Todays show we go deep into the eye of a storm which has been brewing way before 8 Mile, or Slam Poetry. This is the story of rap battling as a sport; the psychological attack on your opponent with rhyming slang, patterns and flows which ultimately dictates the power of a win. And the win in money and glory. This is one on one verbal combat, and Eurgh - the creator of one of Europes biggest and first Rap Battle leagues comes in for a chat about how he started, what the sport means to him and Hip Hop, and more importantly, the science behind it and how important it is for street culture.
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KILLA KELA
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EURGH - DON'T FLOP
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/DontFlop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eurgh/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dontflop/
EURGH ( DON'T FLOP ) KKPC #140 - Podcast Transcript
KILLA KELA: Big shout out to our friends’ graffiti kings, 1,2,
EURGH: 1,2, 1,2 yeah, it’s good.
KK: looking good we have a very special guest.
E: are we rolling already?
KK: we are rolling thunder baby, this is the Killa Kela podcast live and direct central London alright. and yeah big shout out to Graffiti Kings all day and subscribe, like, tell a friend, to tell a friend, do not sleep. I repeat, do not sleep on it alright yeah we've got every special guest it's actually kind of its mad the relativity of like the things that I do to the things that he does and he's legacy man. He bought …
E: word man.
KK: bro you made the surfboard and you surfed it.
E: never heard that one before.
KK: for real. Eurgh from don’t flop inside the place. How are ya?
E: really, really good. how long we've been talking about doing this?
KK: enough.
E: it had to have been over a year.
KK: actually, yeah cos you came to the first ever pilot version of the live show.
E: I did. I did.
KK: that's crazy.
E: and since then talking pretty regularly about.
KK: doing yeah and also yeah crossing paths here and there beat horizon.
E: yeah, yeah.
KK: just bucking around you know.
E: Yeah,
KK: It’s good.
E: where else have we crossed? A few different places you’re quite recognizable.
KK: yeah, yeah.
E: not so many rings on today, you kept it low key today.
KK: yeah, I’m low key today you know, I'm like Eddie Izzard in this place you know
E: at the beat horizon, no not beat horizon, at the live show, the first live show, where we first met, that's my lasting memory, this dude loves his jewellery. I had like, I don’t have it on today, but I had I’m a little pinky ring on I thought I was flossing. Shit you had e, this guys like hells angels or something.
KK: Kels angel. ooh.
E: ooooh. That’s cold.
KK: there ya go. Always hustling. Dude, dude, dude. the hustles real with you.
E: real.
KK: and you know. What I love the most, like you say, you came up through the ranks yourself, that's that's it that takes a lot of focus, but then intuition and just creating your own see right so for those of you that do not know what don’t flop is, you know and you know me very well for being into my athleticism in music, like it's the founding, it’s like the DMC or the UK breakdance championships of battle rap in the UK and and predominant in Europe and and rivals URL even rivals it rivals a lot of like that the American
E: URL actually came out about a year after we came up.
KK: No way.
E: obviously they didn’t copy us you know It came from smack DVD was out.
KK: yeah that’s right, Smack.
E: Smack DVD. I don’t remember the exact date but yeah, maybe let’s guess 2002 so smack DVD was out for a while that stopped, we came out 2008 and then I think URL came I think was like Christmas 2009.
KK: wow.
E: Yeah it would have been out for little bit and I remember everyone everyone was shitting their pants when URL came out.
KK: were you shitting your pants? did you have a little little squeak?
E: not really, not really me because I knew that audiences are so different. I wasn't that bothered to be honest with you but I'm saying the Americans and the Canadians.
KK: I know Canadians are.
E: within a thousand-mile radius of New York there was a lot of drama. Grindtime? Did you ever watch Grindtime?
KK: mmmm no.
E: almost before URL and grindtime was the biggest league when you
KK: I wanna get into this.
E: when URL started there was a lot of tears.
KK: a lot of heat.
E: yeah there was a lot of tears because everyone realized like smack as in the person smack just from doing the DVD had the clout
KK: yes yes
E: because I can come in and start don’t flop, I had a little bit of clout from battling when I was younger right
KK: yeah but you smashed it though.
E: Yeah, maybe but I'm saying my clout cannot match smack DVD, like as there’s people I've always said this about smack, did everything don't flop and smack is that we've got fans I’m well aware we have fans but smack will have people your know people that are probably never seen a battle but they will have seen a smack DVD battle.
KK: That’s crazy, innit?
E: That’s the difference. Right they've been around that little bit longer so it's like for me personally I was actually happy to see them coming because I was like shit okay they’re taking like a five-year break now they’re doing what we're doing in the YouTuber era. I kind of loved it but the people that were kind of killing it in New York at a time were like this is the one thing they we’re worried about because he comes through within a couple of event he’s got fucking Jadakiss there, do you know what I mean? Styles all these other rappers. they all go to smack they never gone to another event.
KK: that's crazy.
E: now he's got fucking Drake turning up to events. And this and that.
KK: yeah, yeah, yeah it blew the the whole doors open. oh yeah when you talk about comparable like or differences rather in in the in the groups of battle organizations the whole thing about don't flop that I really dig is it's it's kind of open to anyone, do you know what I mean?
E: definitely.
KK: it doesn’t feel like you're pigeonholed into like you know hood road it doesn’t feel like you you know which URL often you know to their credit that's what.
E: that's usp, though. The usb of the URL the street people but also the one thing I don't like about that I've never liked about that is that people often conflate the word street with black, and I’ve always said that and it’s like people will often because they don't even realize they’re conflating the two words people will often say like if you're a street guy you can’t go on my don’t flop and I’m like that not the case at all.
yes, anyone anyone who said massive air quotes of the street rappers from URL have come to don’t flop. they will say they don’t matter about race, background anything. they'll always say that don't flop quote can't me who it might have been it was it was math author when I speaking with my father only a couple weeks ago he was saying he was that bro he was that don’t flop crowd he's battled Sweden , Australia, all around the world he was like the London don't float crowd is my favorite crowd because he was like they knew all of my shit but they were still open to hearing new shit as well, do you know what I mean.
and I rare I think you find anybody that's come battle. in the UK that would complain about it at all.
KK: No, not at all.
E: whereas you would get a lot of people that would battle on smack for the clout but very often you go ontheir Twitter feeds later yo the crowd sucked; they were sleeping on me. You never hear that about don’t flop. Ever ever ever.
KK: That’s the shit, yeah.
E: That’s the bit that's what I'm most proud of is the kind of culture.
KK: the diversity
E: being like it doesn’t matter it sounds so corny but it's so true like if you've watched some of them on don’t flop, a I mean some of the most popular people are posh white kids and that’s not their race or their class doesn’t come into and the reason they’re the top guys is because there.
KK: good.
E: They are fucking fire. yeah at the same time we’ll bring someone over from URL whose whole image is being street coming from the hood they'll get shown the same I love cuz they're fuckin fire that's all the matters. Just be good.
KK: the whole gender thing that's going on at the moment and you know having females in film or you know producing being behind the scenes and it's a lot of moral higher ground, that they all sudden as this it's so important to incorporate and it doesn’t necessarily mean it's good. like if you’re really good at what you do you know there's no piggybacking or like leap frogging to just be fucking great what you do.
E: yeah, I've always found that a really tough I mean, it's always really frustrating talking about I know exactly what you mean about the kind of diversity like almost quotas or I’ve always found it really difficult.
KK: yes, I know exactly what you mean.
E: cuz some of those people will complain and they'll say look I want to be like, this is not very common but when people would complain and say like where's the women I'm like Bro the doors open, no there's no reason , if a sick female MC hit me up today, they would have a battle in week, I mean it's just it’s unfortunately become this culture was seemingly so male-dominated and it’s almost like a vicious cycle that continues and continues. it's like the door has always been open always, always, always, and when I think without want int to generalize it too much I think it does intimidate certain girls. I said not not just to come to the events but I mean certain female MCS I think would love to do it, I think maybe they've got the impression they wouldn't be shown in a respect which is again I'm saying about class, gender anything, no that's such unfortunate way to look at it because if you just came with your best three verses no one gives a shit you're a man or a woman. man if you to be quite honest people would probably prefer to see a woman kill it against a guy. it happened a couple times not too many there's been a couple battles where the women have just smashed it. They get shown so so much love because you just never see it always that man, I'd say at least a couple of times a week I’m sitting there and I'm just like damn we need to find like some more women to come into this. Show them the door and the platform are there.
KK: It’s tough isn’t it, like I said you were talking I'm seeing myself what could be like the usp for a definitive female MC. one that could would handle themselves, hold themselves together if they’re being attacked for any you know their own you know, personal, physical, mental things that that rappers love to like you know crack open the treasure chest of bars and and knock them for six ,you know. you can imagine like cardi B fucking around i think she'd do a thing because she’s pretty, she's got that I don't give fuck anyway and yeah, she's she's just got the integritybut you don’t find those cardi B's like in battle world
E: But also its not said enough, you know what you know what I think puts a lot of women off is is the women rappers. women musicians in general, they've always got the extra thing of being judged on their looks right. right this is like bro no fucking oil painting and neither a lot of fuckin bar wrappers we’ve all got millions of views together because when you're a guy it doesn’t matter. when you're a guy what they care about is the punchline oh did he say Like to flip that I liked how he did that I like literally I liked his trainers do you know what I mean bro. but when it’s a girl, people might not say it but there's always that extra bit of his could be quite frank is she fit or not , do I think she's fit or not. would I sleep with her right? so yeah someone like cardi B has popped because she's got sex appeal as well and I think I think a lot of female battlers they might not vocalize it but I know they definitely would have this kind of subconscious concern of like do I really want to put myself into this zone where what is the main point of battle rap a to take people down right so when you're a woman when you're a guy.
KK: a lot more stake you mean,
E: that’s what I'm saying when you’re a guy is kind of talk about your decisions, but I think it puts women off because I feel like well I'm gonna step up there I might have some fucking sick bars but I'm just gonna hear about my appearance. your fucking flat chested, a lot of girls don’t wanna hear that. It’s hard, it’s hard, bro just like that we used to talk about this a lot like back in the day like how its people always do stuff under this disguise of like everything in a battle is just about the battle it doesn't matter. people say real shit and.
KK: then the comments come in as well and some bullshit.
E: when it's on your channel you could control that and really if you like for example for me on my channel if, I was really trying to encourage women to come in more and I was just seeing constant misogynistic comments I'm gonna be honest I would remove them. when it's somebody else's channel you have no control over that so like so-so I think I think that's a big thing well that's actually men or women. I think it puts a lot of people off because you're putting this video out there all you want to see is obviously just wow he was amazing, wow she was amazing you know as well as me once you throw it into the atmosphere there's gonna be a shitload of comments, wow she’s fat he was trash blah blah never book them again bro, that shit hurts. I've been kind of lucky over the years on my battles and shit I've had the same moderate positivity, I've never lost sleep over it but every now and then I even see something and I'm like dam that’s cold. I know you don't even hate me and you're just saying it cuz you’re saying it and also these things come out so it feels like the whole idea of someone just commenting based on but fuck that hurt.
KK: And also, these things they've seem so irrational, if someone is just commenting based on something, they’ve seen of you of like the first 10 minutes they've got an opinion that shit just drives me batshit like what the fuck man
E: you know what’s so frustrating, what they say they say I upload a video right, lets say I upload a video right now, let's say it's 19 minutes long, standard battle like 17,18,19 minutes long within five minutes there’d be a comment about the whole battle. I'm like you haven’t watched the fucking thing it's been out for five minutes or they'll be about five or six comments mm he was trash or sometimes it can be like it’s a three round battle. they said someone save us, be someone be like three-nil eh and you're like you haven’t watched the whole battle what do you mean three nil, eh nobody even listened to beat yet. that’s I’ve never got too wrapped up in the comments, it's never bothered me too much it’s little bits like that where I’m like why are you so focused on having your name yeah or no little kind of list under the videos why, why are you so worried about me at the first one just watch the fucking battle and then give your opinion.
KK: I've never left a comment on anything ever
E: same, same, no I'm lying you know I did in grind time; I had a battle on grind time, and I had loads of love. I left the comment from the don’t flop account saying if you want to see it it’s on reverse live. It’s my best battles. And I commented, I just wanna say thank you so much I did it like a little quote and I signed it off like er. I cringed a little bit but, do you know what I just want to let people know I say the positivity,
KK: yeah dude.
E: but with the negativity, can’t acknowledge that. Do not acknowledge that ever.
KK: it’s like answering the.
E: How have you found it with the podcast? Is it generally positive reviews?
KK: ah yeah yeah yeah, its love you know what I mean, sometimes they have something to say about my fucking hat. It’s like listen to the fucking podcast, you know what I mean.
E: What have they had to say about your hat?
KK: man, it’s just like im gonna come and swing on you if I ever see you in the street wearing that hat, and shit like that.
E: A specific hat?
KK: all sorts of hats I’m a hat man you see.
E: you are. Yeah yeah but none of them have offended me. Every time I’ve seen you in a hat, to be honest, I’ve been more focused on the rings. If you have rings attached to the hat, then I’ll start paying attention to the hat.
KK: Like one of them Australian cork hat, but with lots of rings.
E: with rings.
KK: yeah, That’s a double whammy, a double swing.
E: so is that, that’s the kind of extend of the negativity. Thing about what your wearing and all that.
KK: again and you know what's our intention, what's our purpose, I mean I think if like if someone had some say about don't flop on a video and specifically targeting you or the organization like you can kind of take that as it's like what NAS said about Illmatic. What’s the best thing he does so some people say it's the best I ever did, but he was like doesn't matter, as long as they’re talking about it full stop if an album isn’t doing what they want it as cool as long as they're talking about it and that’s kind of the mantra I hold with these things it's like I solider complaining he’s getting shot.
