Sweet Urban Beats: East Coast Aesthetics (Web version)
Alex Burden and Ian Brandon talk spirituality, television presenting and growing up in Westerhailes with brother and sister hip hop group Sweet E and ODC.
| 13 Oct 2006
Are there really too many rappers and not enough beats, as Edinburgh-based Sweet E and ODC claim? Scotland's urban and hip hop scenes have witnessed a definitive upturn in recent years, and A&R eyes are swiveling this way, but the suggestion of a surplus is enough to spur any serious musician on in an industry call-to-arms.
The brother and sister partnership have been making music for nigh on ten years, slogging it out and producing beats and rhymes that have attracted the attention of a number of artists and fans alike. Their style borders on a mix of hip hop, soul and accapellas, and there's a hint at the lyrical style and attitude of Dizzy Rascal who has taken the UK by storm.
ODC, the older of the two, started getting into hip hop in 1994, inspired by the Wu Tang Clan; "A few mates and I wrote rhymes, but ultimately, we knew we had to write our own instrumentals. We even tried setting up our own record label, and without any outside help – but at that time no one was taking us seriously. We kept grinding away but at one point I did lose faith in music."
Other early influences came from their mother who helped to instill a deeper relationship with music through her love for the soulful sounds of Marvin Gaye and gospel music. As Sweet sees it; "Music as we know it comes from church; from Africa through slavery and interpreted over centuries to what we have today – it is the very essence of music." Her scholarship to America inadvertently got the ball rolling, as she ended up doing shows with Naughty By Nature, The Roots, and even travelling to Europe for a gig with MC Solar.
"I started University really young, at the age of 16, because where I stayed in Westerhailes, you either take loads of drugs or go to University," she reveals. "While I was there I became interested in television presenting, so I approached a station… I lied a bit, as we all do, and ended up being placed in at the deep end – the next minute I am interviewing Naughty By Nature after one of their concerts! We hit it off very well, and through conversation it came out that I could rap. They were like, "You can rap!" – black girl from Scotland that can rap – so I done some rhymes and soon they asked me to come and perform with them."
When she returned to Scotland, her brother, who could not help but sit up and take notice, formed a partnership to try out their own material before heading to London for more venues, more exposure and more audiences. "We didn't just want our music to be in Scotland, but all over the UK", explains ODC. It paid off, and soon they were securing support slots with artists like Roots Manuva and Skinnyman. But did they find it difficult to enter the hip hop scene with Scottish accents in a largely Americanized genre? "It depends where you're from", replies Sweet E. "People get used to the accent. We have been all over the UK dropping tracks, and with the Scots accents our music is unique and eclectic – almost like watching River City for the first time! It's like nothing you've ever heard."
What is it that sets their music apart from the crowd then? Sweet E indicates that it is the substance of their tracks that makes the difference: "If you hear our music, the consciousness and future relevance of it, it's not just music we're making. We talk about the apocalyptic situation that we're in right now, as people and as a human race." So there is an element of tackling social and spiritual issues? "We try to help out with our immediate community, hoping that this can spark off a chain reaction to help the next person, and the next. Like my family back home in Nigeria, if we can do something to help them too we will, but at the same time we are here trying to help out with our community. We are very privileged to be doing what we are doing over here, and we are driven by that to be successful. We aren't materialistic in our determination for success, but at the same time we do want to be rewarded for what we do." That time may not be far away as rumour has it that Mos Def's manager has been taking an interest in what they are doing. "This has encouraged us even more because that level of recognition in the industry is great confirmation of our achievements."
Keep tuned to their myspace for news, and keep an eye out for their compilation CD and DVD called Northern Exposure (NRNEXP). "We have a collection of at least 30 tracks that we are playing with – different beats, different lyrics. Some very hot tracks; although we do see ourselves as humble, we can say that what we are doing is far better than any other Scottish hip hop act. ODC will never say it, but I rate him as Scotland's top emcee."
The brother and sister partnership have been making music for nigh on ten years, slogging it out and producing beats and rhymes that have attracted the attention of a number of artists and fans alike. Their style borders on a mix of hip hop, soul and accapellas, and there's a hint at the lyrical style and attitude of Dizzy Rascal who has taken the UK by storm.
ODC, the older of the two, started getting into hip hop in 1994, inspired by the Wu Tang Clan; "A few mates and I wrote rhymes, but ultimately, we knew we had to write our own instrumentals. We even tried setting up our own record label, and without any outside help – but at that time no one was taking us seriously. We kept grinding away but at one point I did lose faith in music."
Other early influences came from their mother who helped to instill a deeper relationship with music through her love for the soulful sounds of Marvin Gaye and gospel music. As Sweet sees it; "Music as we know it comes from church; from Africa through slavery and interpreted over centuries to what we have today – it is the very essence of music." Her scholarship to America inadvertently got the ball rolling, as she ended up doing shows with Naughty By Nature, The Roots, and even travelling to Europe for a gig with MC Solar.
"I started University really young, at the age of 16, because where I stayed in Westerhailes, you either take loads of drugs or go to University," she reveals. "While I was there I became interested in television presenting, so I approached a station… I lied a bit, as we all do, and ended up being placed in at the deep end – the next minute I am interviewing Naughty By Nature after one of their concerts! We hit it off very well, and through conversation it came out that I could rap. They were like, "You can rap!" – black girl from Scotland that can rap – so I done some rhymes and soon they asked me to come and perform with them."
When she returned to Scotland, her brother, who could not help but sit up and take notice, formed a partnership to try out their own material before heading to London for more venues, more exposure and more audiences. "We didn't just want our music to be in Scotland, but all over the UK", explains ODC. It paid off, and soon they were securing support slots with artists like Roots Manuva and Skinnyman. But did they find it difficult to enter the hip hop scene with Scottish accents in a largely Americanized genre? "It depends where you're from", replies Sweet E. "People get used to the accent. We have been all over the UK dropping tracks, and with the Scots accents our music is unique and eclectic – almost like watching River City for the first time! It's like nothing you've ever heard."
What is it that sets their music apart from the crowd then? Sweet E indicates that it is the substance of their tracks that makes the difference: "If you hear our music, the consciousness and future relevance of it, it's not just music we're making. We talk about the apocalyptic situation that we're in right now, as people and as a human race." So there is an element of tackling social and spiritual issues? "We try to help out with our immediate community, hoping that this can spark off a chain reaction to help the next person, and the next. Like my family back home in Nigeria, if we can do something to help them too we will, but at the same time we are here trying to help out with our community. We are very privileged to be doing what we are doing over here, and we are driven by that to be successful. We aren't materialistic in our determination for success, but at the same time we do want to be rewarded for what we do." That time may not be far away as rumour has it that Mos Def's manager has been taking an interest in what they are doing. "This has encouraged us even more because that level of recognition in the industry is great confirmation of our achievements."
Keep tuned to their myspace for news, and keep an eye out for their compilation CD and DVD called Northern Exposure (NRNEXP). "We have a collection of at least 30 tracks that we are playing with – different beats, different lyrics. Some very hot tracks; although we do see ourselves as humble, we can say that what we are doing is far better than any other Scottish hip hop act. ODC will never say it, but I rate him as Scotland's top emcee."
You can catch them performing live at the Bongo Club, as part of an Oxfam appeal on Oct 19.
http://www.myspace.com/nrnxpo, www.sweet-e.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/nrnxpo, www.sweet-e.co.uk