The song explores a common plight: “It’s a really upbeat tune but the whole undertone is about darkness and nocturnalism,” he explains. Blizzard is far more than another emerging rapper, but if you’re trying to get to the bottom of who he is, that’s probably the best place to start. But such depths can’t be discovered easily, which makes him even more intriguing. We spoke with the artist-musician born Bradley Green about his musical influences, the cathartic experience of Testing The Water, Chris Brown, and his desire to create a timeless album.

RESPECT.: Hey, Bradley. Where in the world are you right now?

Blizzard: I’m currently at my mom and dad’s place in Manchester. I was at my girlfriends in London but I’ve just come back and started doing some writing.

Do many people still call you by your birth name?

It kind of depends on the people who I am with. Obviously, my folks won’t be like, “Blizzard, go to your room.” I introduce myself to everybody as Brad unless I’m around other rappers. I like to be formal like, “Hey, I’m Brad. Good to meet you.” I’ve heard people in the street shout, “Yo, Brad.” I usually expect them to be a former school friend but it ends up being someone telling me how much they like my music. It’s always a bit confusing to me, because I wouldn’t call Eminem “Marshall” in the street [laughs]. But it’s cool though, it’s amazing.

Where did the name Blizzard come from?

Seven, eight years ago I was rapping with my cousin and I realised the adjective to describing something positive was cold. For example, you’d say, “That’s a cold lyric or those are a cold pair of trainers.” It just came to me that a blizzard is cold and a few years down the line I realised the letters of my actual name goes into Blizzard, which I thought was cool. That’s where it came from and it’s stuck ever since.

What is your response to somebody who asks, “Are you related to rapper Snow?”

No. I’ve actually never had anyone ask me that before [laughs]. But someone did ask me recently, “Are you MC Snowstorm?” I thought it was really funny but I don’t know if it was intentional or if they were trying to take the mick out of me, but I actually said, “Yeah, that’s me, man. How’s it going?”

What was your musical background like growing up?

My dad’s music was the main outlet in my house. I’ve got his collection near me which has a lot of Johnny Cash, The Smiths, Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, Bob Dillon, Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, and a lot of David Bowie. My mom’s side of the family is Irish, so she was into Irish music. A lot of those influences were directly reflected onto me and I kind of went oblivious to it until later. Rap was always around me and a lot of kids in school use to listen to Eminem and LL Cool J. But when I started doing music as a course in school I started to listen to more genres and I went back to the older stuff and from then most of the music I listen to now is actually quite older than me.

Do you think that your music is misunderstood? Do people sometimes undermine what it is you’re trying to say?

I think it’s kind of hard to give you an answer —I never really know what people expect of me until I speak to them. A lot of people will assume that I rap and that’s the end of it, but there are other things which I incorporate into my material, like, I do my own mixing, production and I can play the drums. I guess it’s part of cementing yourself as an established artist, you know what I mean?  It’s only when you dive into someone’s history that you’re able to see their catalogue and what their capable of. If I’m honest, it was a year and a half ago that I decided to broaden my horizon and make music that is more versatile.

Would it be fair to describe you as determined?

I’m very determined. I’m an itinerant worker in the sense that I work on the go, but I can also work when I’m still. I’m hungry for success but not in the sense that it would absolutely rule my life. I just want to excel and to make music that I can be proud of in a few years time. I think the key to being an artist is being able to perfect a product and that’s something I’m still working on doing. Testing The Water is the most perfected project I’ve done so far but I know there is so much more room for improvement. At the end of the day, I’m only 20-years-old, and I’ve still got years and years to learn. Even if it takes me four years to make an album but along the way I learn a new skill that can make my music more technically pleasing, that’s something that I will do, definitely. I’m a student of the industry.

Tell me about the song “Kids Of The Night.“ What inspired that?

This was my attempt to make a radio friendly club track which I think worked. I’m happy with it. I think it’s hard to explain —when I hear club music I don’t feel it has any soul or emotion in it, but with “Kids Of The Night,” I wanted it to sound triumphant, yet quite dark. It’s a really upbeat tune but the whole undertone is about darkness and nocturnalism. I like to call myself the kid of the night because I have the worst body clock known to man.

I’m curious, there’s something you say in the song: “When the sun goes down and the moon comes up, crucial time for creating.” What does that mean? Are you out creating mini-Blizzards?

