Last month we caught up with Tricksta, the man behind Wolftown Recordings, Rago Magazine, and the now legendary UK Runnings mixtapes. It went something like this:

'Sup Tricksta. For those that don't know, why don't you tell us a bit about who you are and what you do?

What’s up Head-Nod, big up for recognising the real! I am Label Manager and CEO of Wolftown Recordings, I am CEO and the mixtape DJ for the UK Runnings Mixtape series, I run the Hip-Hop department at Park Street PR which is a company designed to helping underground acts get more exposure in the media, I am also the editor of Rago Magazine as well as writing for a few other websites such as The Urban Blogspot and Rawroots, I am the Hip-Hop reviewer for Update Magazine which is published by DMC, I am a producer and have worked with cats from the UK, US, Jamaica, France and Canada, I am also a DJ and have played in the USA all over the UK and Europe, as well as being pathetically enthusiastic about anything to do with Hip-Hop, and a dad to my three old daughter Gabrielle.

You're a busy man! Your passion for UK Hip Hop started back in the days of Demon Boyz, Overlord X and London Posse. Can you remember a time when you first became aware of Hip Hop and how important it would be to your life?

Yes actually I can! It was the spring of 1986 and I was at an ‘under 18’s night’ at a local nightclub and the DJ played a record called ‘Your Gonna Yours’ by some band called Public Enemy which was on a small label at the time called ‘Def Jam’! I had been checking for bits and bobs before then, but it was that track hit hard. I was always hooked into music, writing down the charts, taping off the radio and I loved Hip-Hop because it represented who I was. I remember getting into the UK stuff around 1988/89 and that when I realized that I could end up making a career out of this music. Seeing labels like Kold Sweat, Music Of Life, Mango Street and Island push UK talent really inspired me.

"... I loved Hip-Hop because it represented who I was." - Tricksta

"Suckers to the side...", I remember it well! "Bum Rush" was like the third or forth album I ever bought. So how has the scene changed since those days?

The scene since them days has had its ups and downs. It rocked superbly up until about 1993/94 then had a quiet patch up until 1996. Now ten years on from then it’s the best it’s ever been. Loads of diverse acts doing different styles, more clubs than ever, British rap actually gets into HMV and Virgin now, there’s distribution companies that just do mainly rap, there’s BBC radio shows by mans like Ras Kwame, Disorda and Excalibah that play just UK Hip-Hop and TV stations like Channel U, as well as all this UK acts are actually charting too and making money. Then there are things like MySpace, Mixtapes, and Internet Radio Stations etc… when I think back to 1986 or 1996 I have to really say ‘It’s never been better really’. On the flipside I think we have a gun culture brewing in the UK which is bad news and could be the reason why a lot of clubs close, everyone and his dog is someway connected or doing something in Hip-Hop, (where’s the plain old simple ‘fans of the music’ gone?), and there is so many people rapping that shouldn’t be. It’s a lot more saturated now everyone is using PC’s rather than outboard stuff in there studio’s. Nah mean? 500 quid PC and some bootleg software and people are calling them selves ‘Hip-Hop producers’!

I hear you. The UK Hip Hop scene has been built on artists “going for self�, which was very much the path you travelled. Were you aware from the start that things weren’t going to happen unless you made them?

Yes very, very much so. I was more aware of the fact that we would have to go independent before we even thought about starting the label. It’s took twenty years for major labels to understand how to work urban acts in England, which is a shame when you think that French and German rappers have been making a living for the past ten years and they don’t even rap the English language! So yeah, we knew that we had to work hard and build our empire, which I think we have done well in the seven years we have been releasing music. ‘Goin’ for self’ is not even just an option – it’s the only way! Even if your dream is to get signed you have to release your music yourself for anyone to take you serious.

"‘Goin’ for self’ is not even just an option – it’s the only way!" - Tricksta

In the 90’s you spent some time DJ’ing and producing in America. Are you also a big fan of US Hip Hop, and what do you see as the main difference between rap stateside and our own home-grown scene?

Going to America and DJ’ing in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami was probably the best days of my life! Yeah I love US Rap, of course I do, and it’s what I was brought up on. I think it’s different if you’re like, say 15 or 16 now, because you have a choice. When we started Wolftown, there was like 25 UK acts that was really doing it properly like us, now there’s like 150 plus! I love all Coasts though, West, East, South, Mid-West, all over! I like anything that is good, regardless of its origin. I am very open-minded like that.

The main difference is simply that music is the US is taken more seriously, full-stop. Here in the UK it’s football, reality TV and a mentality that hates on things and tries to bring down successful people real quick, where as in the US the entertainment industry is ‘big bucks’ (as they say!), because of the countries history in having worldwide success with film and music.

Over in the US they just take it serious, it’s not a ‘hobby’, it’s a way of life. I know some people reading this might think ‘well I’m a rapper and I have to go to work to earn doe so my music has to be a hobby’, but here in the UK we get unemployment benefits etc, and in the US that doesn’t even exist so it’s even harder for mans from the US to blow. Plus the competition is so much fiercer and the scene is saturated with rappers who all work so much harder than UK acts.

