A.B: Entertaining the Underdoggs

Glasgow MC raps with a ferocious energy that can’t be tamed. It’s no surprise when you look at what’s happened to him in his life - a car accident at 14 left him with a stutter and four years later he was stabbed and left fighting for his life. “At that point I said that if I live, I will fulfill my dreams and I will get back at everyone who tried to do me wrong. So now it's time to forget the pain, and run to that finish line where success is impatiently waiting for me.”

Success is definitely A.B.’s goal, and so far he’s managed to get himself signed to Underdogg Entertainment: “Hydro (label boss) saw how determined I was, and I showed him how much I want this. Hip-hop is what I am and what I will always represent, so 'Dro signed me up. We're more like a family now, we all stick together and continue fighting on.”

“At the moment, I’ve been concentrating on releasing my mixtape Hip Hop Versus Me. The way the brothers do it in the States is that they jump on several instrumentals and release them weekly. Mixtapes are vital. 50 Cent, The Game, and Li’l Wayne all killed it with their mixtape joints, jumping on different artists tracks and twisting them, making them their own.”

“America is where its happing. They're the ones that are selling millions. No MC in the UK is making that serious money, so we need to follow the best and do what the best have done.”

But A.B isn‘t just trying to emulate the success of American stars - he’s still got an authentic element to his tracks that comes only from his experience of day-to-day life in Glasgow. “The MC's in Glasgow are doing their thing. But my only concern in this game is me. I write about myself and my life. I keep it real. My flow is different and I produce music that will touch people. Many people go through the experiences as I have, so if I’m spitting about my life, people feel that.”

“I began rapping at the age of 14. So many unlucky things hit me at a young age, so I would write about what I felt, what I saw, and what I learned. It was more like a poetry diary. I still read it now and again. At 18 I was stabbed a number of times in Glasgow. Glasgow's a harsh place, you’ve got to be tough living here. This hurt me physically, but more emotionally, as it was racially motivated.”

It’s the level of emotion that goes into A.B’s work that really makes it stand out. “Every beat brings me different kinds of emotion. When I'm rapping, I'm telling a story of what I felt about that particular issue at that particular time. My shit is flowing with emotions.”

“I have old school beats and commercial beats - things you might just want to dance to, and things you might just want to blaze up to. All the lyrics are written by myself, with a real addictive flow that's completely different from your average MC. I have my punch lines and certainly many metaphors. I try to make my tracks entertaining.”

A.B refers to himself as a “sure thing,” and it’s with confidence and determination. “I got a lot going on. I want to do an EP by the summer and build my name up, get some features from well known artists, and just carry on with what I need to do. No time for rest.” With his mixture of plans and energy, the future bodes well for A.B.