No [laughs]. If I could I think I’d be a howl or a bat because going on night walks is something I use to love doing when I was in college. I use to walk to a river that was close to my house with a pen and just write and take in the ambiance of my surroundings. In fact, I wrote most of Sooner Than Never on a little bench in that same spot.

Is there anything that you have not been able to write that you would really like to write about?

One of the things I struggle with is cross referencing. When I focus on one topic I run with it and a lot of my music has been like that, especially with “Kids Of The Night” being about nocturnalism. I hope eventually I’ll be able to bring two topics together and make them intertwine, so with the album I’m hoping to tell a story on one track and then tell the other side on another track.

What is the nature of your acquaintance with Chris Brown?

Somebody inboxed me and said, “Hey, I don’t know if you’re aware of this — Chris Brown is a fan of you.” I was sent a picture of Chris’ Vevo page with “Kids Of The Night,” just there on his Playlist. I have no idea how he found the track but it’s such a cool little hook-up. I’d love to work with Chris on a record.

Were you at all nervous about the process of releasing your Testing The Water? I mean the success from your debut EP, Sooner Than Never, must have made you quite apprehensive?

Yeah. I think with the success of Sooner Than Never, it was a bit scary this time round because we felt the need to match the success of it. We were very unsure if we were going to achieve that, especially with such an experimental project. With the first project I was very stuck to the hip-hop and grime medium but it was afterwards that I started to explore and take things more seriously. I never know what people are going to like until I drop it, so it’s always a case of trial and error.

Many things have obviously happened to you since the making of that project, but it seems like you’re now in a much better headspace. Was there anything in particular that you learned from making this EP? What did you get out of it?

It was me coming out of a bad headspace and coming into a new one. I know this is me being my own worst critic but when I was looking at things on the grander scale I was becoming a bit frustrated with what I was capable of doing. I guess, I’m the kind of person who dwells on a lot of things and I see feedback which could sometimes get to me. When I use to see things I’d get upset and want to prove to people that I can do more and with Testing The Water, I felt it was make or break for me. It was very stressful to make because there were a couple of tracks that I thought were amazing but when they were finished I didn’t like them so much. We made about eleven tracks but ended up picking seven for the EP.

I’m happy to say that we picked the best seven. I’m proud of it. It’s very rare for me to say that because I tend to listen back to my music after it’s recorded and mastered, and then end up getting sick of hearing it. I don’t know why but my head changes quickly. With every project you go back to a different headspace. I want my album which I’m working on at the moment to reflect that because I don’t have any restrictions or anyone telling me what I can or can’t do. Everyone that I work around believes in me. I feel like I’ve grown now and that’s what the new project feels like. I’m in a good position at the moment.

You sound like someone who likes to please others. I don’t know if I am reading too much into that?

Yeah, I totally I am [laughs]. I think that’s the main thing I want to do before pleasing myself. I guess that also reflects in my actual personality. I wasn’t great at telling people how I felt in certain situations so growing up I would just write things down. I’m quite selfless and if I can make other people happy that’s fine with me.

Which of the seven tracks on Testing The Water would you say best encapsulates you as an artist?

I think “Testing The Water.“ The reason I named the EP after that track is because I think it probably is the best example of my personality.

You seem to really express yourself on “Testing The Water“ while channelling a lot of emotion. I’m wondering what that experience was like for you.

I think at the time it really reflected my state of mind and without sounding dramatic I was a bit self-destructed and was kind of attacking myself for my decisions. On that track I talked about being sick of thinking of questions I don’t know how to answer. That was a reflection of me dwelling on random, small things annoying me to the point that I feel that everything I have is destroyed. But in the chorus I say that’s just how it goes, like, this is me accepting this is my personality and it’s something I’m going to have to control. One of the most real human emotions is grief and if I’m feeling a certain way, I think people who listen to my music have a right to know that.

What’s your secret ambition?

To record a classic album that will never be forgotten. A record that will echo through the ages. In the UK, Boy In The Corner, Home Sweet Home by Kano, Radiohead’s OK Computer and Definitely Maybe by Oasis — inspire me because those albums are stream of consciousness.

Testing The Water is out now.