E: yeah I've always kind of, I've always I've always thought from from young from young age, I've always said said to battlers is kind of when I see them getting too too caught up in comments, I've often said to them like to be frank what do you expect? like you’re doing something that is subjective not objective, which way around it wasn't it's battle rap subjective. you can't objectively look at a rap battle that's not judged and say who won. It is opinion so as I've said to a lot of guys over the years, look bro like you're you're doing this thing with the expectation that all you're gonna take out of it is love we all want now anyone who says that is fucking lying. we all would love to just put every video on the internet and just get love, it’s not the case you're doing something that is opinion based it's literally two mcs which one that I like more but I’ve sat down and really talk to MCS after events at events and stuff and been like, some of it to be honest with you, that some of us they're not as active anymore but some of our old kind of top MCS used to just oh my god just know obsess. I really don't use that word lightly, like obsess about you know, I mean that let’s say there's 20 comments on a battle there'd be literally two that were negative, id sign on the video and I'd see this guy replying to them and some of them still do it now just leave it look at the 18 people that fucking love what you’re doing?
KK: why do we focus on the negative that's a human trait isn’t?
E: I think it is man. it's just the way your mind works and you know it is as well with battle rap, yeah what it is is it like battle rap is of course ego-driven, right I can say that for myself for the only reason, I started doing this thing was because we were just like well no one else can do it better than us, that was how we saw it. well that's an egotistical thing to think right so I’m saying as battle rappers like of course you know I mean battle rappers have varying levels of confidence but like as a whole even the most unconfident battle rapper is still feeling himself a bit .
KK: of course, are right.
E: yeah exactly, so I'm saying up what I think the point I’m making is it like, I think that's why they find it tough with the comments. I mean because it’s just like man, I'm the fucking best, they all feel let's say we do a battle with ten, ten, ten battle card, 20 mcs, all of them, think they're the best on the card and see if they see their video group and someone's not feeling it they’re like who are you to tell me, blah , blah, blah.
KK: That’s interesting bro. how do they find that with numbers, like they must see the some certain mcs visually the charisma they must see the numbers and be like yo, like why you got more numbers of me
E: bro you know I would say this honestly of all the annoying things about hanging out with people from URL, when I booked them.
KK: Cause you hang out with them. This is your world.
E: ya but, not on like random Saturday afternoons.
KK: well no, like Killa Kela podcast on a Saturday afternoon.
E: true, true. Exactly. This is what I wanna do. we have a bit more in common. no I'm saying from the times, I've booked them it was quite a few, I spend let's say three, four days, straight with them. I would say it's their face it's not some snaky thing they are some of the most frustrating people to be around. I mean they will literally you know, I mean they will bring they will they will not convert any money and then will be pissed off they can't spend dollars in the fucking coop do I mean stupid shit . you have no idea we will talk about more of it later.
KK: Oh my god.
E: that’s what I’m saying. what I will say is the entertainment value, when you hang out people from URL and they start talking about numbers is, it’s unmatched in battle because obviously because you are always a big asleep right most battle is on booking. I've got battles over a million views some of them two million, three million so when you get them all together, when I tell you all these motherfuckers talk about it is money and views is literally they have a couple beers and they sit right, it doesn't matter if you're on the train, the bar scene anywhere the hotel room they will just start arguing where blah blah what about when I hit a million views in two weeks, it took you three weeks well I got paid five K I know you only got 2 and half. Bro it's non-stop.
KK: stop it.
E: literally
KK: stop it.
E: UK but I'll be honest with you UK.
KK: that's Intel man. That’s some info for you heads.
E: Honesty like I said it gets it gets very tiring but for a period it's so entertaining they just is there all characters, that’s why they're the biggest Battlers in the world because they've got real personalities.
really believe in themselves. Bro somewhat some of them has said bars that are quoted by Jay-z do you know what I mean. we’ve had loaded lox bars getting quoted by jay-z on twitter do you know what. I means once you've been quoted and you’re getting all I said you know I mean if someone that Jad kiss comes up to you know. I had bro, I had evidence from a lower scale but when I had evidence from dilated peoples came up to me you're the guy, I was like when I was 11, 12 years old. I used to bump the CD in the car on the way to school I was like you know what that means but I'm saying when you are you are URL MCing and you got the biggest rappers in the fucking world coming up hollering at you on a DM Drake's DM you killed that but Drake was sharing a battle on his Instagram story of course your egos gonna be out of control.
KK: that’s insane.
E: all of them guys in one room, it's literally just aback-and-forth tennis match of I got more views you got more views you got less money you did this I don't know they start talking about groupies and share what you fucked her I didn't touch her gets crazy.
KK: So, what we are dealing with right, this is like goldrush this shit, its gold rush, like because actually just rewind because bro you just have some many doors of like conversational points. all right, first of all you have seen this thing because it cos you talk about, dilated peoples you talk about that errand I would argue probably the backpacker but there was a shiny suit era as well and eight-mile comes out. you’ve seen it most likely from Eric B and Rakim right the way through to now you've seen emergence of like all the different rap battles and you've partaked, tested, created and housed a lot of the new breed of emcees. talk to me about how that how that feel show will you break each of that era down like how it's come to where it is now.
E: I think the biggest change is the biggest change is um is it going from freestyle to written, that's the biggest change, guys I mean. that's I can’t obviously talk about from Eric B and Rakim I was like I was born in 89 so I missed that, I mean I can’t really say too much about that. my introductions to battle rap was was smack DVD so I can only really kind of talk about it from then
KK: okay cool
E: I mean and remember there was also, what was that show called? Um, the BET freestyle frame. I never had BET but again.
KK: its folk lore isn’t it?
E: exactly that's a good way to put like little clips here and there sort of I heard about junior Chinese MC heard about.
KK: he was dope as well.
E: oh yeah, yeah, yeah I heard about Jin, then I saw a couple little clips of him just little things like that so again. I don't really think I know enough about the area era to really make a comment on it. I just saw a little bit but then from smack DVD onwards I think it was kind of like I guess, I guess, it's I guess I see in three parts right because smack DVD was all written but it was all written
KK: with intent.
E: yeah, all how can I put it it was all impersonal it was well yeah it's very aggy. if you watch any smack DVD there's nothing about that person they're battling because what would happen is as far as I know. there just be told like you're battling, it wouldn't really matter who they were battling, it would be like okay you’re battling her next week come with five verses, so what they'd really have is I guess it would be so last minute, this is just my assumption. there that it would be so last minute they wouldn't be prewriting hit about clothes and this and that it would just be just verses they had from their mix tape. that's why if you watch a lot of the classic battles they're not actually really talking about each other at all they've just turned up to clash each other and they're spitting so I think that's pretty fun then I think that’s phase 1. phase 2 is from that it went to kind of freestyling all the time you had the jump off World rap Championships.
KK: of course, ya.
E: what would you call it scribble jam. crossed over with smack DVD because, so that’s probably phase 2 is the latter case, we've completely the other side of the spectrum from this impersonal rim, versus you got a scribble jam and jump off which is where I started. Jump off was very professional, I remember the air like beat like driven, all meant to be freestyle and people would occasion up with ruins and you get hated on. we turned up were written for them and you didn't disguise it very well you had like an 8 bar thing that was word perfect. people didn't fucking like that shit man and that that lasted let's say up until I’m gonna say 2008 this is why I think yeah I think I think I let's say from like 2006, 2008. it's mainly freestyle with a few written smack kind of battles but mainly free style then I'd say 2008,onwards is an era in now which is like back to writing but it's writing in for your opponent you know I mean that’s where and I think it hasn't really changed since its people obviously still like people love freestyle people always want to hear freestyling but the majority about was you go and see now you’ve had six weeks to prepare and you preparing specifically for that one and again it's almost done a complete 180because now for example is that there’s a battle called t-rex well you know t-rex from URL always.
KK: old school yes righty.
E: so, for example it's gone such a 180 that he's notorious in a bad way almost infamous for having indirect buzz.
KK: okay.
E: so, he did a clash in, in, in, in Philadelphia the other day and just before he starts spitting his first round someone from the crowd was like I don’t want to hear some mixtape shit I mean.
KK: oh, like shut him down already.
E: Exactly because he's like it's gone from like people just expect to hear the impersonal mixtape shit but now ten years later ten years plus later people are like no I don't want to hear that mix tape shit yeah okay your money I’m paying fifty dollars to come in here or20 pound or whatever you’re paying I don’t want to hear impersonal shit I'm paying for to see you battle him not just a fucking cardboard cut-out do you know what I’m as saying.
KK: who was that guy?
E: it’s changed a lot.
KK: it has changed a lot isn’t it. Who was, someone, who was that mc that came on and went battling and went and started reading his verses?
E: Canibus.
KK: omg. That poor guy man.
E: That shit was 8 years ago. I swear not a week of my life goes by without discussing that somewhere where there is you asking me now or sitting in McDonald's laughing bro like that I don’t think my life will ever be the same after that its always there that was DNA and evidence that same day it was in LA. DNA and evidence.
KK: did to you say to was there?
E: and maybe possibly Alchemist was a couple other people were there and then Canibus was the main event.
KK: bro, bro. the video
E: I saw, I saw it genuinely, I saw actual piece of hip-hop history right there as far as we are away look, I was there. I witnessed it, I witnessed Canibus, one of my favorite emcee’s pullout a notepad
KK: and just slowly there’s the video has it's…
E: crazy.
KK: crazy and it has the sad music at the end of the video. And I’m like oh my goodbye-bye soldier he's gone.
E: did you did you did you ever listen to cannabis when you’re younger?
KK: to a degree like my friends like trip. Big up trip he’s definitely watching, he was a huge Canibus fan. Like.
E: does he rap?
KK: yes.
E: I was gonna say you you you see through beatbox and I guess maybe like obviously you got big connection to hip hop, but you’re not gonna be like inspired by the rappers in the same way I don't think you meet anyone the raps from the 90s to the 2000s, he wouldn't say they were a little bit influence but Canibus. Like me I wasn’t his biggest fan but like a couple of his tunes a couple of bars are legendary so to see someone like that pull out and you know what was also so funny about it that he didn't it it's that most people when they write bars, like I got bars in my phone right now but that’s on my Phone or most people have a rhyme book that’s like a5. My man brought out a1 or something. That’s what I never understood. It was huge. Like literally you know in films when someone like give someone a painting as a present or something. It was that big. We were all kind of like that's almost the funniest bit of it why is he not just got a normal rhyme book cos Canibus like is every Canibus album I've ever listened to been written on this fucking huge piece of paper. it was like a caricature honestly like witnessing that live was like a fucking caricature of a rapper like it wasn’t it was like this can't be happening this can't be serious.
KK: I remember that's how it felt watching it.
E: yeah again see what I’m saying about how certain things in battle rap like go way past the normal radius of where the videos hit right say for example my battle from that event done well but I think it still probably been mainly watched by battle rap fans right but the cannabis notepad shit but I said we're eight years on now and it's there's people that really don’t watch battle rap that know about that moment because so many rappers tweeted about it it was an I think not I’ve like fucking CNN but it was on like you know the source HipHop DX all these, big news .
KK: yeah totally. Would you say it’s a negative?
E: it was a big it was horrible like any and you know what it killed his career like I’m not saying he hasn't spat a bar or recorded a verse since. but it if you really think what you have heard from him, I mean that was a big fuckin deal bro like trust me that everyone was gassed to see him every rapper. people look cos again battle rap is egotistical. yeah people tried to downplay it and people try to say cannabis is trash I don't care this is a bad move bro behind closed doors everyone was like man you know it would be the coolest thing in the world if cannabis of a stepped in arena shut it a fuck down.
KK: so, who in his camp instigated him doing that? I mean you’ve got having to sit down.
E: I know he got offered it I mean I know about what he got paid. it's like fair enough you would do it.
KK: would ya?
E: yes.
KK: so even though if you were going to you grave.
E: okay I don't think anybody thought that though. I don’t think any battler thinks that unless unless unless you unless you get paid a million pounds to battle tomorrow you know you're gonna have no bars be like fuck I'm taking the money. for him it wasn’t like a life-changing about money. it’s just probably like to be faced not getting booked like he used to go so it’s a good amount money but I mean it’s not you wouldn't I genuinely believe he thought he was going to kill it because why would you know.
KK: that’s what I’m thinking
E: bro I said it was battle rap this is not the old day this is like you know what it was it was 2012 anybody in the summer I think he probably had he probably had at least three months to prepare say he had no here it was not this is like a well promote event that was all over the internet.
KK: it was his homecoming.
E: it was really work because he's a battle emcee he’s one of them mcs it's like okay he’s not done a written modern-day battle up to that point he is a battle mc. his tracks are not fucking that some Chris Brown shit and did I mean likesome b2k R&B. these tracks are rapping about rapping yeah and I mean that in a good way so obviously again people tried downplaying but realistically everyone was like yo if there’s one MC that could kill a battler is was Canibus like he really should destroy it but to be fair most people’s predictions were right when most people predicted and said he’s not gonna be ready that's what this era is because I'm telling you this I say this to people I just had a try out of in lasts a week, today last Saturday and and had to say to certain people after a tryouts, what I say to every MC, after try outs which is battle rap is not a game. it sounds corny yeah, but this shit is not a fucking game .it is not for everyone. take it from someone has done it I've had good ones bad ones but I have to keep telling people this right you think you watch on YouTube, you think this shit is a piece of piss. oh it’s easy, I just turn up everyone loves me I get carried out no bro it's not like that if you are not ready for battle rap oh my god , it will eat you alive. this is the problem he wasn't' ready he's done a million shows sold a lot of albums he's a respected MC he was nowhere near ready to battle nowhere near and it just baffles me.
