Riz Ahmed is a miniature melting-pot. A British Muslim rapper, who deviates from the typical hood content of his peers with thought provoking and artistically innovative music, also an acclaimed actor and political activist. Jayga Rayn caught up with him to talk about his new single, which shows the influence of quirky bands such as Hot Chip, what he thinks of the current government and…Chasing after crackheads? The Wrap Up has the exclusive!
The Wrap Up: Hey Riz, thanks for your time. How are thing with you?
Riz: Thank you. I’m good. Mad busy, but that's how I like it. The second single ‘Get On It’ is out 27th September and we have two different videos we just made for that, which just about to go online. I’m also organising a big fundraiser at Islington Academy for the Pakistan floods with performances from Fonejacker, Nero, Akala, Plan B, Mz Bratt, Nihal, Bobby Friction, Lowkey, True Tiger and more. Then, on top of that, I’m starring in the first film directed by Ben Drew (Plan B) which is intense both on camera, because it’s a raw story, and off camera, as we're filming in some rough areas and we've had some mental run-ins with the locals. We had to drive around, searching alleyways to find a crackhead who’d stolen the laptop. We were lucky really, as the laptop had all the footage on it!
TWU: You’ve worked with Adam Deacon and Jaime Winstone (on Dead Set). What do you think of this generation of British cinema, in terms of films and actors?
Riz: I think that our generation is making a new kind of film - there's a lot of fresh new energy and they're changing the rules in terms of what stories are being told and who's telling them. I've been lucky to be a part of that kind of trend with amazing directors - with projects like Road to Guantanamo, Britz, Shifty, Rage and Four Lions. They're fresh stories and not your traditionally safe areas for British film like middle class rom-coms and period dramas. In a way, without being as big budget, they're more ambitious than that. I think that with piracy and tighter funds being around, people are realising that the game to play is to try and win people's respect with bold film making and then win a special place in people's collections, rather than just having the biggest opening weekends. So I feel proud, I hope our generation will be remembered as a really transformative one in UK film.
TWU: I worked as a young curator at the Southbank Centre and found it amazing. What did you gain from being an emerging artist in residence?
Riz: Nitin Sawhney chose me to be an Emerging Artist in Residence there, so that was an amazing honour in itself, he's a don. It meant having links to a really creative hub at the Southbank Centre - being asked to do mad things like curate exhibitions, host talks and collaborate with unique people. It meant collaborating with lots of diverse musicians form Nathan Flutebox Lee to Aruba Red, Catherine AD and others. It encouraged me to create a fresh sound on my debut album - a mix of styles that you don't usually expect from a 'rap' album.
TWU: What was the most interesting thing you participated in during your time there?
Riz: Massive Attack were curating the Meltdown Festival there and asked me to support them on their opening performance in the Royal Festival Hall. It was really special. They're heroes and to know they respect my music was amazing.
TWU: Obviously it’s not that unique to be someone who works in multiple arenas (acting, music, etc.) anymore, but how have you negotiated the various careers you’ve undertaken? And what are the ideas that unify them?
Riz: I'm glad you say that because some more old fashioned press and media still can’t get their head around that. I think that in an internet age, content is content. As long as you can stand up on the merits of what you're doing right at that moment and aren't just relying on your success in doing something else, it's all good, people will respect you. In terms of negotiating a career - I've always grown up being an insider and an outsider to different worlds, across different classes and cultures, so I have always naturally liked making films or music that puts things in unexpected places. Like terrorists in a comedy, or violins with no beat on a rap song, or working with techno producers not hip-hop ones. I have always done music and my first track was out before I made my first film, it's a very personal part of me writing and recording tracks and talking about what’s on my mind. That process of working out things that are eating away at you or unpicking those knots in your stomach is what makes me write lyrics, that process is something that stays with you 24/7. Acting is a way of escaping my own thoughts and my own hyperactive over-analytical mind and I love it because I can escape my own head. When you come back from it and go back to your own life, you have fresh perspective. The music I make and the process of acting for me are both about trying to understand people and get inside what makes us tick. That's the main thing that excites me. Our sense of who we really are and what drives us. That's what my songs are all about really, who we are trying to be and who we think we are - the social politics and the confusion of that.
