Introducing: Razor – Hackney Grime MC

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As Grime continues to dominate the Music industry there seems to be no end to the saturation of talented emcees and producers.  Even though the recognition from the BRIT Awards continues to be nonexistent, it is impossible to deny just how huge the scene has become.

One artist trying to make his voice heard is Hackney bred emcee Razor (Re Poko).

Music has been a part of the emcees life from the very beginning, instantly taking to rhymes and lyrics like a duck to water. 

My dad was a massive lover of Rap and Rock and my mum was a massive soul/R’n’B aficionado. Me and my younger brother didn’t grow up in the same house, but both ended up making similar kinds of music. It’s gotta be something in the blood.”

The dream of grime artistry is not something that was born early, and enthusiasts will be happy to see it does not come across as something financially motivated. 

“It’s something I’ve done for a long time, but for ages, it was just something I did to make me happy.”

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Poko is currently studying at the University of Brighton (Hastings Campus), where he established the foundation for other plans before music completely took over.  He explains that balancing university life and his music isn’t as challenging as it seems. 

“Being a university student, as you may know, often consists of not doing very much when you’re supposed to be doing quite a bit. So instead of just chilling, or getting wasted or just playing Playstation. I write, I record.” 

The campus the artist belongs to is the smallest the University has to offer, and through this it maintains a very close community, making the music very accessible to the students and providing opportunities to perform at events.

Re himself maintains an independent, ‘can do’ work ethic.  He stresses that he doesn’t idolise any emcee, but has been an avid fan of Kano since the birth of Grime.

His first track, ‘Don’t Bet Against Me’, was uploaded onto the artists Soundcloud in November.  The production, by South London producer JMP, is a menacing combination of robotic sounds and brass instruments.  It provides a perfect canvas for the emcee to illustrate his intelligence, as he spits about “going in since flip phones, Samsung slide with a polyphonic ringtone” and how he “taught Kilimanjaro about peakness”. 

https://soundcloud.com/reallyrazor/dont-bet-against-me

Re reveals that the track was originally written as a war dub sending track 

Someone wound me up and I just went for it.” 

The annoyance is visible throughout the track as he spits about running his target down like an athlete and threatening to break a hand if it comes near his metaphorical crown.

Poko uploaded his first video on New Year’s Day.  Shot at the artists block in Hackney, it produces an emotive, ‘back in the day’ response to those who “used to chill and spit bars and get super excitable over punchlines.”  Friends have not been forgotten either.  The classic Grime concept is implemented in the video as Razor comments “videos are always more fun with the crew.”

When asked about the year that Grime has had, Razor is adamant that it cannot possibly be portrayed as negative. Americanisation of Grime is something that has been heavily commented on in recent months, but the artist doesn’t see this as a threat, he analyses that

“Grime is OUR thing. They can have an influence and whatnot, but there’s no risk of the genre getting away from its roots, not with the crop of top talent coming through now.”

It is easy to overlook artists such as Razor, especially with the huge amount of interest producers and artists are now taking in Grime, but to do so would be missing a trick. Mastering and mixing tracks are crafts still being perfected, and this only adds to the raw feel imperfection brings. The lyrics are incredibly creative, painting perfect pictures in the imagination of the listener. The artist’s ability to switch between styles is also something to be admired, his second track “En Route”, preferring a laid back, Garage style beat in place of a vicious instrumental.

Razor’s debut EP “S.C.U.M” is coming this year and a mixtape from the artist’s musical collective Edge Music will be out in the summer.

You can catch Razor performing live at “Make It Hot 2” in Croydon on the 5th of Feb.

Keep up to date with everything happening with Razoron Twitter at @reallyrazor

Words: Andrew Moore – @andrewmooree

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