KK: you know him but this is the thing like with beatbox battles, right it's the same sort of thing highly opinionated audience all of them mostly beatbox, you know I mean you know fancied themselves as beat boxers and yeah there's a friendly jazzesque community spirit and you know I value that in terms of like people like remembering your name decades on you know it's like there's an it's the same with battling it's like you remember the heroes the kings the people you know these early adopters of like a new scene but I want more aggression out my battles you know I want that conflict.
E: so it says okay so here’s my question so what's just the same as what you ask me what's the stages of evolution you've seen beatboxing go through? because I know nothing about what stage all I know is you’ve been about, I mean that as a compliment. You’ve been killing it.
KK: thank you.
E: where have you seen it start and where do you think it is now?
KK: Wow so I saw it start when I saw it start when Razhel was doing this thing and he's like the only guy he's just killing it there was no battles and I never really considered that.
E: did you want there to be?
KK: not really. We got our own battles here. trying to make beatboxing. people used to taxicabs and people would be like what's happening. then you know the taxi driver didn’t even know what beatboxing was it was like back then that's how fucking old I am you know but it was really like that then all of a sudden the battling started happening and then the I don't know for me kind of categorize things you know we’re talking about the girl boy thing that still baffles me now why are there girl categories? There’s fucking no point.
E: Just be a category.
KK: just be a category. so yeah I've seen a lot of crazy developments but you know what does it the most the the biggest the biggest catalyst for a lot of these scene developments, social media, without a question like when you as soon as Instagram comes into play almost like it delete history is deleted, doesn’t matter anymore. that's the crazy thing about these competitions people often like surprised to hear that, I like I watch rap battles. like I think to myself well what's the diff what is actually a difference between that and beatboxing I actually try and figure out like do the DJ and beatbox world is just one on the same with the rap battles really it’s like it's about you getting onstage and showing the fuck off, that’s it and the end of the day.
E: so when you say when you say like social media changed it what do you mean as in just just allowed more people to get in touch and link up with beatboxers. You mean a good thing or a bad thing?
KK: a good but I also feel like because you've got to step up to plate I mean you like you saying about smack and cannabis and you know there's you've cement your name in history but that doesn't necessarily mean that history translating in the same ways it into social media like tik tok at the moment.
E: it's weird I know exactly what you mean.
KK: tik tok has like now has these new superstar rap battlers’, new superstar beatboxes do you mean say they've reset the bar in its first come first serve.
E: does it frustrate you though does it frustrate you do you ever sometimes feel like you should get more acknowledge than you get.
KK: you find your lane don't ya?
E: well what is what Lane have you found well podcasting.
KK: oh here’s the thing, right and this is it like, I don’t openly and always put out me beatboxing like straight to the camera there’s a lot of things, that go on behind the scenes of a selfie beatbox, it’s the same with a skateboarder, doing a thousand tricks and getting the right one done and then posting. it it's like the it's not entirely true, I'm gonna, I 'll be can stand corrected, if that does happen, but I'm pretty sure it's the same with rap battling as well. if you ‘redoing it to a camera and you're doing it in this that ultimately is like a cheating itself do you know what I mean? I like using this the the podcast as a platform so afterwards we can go and do a rapper battle. we can just.
E: you don’t want that bro.
KK: not a battle, not a battle, like for instance you and me could go on freestyle.
E: The podcast is a way of bridging the gap.
KK: yeah.
E: bridging gaps and making the relationships.
KK: on my terms, you know what I’m saying?
E: which is I suppose a good thing at a social media cos say before I mean, I wouldn't have, I wouldn’t have dreamed of before social media. I mean I knew who Killa Kela was before social media, but I wouldn’t have reached out you because what way if got of reaching out. I mean I'd have to find like a record like that was I mean quite literally I could come to a show which I have actually been when I was younger came to some of your show.
KK: oh, hold tight.
E: but yeah I mean I could come to those shows and as far as I remember my opportunity to speak to you is there at a show, I mean I might get to talk to you afterwards ,maybe if you really fucked with me you might give you a number but without social media honestly it’s a very boring tired conversation a million people have had but I do think there’s a lot of negatives about social media but I think in the same way that it’s kind of weird - everyone’s connected now, it means that someone some people are you and I we can just quickly connect to your live show and then on Instagram. we chatting the next day. and the next day also because it doesn't feel as um it doesn’t feel as intrusive, when someone's phone number it's quite a big deal but I think social media says allow someone like you so quite easily send someone a message and say hey I’m doing this podcast you wanna come. I think it's getting random +44pop up in their phone yeah hey man its killa Kela, how the fuck you get my number bro? and that happens don’t get me wrong. Bro, man I’ve gotten calls like hey man, I see your coming to my city, blah, blah. Blah I have some people I want to put on your card ,I’ll make sure you like hold on me first off who are you? How’d you get my number. tell me who gave him my number you know. and I’ll hit that dude up straight away liked onto give anyone my number. what’s wrong with yo I’ve got an email, a Facebook, c’mon.
KK: it gets frustrating.
KK: it gets frustrating.
E: it gets frustrating. it comes with the territory you and me share a very similar course like I saying this is my platform this is where you're gonna get my beatboxing at my terms and how we're gonna do it is like this and it's gonna be awesome because it's it's kind of its its place for Killa Kela you've done the same thing you did the same thing with don't flop and that's the interesting conversation. I think we marry here on this subject because you you not only you came through the ranks all of a sudden you're like I'm a creep my own shit my platform .my terms how we want to do it and it's gonna be this is gonna be Europe's primary so funny exactly what you just said like I said I didn’t until you saying that then and a couple of things you said earlier I didn’t know if you knew do I spot beforehand I wouldn’t have been offended if you didn’t because it's so funny how many loyal don't flop don't fucking see when I bet old but when about DNA to kind of be that was when we were like popping bro you know the amount of people when I announced yawl I'm going out to LA I'm Going to be battling the same card. the amount of comments you rap.
KK: yeah yeah, yeah.
E: God dammit.
KK: people don't even know I beat box bro.
E: that doesn't surprise me at all.
KK: that must be complimentary to the the fact.
E: but it’s good to hear from someone that you obviously it as much as it doesn’t happen it happens just as often that someone will say you know I've bumped into people that are literally like yo I saw your first ever battle it wasn't even YouTube it was on the jump of website , uploaded direct . I was like shit you saw that.
E: but it’s good to hear from someone that you obviously it as much as it doesn’t happen it happens just as often that someone will say you know I've bumped into people that are literally like yo I saw your first ever battle it wasn't even YouTube it was on the jump of website , uploaded direct . I was like shit you saw that.
KK: so, I love them too
E: that's great but I'm saying the flipside is crazy, when there is a hell of a lot of people that are like I thought you just hosted I might know like you said it's not a hosted cos I feel like I came up naturally the through of ranks and then I just ended up in this position where I was like well might as well just do this I’ll hosts I'm okay that's crazy that people don’t know you beatbox.
KK: its s crazy two people don’t know that you spat you know.
E: it’s difficult for me though it's hard for me to understand that because I used to beatbox so much as a kid and it's like there was kind of like if you knew if you had any interest in beatboxing. I said say with pre social media I could now go on Instagram now such beatbox a hashtag I find fucking twenty down the road. Before any of this shit, it was like who beatboxes in the uk, killa Kela. Who beatboxes in America Rahzel?
KK: I who's like I've had this conversation and I think you can relate to this as well when you and its only up until a certain and maybe like the last 10 nyears, England mostly has always had this by design. I don't know why okay if you're gonna do an equivocal we can only have one equivocal so if there's going to be a beatbox guy well then that's Killa Kela and that was what it was like it was and it's the same with scratch perverts it was the same with like DJing. okay there can't be anybody else because they’re scratch perverts there can't be anybody else because.
E: I’m sure that works in your favour.
KK: it does.
E: if you were the one that was allowed
E: if you were the one that was allowed
KK: yeah, yeah but this the allowing thing that is interesting because you and me as we are a passionate about sport. we love, the we look, we love to get our hands dirty in the scene and like when you know someone is bait plat on like better than you at certain things but isn't getting the shine okay there’s a selfish side of yours just like yeah well you know I've kind of got my fucking position but then the other part of you is like as a fan you're just like why don't why doesn't the scene why isn’t it opened up a little bit you must-have that with don't flop where you’re like yo like I'm seeing so many amazing you know but how do I push this through.
E: you know what do you know what , in honesty I’ve never personally suffered that too much. I feel like if anyone's good I'll bring them through don't flop like I've not really had this thing where I’ve honestly I've heard the other around I’ve had people try to gatekeep me .
KK: really.
E: yeah 100%I'll give you a perfect example like you know I'm not even I'm not even going to say their names but I mean it's a certain um big UK artists, you know in the rap not in pop stars, big UK rappers have always had kind of a slight disdain for don't flop because they say that the people we're bringing through aren’t real rap. like I said for example people like shuffle to your Marlow who just super posh white not trying to be what a stereotypical images of hip hop at all now a lot of people who were you know people there’s definitely a section of the scene who don't like that because they really want to gate keep their little corner is like whoa there's enough room for everyone you will never ever be able to tell at any time what I've tried cock-block anyone .
KK: exactly.
E: if you’re talented, it's as simple as that man, if I heard some talented guy even if he had a million views and I thought you might have an ego, I just came up straight away like perfect example some of the ocean wisdom like bro, I mean there’s mullite time I’ve spoken to ocean wisdom and been like I mean you know you'd be good or by mean it's just not going anywhere because it's like what he doesn't need to do it .but I’m not gonna sit there and hate and be like well fuck ocean wisdom cause he you don't want to be on don’t flop. I’m like bro is your choice I say say I mean you know they say take anyone from like Chester P level or down to someone who’s popping right now my attitude is never gonna be fuck them because they don’t nobody wants, a bro like I grew up listening to you lot. like if you want to come to the events that's cool if you ever for some reason want to battle like I’m like damn you'd get shitload of new fans but I get why they don't want to do it but then the other way around .I said I think it's not as big as any more I don’t know it as much but let's say around the kind of 2012, 13, 14 when let’s say around them times when people like like ocean wisdom like suddenly blowing up and okay hey hip hops get a million views. it’s not him but people people kind of like that and they're kind of fans for some reason didn't seem to believe that acapella about a rap thing and kind of like UK hip hop rap scene could exist and coexist when you think which I’m saying that it's an it's like you’re trying to gatekeep me from a scene that I’m already inland because what you’re trying to do is you're basically saying that what is not rap music well I'll tell you what I’m doing is rap music because guys are rapping they just don't always fit what you think a rapper should look like
KK: yeah. yeah classic.
E: they are sick they're preparing bars their like written intricately um written and whatever they are rappers and also they’ve done a shit load of battles with beats anyway but it's like and there was also some fans I mean it's not just the rappers there was definitely some fans you know it sounds so passé but you know how like people always talk about when it was like that the called Biggie, Tupac kind of like people from New York would be like we literally weren’t allowed to listen to West Coast rap like on a much much smaller scale there was a phase when that is genuine how it felt where it was like there's these kind of successful UK rappers who are showing us shit loads of love and I've seen some like suede saffron or something.
KK: hold tight suede.
E: like that comments from all these people yeah, you’ve like like that you know like get all these pay like they're big boys in the scene.
E: like that comments from all these people yeah, you’ve like like that you know like get all these pay like they're big boys in the scene.
KK: yeah you had ghetts and sketch all these people come through.
E: you show mad love, tweet our battles I mean all the way down to like Reggie Yates then you've got Reggie Yates showing me love. And I’m thinking what? I watched you when I was like
KK: that’s so fire. Fire. Fire.
E: that’s what I’m saying and then you got this other collective of people those for some reason have it stuck in their brains that like you can't fuck with real UK rap and don't flop you got a pick but it’s like we share the same fans.
KK: that's mad.
E: like like people will come to my shows and talk to me about what rap they’re into
KK: I don't understand why?
E: but I’ll tell you something, I’ll tell you something it was so negative that happened this is a perfect example of what I’m talking about I went to there was a blah Records you know Blah records?
KK: yeah yeah, 3 hrs. or something.
E: yeah, I went to a blah record show and it was Lee ska and and I think its guy maybe this guy milkavelli used to be called monster under the bed, a few of them right
KK: yeah that’s right. He’s on Instagram you know.
E: he’s an Instagram star. Anyway so he used to battle though flubbed we’ve been cool fucking 10 plus years, whatever so they had a show right and and I went solo where I had a don’t flop event about big flop event that day and Ministry of Sound, right and I ducked out from from everyone I was with to go to Blashaw at Brixton jam and I remember at least three or four phones were coming up to me and were like you're like I'm really surprised to see you here and obviously like why and they were like well you know it's like UK hip hop showing innit ,and I was like well growing up in this shit bro I was probably about 27, 28 or something I'm thinking brav I've been rapping for 121, 3 years and I'm you know I mean. my first CDs I was buying was jes second album you mean the music from the corners taskforce fucking maestro's and all that kind of stuff brother and I'm thinking I remember I was so sure yeah I was having these conversations and when I said to these people, very commonly kind of like I'm not really sure why you think someone in my position he runs a rapping YouTube channel would not want to come. they’re not obvious and no one wanted today it they were really kind of shimmying around it what they were really saying was there's a lot of people in this part of the scene that don’t fuck what you do. and I was thinking oh I don't care that's them bro like I'm gonna come listen to some music like and I said everyone was saying it as a positive thing they were just like damn it's really cool to see you here but I was thinking you shouldn't be cool it should be normal. first I mean I was Norwich originally bro when I turned 18 like when I first turned 18 I was calming down every week to Brixton jammer speakers corner of course I'm saying when I first turned 18 I was calming down dismissed before any don’t flops just to be around rap now took 10 plus years on your surprise im a rap show what
KK: it's unthinkable
E: I just come from my show at 800 people at it and they all rap fans as well but I can't come to this show it's got a hundred people at it what cuz you don't think I'm into this shit no they're not into what I do that’s the difference I'm cool with it like
KK: it's mad
E: it’s frustrating but so that’s that's the answer of anyone I’ve ever wanted to show love to I've just reached out and be like bro fuck lets do something it just hasn’t always been reciprocated as much.