The post Interview: All Eyes On Blizzard appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

This approach has developed into an ability to pull together varied influences and make them their own. On their new album, The Swarm, they present a 17-track project oozing hazy, bass heavy beats that comes at you with some serious spring in its step, something you will hear right away on “Worker Bees,” a song that sees them exploring their work ethic and stream of consciousness. Curious to find out more about the Mancunian group in their own words? We caught up with Nika D.

I guess we should start at the beginning. Did you choose music or did music choose you?

I would say music chose us. As little kids we were all heavily influenced by music. But then again you could say we chose music as a vent for our talents, thoughts and frustrations and a way of escaping what we were all doing when we started this virus.

At what point did you say, “Okay, this is now a full-time job”?

I would say when we started to see real money coming out of it. Before that it was just a dream that crept up on us and became a reality. When you become financially dependent on the music you leave your old life behind. I used to work in a call center selling gas and electric. I kept having to take time off to go away for shows until eventually I never had to go back to work. We are so blessed to do this for a living.

Do you think that things would have turned out differently if you had never found music?

[Laughs] Yeah, one hundred percent. This was our saving grace. This music shit gave us focus, direction, ambition and most of all hope. The circles some of us were in when we started were moving down a one-way street with a dead end at the bottom of it, if you know what I mean. Music took us from doing badness in the street or working dead end jobs to putting our focus into the studio and each other helping each other to grow. This was the foundation we built Virus Syndicate on.

How did you all end up meeting?

We were all brought together through mutual friends. We all did music and knew of each other and things just came together naturally.

Can you recall any specific moments where it became clear that it was going to be something far beyond what you had initially intended?

When I started in Virus, I just wanted us to get on a flyer–any flyer, top or bottom of that flyer it didn’t matter [laughs]. But when our first video “Slow Down” went into top ten on MTV Base and the song was all over the radio we knew then that this was going to be way more than what any of us had ever dreamed it would be.

You’ve been making music since 2005, right?

Yeah. Our first album came out in 2006. We started making music in 2004/2005.

How do the records that you were making back then differ to what you’re releasing today?

Back then we didn’t really know what we were doing when it came to making songs. We thought we did but in reality we were still very inexperienced. We were just kids. Most of us were barely 18 when we started Virus Syndicate and had never had any music training or anything like that. We just put down what we felt right to us at the time. When I listen back to some of it now I cringe and think “how the fuck did this launch our careers?” [laughs].

So let’s get to “Sick Wid It.” What’s it about?

“Sick Wid It” was the first single off the new album. On a real level, we made it for the radio. We had a lot of outside influences that wanted us to put something more mainstream down to launch the album with and that was “Sick Wid It.” It’s very different to our previous stuff mainly in the structure of the song. The verses are short and the hooks on the beat is not really what Virus Syndicate is known for, however, we’ve had a lot of radio support with it so everybody’s happy. But I would say “Sick Wid It” is very different to the rest of the album.

How much do your individual experiences bleed into the songwriting?

Everything you hear us say on a record comes from either our own individual experience or someone close to us who we have seen experience some shit that’s inspired us to write about it.

A lot of the tracks seem to be about partying, girls, money and sex. What draws you to write about these things? 

We wrote the new album whilst touring and I think it really captures the energy of our lives at this time. We are having fun right now, life is good. We are fortunate enough to go to a different country and perform nearly every week with our best friends and get paid to do it. We wanted to put that energy into this album and I think that has been the catalyst for a lot of the subject matter discussed on it.

Does the fact that you have a huge following now, not only on Twitter but also on YouTube and Soundcloud, weigh on your mind when you’re making records?

Yeah. It does sometimes when we’re weak minded and allow it to. Every time we make a track that we think our fans or label want to hear it ends up being shit. When we just do us that is when we make our best music that our fans and new fans love.

Do you mind all the attention you get? Or is it a double-edged sword?

Nah, it’s cool. At least people give a shit. We could be at the bottom of the ladder, just trying to get someone to listen to us. Every time someone comes up to us in the street at a show or wherever we always try and thank them for their support. Without these people we would be back on the street or in the call center repeating ourselves.

To ask a question a lot of people have been wondering: why the name Virus Syndicate?

Well, we are the Virus Syndicate because whatever we do will spread, people become infected by it and they will want more. One guy in Sydney might hear our song and show his friends then soon his friends are all fans and then their friends and so on. They all become infected eventually. We’re a virus and there is more than one of us so also a syndicate therefore Virus Syndicate.

