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Steg G is a name who has been putting in work for mad years, which is why it was such a pleasure to hear that he had a new production CD out. We always try and support the Powercut Productions releases, because we know these dudes are real. Steg G is reppin Glasgow, Scotland to the fullest but now has an album with international appeal as it features Royce Da 5’9, Craig G from the legendary Juice Crew, Stig Of The Dump and more. Tricksta went to get the latest about this release and get a vibe on the super producer that is Steg G.

Thanks for that man... Yeah its took a while getting everybody on the same page but overall I'm happy with it and I’m glad the tracks are out there in the world getting heard, cause it took a while getting this record finished.

Yoooo… Craig G, Juice Crew! I didn’t see that coming fam!!! You hit me sideways with that shit LOL!! Tell me how this all come about.

Well I first met him at the Brooklyn Hip Hop festival in 2007, he was out there with Marley Marl performing and I introduced myself and said I was a fan but not Stan and after exchanging details we linked again a few months later and made the track.  I grew up listening to the Juice crew so it was a real honour for me to work with him. Craig G is the type of dude who is just real forward thinking and progressive and he is always down to build with like minded people.  He's a real hard working and humble dude.

Royce Da 5’9 is a big look too, as is the fact it’s got veterans like Respek BA, Freestyle Master and Stig Of The Dump. Did you plan all the MC’s who where going to be on the album before you did it?

Nah man, I never really planned to make an album, I was just shipping beats around and building my network just linking with talented folks and it just kinda happened, before I knew It I had a bunch different   tracks with a bunch of different emcees on them which I new was dope so we put it together and made the album.

I suppose I’m a big fan of rappers, and in  particular the off the dome battlers who can come correct with the wit and the punchlines so it was a no brainer for me to link with Big Stig and Respek BA both of which are veterans of the battle circuit.   Once I got Royce on a track I knew I wanted to get Big Stig and Freestyle Master on there as there as well because ,as well as being some of my favourite rhymers, all of them cats on that track are known lyricists known for bringing the heat with the lyrics.

What’s your favourite tracks on the album and why?

This prolly sounds like a cliché or a cop out but every one of them joints on the album has got a lot of memories for me and a different story behind it, so they are all special, but it was good to be working with legends Like Craig G and Royce.

Yeh man, I was pleased to see you stepped up your game man. Do you think that maybe internationally Powercut could move forward more by working with US guests?

I go out to New York regularly as I got people out in Brooklyn and they were saying to me for ages that they were feeling the beats and rhythms but they just couldn't get their head around the Scottish accent on the tracks cause they were so used to hearing east coast rap, so it was as conscious decision for me to try and do something with other accents on my beats to see if that would open up our sound to other markets and so far so good, its getting my music to a wider audience.

Now I can’t remember when you started Powercut, but I know you pretty much been sending us records for time. How do you find the industry now compared to like when you started the label?

Hahaha yeah man we be going for a while now and I got to say that things is mad different since we started the label, for instance no more tapes or vinyl and no more record stores, . These days the major labels don't have the industry locked down any more and they are a dying off or sizing down.  You always hear people  saying the internet has killed the industry but for us as an independent label it has levelled the playing field and helped us to market and distribute our records worldwide, something that back in the day you would have needed to sell your soul to a major to achieve, and these days if you got good product and you put it out there the music blogs and sites will run with it and do a lot of the promo for you, with official “Leeks”, These days you just got diversify your income streams and not rely on record sales alone.

How the scene in Scotland? What’s the Glasgow scene like and is much happening in Scotland outside Glasgow?

Glasgow’s cool, it’s got a diverse music scene and it has a rich musical history, although when it comes to Hip Hop music it has took a while for the people to get used having and supporting local talent. I think its because of the Glaswegian accent on the beats, like I said earlier, I love it and I'm always going to represent that but most people are more used to hearing an American accent rhyming on beats, and then when they hear a local accent it can sound a bit strange to them, it takes a while for folks to get over the accent thing and check beneath the surface to hear the messages and the art. Thankfully most folk have overcame these barriers these days and are now appreciating and supporting local Hip Hop artists. Most of the other cities in Scotland are the same, and slowly more artists have been perfecting their craft, and breaking into the people’s consciousness, but it’s been a slow process across the board.

You DJ too right? You still doing much of that?

Yeah I DJ regularly. I got a radio show every Saturday night here in Glasgow (www.sunnygovan.org ) and I also teach it as a day job so I’m either playing or making music, and that DJ mentality helps to shape my music in the studio.  I got a new club night popping off in the new year which will be Hip Hop based, although I’m spinning more diverse sets these days which include Dancehall, Skweee, Bmore Club,  Dubstep and everything in between.

So lets talk UK, or no, infact lets talk English Hip-Hop for a second. Do you feel that being in Scotland you face a certain ‘snobbery’ from English acts? Nah mean? Do you feel even though Scotland is part of the UK geographically it doesn’t get enough love in the UK media?

Yeah it does seems like that... there is a lack of confidence within UK Hip Hop when it comes to supporting its own home grown music, people would rather spend there money and give column inches to some over rated American artists than going and dropping a few quid and supporting some local emcees , it seems like the local artists ain't cool or credible enough to be supporting, and this shit happens right across the UK and includes London acts, and this is with the media mainly based in London.  Now here comes a wee crew from Glasgow with big balls and ambition trying to get some shine in the capital but no matter how good and credible our music is there is still very little support, if the media doesn't believe in and support English acts there's no way that a London based media is going to support something from up north.  And I do feel like that we have faced a little snobbery from a few English acts, but game recognise game as they say and the real artists will always build regardless of geography and location, and were always building with English acts cause there's a lot of talent out there.

Who you feeling from England at the moment?

I’m a big Fan of Chester P, I was trying to get him on the record but it just never happened in time, I still want that to happen so lets make that one for the next record, Juice Aleem is also one of my favourite emcees, he’s sooooo underrated people need to wake up and check the man cause he's one of the finest in the Country on wax or live on stage.  I’m also feeling Big Stig, Sonny Jim, Million Dan, my man Spee 6'9, and not to sound like an arse licker but I been a fan of LATE for a while, that last joint of his 'Just Me' is dope, and on the underground I'm really feeling a band called Chronic Red-eye, I don't know much about them but they been sending me up tunes for a while and they're dope, so people should check for them.

Any plans to drop any singles, remixes or videos?

To be honest probably not from Vulgar Eloquence as we got the next Steg G & the Freestyle Master album out soon, and a few other remixes and things, but we do have one more video to release soon from the album so look out for that early in the New Year.

Okay where can people buy the album?

Yeah you can go and cop it from Itunes, Amazon and direct from us at the label www.powercutproductions.com its easy its simple now GO BUY THAT

Steg, got to say man, I see you fam, and on a real much love from Tricksta and everyone at Rago & Wolftown. Anyone you want to shout out before you miss?

Big shout to everyone who contributed to the album, shouts to my girl Paula,  shouts to Freestyle Master, Mighty Zed,  Spee, the whole  Sunny G crew , Loki,  Griddy, BA , Riddlah , Toastie Taylor, Tricksta & Late and the Wolftown crew, my crew  in Glasgow, and  my  Brooklyn  peeps .

Interview by Tricksta
www.myspace.com/trickstawolftown