English rappers? Here’s One…

That thing on your wrist (tik-tok).

I say so because ever since being a little nipper, the idea of becoming an English rapper has always been about stewing in the back of my mind. Couple that with being paid a measly £10/ hour to spend my days slumped behind a desk, & as balmy as it sounds, I’d say this was inevitable. 

In short, I’ve had it with trying to fit in. Hence why I’ve packed in my full-time job to be here today as an English rapper, who perhaps doesn’t dress (or talk) as you’d imagine. 

Words are (& always have been) incredibly important to me, as has inspiring others & opening their eyes up to this amazing opp that we call life. A message I hope to get across in my music. 

See, when life’s a ONE time affair, what is there to lose by chasing our dreams?? Exactly… nothing.

Being a very much ‘out there’ kinda guy, let’s just say that the majority of street fashion isn’t really my style. 

I mean, while you may find sporting the odd pair of trackies from time to time, I’m not exactly what you’d call a sneakerhead. Neither am I the type to winse when someone wears Adidas with Nike. 

I simply dress as I do, because that’s who I am. I couldn’t care less about fitting in, as I’m only here to be 1 thing behind the mic – authentic. 

CLUE: XtG is simply an extravagant caricature of the everyday me; me & denim are like best buds, I’ve wore the same chain 5 years straight (no days off) & cannot survive the summer months without a pair of rounded sunnies. And as for the flat cap, that’s a cheeky nod towards my West Yorkshire heritage. 

I’m me – that’s all there is to it.

You can try all you want, but I can’t be replaced/ duplicated. Something I also aim to carry through to my music. So rest assured, the person you see on the screen is as much ‘me’ as the guy you see over social media. Someone who’s also the English rapper you’re (in effect) chatting with now.

None of this is a façade. 

Slight confession: nope. 

In fact, as a young kid, studying music really didn’t appeal to me. If anything, I hated it & it was one of the first subjects that I couldn’t wait to drop. When you’re brought up to think that a ‘corporate job’ is the way forward, music seemed very much like a waste of time. 

Couple that with the fact that I was yet to understand my creative process, & music seemed very much like smashing my head against a brick wall. Just goes to show how things change.

Kind of ironic if you ask me, as if you were to pit music up against any sort of non-creative occupation, I’d choose it every day of the week. 

Spoiler… nope.

See, as much as I love UK Hip Hop, I’m yet to come across a UK track that awakens the gladiator in me (hope that makes sense). I’d say the closest I’d got to that was ‘Make Or Break’ by Bugzy Malone – great tune!!

However, my current anthem is one I rinse on repeat every time I’m working out – no exceptions. That track itself is called ‘Reminder’ & is by US rapper, Lloyd Banks. And much as the title suggests, that’s what the song is – a reminder to stand up for your beliefs & not to be led astray by the status quo.

For anyone like me who’s into boxing, I’d highly recommend giving Banks a listen!!

If you want to put it like that – yes. 

Huddersfield is where my roots are at. In case you’re not clued up on UK geography, that’s the plucky mill town sandwiched in-between Leeds & Manchester – 2 of the North’s largest postcodes.  

Fancy learning more about my Hudd? Dive into my blog – Huddersfield 101.

Are you having a laugh?? No! No! No!

I wish people’d get this ‘I’m better than you’ mentality out of there head. I’m not here to 1-up anyone or flex on the opps. 

The only person I’m in competition with is myself. 

There’s 1 reason for that – you.

See, it’s no coincidence that I’ve spent several months going square-eyed in-front of a laptop (something I detest) just to bring this website up to scratch. 

Fact is, I know just how difficult it can be these days to keep up with your favourite MCs, especially when social media is severely overcrowded. A rigmarole I don’t want any fan of mine to have to go through. Hence this site, which is in essence, my own private corner of the internet. 

One where you can find everything XtG, all without being sucked into the wormhole that is the IG explore page. You’re in complete control of what you look at #DeathToAlgorythms

PS/ Due to this website, I even have a blog too. So if philosophical thinking or blunt-minded rants are up your street, do take 5 to have a nosey (link below).

Bless me with such a superpower & without a doubt, I know what I’d do…

Put a stop to artists (especially English rappers) from moulding their career around a fake façade ‘just because it attracts Ps’. Reason I say so is because while in 1st instance it may sound financially savvy + like it’s the route to stardom, when you look deeper, it’s actually a mistake in disguise.

Get to where you want to be by not being true to yourself & you’re in essence, living a lie. What use is success if fans are fans of the person you’re trying to be, & not who you truly are?

Take it from me – authenticity does (& will forever) go a long way, especially in this photogenic ‘hey, look at me’ type world we live in today.

#JustSaying

Good question – just don’t jump to conclusions!

Because while as an English rapper, you’d expect UK rap to be the majority of my CD collection (small disclaimer) it’s not. So while you will find the odd Wiley/ Skepta EP, that’s really just scratching the surface.

My music taste is a tad more… diverse. As you’d imagine though, Hip Hop does make up a large proportion. I listen to the likes of: G-Unit, Biggie & JayZ on the regular. But that’s not to say I don’t jam to other genres too. 

Delve deeper into my iPod & you’d come across music from the likes of:

Madonna, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Richie, Britney Spears, Westlife, Dean Martin, Simply Red, Nsync, Sammie Davis Jr & even Il Divo. 

A mashup that I bet 99% of you didn’t expect! (SURPRISE!)