Another difference is that in the US, Hip Hop has become mainstream with Rap outselling Country and even Rock in some states, and Rappers doing collaborations with boy bands, girl bands, and even Mariah Carey! Do you see this as selling out, or a natural progression?

You know something when I went to work in a sales office back when I was a yout; we used to have the radio on! I used to yearn for a Hip-Hop track on national daytime radio. Now after 20 years of hard graft as a movement we have Hip-Hop being played all over the world on TV and Radio. Mainstream doesn’t mean ‘manufactured pop’, it means ‘mainstream pop’ which means it sells loads of units because a major label has invested lot of money into it and people have gone out and brought it. Pop is short for ‘popular’ and who making music doesn’t want to be ‘popular’?!!! We have all styles now in Hip-Hop and that’s what’s keeping us alive. It’s not selling out, it’s handling your business!!!

"Pop is short for ‘popular’ and who making music doesn’t want to be ‘popular’?!" - Tricksta

In the late 90’s you founded a record label with your long time friend and DJ partner LATE. Was Wolftown Recordings created mainly for the distribution of your own material, or did you always see it as a home for raw UK talent?

We both stared Wolftown as an avenue to release the act Villains that LATE and I put together. Then while halfway through the album I met Conman and the rest of Vicious Circle and signed them. Soon after that we realised that Wolftown was much bigger than we first anticipated and just went with the flow. Now in 2006 we are trying to be one of the real driving forces in UK as a Hip-Hop label. I think people get it twisted… so lets’ get this straight!!! Wolftown Recordings is NOT a UK Hip-Hop label. Wolftown Recordings is a label from the UK that releases Hip-Hop!

(Continued in next post...)

Are you still soliciting artists for Wolftown, and what advice would you give to an unsigned rapper looking for a contract?

We are always on the look out for any new talent, rappers or producers. I am constantly looking for exclusives for our mixtapes. Send Mp3’s of your work to info@wolftownrecordings.com or the best thing to do is send 2 copies of your music to the following address; Wolftown Recordings, Submissions, PO Box 1668, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV2 3WG, England.

As far as tips it’s hard because there is no formula to what works and what doesn’t, BUT I would say that following the points below might help any UK rappers coming up in the game:

• Get on as many mixtapes as you can.
• Drop a mixtape before an album.
• Get a video done for your best song.
• Rip as many stages as you can.
• Don’t rap because you wanna be rich. Its not easy money.
• Stay focussed and ignore haters.
• Copyright your music.
• Buy a PC with a CD Burner.
• Get down with local promoters and radio DJ’s.
• Work hard, don’t sleep on things and always move fast.
• Be polite, labels hate arrogance.
• Stays humble. You might think you’re the best but don’t be big-headed.
• Believe and all things are possible.
• If you have a budget contact Park Street PR!

And what would you say to artists or producers thinking of setting up their own label and “going for self�?

Good luck! (LOL)

Your new mixtape series is entitled “National Anthems�. In what way is this different from your almost legendary “UK Runnings� mixtape series?

The UK Runnings mixtape series is growing basically. It’s something I have wanted to do for a long-time, and that’s develop it more. The underground series like Volumes 1, 2 and 2.5 (all hosted by myself), 3 (hosted by LATE), and 4 (hosted by 10SHOTT) are all hosted by acts on Wolftown Recordings. These are CDR’s in slipcases that I burn and give out at gigs, mailout to the media, work on the streets and get about in independent stores and websites etc. Proper underground stuff that is rare and hard to obtain, and a real treat too for Wolftown fans.

The National Anthems mixtapes are all hosted by me and are more like compilations. I have the rights to use all the tracks from the rappers and their labels, and these are pressed up in a jewel case with 4 page booklet etc and distributed nationwide through Wolftown’s deal with Altered Ego. The National Anthems mixtapes are releases on Wolftown Recordings. ‘Part One’ is out now, with ‘Part Two’ ready to drop in January 2007, and ‘Part Three’ in the spring 2007. I’d say the mixtape focuses more on the bigger acts and real cutting-edge artists and embraces the Grime scene more than the underground volumes.

"The ‘UK Runnings’ mixtape series is growing basically" - Tricksta

I heard you also broke a world record by putting out the longest rap tune in history, (“Open Mic Session�, International Remix), featuring 50 MC’s from the all over the World? Tell us a bit about that.

Yeh man, that tracks is like 22 minutes long and was a bitch to mix down! That took my producing skillz to a next level I think!!! It all came about coz LATE wanted to do a big posse cut for the album. He started speaking to people and there where that many people who wanted to record with LATE we kinda decided to do it big and get fifty man on there. Originally we had 49, but LATE was having none of that and brought a next rappers accapella around on the day of the final mix so it was fifty.