Can you talk a little bit about the song “Worker Bees”?

“Worker Bees” is for the club, man. We had a great time making this track and love performing it. Buku is such a sick producer, so glad to have got to work with him on this one. “Worker Bees” is another name for people from Manchester.

How did the new album, The Swarm, come to be then?

Back in the day Manchester used to be the home of the textile industry. Mancunians were known as “The Worker Bees” due to the massive output of cotton that came from here. All over Manchester there are bee symbols everywhere. The Swarm is a statement. We are paving the way for future Mancunian artists to come and achieve the same level, if not more success than what we are currently seeing nationally and internationally. We have our label Midication Recordings as a platform for this. Eventually there will be a swarm of worker bees tearing up shows and getting paid all over the world.

Do you feel more camaraderie or competition with other MCs in the industry?

Competition is healthy even within Virus — we are all very competitive. We all want the best bar on a tune and it’s what keeps us hungry to improve and be the best we can be. But as far as our career goes we are happy to see other “good” MCs out there doing well and getting the hype and recognition they deserve. But make no mistake — we fully intend to grow Virus Syndicate into becoming the premier rap group in Europe. Anything short of that we would deem a failure. And there is only one in the number one, so there is a bit of competitiveness on a career front but healthily and never on a hating tip. We wish everyone all the success in the world.

On stage, you have this “We don’t give a shit” attitude. It’s really empowering. Do you have the same approach in the studio?

We try to bring the energy from the stage to the studio and from the studio to the stage. We always say what we want and in all honesty, we don’t actually give a shit what people have to say or think about it. Occasionally, there is the odd time when we make a tune and it sometimes ends up being shit because we over think it and don’t bring that natural energy to it. Virus Syndicate is Virus Syndicate we don’t give a shit and just do us. So to answer your question — yeah, definitely.

Your shows are becoming famously frenetic. Have any of you ever required first aid or hospitalization?

[Laughs] Nah, not yet! But I can see it happening one day. We love to stage dive and the dives are getting bigger and more risky. So it’s probably a matter of time before we injure ourselves but fuck it. It will be the funniest day of our lives when or if it happens as long as it’s not me that is carried out from the show on a stretcher I’m not arsed [laughs]. Only joking. We are all still young, fit healthy guys so I’m sure we will be fine, but we might have to wind it down when we get older

While you were coming up, who were some of the artists whose work inspired your output?

Definitely people like Nas, Eminem, Biggie, Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, NWA, Public Enemy, Wu-Tang, Jay Z, The Prodigy, Trigga. I could go on for ages.

A lot of groups have different guys in their entourage that are responsible for different things. Some have a weed man, a girl man and a hypeman. Who plays what role in Virus Syndicate? 

I can’t answer this question without baiting anyone up. But everyone has their role and they all play it well [laughs].

The Swarm is out now. For more info, click here.

The post Interview: Virus Syndicate Talks New Album, Crowd-surfing, And Their Claim To Fame appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The song combines elements of soul, hip-hop and reggae into an electric melange of pleasant arrangements. The accents might be a little too thick at first, but subsequent listens are rewarding. Watch below and check out their album on Bandcamp.

The post New Video: The Mouse Outfit feat. Fox and Sparkz – “Built in a Day” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Lock up your grandparents, the real menace to society is here. When Manchester rapper Mennis picks up the mic, mayhem reigns. His thoughtful rhymes and well-placed syllables on “Kingdom,” his cover of Jay-Z’s “Somewhereinamerica”, really boasts his ability. Taken from his current project, XCIX, Mennis glides atop the Hit-Boy beat with verses so hot you may need to rewind each time after listening. The live band in the video brings the song to life even more.

Mennis employs a powerful, airy tone for the cut’s lighter parts but doesn’t hold back when elucidating his attempt to thrive in a world of inequality and division. Stir the antics of Dennis, the famous cartoon character, together with Mennis, and voila—you’ve got an underground rapper painting pictures with a mean Mancunian twang. Watch below.

The post New Video: Mennis – “Kingdom” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Get to know the street artist Filthy Luker who attacks his audience with audacious and playful installations. His art attacks and street life works are a nice alternative to the stenciled wit of Banksy, making real life in Manchester seem a bit more fun than usual.

The post Street Art: Street Life by Filthy Luker appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.