KK: you don’t think so?
E: trust me like you're not included in this because obviously I’m on your podcast right now.
KK: bro, I’m gassed you’re here. I'm a fucking fan. I’m a fan of your bars.
E: I wanted to ask you that what's your experiences with how did you get into don't flop ,smack was how you become a fan?
KK: my boy trip like we should be on tour you know me and him we have a very similar like with Jada iss fans you know. I mean but we love Big Pun you know it's these these it's like you know we’re talking about like articulated you know just real cool shit and the one thing that open my ears to rap battling was the in rhymes that the intricacies, the slang, totally and utterly advanced advanced shit and I love the way the slang is different in other countries. I love the way you slang is different in other boroughs and you know you’re just sitting there listening to this shit and you just like know at the age I was like I get what that word means it's like you're opening a door into like a culture of life in..
E: there’s so many bars you I've had to watch. Hit the spacebar go on Wikipedia some I'm just gonna know what the fuck you're talking about. It happens live, someone from Birmingham it happens live, and I just nod, I don’t know what the fuck you are talking about mate. it's kind of a fun well I think I do know what it is actually. So, you just got into it because you just loved punchlines.
KK: yeah, punchlines and also, it's a really honest with you like I mean I'm these guys are know I’m almost New Age Rapper fan as much I mean mumble rapper to. I'm like okay there’s a place for it there's a place when they napalm death there's a place fora rumble rap you know I mean but here’s the thing it got to the point where there was such a huge difference between the rappers that were making money on records to the rappers that were doing rap battle like dude like I mean props to shouty are he’s you know he's got that fucking album deals. know fucking film star you know he's he's done the thing.
E: I worked on the same film that film I was a writer for it.
KK: For real?
E: yeah yeah, me and like three other guys. The lyrics writing not the script writing.
KK: I get ya, I get ya. This is sick, this is like intel. telling this whole chat is amazing I just felt like there was more juice and squeezing that was going on and the rap world the rapper world yeah, these guys need.
E: so, do you literally just search UK rap battles.
KK: but I had like a six-month period where it's literally all like I’ve got obsessed I was like why I want to go and listen to some records like this is really happening.
E: that's what a lot of people say a lot of people say that they're like when you especially if you know you've got to come to a proper don’ flop event.
KK: yeah, I know.no I’ve never been proper.
E: thing when you're there live anyone will say you could be like what you said like napalm well you could be a heavy metal fan goth you can be super posh you go to Cambridge Oxford you could have never graduated for fucking school it doesn't matter that life of any environment is
KK: Ecletric.
E: and a lot of people will say that they'll be like that is what real rap is and that's white really confuses me because you’re talking about eric B Rakim taking battles back to that era ks1 diss people rightly that's what's always confused me. I've actually never really probably spoken with but that is definitely something is fucks in my head a lot ,is that when there is this corner of UK rap there doesn't fucking what we do. I’m almost like but surely you know that battle rap is ingrained in hip-hop, rap since the beginning like look at all the different eras. there's been some seriously famous and sick diss track I look at Joe I mean look at um say when Eminem was beefing from a Benzino and JaRule. I remember buying that shit just for that. I didn’t give two fucks about Ying yang twins. new album I was buying hip hop connection and a source to hear about Eminem and where he was probably not gonna be in a source but I mean I always but I was I mean so it’s like battle rappers, all and that's before I gave us about standing in a circle battle and I just mean that concept of rappers battling each other it's so important to hip hop. so when people try to say to us that what we're doing isn’t important I'm thinking but this is what rap is and then people will come to our event and they'll be like man that has rejuvenate in my love and I'm not even in.
KK: I am telling.
E: you'll come down it’ll blow your mind seen him before ,just seeing two guys obviously if it's a shit when when they choke it's a bit disappointed. but when you see two guys that are prepped and it's like solid Oh years on I still loved us and the second we turn the camera off I love the feeling of going up to the two people and put my arm them and being like yo, that shit was electric.
KK: bro
E: especially if they kind of knew just saying about giving love back and forth bro when when there's two kind of new people and they'll be watching don’t flop for a long time and me and the team and everyone in the fans yeah mobbing them afterwards man that shit makes that day.
KK: it makes you must make your day as well to know you’re the proprietor.
E: it does.
KK: I get that with the live show.
E: yeah, they love it.
KK: and it's so nice when it's so nice when you know that what you've done what you're doing is contributed to a bigger picture. it ain't it doesn't actually become about you YouTube come the fan again and you love it more.
E: it doesn't happen too often for mean more but those moments when I become the fan again.
KK: oh, its bliss huh.
E: it’s incredible yeah how have you experienced it at the live show just these were just appreciating what you're doing with it.
KK: ya
E: Because they should. You’re putting in a hell of a lot of effort. Serious for real.
KK: no but you understand it. Because know what is is it’s the marrying of like different genres of different age groups of different disciplines and you know when you've got like an older elder statesman of like drum and bass or hip-hop from America a blending with a UK guy that's young and he’s like fresh out of traps and and then you've got an audience of a mixed ethnicity and a mixed musical tastes.
E: ages as well.
KK: ages,
E: that’s a big thing as well.
KK: yeah man, I can’t help but think that you know they saying about killa Kela this is about the the broadness of what beatboxing and its appeal is and.
E: cos you never thought that when you were be beatboxing , a few years ago even a few years ago I guess you know thought I'm gonna be doing a live show encompassing more multiple genres genders like you're just thinking I want this next beat and perfect it but that has allowed you to come to it.
E: cos you never thought that when you were be beatboxing , a few years ago even a few years ago I guess you know thought I'm gonna be doing a live show encompassing more multiple genres genders like you're just thinking I want this next beat and perfect it but that has allowed you to come to it.
KK: that’s right.
E: yes the same way about battle rap has allowed me to do cool shit it's allowed me to go on the BBC and talk about talk about my life no one would give a shit it wasn’t battle rapping I’m just any other guys so you have to just pick what your lane is yeah and that's cool that your lane beatboxing you would just beat boxing in that was your art and now through beatbox and you're just about to-do whatever you want to do.
KK: I don't feel like the need to go do beatbox battles I don't feel the need till I have to put up a video it’s because I know now what the Conduit is and you have a conduit to its like you you it's almost like it's not almost like you've been given a mission brief and it's like right I've just got fulfill this and this has to happen.
E: it’s more like I’ve been given a blank piece of paper and wrote the statement myself. unfortunately I’ve been given zero help whatsoever. I was given a piece of paper and someone from above told me you need to do something battle rap and I was like okay I guess we will call it don’t flop that was that.
KK: and through this you've you've now like like we’re saying you know lunacy I mean that rap battle with a shot horror and Arsenal that one.
E: still almost
KK: legendary
E: I would go as far as to say that’s legendary.
KK: nicely that’s called great basically created new stars your main new stars. Your platforms made new stars.
E: again but I mean honestly the the amount of times I will be on the bus on the tube and someone will say but start talking about battle rap and will say again because because we've always tried to do with don’t flop is go past just this insular hip-hop scene, because almost like the negativity we've been given by certain people in hip-hop has definitely made me realize , that shit don’t matter what matters is this a general populace, so because we set battles up like that that we know obviously. I didn't know I was gonna get 12 million views, but I knew is gonna do a lot so because we set up these battle sand we continue to sell these battles the main intention is of just your average Tom, Dick and Harry you find it funny right that's what happens I said someone will stop me they won't even know their names and this isn't a disrespect to either of me but there ‘s it’s happened so many times to me just someone will go oh you do battle rap up I’m like yeah oh I've seen a couple battles oh which one you've seen bro and I know when I asked a question and nobody that’s gonna be I say which ones you see oh I sorted the bald geezer and the one with the dreads I'm like mate, I hosted obviously I looked fucking different now. But that’s what I say. I'm like that’s on my channel. Nah you're lying about people true story yeah; we did an event in in SoHo right you're going to borderline you know border line
KK: yeah of course.
E: we did a vent a borderline I’m not lying someone walked past the event I was what’s going on here I was asked battle rap like shotty vs arsonal that's the same channel . I saw that's our thing and my man my man was just like nah nah you lying and I was like bro there’s about 50 people out in the smoking area. This is like was half of event.
KK: what does the fucking sign say dude.
E: I literally said I was I get your phone out and it was so funny and he was just like okay and I could tell he thought I was chatting shit. he was I really I was like I promise you I know the battle your talking about it is on this channel, just say yeah cool man he just kind of wandered off and I was like I can’t win.
Someone literally to my face just told me that I'm lying yeah but but but most people most people
KK: what was he thinking, fuck.
E: How it will happen with Most people they’ll say something like that the bald white guy or the guy sottty vs arsenal. I know what you mean and in most of time they'll go oh shit it was your channel.
And they’re like yeah, yeah, yeah. it's just like it's really is so cool because people will just be like oh man just like, oh man my older brother showed me that battle , my girlfriend showed me that battle, I actually loved it just you said it birth it really has because what people often say is I’ve never really watched Battle rap before but I saw that one out with a change it and went back and I checked all your I love that guy I love that guy I love that guy and they'll say and actually do you know what I continue watching to this daylike.
KK: yeah that’s the one.
E: the other one that went and went viral was the mark Grist versus Blizzard.
KK: omg yeah, that was fucking insane.
E: the student that was just a bit before shotty and arsonal. you know exactly the same.
KK: loved it.
E: they're exactly the same thing people will come up and say yeah man I just saw the student vs teacher you never really cared about battle rap up and now I'm just you know years later I’ve come to five events I've brought my friends but it's crazy crazy.
KK: they've got under underestimate like the the the viral aspect of this because it’s the same of beatboxing to a degree there there will always be space if if presented right there will always be a space in people's hearts for the three a west of and and thankless it's like it’s it's such a passion it comes from a nun monetised passion of just wanting to rhyme better in the same way it's like beat boxing or in skateboarding you know people do it because they love it and then all sudden it has its own legs and moves people love that and they love that and we're able to or have been able to utilize that energy and broaden a scene and like you said I think most people don't like UK rap don't like that.
E: but where do you think you fit in the grand scheme of beatboxing today where do you think,
KK: I could.
E: cos you put the work in before there’s no denying that. But where are you now if you take the podcast out of it.
KK: yeah, I think I think why sitting now is more in that in the judging arena.
E: elder statesman.
KK: yeah that’s the way is I’II actually I would actually favor myself as probably a bit more of a host of this show yeah I mean I'm not really like I've never been about I mean this way people get get confused I started so early, there was no battling. It was I almost like there was no one to battle. Do you know what I mean? Me and Reeps talk about this shit all the time.
E: hold tight Reeps.
KK: yeah hold tight Reeps that’s my boy right. Yeah, yeah, yeah he’s, he says dude you've got sounds that no one else does and and yeah and it comes to yes we all have our own sound libraries I mean not a lot beat boxes do now I feel like it’s a little bit incestuous people just copy each other.
E: same. With battle rap. Exactly the same. someone will step in the ring and after that battle someone will say he was just a carbon copy of ABC.
KK: Drake I feel like he has some music and would imagine he probably has in a lot of the rhyming phrasing and timing like Drake whether people like it or not has influenced a hell of a lot of people's Talib Kweli did as well he’s versus the way he rapped. I don't know he kind of like these this flow that.
E: Kweli’s though .I mean I'm Drake as well Drakes one of the he's arguably like the bigger sites on the planet at the moment and he's so vocal about his support for battle rap he actually thanked um you know King the dot Canadian league he actually thanked them in his album sleeved one of us because I can’t remember me, I think him and take care, I think it was out just second album I think but he thanked them and said like that it was something about that like there's been like countless nights in the studio where they're just chilling or taking a break and their watch king of the dot, and again that’s the win. I love I say no this is what I'm saying so when it's a fucking winners everybody like we don't lose out fair enough Drake ain't mentioned don’t lo but we don't lose out by him shout in them out.
KK: its community.
E: same with jay-z tweeting unloaded locks bar he’s not eating, he might never have seen don’t flop but that's good for all of us, I don’t see why there has to be negativity.
KK: bro, I agree.
E: is the same in beatboxing it's kind of like, I think , I guess social media is pretty bought loads more of beatboxers out of the woodwork which creates more competition, which creates a lot more smiling in your face, laugh behind your back. Whereas before there’s just a staple group of beat boxers that are all kind of supporting each other.
KK: and you know what here’s the other thing as well and I think what you definitely relate with what I’m gonna say here, this thing is meant to be fun and it’s an organism and like you you come into the thing, I came into the thing with one mission and once I complete that mission and it was done you handover the gauntlet and the organism, keeps on moving as long as what you’ve contributed in is impactful and has made a difference to the scene, that really in my mind anyway like money comes and goes you know I mean it's only on loan most important thing is like people remember you for the right thing you did and and you did it with honor you know I mean that's the real test of think anyone's career because that's what creates longevity right.
E: Definitely. and you feel like you've got your name up to that point or you still got work to do?
KK: no well, that’s a tough one, I got I sure I think that's subjective in my head, I'm like well you know I, I hit my peak I know when my peak, was I knew, I knew I was the best in the world at that time unquestionably but that does not last forever that's a reality that you have to remind yourself like it's just a ride and everyone has their time in the Sun you know so you just got to make sure that the next thing you do I, i.e. the podcast the live show represents you again and utilizes.
