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Lowkey |
Living life in the key of Low
INTERVIEW: LOWKEY
LOWKEY is conflicted.
He’s a rapper who likes rock, a theatre studies student who prefers politics and he’s got a love-hate relationship with the internet.
He’s outspoken about the Middle East, but although he’s got Arab roots, he doesn’t want to be undermined by his background.
But this 22-year-old Brunel University student is surprisingly clear-minded.
On his first live open mic night in front of a crowd of hungry MCs, Lowkey had to battle for his name after confronting a rapper called Loki. He won, and the rest is history.
He recently hooked up with members of Reverend and the Makers, Babyshambles, Arctic Monkeys, Skinnyman and a rabble of MCs for their project, Mongrel. The album, Better Than Heavy, was released on Wednesday (yesterday).
The Mongrel collaboration includes three of Lowkey’s own tracks, but he brought in new MCs to rerecord them.
He said: “I’ve got not-very-well-known MCs involved. There’s one kid from Margate, Mic Righteous – one of the best rappers I’ve ever heard. He hasn’t got a heap of exposure so he’s on the album.”
And he doesn’t chase fame: “I hope to be a bridge for other peoples’ success,” he says. “Mine will be measured by people that come after me. I’m not necessarily aiming for number ones.”
On working with John McClure, of Reverend and the Makers, he said: “This project was a whim John followed through 100 per cent. In England, people very rarely follow their whim because people are paralysed by fear. John took this and said let’s do it.”
Lowkey, whose real name is Kareem Dennis, has been rapping since he was 12. He said: “You improve the more you perform. That’s why it’s sad the internet and TV has taken over. It doesn’t help hone your skills on open mic nights but it does get you heard. Some artists haven’t done any shows. Open mics make you a million per cent sharper – that’s why I go on the radio and spit 100 beats.
“The internet is a blessing – without it I wouldn’t have found out about certain artists. But it does take away from the artist and it does cheapen the artist. It’s so accessible it’s like music is just becoming ringtones. Music is for the soul.”
His advice for beginners: “Work out who the biggest players are, the casemakers – DJs, MCs, media, Radio 1, labels.
“Go where they play, talk to them, give them your CDs.”
He laments the decline of open mic nights, which he says are virtually non-existent now, adding: “I set up a night – The People’s Army – and it was free but it was hard. We wanted to bring the MCs to the industry but the industry and media are reluctant to come to Brixton.”
Lowkey, who wants to switch courses to International Relations because theatre studies is “pretentious”, said: “I’ll always mention Palestine. It’s basically genocide. One side of my family is Arab and mixed. It shouldn’t matter where I’m from. I’m a human being and these people are human beings.”
He recently recorded a song with Logic – Dear Listener, out on November 10, from the perspective of two young boys, one growing up in Iraq and one, who joins the British army.
He said: “It’s saying we’re all human beings and we’re all related.”
Lowkey will be joined by John McClure and Drew McConnell from Babyshambles at the Electric Proms at the Barfly on Sunday (October 26).
For more information see www.bbc.co.uk/electricproms/ |
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