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| C.R.F. - Capital Rhyming Force / Tone Def Records |
Hi CRF, for those that are new to you guys can you quickly break
down some of your background info? i.e. Where are you from?
We're straight out the pub!! Yeah
we're all from Manchester. Various areas around
Manchester. I've been into Hip Hop since the Mid 80's inspired by artists such as
Ultramagnetic MCs, Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, K-Solo, Caveman etc. Started writing lyrics
and making beats in the early 90's playing out at various different locations and
then formed The Pedigree Chumps Crew with MC Noz in 2002 when we set to work on
the now finished "Up Norf Hip Hop Edz" EP. Also responsible for The
Critical Beatdown Magazine and Radio Shows as well as Putting in work with the
Aerosolik Label.
Who are all the guys in your crew and what do they do?
Well basically The Pedigree Chumps is a collaboration between myself (CRF) and
Noz and the now official 3rd member DJ Pressure. Me and Noz take care of all the
lyrics plus Noz is responsible for a lot of the Production. Pressure takes care
of the cuts and also entertains the crowds at the Chumps gigs with his Beatboxin
skills. There's also a few guests who appear on the New Chumps EP like Filthy
Rich, Leon The Goose, Stereo Type, Mike-S and JPM.
Where are they all from? Can't all be in Hyde...
No, there's only me who lives in Dr Shipman Town. Noz lives 3 miles away near
Stockport and DJ Pressure lives about 10 miles away in Eccles. Me and Noz are
about 5 minutes apart while Pressures about 15 minutes away. Its good that we
all live so close as it means more time to record and less travel.
In the last interview you mentioned old heads like MC Buzz B, anything to say
about the old timers? They making a comeback anytime soon?
Yeah I told you I was working with Buzz B which at the time I was. I wanted to do
a couple of projects with him but after a while he just got harder and harder to
get hold of and that was the end of that. Whether he'll be making a comeback
anytime soon, I don't know although I do have a few newish/unreleased tracks of
his. Buzz B's a real down to earth bloke who I think prefers to work on his own
rather as part of a crew. We have done a few shows together though. I don't know
what he's up to now. I suppose I should give him a call.
Lets look at subsections of your click than. Are the Rap Parasites still a going
concern?
The Rap Parasite project was something that I really wanted to happen a couple
of years ago. It was supposed to be a big collaboration featuring myself and DJ
Jepi, The Ruthless Rap Assassins, MC Buzz B, MC Wayne D and 2 others called Syl And
Flex. The problem was getting everyone together to record or talk about ideas
for the tracks. Buzz B came around a few times and laid down some vocals as did
Syl and Flex but nothing seemed to be moving forward. I was serious about it but
I don't think anybody else was so I left it and formed The Pedigree Chumps with
Noz who I know is serious about putting out tracks and we set to work on the "Up
Norf Hip Hop Edz EP". When I think about The Rap Parasites project now, I think
the main problem was everybody had there own styles and wanted to do there own
think. Like Buzz b was more on the spoken word tip rather than the Straight up
Hip Hop and Syl and Flex were there own group and wanted to put out there own
thing at that time. Since I scrapped that project I've not really spoke to any of
them that much since except for MC Wayne D who I see all the time. I'd still like
to do a track with Ruthless and Buzz b but whether it ever happens remains to be
seen. I think Syl and Flex are still working on tracks but I've no idea what
Jepi's up to at the moment. I've rang him a few times and emailed but got no
answer. It would be good to get Jepi back involved on a track. As for now though
its just the Chumps.
Did Animal Crackers ever surface?
No nothing ever happened with the Animal Crackers project either. It was an idea
that an MC called Carlon Stardom from Notts wanted to happen which at the time I
thought was a good idea but since then all my time has been spent on the
Pedigree Chumps Projects. A lot of people come at you with various projects and
ideas which at the time seem like good ideas but the majority of them don't
happen. Right now its just about Me, Noz, Pressure and the Pedigree Chumps
Projects. That's all I want to concentrate on plus we've got a few Collaboration
projects coming up as well.
Tell us about the Aerosolik release. How did that hook up come about and what
was your contribution to the project?
Well I've known daddy J who runs the Aerosolik label for a couple of years
now. I
think he got in contact with me after reading the first issue of my magazine. He
invited me down to his studio to appear on one of his Internet radio shows which
I did and whilst I was down there he talked about a few projects he had coming
up. He played me a few beats and asked me to choose one. A few months later I
went back down to his studio and recorded a track called "Wolfman" with another
MC called Ad-1 and female vocalist Cana. The track was then mixed down and
released on the next Aerosolik EP in mid 2002.The EP was called "Next After
First" and as well as the "Wolfman" Track it featured 3 other tracks with other
artists on.
Me and Noz are in the process of writing the lyrics for "Wolfman Part 2" which
will be released on Aerosolik Records soon. While were speaking of Aerosolik I
just wanna give a big big up to daddy J for all the hard work he puts into all
his Label releases and radio shows..
Who are the Pedigree Chumps? Just you and Noz?
Yeah Me (CRF) and Noz plus we got DJ Pressure who comes along to all the gigs
and who did the cuts on the track "Intoxicated Munkiez" off the Up Norf
Hip Hop
Edz EP. You'll probably see a lot more input on the 2nd Chumps EP from DJ
Pressure which we're about to start work on real soon.
What have you been up to since we last broke bread? You have been all over...