E: more relevant to this stage of your life. I understand.
KK: you know what I’m saying?
E: yeah I think what people often don't understand people and when I say like normal people I mean people who don't have creative jobs and they can still achieve so much in their lives but when people who have not ever been in the public eye to any degree right because you I mean it might sound like um I'm bigging myself up too much but.
KK: it’s your podcast brother definitely you big yourself up. Big the fuck up.
E: what I mean is like because YouTube is everyone calls it a new TV right if you're big on YouTube if you've got millions of hits like there's definitely a section of the public you are in that public eye right I said I'm not me or you right it's not in the public eye - the way that's all anyway what Drake is no no comparison but you know my channel that’s it much has got I think it's like a hundred and forty million combined, that’s over a long period of time. that's a big number which I'm proud of right, so it's like what I'm saying is that what can be very difficult and that people with like normal jobs can’t understand is that like it come mess with your head a lot, that to some people you are like up on a pedestal but say for me getting the train on the way here no one gives a shit. like and there can be days where that's very cool days where you just like yo I don't want to be from don't flop. and like there's definitely some days where say say when I was battling war or when our host, I haven't hosted like a big event in a couple years right but like when we do those big events you know taking the tube that next day is weird because I’m at that event, I'm taking 50 photos with everyone everyone wants to hold my hand and talk to me outside, I'm literally, walking down a, corridor people are throwing take, take my t-shirt you know I mean like whatever, random name limited were you never hear from the geezer again your life every event take this we're dis do I thought people can't like, I’ll give you this, I'll print you this, I’ll make you a costume, this a jacket that whatever and you getting shown lot of love love people coming up to you in the smoking area every break every interval. I just want to say man, I'm such a fan of what you're doing if you weren't doing, I wouldn’t be able to come just people just showing love, when that stops it can be quite a shock like I said if you haven't had an event for a while you kind of just get into this rot of life and I actually quite enjoy it but it can be difficult when you have a big up just disappears until to be honest, you've got the money to do something else again in that kind of like lull in between you're like oh yeah, I'm actually just a normal person, like somebody said it Drake right someone at Drake he's not a normal person, there's no normal person Drake or Madonna that's just like that's you and the life you chose and you'll get to reap the rewards, that there is definitely down sides but like as a whole that's the life you chose and you you know you knew that going into it. whereas like someone say like on my level or your level it's weird because it's kind of like well we're no way celebrities but we're definitely like heroes to certain people and at certain times certain times of the day and on certain days in certain cities we are like red-carpet treatment but as soon as I'm just sitting in a restaurant or back on the coach or whatever it's just back to reality its jut weird.
KK: there’s a condition there’s actually an illness and people suffer through it when they come back off tour um I've said to some podcast before but bono from u2 he actually goes to a hotel and De climatized is for two weeks before he goes and sees his you know cos it's liable to kick off you know if you go straight to.
E: Liable to kick off why ?
KK: in a I’m kind of PTSD kind of way like when you when you do something of such high attention and high level and and and the the reactions and everything is hiding in a touring or or doing an event an event especially like the sensory overload and shit.
E: like you know it's a mental pressure as well that it's hard to decompress from yeah a lot of people don’t understand this about me they're like I am very used to be on stage but I wouldn’t say I enjoy it I just know how to get on with it like when we have huge events and there's hundreds of people knowing that all those people are hanging off your every word.
KK: and online as well which is it running to millions.
E: exactly when you know I mean like I remember before hosting like shotty verse Arsonal for example I remember before hosting it thinking kind of like and you would get a couple middle east and I think you like whatever I could be plan anything to say because I went a couple times I’ve like planned sentences to say right, it hasn't quite it sounded fake but like I remember before hosting those kind of big battles often think like, I should probably think of something to say specifically because whatever I say is gonna be logged up in time forever like that that and I never do I just got there we do the countdown.
KK: I think your fucking great when you do it.
E: I’m saying there's time they vary certain times where I'm just so not happy with it we do restart it but I tell you what’s hilarious the ones because obviously at the event I'm very like domineering about kind of that you can't talk I'm on the mic like shut up, I'm a very like keeping in line right so what is funny is when I do mess up the intros the fans love it. Like there’s been a couple times I’ve literally start and I just don't get it right at all I'm not you know what’s doing it again and I think the first-time it ever happened, I remembered I think it was in ministry and the whole crowd was like ahhhhh because I just been on them all day I don't talk stand there do the whole room was laughing at me. Like literally they got a, a little bit of control but,I don’t mind its, it’s funny man. I love it like but that’s what I mean it's funny cos, I but I do often think small battles I just kind of get on with it but whenever it's big I always think like I really hope I say something that I'm happy with saying and I hope when the bat was going on I'm standing there and behaved in all sometimes because I said if this is gonna get a lot of hits it’s gonna go online I will not change it once it's online.
KK: does that nerve you?
E: yeah you know like I said it's just I love doing it but like it is difficult sometimes if you're not fully in that zone to be on stage and have everyone looking at you. I almost feel like if I was performing, I wouldn’t really mind I would say beat horizon right well at beat horizon that was a whole performance there was like a massive.
KK: beat horizon it's like an event that goes on across like,
E: like Brixton academy has the It's the biggest crowd I've ever been I mean, I didn't actually care I wasn’t remotely you know I couldn't really break it down the psychology behind it.
KK: it’s mad isn’t it.
E: but I think maybe what it is is that they weren’t there to see me they were that see everyone where is let's say there's a don’t flop event with 500 people even 200 they're all there because they fuck what I'm doing right so when I'm on stage then it means a lot more but honestly I generally believe if I was just wrapping or battling it would mean nothing but when I'm just speaking and everyone standing there like this in silence.
KK: Oh my god, yeah.
E: I better say the rights hit right now but I walked out on stage and beat horizon I couldn't care less you know like what’s going on. cool like I don’t know any of of you, you’re not l my fans like.
KK: but the audiences and you know, I say this with affection I can't think of any other term for it but it is there is a Lord of the Flies in the audience are there and they are so clued up and keyed into that thing like beatboxing the same man it’s like know your shit because they know more they know they are like those that you’re best friends but they're also like they're there with the like proper like geeking out as much as we would they are there they're hardcore, innit.
E: you know so know when when you are kind of doing your own tours and stuff we would you how would you find it meeting with say fans before and after the show would you find it like a lot of pressure or did you just kind of get on with it.
KK: I don’t know just kind of get on with it it’s different because I mean when you when you have like fans that come to see you, I always feel like it's a lot less pressure because the but it's different
E: but it is pressure because they're your biggest critics and you've got to impress them, but you didn’t feel that?
KK: I didn’t feel it.
E: that’s good. I do.
KK: do ya? Like do you feel it I as is in like as a rapper yourself or as an event holder.
E: just as somebody that I feel that people look - to do good shit neither really just like there's no again beat horizon festival at any festival, we've done they’re not there to see, we've done cool festivals and obviously people look on the program and they decide who they want to see I always said every first video. I’m always like y'all big up you lot for choosing us, I mean we are not Stormzy or whatever but but as I say that but at the same time, I'm kind of like but, it's not that important because you’re all you know is at a festival someone will beat their eyes the lineup has twenty artists on, don’t flop it’s a small percentage of that you’re not here to see me it's a group effort so actually I don't really feel that much pressure because I'm just gonna do why do you get paid and leave and then actually stood on the side of the stage and just watch Raekwon and his love life and felt great. Don’t flop is not like that because it's just like there is pressure because I'm not saying you’re fans of me personally but you’re fans of all the battlers here and what we’re doing and you've watched every single video and you said you know more than me supposedly do you know what I mean like I’ve had people some of the comments we see like on like when we used to, used to have this forum Facebook forum like some of the comments you would see that just that is a smart ass know-it-all comment and again because I'm so.
KK: Jesse33 Patrick100, just want to say I really didn’t like how.
E: I don’t understand why that happen though. Do you know what I mean and they go and they go, this is what you were you saying at the beginning about the comments or stuff looks like because I'm so ant engaging, I know you like I’ll be honest, I'm petty suck with people I know you if we have a problem we can go at it as long as you want that's fine people that don't know I won’t engage with never I've never I've made almost like a name for myself as being like that and want to keep that so so like got about even I said on our own forums and stuff that used to have hundreds of posts a day to the point we genuinely were like we need to close it down but could because and honestly we .
KK: because of the serve?
E: no, no, do not, not at all because of that um we generally used to have conversations where we were like we need to close this down because of exactly what you said about everyone is just talking like they know more than us everyone every comment is that well I disagree with this, I didn't like how this happened, the event like you know what, every let me take the funniest one this is the one it stings for me forever this is is actually a battle rap story. It was actually a battle rapper. This is 100 percent true story. we we used to do free food events but every now and then literally my mum would like to make little bits of food randomly.
KK: that’s cool! So cool!
E: randomly she would be like okay, so I went to Morrison's I got you five pizzas, literally ya.
KK: big up mums.
E: She’s the don, honestly. so, like so we sit for a phase which did it just for jokes we put on the flyer right free food yeah and I swear down I after the event everyone's comment.
KK: please don’t say what your gonna say.
E: great event, great event. and someone put great event however I would say it was more like snacks not food.
KK: Oh my god.
E: someone said my only con would be its snacks not food, it’s like we literally can’t win.
Whatever hip hop event gives you pizza for free? that was the day I realized this shit just doesn't. matter. people are going to complain if you wear a blue hat not a red hat. green trainers yellow. it doesn’t matter man they are just gonna complain you just got a focus on the amount of people that saying wow what a great day.
KK: that’s all the matter, this is this is a burden, quote/unquote, you hold because, you’re doing something of a of a value, that’s, that's, that's part people have an ownership to it that's what it is because it's because it's done for all the right reasons and it fits in a community into a community it's just a given that you exist this church isn’t it’s like it's always gonna be there and people just you know they have their opinions of it.
E: but I do think it's funny though I know exactly what you mean they’re like it's now I can't speak from the from the perspective of of like alike a fan because I'm not a fan of I’m in it if you know I mean but I do often think like even by being the person started don’t flop and by being in it cos it's consumed so much in my life, I often do kind of think exactly what you said about like your fucking comparisons like the church and shit and here I kinds of see like that like it is funny to think that like we’re just kind of here now and that’s just what it is I said that but there was a big period and there was at least19 20 years of my life where this wasn’t thing and it wasn't a staple of anybody’s YouTube watching or day it wasn’t consuming battlers lives when they’re writing for about every eight weeks or whatever like there was actually a period where this wasn't a thing now it is a thing it's just kind of like well you know I mean there’s free example I even get impostor syndrome is too that's that's too much of a sI don't get that whatsoeverbecause I do genuinely believe I've kind of worked but I do like for example when you're you know when you’re hitting me up beam I gotta get you on the podcast it does give me that to a degree so I'm kind of like that is funny that if I hadn't started doing flop to be fair I would have definitely rapped and you might you're involved in the scene it probably if I didn't do don't flop I would have rapped a lot more right but I do think like that I'm like that’s crazy there when I was 14 15 I was listening to killa Kela I was going to killa Kela shows I was untucking with him I knew he was and then because of this random decision I decided to make now my name's at a point that he wants to speak to me and whenever that happens I'm like that’s crazy and like when I did when I was telling you about they're in.
KK: serendipity.
E: yes it’s weird how that happens like was this meant to happen all and I said well I did when I did matts podcast It was called my expert opinion and it's like he just he only speaks to people that he considers are like worthy name game and it was filmed in Harlem I remember to being an uber up to Harlem and I was like you'd have told me this when I was 18 that I was gonna catch an uber to Harlem so I go on is showed and talked in because when I was18 I was a fan of this shit right but I didn’t consider my opinion to be important and I remember just thinking like this is only a couple weeks ago I said you see but is that what driving through New York I just thinking like this is so strange that like I'm like a peer of this person he's one of my peers I’m one of his peers and he he you know the second I'm not even gassing myself the second he heard I was in New York he was like you gotta come on a show man I’ve got a talk to you on the show and I was just like you know even all these years on I was just like that's so that's so funny tome.
KK: I don't think it ever changes.
E: yeah it's not and I said it's just funny that, I’m like whoa that's just the decision I made I started don’t flop I made a lot of good decisions a lot of bad decisions you know I mean but the result of it is that I'm just kind of here and people want to speak to me about this stuff and it is an interesting thing to think about like if I didn't start would my name be as big through just rapping would you let's say all our lives are going the same way you'd started this podcast would you want to speak to Eurgh the rapper about his 10 years as a rapper that shit really interested me because we'll never know the answer.
KK: the butterfly effect.
E: yeah exactly like.
KK: it could be the case that if you hadn’t have done that didn't ever be no incentive for a lot of people that inspire.
E: and they wouldn’t have had the same.
KK: it’s actually it's actually.
E: I might have been thinking because you know what this is one thing I do think about right is that if I hadn't started it a 100% someone else would of because just because battle raps massive now it wasn't as big when we started it, but there was definitely a lot of fans around the world still know there was a pocket of fans, I just got there firs.t but I often think that what if someone else had got there first and I'd gone like well I'm not playing second fiddle to that like yeah see ya later my little bars on Myspace and sees what happened like again like I said it could have popped off I could have been a big-name just as a sick rap or I could have been another sick rapper that nobody gives a shit which there is many.
KK: well they k, so this is one so so let's put on its head then because I of course I think everybody that feels like the synergies right and you're going down a road that that feels like has like a real thing about it you know you're doing the right thing but, but let's look at it this way this was a good idea that you had that you decided to pursue with, without question and yet arguably it was there for the taking it would have been anybody else.
