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BACKGROUND
"My name's Skilf that's short for Skilful G you must be under anesthetic if you aint feeling me!" - I started rapping back in 2000 around the same time that Garage was big. Those days were fun, cruising around listening to Pure Silk, spitting at house partys with a 10 pound Argos mic. However as time went on I started getting booked by different promoters: I got a few gigs in London venues such as Aquarium, WKD, Enigma, Rococo and Mint Bar one of which was a warm up set for Asher D. Around that time I worked closely with an established promoter and put on my first event at Shillebears, Islington.
When I moved to Brighton in 2003 everything began to kick off, I adapted my style to drum 'n' bass and linked up with a crew I met at Uni namely DJ Neo, Niterider (now called Unison), Hasty (now called DLM) and MC Bobby B. We started pretty small time, doing sets at the student bar, free outdoor raves, house partys etc. As time went on I began playing out on a larger scale, at many of Brighton's well established venues such as; The Event, Ocean Rooms, The Beach, Zap Club, Enigma, Volks and Concord 2. Supporting: Andy C, DJ Zinc, Pendulum, Dillinja, Grooverider, Mampi Swift, Nicky Blackmarket, Kenny Ken, DJ Marky, MC Dynamite, IC3 and Foxy to name a few.
I remember one time my brother played me a tune that really changed the way I thought about music. He had just started getting into Bob Dylan, and played me a track called 'The Changing Of The Guards'. The lyrics of that song really struck a chord with me, I just sat there in my own world, taking every word in. It made me realize the potential of word play and the endless possibilities of storytelling. More importantly it had a big impact on my own writing.
At this point I started writing to hip hop and moving away from all the craziness of Drum 'n' Bass. Slowing the words down allowed me to express myself in different ways, and in a much more coherent style.I started experimenting - trying to convey my emotions, thoughts, experiences and stories. I begun recording my earliest tracks with DJ Subzero, Dom and Crookedman, they were pretty raw and unpolished. I put out my first 12" in 2005 the '9 Months EP,' and this seemed to be one of the main catalysts for everything that followed...
I became a resident at Blaze which was at the time, Brighton's biggest hip hop night. I was performing on the same bills as Ghostface Killah, Tim Westwood, Task Force, Killer Keller, Spit Kingdom, Phi Life Cypher, Harry Love etc. I joined a crew called 'The Connection' (with Downlow, Gwilo and Baraka) started recording tracks and doing shows with them, whilst holding down a residency at Dub Pressure (a monthly Dubstep night) playing alongside Unlikely, Dom and Kion.
Last year my debut album 'Origianl Visions' was released, (see music page). I had a summer tour to promote the release alongside my new band, Astro Physics. This included performances at Café De Paris, The Hope and Anchor, Joogleberry Playhouse, Concorde 2, The Grassroots festival in Hull, The Contact Theatre in Manchester and a support slot for Pendulum at Coventry University. They play live versions of my solo tracks as well as original hip hop, funk, and drum 'n' bass tunes. We are currently working on our first release. Watch this space...
INSPIRATION
Creed, Viper, Unknown, CKP, Luck and Neat, Sparks and Kie, DJ EZ, Pay As You Go Cartel, Heartless Crew, Asher D, Mega Man, Tousa, Peck, Flirta D, Durrty Goodz, Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Kano, Ghetto, Akala, Eminem, Mike Skinner, Sage Francis, Immortal Technique, Biggie, Tu Pac, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Wu Tang Clan, Outcast, Blackalicious, The Roots, Common, Non Phixon, Jedi Mind Tricks, Louis Logic, Talib Kwali, Saul Williams, The Fugees, Foreign Beggars, Roots Manuva, Jehst, Task Force, Phi Life Cypher, Gwilo, Baraka, Skibba D, Mc Dynamite, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Radiohead, Johnny Cash, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and so many more.
AIMS
It's difficult to sum up my ultimate goal... I started rapping for a bit of fun and to impress the ladies! Never thinking that one day it would become such a massive part of my life. As a music artist I think you have to be enjoying what you do because as soon as you lose that, the music you're making begins to suffer. So my aim is to keep doing the thing I love most, churning out consistantly good material, and carry on making interesting songs that have a powerful affect on people.