| 
By Rashmi
Shastri
Plan
B is, as they say, no ordinary MC. He's as likely to be
playing in an indie venue or folk clubs as he is hip hop jams or raves
or R&B gigs. He can spit rhymes and hold his own against any MC or
rapper, but can then suddenly switch into a delicate, sweet while soul
croon that would shame any boy band member. He accompanies himself on
an acoustic guitar, playing in a curiously folksy, finger-picking style.
Born Ben Drew, the artist got his first guitar when he
was 14. He ditched the soul ballads and moved into a more experimental
narrative territory working with characters like a novelist. Now, with
a debut album ‘Who Needs Actions When You Got Words’ and a controversial
single, ‘Mama’, under his belt, get ready for the future – it’s now time
4 Plan B.
What have you been up to lately?
Just been signing copies of the new album at the label - two boxes of
them. I did Jools Holland
last night which was cool. You sit there at like 12pm and wait till 9
at night; I had to go on at half time of the football so I was like, ‘B*stards!’
What
is the concept behind the ‘Mama’ video?
It’s basically about the song which is about my mum who was in a relationship
with a crack addict. There are a few things I don’t talk about in the
song, such as the fact that the guy used to take my mum’s car for days
on end which she needed to support her family and all that. The video
starts with me having a go at him saying, “Where the f**k you been? You’ve
taken her car for all that time and turn up in your boxers like nothing’s
happened.”
Do
you always write about personal experiences?
Nah I don’t, sometimes it’s fictional or other people’s stories that I
might have read in the paper or they’ve told me. Some friends have told
me things that I’ve put into a song. I write about things that have affected
me after I’ve seen or read and make me think, things that emotionally
affect me.
What
do you want the public’s reaction to you to be like?
What I want it to be and is gonna be are two very different things. I
want them to understand what I’m doing and get the respect that I deserve
for what I’m doing, but what we want we don’t always get. A lot of people
take my songs literally, so criticise me, I’m not naïve, I know that’s
gonna happen so I’m ready for it.
What
do you think the UK hip hop scene is missing?
Progression. UK hip hop is trying to sound like early 90’s rap from New
York. It doesn’t sound like West Coast or Crunk, early 90’s is what represented
the real s**t for us so we try and copy it. There are only a few people
I can see who have stamped their identity on their music in the hip hop
scene. I think the Grime guys know they are onto something because it’s
an original sound, but they are lacking content in their lyrics which
the hip hop heads have but they lack style. It’s all gonna get better
man, we got some good artists coming out.
What
are your favourite tracks on the album and why?
‘Kidz’ is the first hip hop song that I ever wrote and completed from
start to finish; ‘Can’t Get Along’ which is about my friend who died,
and I really like ‘No Good’ because I was different on that song and wasn’t
too serious with it, it musically sounds different to anything else so
is one of my favourites.
Is
there anyone you would really like to collaborate with in the future?
Klashnekoff, Skinnyman,
the lead singer from Rage Against The Machine.
There are also some stranger collaborations that I’d like to do such as
a collaboration with Charlotte Church.
Don’t get it twisted though, none of that R&B s**t it’s gotta be that
omen s**t with like cellos and violins, dark and classical break, with
her doing some opera on it. People would probably think I’ve sold out
when they see the names together, but when they hear the tune they would
like it. Also, Tony Christie.
It’s all about people’s perceptions, you could have Robbie
Williams on a track and it could still sound good.
What
don’t you like about the music industry?
Signed to a major there can be too many people putting in their two cents
which can f**k up your vision, but that’s just the way it goes. People
think when you sign life will be easy and you’ve made it but you haven’t
really made it until you go platinum and going platinum is hard work.
There are a lot of politics between the labels, it’s all about choosing
the right promotional work to do, and it’s all very hard and tedious.
When I do interviews I don’t want to talk about bullsh*t that has nothing
to do with my music. It does get on your nerves a bit!
Do
you get recognised when you’re walking down the street?
Yeah, it happened when I was with my girlfriend the other day. She noticed
but I didn’t; I’m always in my own little world. We were walking through
Primrose Hill and she noticed a group of guys who called out to me. It’s
only happened a couple of times so far.
What
would you really like to achieve this year?
Sell as many records as I can and I want my performances on stage to be
the best they can be. I don’t want people to say, “good album, sh*t performer.”
I want people to come out of my gigs and feel like they have got their
money’s worth.
Plan B’s next single is the album title track, ‘Who
Needs Actions When You Got Words’, which will be released on
released on September 18. For more information, visit his official websites:
www.time4planb.co.uk
and www.myspace.com/time4planb.
Back
To Interview Archive
|
Watch
the video to the single 'Mama'