E: it really was up for grabs trust me we got in a very lucky at a right time bar, but we did also make some good decisions.
KK: but then these decisions come with a good idea going right so let’s flip it on its head this is one of maybe ten ideas and the other nine just didn't surface because okay yeah you couldn't divide you had a drunk night and you woke up you know that’s just a stupid idea but, it could been whole loads of different things that you know in the cosmos you just didn't get-together like think about all the amazing opportunities that may have disappeared.
E: I know it's crazy, it messes with my head a lot because at the same time, I've done so much cool shit with battle rap, it I'm just got that kind of brain, I don't know what the term for it is but I just have that kind of brain where like because I've done so much cool shit with it I do always think what cool shit could I have done if I put my time else where like cos I'm not an idiot like my rap is what I'm definitely good at an event organizing them I'm like all right you know base like I always think but I'm not dumb, there is other things in life I could have done and I think like often. I'll just be stinking like I wonder why I had done that I don't and when I say that I still funny think I don’t even know what that is but I think about it I'm just like that's crazy no I could have actually without knowing it I could have achieved way past what I’ve achieved doing this if actually Input my brain to something else but just because from 14 years oldie just loved battle rap from whatever the first battle was like this is this is so cool.
KK: so, you know that’s everything.
E: I was in school when eight-mile came out.
KK: right okay.
E: so, I got to see 8 mile and oh and I just like blown away I’m already into rap, I’m already buying mobb deep albums from HMV for $4.99, I remember that you know what I mean. and I go to see 8 mile and it just connected me. And it’s like well what if that film never came out and all these things never happened BET free style Fridays and I just I was like everyone else, but I could have easily been like the kind of person that comes to a don’t flop event. I just like I love this shit, I love rap but I’m not actually doing anything in it. you know I mean and it's like is a crazy thought but then again you know is like so obvious I'm gonna say like if I’d done that I would have always in the back of my mind thinking I could started channel that would have been cool imagine, the places, I could have gone it’s like whatever
KK: It swing arounds us
E: Same with you, what else are you gonna do.
KK: Aw, mate Me and Aroe, my graffiti friend Aroe. we you know we talked about this a lot there's a fucking brick laying you know job over there waiting for us back in the late nineties like we certainly under no illusion right.
E: that’s brilliant.
KK: and it’s really all about passion. It’s all about passion.
E: Cos you know, you never know, you're known as a beatboxer podcaster, could have been if you never if you just beatbox for a couple weeks and even let's say a couple years and been like it's not really for me I couldn’t be bothered. There’s gonna be better people you might have picked up something completely different and just killed it at that.
KK: yeah yeah, I love it though. Okay I got a question for you , it feels like the right segue to do, so um sometimes I think to myself all right okay Nirvana came out, smells like teen spirit that whole never mind album to some people is like a 90s Bible, right. Dave Grohl is he's like, he's like an elder statesman of like rock now, he’s like that guy, he'd never had a thing in his life, that was as impactful as Nirvana was in other people's lives and so I often say to myself what's his what’s his record in his record collection what's his equivalent of Nirvana. Now let’s focus on you, there is don't flop and some people this is there this is their this is their world like, nothing else matters, right what is your equivocal of that in your life you know what I'm saying?
E: yeah, I mean I I’ve never up until recently I've honestly never allowed myself to have enough other interests to have that part in my life there's not related to this it’s just consumed my entire existence.
KK: consumed everything.
E: yeah, the honest answer there isn't and people often ask me nice it's actually quite funny like people often will be like so like so what do you do when you're not doing this and I'm like me there is nothing not doing this like like oh I was just saying to you when I arrived like there’s no day.
KK: there's no plan B mother fuckers.
E: like I can't if I do nothing for a day, I’ll have 50 messages from people being like where are you slacking what you ‘redoing I'm trying to contact you blah blah blah. like and if I’m planning especially this year I’m planning it's so many adventures I hope you’re gonna be at something like I’m planning so many events if I slack off for a day they're not getting done or alight isn’t boot or a hotels gonna go from from 100pound a 300 pound you see I'm saying.
KK: of course, yes.
E: so there are totally the honest answer is that quite unfortunately there isn't really something else. just like this big part of my life that I'm like that's my moment because all my moments have been in this. so it's like but I have definitely thought like in the things that have happened the last few years, relationships that have broken down, relationships that I have built up. Things that have happened have definitely made me realize I owe myself more things, I owe myself more things fitted into my daily planner than this one thing, cos you know, I mean obviously like I do normal people things, like go to the cinema and go to Pizza Express, whatever you know, I mean it's not like literally 24-hour thing. but it’s just I did realize that or what I’m doing these things like say going to the cinema or whatever what I'm really doing is taking a two-hour break from don’t flop. it was quite literally the minute I get out of the cinema I'm on my phone or a train home going through everything, I’m talking to people in America, England, whatever trying to do it all and Idealized. I was actually, I need to kind of take half of what I'm doing and delegate a lot of it to different people to give me more time to be involved another things, I never been rock climbing, I might love rock climbing, I've never been tobogganing in in Beltre or wherever, it is they they do that shit In Austria or whatever. I might love it. I skated once when I was about nine years old no shit never did it again if I ice skate now I might be the bomb do you know what I mean? so like that's genuinely how I feel now, I'm like I need to give myself bigger chunks of time just to allocate, allocate segments of my day just be like this maybe even write some bars you know I mean instead of just focusing on 25 other people writing bars for me to battle at my event, maybe I should allocate a part of my day tomorrow to just right in a couple bars and remembering actually you're not bad maybe that gets my thing.
KK: it's crazy isn’t.
E: good I'd love to be sitting, I’d love to be sitting here and telling you right now I'd you know what biggest moment of my life me is releasing an album. It will never happen.
KK: because you're so busy.
E: but I do see it in my future, that's the answer that like if you ask me the same question in like a year, I might be like aw you know what like yeah I'm very proud of my achievements on don’t flop but actually I've done loads of other cool stuff. now they’re separate and I feel like they're pretty big moments of my life as well
KK: and also I feel like some of the stuff that like go back to the idea of like having other projects with something like don't flop, especially when you're the key holders of a key hold of a of a channel and a movement because you are you've bigger, bigger thing there's actually it's the, the, the, the things that you can put like new ideas additional bolt on projects that could work you know I don't know fucking fanzine that I everyone can do a fanzine but hold on let's make down flop a fanzine you know all these idea.
E: one that counts.
KK: There’s so much you can do with it,
E: yeah I think, I think it's true, I think it might be, it might be unrealistic of me after this long to kind of believe I could have a totally separate thing going on from it I think you’re right that most things will probably be
KK: under the umbrella.
E: kind of somehow a branch of it. but I think it's more about just like finding things that are a branch off from it that are as different as they can be, like realistically. I'm not ever gonna be known as much some known for being Eurgh in battle rap as I'm doing something else so I can do other things but I may as well I think I have accepted this thing it’s like I can do different things, but let’s say for example doing what we said about doing the right in on the film versus that was amazing but I'm not under some kind of illusion they picked me because I'm the best rap writer in the UK, they picked me because they knew what I was doing with don’t flop.and I actually came to an event, that’s how it were they came to one of my events and quite almost headhunted me and we're like they took, they took, me aside at one of the events and we’re just basically like we're not really into the scene at all we're trying to make a film about it and we've done it, were like you're basically spokesperson for it. Perfect example, didn't know that I actually rapped they were like we just want you on this film when it came to the writing in I was like not being a dick head but I can rap, I got bars like I'm not gonna they were like they were basically saying who should write the bars and I kind of like pause and was like me and then I said I was like but not I’m not taking his feat on by myself like let me bring in some other people put in three other people and we you know we did a pretty solid job um but, again what I'm saying is that's because they brought me in just because of we need this guy attached to it and then I’d she own them you should include me as a writer as well things like that it’s like yeah okay Cool, um I loved the bars we wrote in that film but I know it's like but it is linked to don't flop though. so it's like things like that if I release an album for example which I really would love to do if I release an album obviously for example I'll promote that through don’t flop, it's not like it's not like come on it’s not like I'm going to use my own channel to promote my own music yeah obviously so again it's like well that's a separate project but it's still gonna bait’s like you know . you can’t escape to.
KK: It’s too much of a legacy.
E: I can’t do something for 12 years. It would be like you walking up tomorrow do you know I’m gonna be the best insurance salesman. Yeah but your still Killa Kela the beat boxer.and a minute they find out in the office give us a beat mate. Exactly the kind of guys I mean. same thing as anytime I meet afar this always happens you meet a fan it’s been another friend that knows nothing about oh you rap yeah; I spin me a bar. What the fuck you are talking about you don’t know me. You must, that must happen to you gimmie a beat, gimme a beat.
KK: yeah yeah.
E: gimmie a beat. shut up.
KK: I feel sorry for comedians yeah cos they like the most, I mean within reason like there's a lot thank funny in person and I just feel for them okay crack us a joke then. it's a joke dude like I can imagine like they must hate that shit.
E: so you say yeah it's like you got I think you and I similar in that way that like we can definitely put our minds to-do another thing, yeah but you can’t you’d be lying to yourself and we'll be lying towards those if we woke up and said we're gonna do something that has no relevance. To my legacy l my legacy is in setting up but I know it’s a to a degree being being a battler it but really it's in a sense I said you can do this podcast and it's sick what you’re doing but your legacy is built on being a beatboxer.
KK: original foundations.
E: and people would feel disrespected if you left, that's right, if I suddenly I said woke up tomorrow so I'm gonna be a singer, people have been up but that's not you know you’re a battler but let's say if you were like yeah I'm done with beatboxing no he would want to hear.
KK: Hold on one second, I think you’re right in part, I think also though that you're going to be having people that know you as an emcee and then they have you like do singing as long as you’re rapping within it as long as it’s contextualized in there you know in the earth that you kind of grew from then it kind of works.
E: but, that's what I'm saying it’s always linked. there has to be a link like I could look if I make an album and want to rap on a chorus which again sorry, singing a chorus, that's fine because that's what everyone does Eminem does he’s terrible at it but it is what it is. but I mean that’s because I'm allowed to do this my my rap song if I come out as Eurgh the crooner start doing some Michael bubble c’mon bro.
KK: tony bennett.
E: Like that’s not happening. I got my face as my face I’m me. It’s not happening. That’s what I’m saying.
KK: it’s so true.
E: you came out tomorrow and said you're denouncing beatboxing you're only a DJ. People don’t wanna hear that.
KK: no, no, no. you’re not incorporating it.
E: because they don't want to hear that, and you know but I'm saying anything we do that incorporates where we come from will be accepted.
KK: yeah, I love that.
E: it's just difficult to find out, how come we do things that I like new areas of life and want to try my hand at that without forgetting where we come from. It’s a tough one man. It’s a tough one. Maybe we will just have to start a podcast together the rules have to be whoever the guest is we can't talk about battler or beatboxing. We will just be sitting there. so, what do you feel about the election? Yeah that was a year and half ago. That’s all we talk about on this podcast.
KK: you know it's funny though people misunderstand the podcast sometimes like I mean I love everyone on they has come on but sometimes when it goes into subjects that a little bit kind of spicy a bit I’m I'm a very neutral character you know/ I mean like possibly going a little bit vanilla. I know what I know about I know but when it goes into this kind of political stuff I'm like yeah like oh not’s not I'm not interested. it's that there’s a time and a place and sometimes sometimes I don't always agree that artists should be voicing their opinions on somewhat it's just to me it's like if I came in here and wasn't talking about battle raps. I’d be like what we do now.
E: Proves my point of what I just said. You’re known for what you’re known for.
KK: 100 percent bro. that’s what it says on the tin.
E: yeah imagine that if I came in in was like this whole I’m gonna use this podcast to like just put myself forward as someone it’s actually so much deeper is now, you people wanna hear you talk about what you know they want. and Its silly it'd be, it’d be silly of me, so anytime it's like it's almost I mean meeting meeting a fan or drawing a new rapper in and saying yeah, I'd love to get you on my channel. but after me coaching you and booking you for all these battles and whatever don't talk to me about your feelings on the battle though let's just chat but yeah they what you are who you are but I know there must be a lot of people whether it’s happened yet or will happen in the future.
KK: they wanna get super political.
E: I wanna get on and get my point across. me personally I make sure I vote so make sure I vote, if we are talking about politics. I go to the booth I've do my bit.
KK: but then that’s it I'm out.
E: I'm not I'm not up enough to be telling people where you can't do and that.
KK: yeah yeah.
E: and definitely not gonna come on the podcast and start talking about that.
KK: and bro , it scares me and also people you know it's so subjective and seasonal as well people have an opinion on one thing and then and it dates it and also what they’re saying I mean they may change their mind the next .
E: I just love being an observer man I love um a big Twitterer like I spend hell of a lot of my life on Twitter and I've always said I would happily delete every other app off my phone but I would pretty cry if I have to delete twitter. I do love it.
KK: you do love it, don’t ya.
E: but do you know I’ll tell you what man what I actual enjoy about twitter is you can actually learn shit. If you just be passive. Obviously social media and online In general but definitely twitter like there is people right, there is people. Right. Who’s worth saying my life has-been battle rap, your life has been beatboxing. people there's people who's really dedicate and I don't mean politicians I mean like just young people who've just from them get go their passion has been politics and on twitter, man you can learn some shit if you just shut up and listen to these people and I'm happy to not chime in because you know what happens if you chime in someone will go well actually that person said something in 2004 that directly got and I'm like damn dude I'm gonna leave this to you yeah and that’s what I enjoy doing like
KK: you’re like coming to the line of fire.
E: and I don’t want to be in line of fire.
KK: me I’m with you too.
