boom out of big bass bins and give a snapshot into a lifestyle that operates outside the mainstream bubble and often the law in general. Despite the disregard for industry acceptance, his work started getting airplay from BBC Introducing, Itch FM and Kool London amongst others.

Over the years a stream of street albums, mixtapes and EPs has seen him work with a number of US artists such as Hell Razah, Big Noyd and Bronze Nazareth alongside a host of British counterparts. In the early days HHC magazine described Chronic Redeye Music as ‘’the real deal’’ and this new album is more proof that they made the right call.

Weighing in with a hefty amount of solo tracks and produced entirely by in-house Red Wok Productions, Crowns and Camo is perhaps the most focussed project from Reds to date. Each song is designed to play its part in a sonic journey that combines golden era craftsmanship with a modern take on production. The range of styles all carry the DNA of the artist’s sound system influences and picking away at the layers you will find heavy bass and drums, intelligent wordplay and minimal but clever synth work creating a dancehall reggae meets rave soundscape in a hip hop package. Guest spots on Crowns and Camo were a careful consideration. Affiliated artists from inside the
camp such as DPF and Lyrical T rightfully take their place on the project, but other notable appearances include the two tracks with Shabazz The Disciple. The Sunz Of Man/Gravediggaz legend creates a unique chemistry both heavy on the rhyme skills and raw reality content. The unmistakeable sound of Irish rogue Rob Kelly can also be heard as he rounds the album off in typical heavyweight fashion.

If the works of the underground and under-rated artist known as Reds have so far passed under your
radar, now would be a perfect time to step into his world and explore…

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