TWU: You’ve got a new single coming out, tell us about that…
Riz: ‘Get On It’ is a track about just grabbing the moment and doing what you really want to do. Smashing your laziness, fears or routine and just jumping into the deep end and going for it. My brother came up with the chorus when we were chatting one day about stuff. The track energises people, they love it when we do it live. The remixes are sick and I love the track so much that I have two mad videos for it. One is a slick thriller and the other is a psychedelic visual mash-up of lots of live footage of my new live show. I wanted to sing on the album so I am on this and another track, ‘All Of You’. Like all of the album, I just wanted to keep pushing what I expected of myself and what other people expect of an MC. I wrote it when I was feeling like I was in a funk and the music I was making wasn't fitting into people's expectations, that was frustrating. But instead of compromising, I decided to go for it all the way, not just making a musically unexpected album, but also making a totally original website and live show to go with it. That decision to jump in head first instead of waiting for people to help me really paid off. As soon as I did that I won some major backers and now the deal I have is unique, it’s like a joint venture with major tour promoters who are backing this mental live show.
TWU: What can we expect from the new album?
Riz: Each track is about something, not random bragging or party chat. My lyrics are about things that you don't hear most rappers talk about. Like the modern cult of cool, or fake friends, or how relationships are about power not just love. I put these lyrics over music you don't obviously expect form MCs right now. Compared to what's contemporary, the production is pretty bold, edgy and different. But the recorded album is just one part of 'MICroscope,' you can experience this album indifferent ways. There's the live show which is interactive and immersive, there's a storyline joining each song together and the audience get involved in the story world when they enter the room, with mad stuff happening all around them. Then also connected to that story world is the website www.rizmc.com/lab, which just won a digital design award for innovation. You get a glimpse into the 'MICroscope' story world and get three free mp3s from the album - it's pretty unique for a music website and I'm really proud of it. The 'MICroscope' story world is about sonic warfare (check out the book by dubstep don Kode9 aka Steve Goodman about this) about how sound and music are being used as weapons. In the world of 'MICroscope' people can join the sonic resistance forces and stop the government Department of Culture and Communication from spreading sonic viruses that control our behaviour. It's all based on real stuff, from how advert jingles are designed to stick in our heads, to how different frequencies affect the brain. The story world linking the album, live show and website is like a 80s cartoon version of Blade Runner. Its nuts, dark and futuristic.
TWU: Your music is quite distinct from much of the rest of the UK, so which artists do you look to as peers?
Riz: I'm inspired by UK underground dance music and electronic music, the way we keep innovating a new global underground every few years from drum and bass and garage, to dubstep and post-dubstep IDM. I'll leave others to judge where they'd put me on their shelf, but I love artists like Bjork, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Mos Def.
TWU: Is there anyone you’re really looking to work with? And how do you feel about the way the scene is changing, given that you’ve previously said we have ‘too many rappers’ and not enough MCs?
Riz: I'd like to work with lots of artists from all genres, but first I need to set out to people what I'm about and earn that. Funnily enough, I got a call from Wiley the other week. He said he thought what I am doing was bigger than the game and that people would catch up even if they didn’t get it now. He even said I made him re-assess his writing style! That was an amazing feeling to get that compliment from someone who is at the heart of the UK urban scene, especially when so much of what I do is about not being part of any scene and doing my own thing. So I think a Wiley link-up would be nice. Mike Skinner too, he did his own thing. A lot of people are making pop right now, good luck to them, I don't hate on anyone, it’s just what you want to be doing. I think if you wanna make pop hits then that’s all good. If you can do it and still make music that sounds fresh, then all the better. Me personally, I think the role of the MC is the role of the stand-up comedian and the Shakespearean fool, to tell the truth at all costs and make us question things and do that in a way that is entertaining. I like my lyrics sharp and with some thought, a story with some insight behind them, but that's just me.
TWU: You have a reputation as being one of the more cerebral of your kind, but do you think it’s harder for you to remain true to yourself whilst maintaining commercial success?
Riz: Of course it is harder, but what's the point in expressing yourself for a living if what you're saying means nothing to you? And on another level, I don't need to eat off music; I can eat off my acting, so the music is kept free of those considerations. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making music just for myself; I want to make music that connects with people, but that's not the same as trying to please a mainstream machine. I believe in the long-term it pays to be creative and take risks when it might seem the hard option in the short-term and I’m not going anywhere. I'll keep doing it differently and I don't care if it's not as hyped and commercial right now as other stuff.
TWU: What do we have to look out for in the future?
Riz: A couple more singles before the album in January 2011 and if you haven't seen the website or the live show yet, you need to check them out. I hope you like them!
Stay up to date with Riz on Twitter - www.twitter.com/RizMC
Words: Jayga Rayn
Online editing: Joseph 'JP' Patterson