E: I mean I'm with you to happy to watch YouTube arguing back and forth with facts. I’m like this is sick it's just the same as what I was saying about like the delegation there like delegation can be tough because if you can't delegate to people who don’t know every in an hour of every situation ever happens I've seen it's the same or politics don't argue about politics if you don't know all the ins and outs.
KK: your stepping into the arena buddy
E: you’ll get killed you end up looking like a fake woke person.
KK: man, you will get destroyed.
E: I have my little comments here and there.
KK: I’m with you bro.
E: but like I start tweeting absolute paragraphs about a political pie or a politician just in case someone who really knows that she can go well actually the guy you're supporting did similar things here here here cos I could I said if we're talking about battle rap I can tell you exactly what happened in 2011 you guys I'll tell you exactly he was a prick then who wasn’t and why and all the different reasons you know. I mean I tell you I'll go in but that's because I was there yeah but I have no intent any podcast I do I love doing them I have absolutely zero intention of going on anything talking about anything but what I’m asked about.
KK: that's what makes that's what makes you doing the bars on the film it’s like of course like you go to the root you go to and and there's something really like fucking awesome like we're dealing in niches here you know we you know we're not we're not gonna you know cure cancer on this thing you know I mean but what we know we know well and we can fucking fight it to the death we know ABCD and all the different areas in which we got to this point because we were there it happened.
E: I love that. yes, absolutely I love I love being acknowledged I'm very like type-a personality like I really love me.
KK: type A, explain that?
E: that's that's again the I don’t know to quote you a million paragraphs but it's basically that you you really like being shown graduated and acknowledgement not as like I just like oh you got me a cup of tea I'm gonna bow it's more this like just like for example that being asked to be on a film for my personality it made me feel great because it was like this is it was acknowledgment. I
KK: hmmm yeah, I’m the same.
E: it was like, I don't need, they didn’t sit there and say to me verbally you are the best you are the man you're the only one that will work for.
KK: it was affirmation.
E: Affirmation but it was a, it was nonverbal affirmation, it was like well these three guys have given up their day to come to my event to drag me aside and to tell me we're gonna pay you pretty well to be part because we know it's not gonna be as authentic without you attached yeah and that’s that made me feel really good, so I was like well cool I've been grinding for years and now people are starting to realize. like we just just shot something for BBC the other day and just to kind of get that call up cause very simple call up we need people to talk about battle rap can you come down again. I was like I'd rather actually bring a couple of people as well I brought two other people down, yes we just sat there and spoke about battle rap, all the ins and outs here for half an hour but again the people who were filmed there to be quite frank the guy who was there the production crew today didn't really they didn’t really know who we were all really care, they knew they didn't they were like, hi lovely to meet you if you can sit there when my queue up start talking but it was the general thing of us sitting there like we were battling in pubs and parks pissing about doing nothing and now I've got another you not not to like boys but yeah another call up from the BBC to talk about it.
KK: just means you’re doing something right.
E: and I was just sitting there with the lights, the camera the crew and it was great because they knew nothing about us and they just absolutely loved sit and they were afterwards were like that was so insightful, I knew nothing before and it was great speak to you and you just leave feeling like well that was brilliant you make any money from it like I just feel like I actually yeah I'm getting some affirmation and it’s like.
KK: people don't see the hustle people don’t and I don't you know again we’re talking high-class problems here, like he’s you know we all have to work right but it's like we genuinely you are so in the dark like 12 hours out of the day, like you don’t know why you're working as hard as you fucking are and to what end you don’t know, if you've got paid by the hour it would be a godsend but you're don’t and you just keep on going and keep on going it’s true that one call it is affirmation to say that you're doing something right.
E: it's incredible and like when money is attached to it obviously it’s even better but like things like that things like just being on a little TV programs just even having one minute, yeah it's not about the money it's about just like if it was if there was never any money attached to it you might start getting annoyed . I love the affirmation, but I can’t make my rent, I wanna go buy a yorkie but I can’t afford it.
We’ve all been there. I'm thinking I specifically remember a time when I’m thinking yo I've got powers online, 12million views and I'm in the fucking queue at Primark to buy a blank t-shirt and I don’t know if my card is gonna get declined. I remember a specific time just sitting their people understand this I literally don't know if I can afford to buy this plaint-shirt, but I can go on YouTube and I’m like a YouTube millionaire if it never worked out it would be frustrating.
KK: I sold my microphone oh my god I had to sell.
E: I was the one that I bought it.
KK: I was gutted. You know I can’t do this man.
E: aw that’s sad. It’s horrible isn’t it, again from the outside they would never expect that. They would think you were doing it cos it was clogging up room in your house or something, like that’s what I mean
They’re like what as long as every night I stay with you doing this podcast as long as you can monetize parts of it the rest of it can just be for fun, and it can just be for like ah that's that’s so cool yeah like I said just people just I want your opinion it's just I guess to other people it wouldn't mean as much but to someone like me I just I just love that feeling like that's so cool you think I'm important I came up I wasn’t from nothing like a poor background. I mean by from as far as a rap name built my name from zero and now, I’ve built it to a point where I'm working films TV programs whatever because it’s my opinion that matters.
KK: that if it does feel like this sounds to me like in terms of your trajectory it seems like a lot of these cornerstones kind of logical conclusions they ears kind of like well yes so I've done that so I'm gonna do that do that I'm good and it's just through a conversation we’ve had for the last night out like that’s how it feels yeah.
E: do you know what you're I think you even realize how spot on you are with that we we because it was around 2012, right we got big from that's right we were going from 2009. obviously when we were a lot younger and we there was a massive spike in views it was because of the student teacher battle right really be I'm talking from 1000 view average to a 10, 11, thousand but I'm talking on I could put a video up of us filming a banana skit on the floor and it would get .
KK: really it was that cold.
E: yeah, but but that’s what we realized and it's so funny you say what you said the way you live were just like I bet you were just like yeah that is I can't tell you how accurate itis that that people were obviously saying to us like it must feel amazing like you've been grinding doing this and now you're hitting ten and then over to that 10 snowballed to 50 and that actual one battle ended up getting about five millions worth.
KK: right its mad.
E: but what was so funny was that that was my reaction I was just kind of like well I mean here it is cool yeah; I am happy duh yeah alright we’re finally getting hits we want but it's just what should happen
KK: yeah.
E: I was never I didn’t think it was a miracle I never ever used the word we got lucky cuz we did definitely
KK: no, no, no, no.
E: we just grinded for a while and yeah it definitely took a couple specific video to blow us up but then that just snowballed into the not everyone stayed but a good chunk of the viewers stayed and I was just I mean it's the simpler way to put it is that I was just like yeah like I should be getting these hits because anyone that works as hard as I’ve worked and as regularly as I should get somewhere I'm not saying I deserve to be a millionaire.
KK: no, you’re right.
E: but I should be here somewhere and man the crazy thing is there was definitely times I considered giving up cuz if you imagine I was, I was 20 when we lot blew up, I was 22 and there was definitely times when I was 20, 21 when I was like I'm dedicating all my life to this shit. that was making to be quite frank and again no one forced me to do it, but from day one, I basically dedicated every hour of my early twenties to do this right and I remember specific times is when I was still living in Norwich and I remember just sitting up in my house being like I'm just gonna waste my life doing this because I'm so because I've been a fan of the culture for so long I'm just gonna keep doing it and I'm just not gonna stop and I it's.
E: but I should be here somewhere and man the crazy thing is there was definitely times I considered giving up cuz if you imagine I was, I was 20 when we lot blew up, I was 22 and there was definitely times when I was 20, 21 when I was like I'm dedicating all my life to this shit. that was making to be quite frank and again no one forced me to do it, but from day one, I basically dedicated every hour of my early twenties to do this right and I remember specific times is when I was still living in Norwich and I remember just sitting up in my house being like I'm just gonna waste my life doing this because I'm so because I've been a fan of the culture for so long I'm just gonna keep doing it and I'm just not gonna stop and I it's.
KK: dude you actually have a and I know that feeling you actually say it to yourself, that’s what's crazy.
E: I'm not much person to do that but I remember that and times around that really speaking myself being like this is it to be blown this is a fucking waste of time and then yeah and then let's say approximate I stuck it out and I really wanted to stop again, funny thing one of the butterfly effect things I was very close to doing it and how crazy would that have been if I stopped someone else started because they picked up that battle and they got I wouldn't be here right now.
KK: you’d be in the battle.
E: exactly, I might be the one emailing them give me a chance I used to be on of like but it’s what I'm saying like and it's crazy that I think about, I really was close to stopping because I was just like I can’t waste more of my life on this so then, yeah when we blew up, I was just kind of just like right so I wasn't crazy whoo that’s really what it felt like. we hadn't blown up, I wouldn’t be here right now because I would have I probably would have carried on for another year or so and then be like you know what this is just gonna be a hobby and I’ll just let it sit there and do it whenever. but we really did blow up when I was at the end of my tether. I've really reached a point it's 2012 we're doing this four years basically every day the age of 19, I've been doing right exactly well no views really a bit of love here and there but not really I'm definitely no money and I think damn we blew up and I was like I was really owed that even though it's true you're owed nothing by the world but as far as like from the work I put in yeah I was old level of acknowledgement yeah so when it came it was just like phew because again who knows we'll never know but I probably approximate I probably had about a year left in me I probably had about a year left in me before I was like I just need to fix the fuck up and go work at Topman and fix the rest of my life and probably by now I'm I would have done something else but right then and there I was reaching the point of like I just need to get a normal job because if there's no money coming in. what is the point.
KK: its interesting you say that.
E: I'm so glad I did stick it out even though there’s been massive ups of massive downs as a whole I’m really grateful.
KK: moved to culture along. It changed everything.
E: yes, we needed that, that boost. I mean like and that was I tell you what's hilarious is like no one really believed in that battle when one of the they were like that’s really corny like you're gonna do a young kid was a teacher obvious I’m not gonna say, I was on visionary that could see it was gonna hit five million views but I saw something in it like this has viral potential, this is really funny because Blizzard he's old now Blizzard was I think he was he would been seventeen he looked very young as well so he really looked like your average kid. you see outside the shops that’s how we kind of markers at it like you’re just you the kids you see outside the shops that scares the old ladies when they're doing a shopping away and then you have mark Grist whose whole I won’t say gimmick, because it was just kind of just what he was to always we are suit and just to be in a suit and just said that that's me and if you ever asked him about it he'd always kind of say well it's just that's me like I just I’m a teacher I wear a suit at work. I just kind of feel comfortable in a suit so I gotta came up the idea and was just like they’re from such different worlds them battling is it's just crazy so much potential if we pull this off and I’m not gonna say everyone was like don't do it but a lot of people were like that’s really cheesy I see we were trying to do but it's not gonna work you're just gonna look like you’re forcing something right we held the battle and in about two weeks after we upload today it was just getting calls from Channel four can we show it, ITV can we show it. I was just like again for me it’s almost like self-affirming, I was telling myself like you like you deserve to show yourself gratitude almost for making a decision because no one else really believed and then I said throughout 2012 we kind of just reap the benefits of that we were doing events in cities you've never heard of and we were like where the fuck did all you lot come from,
KK: Crazy.
E: and to this day.
KK: you met friends you got new things.
E: exactly I could still go back to these places a day and throw events today and it’s all down to that work we put in.
KK: I think this is the moral of the story is like just when you think you're gonna be yeah this is gonna be your last one song, I can't do much more have, I really got enough and you know energy to do this you know then something else just fucking you don’t know until you've stopped how far you’ve actually come.
E: but you're like this with a podcast now who's your building a name with the podcast you it’s not as in theory you could wake up tomorrow and go not doing any more. In actuality you have a lot of people to answer for.
KK: because it becomes there.
E: it's a part of them people especially talk about your live shows, especially your live shows you have people that are dedicating hours of their months, I'm not gonna say you fuckin 9:00 to 5:00 but I mean every month leading up to your live show, there’s people dedicate in time to that show, well if you just suddenly go yeah can't really be bothered but it's non-stop they're gonna be like oh I'm really invested in ya like and I know that about about what I'm doing, I know there’s people that are more invested innit than me and I could there’s nothing stopping me walking out the door and I'm done I'm done now but it's just the fallout from it what really.
KK: yes, the fall out. that’s true.
E: yeah you chose to start this podcast cos you wanted time to do you felt like you had something to give the world want an excuse to talk to people and do cool shit but that's now snowballed into people being loyal listeners who are like who's Killa Kela gonna interview next if you suddenly decided to cease trading like it gonna be quite sad.
KK: It can’t happen. It can’t happen. It’s too far gone. And it works you know there is this great satisfaction I think we both hold in the shit we do right so direct question who is the MCS to look out for in your opinion?
E: ooh that tough. Um who’s killing it right now? Oh man this sound really bad. Umm gimmie a minute to think cause there is some really good performers.
KK: I’ll tell you what I’ll let you mull on that in the meantime funniest story that ever happened.
E: aw I had a feeling you were gonna ask me that. Do you know what as far as battle is honestly I wouldn’t upload a battle if I don't think someone’s good I would just say look on the channel there's and this year especially, I'm really putting a focus on new people because I just think there’s so much talent out there with an unsourced yet so I feel I think like yeah I think I can't think of someone at the moment I think is you know what if we’re talking about the most popular active battler it's a guy called Gemini .
KK: I’ve heard of him,
E: yeah, he’s crazy. let's say he's the one if we had to pick one name in the UK that is still battling it has fans people pay to see him, I would say it's probably Gemini if we're talking like what I rate. honestly the easy way just looks on the channel because on the channel anyone I put up I think is funny and I think is got potential.
KK: and that don’t flop tv.
E: and it’s don't flop you tube. far as funny what kind of that oh god that's just I mean.
