| CHARLIE SLOTH from London, UK |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by tricksta |
| Tuesday, 16 March 2010 11:30 |
|
When did you start making music and realise that you wanted to be a rapper? I first clocked I wanted to be a rapper when I first heard NWA's 'Straight Outta Compton' when I was like 9 years old. I didn't actually start making music though until I got to 16-17 There was not one but many, I was influenced by artist's like Rodney P, Ty, Biggie Smalls and Busta Rhymes just name a few. So how did you get your name? What’s the story behind it? As a kid I was always the one at the back when the old bill was chasing us so instead of me mates calling me fat and risking a tear up they come up with the nickname Sloth and man it just stuck!! So I embraced it and here we are today. Where exactly are you from and what’s the Hip-Hop scene like there? I’m from Camden Town, London. Hip Hop is on the up again in London I think the scene is growing and there is a healthy interest from the youth which is important. What projects have you released so far and what feedback from the media have you had? I released several projects with my crew the Grimey Limeys then my first solo project was Hard Being Good which was a free download and has had over a million downloads to date. I have also released many tracks in between. I have had good reactions from press with the likes of the source magazine calling me "UK's finest" Let’s talk about your latest project. Where can people get it, who features on it and who dealt with the production? My latest single "One More Drink" is out now on I-Tunes, Amazon etc and is produced by Dominic Owen. He is the guy who produced "Things Done Changed" for Biggie Smalls "Drugs" for Lil Kim as well as working with EPMD, Jay-z and Rakim. My new Free Mixtape is dropping in Feb and features all the best rappers from the UK and is produced by Dominic Owen How are you getting your project out there? Do you have a distributor involved? No at the moment everything is in house Mr DIY. For my album I have choices though in terms of Distribution. Is there a shop or website stocking and supporting your music? I have been getting support from many websites over the last year; I have not put any music out for sale par from my new single which is available now on I-Tunes Getting radio play is real gripe for a lot of Hip-Hop artists, but have you had any radio play? If so what DJ’s and stations are supporting you? Yes it's hard right now for Hip-Hop Artist's playing second fiddle to grime artists. I have been had spins from all the big players... Westwood, Semtex, Mistajam, Shortee blitz and Manny Norte. It's a hard fight but I can see 2010 being a much better year for Hip-hop Do you think that radio is still as important as it was in the digital age? It is no where near as important as it was because the generation of music lovers IE the kids don’t listen to radio but Radio still sells Singles and it is still important to get that radio play although the power is shifting every month!!! Dance/Electro/Club styled Hip-Hop seems to be the only Hip-Hop getting airplay on radio and TV. Do you think that to survive you have to change your music to fit in or do you think it’s more a case of moving with the times? Do you think the internet helps or hinders independent artists? Without the Internet we would still have people dictating what is good and so on the internet gives people there own choices it's opened the door for many independent artist's many can now reach fans on a shoe string budget!! If used right the internet can be a very powerful tool. Without the Internet I would not be able to do what I do period!! When it comes to making music what would you credit as your main motivation? My main Motivation is a better life for my family matched by a passion for the music I love, trying to create a lane for artist like myself! Image is very important! It’s the fans way of knowing who you are and what you represent! If you’re a Hip-Hop artist who dresses like a Goth then you going to stand out and on first look people will not recognize you as a hiphop artist!! Kind of the same reason big brands like McDonald's, Coke and others have colors and logos which stand out and let you know what the brand is!!! I think that any artist coming into the game these days needs a music video. I mean You Tube is one the most visited website in the world and it’s still a great way of promoting a track. Have you got any videos on there and have any of them actually got played on any TV Stations? What was the last album you brought and where do you buy your music? Is there a good record shop in your area or do you buy on-line? Last bit of music I bought was Mystro FDT EP and I bought it online, there are not many record shops around me these days!!! All my old regular shops have closed down :( That’s the flip side of the net you see it does good but it also does bad like closing record shops!! Is there anything you wanna add? Big up Tricksta, UK Runnings, Rago Magazine and don’t forget to get the ‘The Black Book CD’ it features over thirty of the UK's finest Artist's!!! Download it here for FREE!! http://www.charliesloth.com/v2/theblackbook Interview by Tricksta
|
| Last Updated on Thursday, 18 March 2010 00:20 |
