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By Kate Watkins

Wolverhampton is not traditionally known for its wide-ranging urban music scene. Beverley Knight, Tricksta and Big Wayne are a few of the artists who have put the town on the map. It is also the hometown of up and coming star Reload, who, at just 16 is adding to the Midland’s town reputation as a hip hop mecca.

Reload began rapping at the age of eight with the encouragement of his brother. Much of his early work is rooted in poetry, a skill he mastered while in school. He won several contests and his knack for rhyming took on a more musical form. As he developed as an artist, he spent time trying to find his own style. This led him towards conceptual rapping, which focuses on musical as well as lyrical elements.

Reload’s own life experiences have been particularly poignant in his musical development, as shown by his mixtape, ‘Uphill Struggle’, which was inspired by the death of his best friend. The mixtape, which is mixed and hosted by DJ Tricksta of UK Runnings, has received critical acclaim from DJs, critics and industry experts. Tipped to be the next big thing in British hip hop, Reload is adamant that even with the high praise, he intends to remain true to who he is: an artist.

To date, Reload has featured on dozens of albums both in the UK and in the US. These include several UK Runnings compilations, HHB radio mixtape and DJ Gataman’s ‘Grime Stories: Volume 2’. He is currently working on new tracks for future mixtapes set for an autumn release, as well as keeping busy on tour around the country.

The Situation caught up with Reload to talk about his background, his inspirations, and why ‘Uphill Struggle’ personifies this push in his career.

Places like Wolverhampton are slowly becoming known for their urban music scene. What has your experience been like with the scene up north compared to the scene down south? How do the two compare?
With many of the labels and producers down in London, it makes it harder for artists in the north to get noticed. There are a lot of cool things happening in Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Manchester and other northern cities right now. We are going up but we have to work a lot harder. Sometimes artists who do not necessarily have the talent get noticed because they are in London. We have to work hard to get noticed.

Can you tell me a little bit more about your poetry background?
While I was in school, I found out I was pretty good at poetry. I won a couple of contests and that kind of fed into my rapping.

What is your music development process like? How do you write your lyrics?
I try to put my lyrics with the swing of the beat and go from there. I also want to make songs that people can relate to. I try to focus on the emotional element.

What do you think of some of the other hip-hop movements that are at the top of the charts? What do you think of the gangsta sound?
I am a fan of some of the gangsta stuff that is around right now, but I hate the way some artists have tried to cash in on it without being real to who they are. If they are real gangstas and not bragging about bling, then that’s fine. I consider myself more of a conceptual rapper. I try to bring out the emotional element. I try to be as real as possible in my music. When something hits me, whether it’s a beat or something else, I just let it hit me with the full emotions. The main thing is I want people to be able to relate to that song on some emotional level. That is what my music is about.

How have your life experiences affected your music?
My best friend died two days after Christmas last year. That even has really shaped some of my music, including ‘Uphill Struggle’. I hope the single will reach out to people who have had to deal with this kind of struggle. I know what it is like to deal with it so I hope people will be able to relate to it. It isn’t an easy thing but if someone is out there and understands what is going on, it can help. I’m doing this not only for me but for him too.

Where does some of your other musical inspiration come from?
My parents are both Jamaican, so I grew up listening to reggae. There is definitely some reggae in my music but I wouldn’t call myself a reggae artist. I don’t sing with an accent. There is just that feel to it.

What else are you currently working on?
I’m playing at the UK Apollo [tonight] in Birmingham. It’s the biggest crowd I have every played for. There are 700 people here tonight; I’m really excited about it. The fans that come here really feel you. I’m also working on a couple of compilation mixtapes at the moment. I’m really excited about all that’s happening. There are a lot of projects I am working on and I am just trying to stay true to my own thing.

For more information about Reload, please check out www.myspace.com/reloadhiphop.