It’s real testament to underground rap and I’d like to big up all the people who jumped on the track; Lyrical Lizard, Coole High, Lil DVS, Cee-Rock 'The Fury', High Timez, Concept & Defined from Crisis Center Pro, Mr. D.O.G, Pique/PQ, 10Shott & Size8 from Vicious Circle, Musical Sniper, Ceaser, Antidote & Genie from Thee Absent, PAC, Creamo, B Sharp, Wayney G, Conman, Bullet, Khevlar, Arjay, Svenz & Mekk from D'Veezion, Jai Boo, L.O.V.E Allah, Eastborn, Eddie Crew & Kool Aid from the Pro-Shoppe, Xeno, Kidd 'X', Spesh K, Dyce, Lee Dee, Lord Roc, TA Guerrero, Meres, Dass, Kuwait, Staxx, Huntkillbury Finn, Doyen D, Thaahum, Cashino, D'Black, Early B, Tricksta (yep that’s me!) and of course LATE.

We made the track in 2002 and it got released in 2003 on LATE’s ‘International Rhyme Spittin’ CD which is still available in limited quantities at the following link: International Rhyme Spittin

There’s a lot of artists, (Task Force, Rodney P, Karl Hinds, etc), that only big-up the London scene, and US acts that only play gigs in the big smoke. Do you sometimes feel like the rest of the UK’s talent is being overlooked?

Yeh, for anyone outside London it is harder as the industry and the scene is so vibrant down there, but you gotta look at your music market at an international level. The world is a big place. Find ya market and work it! We put Wolverhampton on the map. Do the same with your manor!

"We put Wolverhampton on the map. Do the same with your manor!" - Tricksta

Aside from your Wolftown signings, who are you really feeling on the UK scene at the moment?

Everyone is amazing. Just wanna say that! Right then, ready? Ok here goes…
Supar Novar, Reload, Conspicuous The Coroner, TB, Malik, Kyza, Klash, Stylah, Reveal, Lowkey, Mr. Ti2bz, P.A.C, Creamo, Leeo, Gatsby, Asher D, Baby J, Akala, Sway, Baby Blue, Craze 24, Tef-Co, Genesis Elijah, Skeme, Big P, Geebag, Shamless, Bigz, Skinnyman, Bashy, Kano, K9, Micall Parknsun, Yogi, MD7, Wordsmith, Big Cakes, Izzy G, Mike GLC and more.

If I was only going to buy one Wolftown release this year, what should it be, and why?

This is hard because what we have released is mixtape albums in different genres. If you like Dirty South peep for LATE’s ‘Wreckless In Texas’ Chamillionaire CD, into NYC Rap then ‘Hustlers, Ballers, Shotcallers’, into West Coast Rap then ‘How We Do It On The Westside’ and if ya into Home-grown then ‘UK Runnings’ needs to be in your collection.

If I had to say one then I'd say TRICKSTA Presents UK RUNNINGS ‘The National Anthems Mixtape’ because it has got the most Wolftown tracks on!

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us at Head-Nod.com. Before you go, are there any future projects you want to tell us about, or anyone you want to big up?

Much love to my lil’ girl Gabrielle, my true inspiration in life let alone music! Massive props to LATE my bro’ for holding me down for years, shouts to everyone on Wolftown Recordings, ya dun kno I got ya back, big ups to Hip Hop Basement the UK’s number one radio station, to Lunatrix and Vokal at OYM Records & Media, big-up’s to HHC for letting TRICKSTA & LATE mix the CD on the 200th issue, props to everyone at Altered Ego for seeing the vision, shouts to my boy Glyn at The Urban Shop for all your help with everything and to everyone who has ever brought a record on Wolftown massive respects!!!

Future projects currently scheduled for release:

• LATE Presents UNDERGROUND EXPOSURE ‘Wreckless In Texas 2’ Hosted by TRAE
• TRICKSTA Presents UK RUNNINGS ‘The Urban Shop Mixtape’
• TRICKSTA Presents UK RUNNINGS ‘Volume 5’ Hosted by JAI BOO
• LATE Presents UNDERGROUND EXPOSURE ‘Wreckless In Texas 2.5’ (Double Disc)
• TRICKSTA Presents UK RUNNINGS ‘National Anthems Part Two’
• TRICKSTA Presents UK RUNNINGS ‘Volume 6’ Hosted by CONMAN
• 10SHOTT ‘Ghetto Brick Road – The Next Avenue’
• DJ SPRINGA Presents ‘Wolftown Blends Volumes 1 & 2’
• TRICKSTA Presents J HOOD & GEOLANI ‘From The Hood To The Streetz’
• JAI BOO ‘Lioness Ya Car Tame’
• UK RUNNINGS Presents SUPAR NOVAR ‘Wordz From The Frontline’
• DJ SPRINGA Presents ‘Street Poetry’ Hosted by Benjamin Zephaniah

"... to everyone who has ever brought a record on Wolftown massive respects!" - Tricksta

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