KK: you’ve kind of said that like you were talking about the way that battle rappers from the states go.
E: okay, but yeah that that is, but I guess that’s kind of funny in a more niche so as far as just as far as just straightforward funny I mean we've had people turn up with their mums to film the battle for them. yeah but not you know a people are weird, that’s what I’ve learned from don’t flop. Majority of the people in the world are fucking weirdo. Yeah like for example. I've loved my mum was made us pizzas made us samosas whatever yeah but if I was bringing my mum's to an event you know then and she was gonna be part of my battle, I would probably say to the host by the way that's my mum she's gonna be filming but he's got turned up and just and just didn’t say anything to us so his battle begins and he's just kind of wrapping and this clearly 20 years older than everybody else woman is just kind of milling around filming and then we’re kind of just all the staff are kind of looking at each other like this whilst he’s rapping and we like is that his mum? just kind of after the battle was a sight yeah no sorry I didn't say that's my mum yeah and we were just kind of like right I guess in your household that's normal.
KK: what the hell is going on.
E: but then again we've had people hilarious things like people peoples saying theatrical thing odd you know what you’re so wack I'm gonna let my boy from the crowd kill you throws his boy from the crowd into the middle of the circle and he just chokes and Can’t remember anything.
KK: nooo. No way.
E: that’s what I’m saying it’s more cringy than funny we've had a lot of cringe I’m telling you people dragging in people people using people using their kind of girlfriends to finish lines very cringy. yeah very very cringy much I think of some others there really has been.
KK: that’s amazing is that there's a comedy series
E: there's been oh you know people pulling out props and that's what I think I’m very very against. I don't like that but but there's um there's we've had people pull out kind of like oh for example we had someone someone with a lipstick he drew over his head I can actually remember about this if anyone watches Like eek vs. marlo eek versus ma rlo that's the one, I can remember and eek is doing a punchline about how you should met you need to make up your mind and he gets out a lipstick and he draws over his head with the lipstick whilst saying you need to make up your mind and he thought it was gonna bang and it's just crickets.
KK: oh my god.
E: its weird man. and that’s behind the scenes there’s obviously been so much but I think to me like they're a lot of things. I have a mind the scenes are better left behind the scenes but as far as on camera they’re the only cringy and the only funny hilarious moments are just when people just I best the best way to describe it is like when they just really misjudge and like I said he really felt like this is a good decision to cover my head in lipstick as I say a bar. but then obviously what was really awkward is that he kind of says the bar but then he’s got a continued doing the next five with lipstick on his head which I think if I remember, I think he eventually wipes it off so but it's quite funny that he continues to be aggressive but says things like that and I said people just people shouting out things.
E: its weird man. and that’s behind the scenes there’s obviously been so much but I think to me like they're a lot of things. I have a mind the scenes are better left behind the scenes but as far as on camera they’re the only cringy and the only funny hilarious moments are just when people just I best the best way to describe it is like when they just really misjudge and like I said he really felt like this is a good decision to cover my head in lipstick as I say a bar. but then obviously what was really awkward is that he kind of says the bar but then he’s got a continued doing the next five with lipstick on his head which I think if I remember, I think he eventually wipes it off so but it's quite funny that he continues to be aggressive but says things like that and I said people just people shouting out things.
KK: and the stories funny though.
E: things like there were again just because so many people in the world are just weirdos they just kind of get this this real bad idea in their head over, okay there's 20 guys battling today how can I stand out that's what it is yeah how could I stand out today. I'll do whatever, I'll wear a t-shirt, I mean sometimes it gets really hard we had a clash in Bristol in November and and a guy a guy printed out on at-shirt with his opponent and his opponents girlfriend on the t-shirt and then undid his shirt and was basically talking about ugly the guy's girlfriend was. that wasn’t funny to me, It was just so cold. like you wouldn't back in a day that’s one thing that has definitely changed that shock factor like when we started with just like the freestyle battle and his stuff that was like it definitely wasn't about shock factor. who could rhyme the best syllable where I was like now that doesn't even stand out. I could take twenty times when that has happened just people that's the most recent example and I remember I'm honest with you I was at damn you know I think I’m pretty matured because like because like when we first start I don't flop I probably would find that really funny like I saw that and I was like yo that’s really harsh on that guys girlfriend, for she wasn’t even at the this is the craziest thing about it right she wasn’t even at the event and we were like damn like when that battle drops she's gonna be oh my god baby your battle.
KK: oh, and he’s gonna have to like watch it with her.
E: to know what he’s gonna probably share the baton with y'all got a new clash and don't flop, watch it and she's gonna watch it and see this guy undo his shirt and then start rapping about how she looks like Miss Piggy cause that's what he said he was like your girlfriend looks like Miss Piggy but uglier basically and we were just there like dude battle rap is horrible.
KK: life changing.
E: life changing this is what I'm saying just like what I said earlier people get it twisted that when you're in this imaginary circle of the pit of battle rap, right you can say what you want with zero repercussions but there is serious fuckin repercussions like not to him not to me my life doesn't change, because she got called Miss Piggy right her life changes though and probably cause mad friction but in a relationship because she’ll probably say to him do that stupid don’t flop
KK: and there probably untogether no more because of it. That’s some fucked up like
E: he’s now with someone that looks like Kermit.
KK: that's like it's like some bad best best man speech seriously.
E: like genuinely she probably to this day doesn’t know about it because the battle hasn’t dropped yet and he probably went yeah it was all right and then it's gonna drop she’s gonna watch it and I said I'm not say it's gonna ruin her life but that will actually it will severely upset her and that's something that he's done on my channel that I have no control over but I'm a bit like I don't co-sign it and that's one thing that I guess can be frustrating like funny a moment some people bringing their mum I love my face being on camera for that some shit happens I'm like certain words like for example.
E: like genuinely she probably to this day doesn’t know about it because the battle hasn’t dropped yet and he probably went yeah it was all right and then it's gonna drop she’s gonna watch it and I said I'm not say it's gonna ruin her life but that will actually it will severely upset her and that's something that he's done on my channel that I have no control over but I'm a bit like I don't co-sign it and that's one thing that I guess can be frustrating like funny a moment some people bringing their mum I love my face being on camera for that some shit happens I'm like certain words like for example.
KK: don't wanna be a part of.
E: you know I mean like because again it all goes back to people believe in there and say what they won certain times for example someone will you we're about other people have used that racial slurs and shit and I'm like again that's between you two, like if you want to use that that’s fine but sometimes I'm like I kind of wish my face wasn't on camera for that because you're usually says and it almost looks like I'm co-signing it and I'm not.
KK: comments same with the comments. Same with the comments bro. sometimes like some comments that land and I'm like yo like this aint the platform for this bro like you can't be like go talk to the police about that go talk to talk to that person about don't bring this into it.
E: but is because because for some reason shock factor is really big in battle rap now, people are not I think a lot of people are doing things that are actually like I don't think the guy that did that if you really sat him down and said you think this is acceptable thing to do. I think he would say not really but because it's battle rap people there’s there's a lot more this be straight there's a lot more people with trying to be battle rappers now than there Was back in the day there's more competition like anything.
KK: and I might as well big shout supernatural who we can’t have a battle rap fucking podcast.
cannot talk we cannot talk about battle rap with that saying from back in a day supernatural.
E: but yeah but again I'm saying from that era now there is just we get emails and DMS every day how do I get on. so I think people are not everyone but a lot of people trying was a shortcut what’s the shortcut to be an name always like the the same guy in the same battle pulled out a vibrator that he written his name on. personally was like that's quite funny cos that’s in offensive. I think he had some some punch line about like that he it really stays I'm gonna vibrator and he kind of got out was basically saying like I'll give this your girl few quite funny that's like no one is gonna get hurt from that. and things like that I think is like whatever but I think the things like the t-shirt thing I’m seeing more and more of that because I think they're they're judging it they’re like again what's gonna be the most talked about which is true because again from that event that's really the most memorable moment but it's like is it memorable for the right reason do you want to be known as yet another shock value battle rapper because I'm telling you nobody I don’t think of anybody this big in don’t flop that you'd ever say shock value they're just sick battlers I mean no just heavy.
KK: there is a difference between people and .
E: and there’s a difference in lifespans so as well if you're a shock value you've got a little life span because it's kind of like what are you gonna do next and then where does it go would you pull out a gun do you pull out a knife. Do you know what I’m saying it's like where does that go - there's definitely you have a point you can do it - if you just come and you let your bars speak for you and you and you let your real personality through which is definitely as an artist that's what I've tried to do I’ve always been really adamant I won’t say anything I wouldn't say in real life.
E: and there’s a difference in lifespans so as well if you're a shock value you've got a little life span because it's kind of like what are you gonna do next and then where does it go would you pull out a gun do you pull out a knife. Do you know what I’m saying it's like where does that go - there's definitely you have a point you can do it - if you just come and you let your bars speak for you and you and you let your real personality through which is definitely as an artist that's what I've tried to do I’ve always been really adamant I won’t say anything I wouldn't say in real life.
KK: yeah 100 percent.
E: and the top battlers they just say how they are, and their sense of humor is just the real sense of humor they put on.
KK: that’s the purest people.
E: exactly yes that's.
E: exactly yes that's.
KK: the longevity.
E: it's not about creating a gimmick it’s about creating like a real it's always like a caricature of yourself.
KK: love that.
E: based it’s based on yourself right yeah but some of these people coming through now I can spot them a mile off I'm like that’s what you're got you bro the moniker your name right that isn't you you are making something up to try and be shock value to offend people to be talked about I'm telling you in a couple months you ain't gonna be here.
KK: real characters shine when they're the truth.
E: real personality shines through I said someone like Mark Grist his personality wasn't to be abrasive obnoxious his personality was to be I'm wearing a suit because I'm a mature guy and I'm about 15 years older than the guy I'm battling so that personality is you and that worked other MCS personalities is I'm a fucking Road man and I'm harder than you and it works for them as well as long as it's the real you. I would say my battle personality is kind of like being cheeky and sarcastic cuz that's kind of just what I’m like in real life if I went in a battle and started talking about oh yeah I'm gonna blow your head off with a shotgun people would be like what the fuck are you talking about.
KK: yeah and that doesn’t make sense.
E: it's just that's the only advice I could give to anybody anyone coming through it's just kind of like I'm not saying you have to be 100% yourself but you definitely wanna embellish things but don't create a personality in a character that the second the cameras are off we can see is fucking transparent. Don’t do that man.
KK: ooh that sound fucking advice.
E: and that kind of goes in to well.
KK: life in general. Take notes because we you know we have to let the proof be the pudding and tomorrow on the podcast live show we're doing an exclusive don’t flop live session in the show so what do you come to expect for tomorrow.
E: I think it'll be funny because like it’ll be such a different environment and this is the advice I'll be given the MCS right because it's an it's the Killa Kela live podcast so it's like they can’t be common with don’t flop orientated bars because the fans that have come to watch your podcast they might know our name know every single detail of our battle rap ever so that's kind of like the emcees. I’ve picked for it I like emcees that I know could adapt to a new crowd and a new surroundings.
KK: ooh see that’s a lesson itself yeah knowing that about the MCS first off that's already like that’s already a mature level up that's a more commercial level up.
E: the emcees who are like the emcees who are able to carry themselves in a new environment and can win over people who have come to see whoever the other guests because I know there's quite an array of guests that were very different to us so I’ve got a pick battlers who are able to just catch their attention difficult but is possible.
KK: that's gonna be sick I can’t wait.
E: I promise you 100% there's not gonna be a single person sitting there in audience that’s gonna be like ah, there gonna be like ah this is dope.
KK: this is sick.
E: And you’re gonna be gassed as well. It’s the first battle you’ve ever seen live. The first one you see live is gonna blow your mind.
KK: on the show I can’t fucking wait man.
KK: on the show I can’t fucking wait man.
E: you're gonna host it with me as well.
KK: it’s gonna be fire I'm gonna be doing the beat.
E: oh, shit, that's so dope.
KK: that’s so fire.
E: let's go fire whip yeah that's actually that’s one of the ones that we speak about all the time but never do like doing it live.
KK: it’s gonna be so cool. I can’t wait.
E: that a proper tick off the list like all right we’ve had the beatbox with the middle.
KK: it’s gonna be so sick. I can’t wait.
E: and then all a hip-hop purist who say we’re no not hip hop they can't complain about.
KK: they can’t say shit. Fuck them anyway.
Exactly fuck them anyway once we've had a beatboxer in the middle and a small like 50-person crowd jammed in.
KK: it’s don't get more real than that.
E: come on that's hip-hop man.
KK: I don’t get more real than that. Brother thank you so much for passing it's been a proper pleasure top boy more MORE.
E: it's gonna be I really appreciate you having me on.
KK: no, it's good fun.
E: I feel like we've exorcised some demons. for real bro.
KK: yeah man. like yeah on a level.
E: for the rest of the day I’m just gonna be contemplating life and shit.
KK: yeah man straight to the galaxy buy a cup of tea chill sit down fucking thank you so much.
E: I appreciate it.
KK: oh, top boy.
E: maybe like another a year or so do a catch up just let's see where our lives are like yeah. It will probably be like nothing’s really changed. I’m just always gonna be doing the same shit. I’ll just come with a t0shirt that says I am battle rap. Sorry man I’m built for this.
KK: that's a beauty of it. You’re built for this. Yeah man. Original.
EL you know hospitality man. Really looking forward to a life show.
KK: can’t wait. My g. my G. eurgh inside the place don't flop Killa Kela podcast strikes again with a vengeancem mad passion for the things we do.
E: for sure man, respect. I really appreciate it.
KK: stay lucky people out like it was out of fashion don't talk to any strange women peace.