Last time we spoke id just put out a 7inch vinyl which seemed to do ok plus
I
was planning the Rap Parasite thing. Mainly though I've just been working with Noz
getting The Pedigree project together, working on loads of new tracks, doing the
magazine, the radio shows and doing quite a lot of gigs. Over the last couple of
months we've (The Chumps) done gigs in Liverpool ,London ,Sheffield, Leeds,
Brighton, Leicester
and Hull and had good reactions at them all and sold quite a lot of vinyl at the
gigs. We've supported Cappo and The Wolftown Commitee plus done shows with
Dirtburg, Dap-C, UTI and a few other up and coming groups. Oh yeah I cant forget
Carpetface, the original Friday Night Sniper and another MC who likes the odd can
or two..
Lets talk for a moment about all things Critical Beatdown. How is the Radio Show
going? Last time we spoke it wasn't on the airwaves..
Yeah I'm still doing the radio shows. For the last 18 months or so I've been
sending them to a lad I know from near Sheffield way who gets them aired on a
Saturday night on a pirate station called Fascination fm which has just recently
changed to Urban FM. Even when the shows aren't on air, I still do them each week or
so as quite a few of the Critical Beatdown Mag readers send me 4 quid for new
shows on CD and the money goes towards the cost of the mag. I suppose its similar
to Dave The Ruffs radio Zero thing. I'm also doing Internet Radio for
www.Aerosolikrecords.co.uk every few weeks and play just
UK Hip Hop in
there. Anybody interested in checking out the shows just drop me an email for some
details.
[email protected]
Are you aware of the new laws that have come in place regarding pirate stations?
As far as I'm aware the DJs can now be held directly responsible, can be fined
up to, and I'm not sure about the figure, about £5000. You have all your records
impounded and banned from working on any legal station for two years. This
latter point has serious implications. Has any of this changed the way you'll be
doing things?
I have heard a few rumours about the new laws but I don't think it will make
much difference to me at the moment as I don't do the shows live at the radio
stations. I pre-Record them onto CD and send 'em to the stations. I know in the
past I have done a lot of live radio shows at various pirate stations and if I
was still doing that I suppose id have to take these new laws a bit more
seriously.
And the Critical Beatdown Magazine, either that was on the back burner, or you
haven't been sending me one...
No, I'm still doing Critical Beatdown magazine. I'll post you some. I'm up to Issue
6.Obviously I'm not putting out issues as often as id like to but that's down to
lack of time and money as well. The magazines still free of charge and if anyone
wants a copy all they have to do is send me an A5 stamped addressed envelope to
PO Box 227, Hyde, Cheshire, SK14 5YE. The websites now up and running, its in its
early stage at the moment but I'm building on it all the time.
So How do you fund your mag? Sponsorship?
Basically
I fund it all myself with any spare money I've got which is never a lot. I
spend half my life slogging away in a paper factory to make a living. Daddy J
from Aerosolik gave me £50 towards the cost of the last issue though which I'm
extremely grateful for. I've got no sponsorship although I'm open to offers.
You have been on a couple of videos, the Look Norf and, umm, there was others
wasn't there? What do you make of these videos? They are a bit home made aren't
they....
Yeah the videos are a bit home made but I think that's good in one way because it
proves that even without any major money or backing people are still trying to
do there thing. I know that Wordsearch put a lot of time and effort into that look
Norf video and the end result was pretty good. I don't like my bit in there
though, but that's a few years old now.
Describe the process when they come to film you. Is there a crew, one guy
with a handy cam? How do you decide what you are going to film?
When I got filmed for the Look Norf video there was just one person "Wordsearch"
who came down with his video camera. It was at the time I was still working with
DJ Jepi. He said he wanted a bit with me on the mic, Jepi on the decks and asked
us if we knew any graffiti artists so we introduced the camera man to a bit of
graff in Rochdale town centre which he filmed. Basically he just spent the day
with us and then picked out certain bits..
I believe these products should be made on DVD now, that has got to be possible,
for me Indelible Magazine has been setting the standards in terms of design and
editing, do you know of any others that are due out and is this an area you want
to be involved in?
Yeah your right, DVD is a lot better than video tapes and I think Indelible Mag
has set a new standard. It is something id like to go into but with putting out
records, doing CB mag and the radio shows I just haven't got the time.
And Tone Def then. Is that in a better or worse situation since last time?
Can you break down why this is?
Yeah I'm still doing The Tone Def Label. The new Pedigree Chumps EP is out on Tone
Def and hopefully they'll be a couple more releases on there over the next 12
months. The thing I'm looking at, at the moment is getting some sort of
Distribution deal because trying to get your records out to the shops yourself
is a complete pain in the arse. The label is in a better situation than last
time but its still only a small concern, mainly a label name to put out our
releases on, although like we did on the Aerosolik label, we're still available to
work with others.
OK, the main reason why we are checking in again is for the Pedigree Chumps
EP
which you have just dropped. Can you let everyone know what this is about? Can
you list the tracks and tell us both about the production, what it sounds like
and the samples and recording environment etc. as well as the lyrical content,
the delivery style and the messages you are trying to get over?
Yeah the name of the New EP is "Up Norf Hip Hop Edz" by us "The Pedigree
Chumps. There's 8 tracks on the EP which I'll list down for you.
Side A
1) Anthum
2) Prolific Thoughts (feat Stereotype)
3) Intoxicated Munkiez (feat DJ pressure)
4) Bitch Troubles
Side B
1) Crusty EggZ (feat Filthy Rich & Leon Goose)
2) Holiday (Feat Filthy Rich)
3) Skule Daze
4) Nasty Hoez
The thing is, with The Pedigree Chumps projects we don't take ourselves too
serious and even take the piss out of ourselves on some of the tracks. We're
trying to make solid Hip Hop music that brings across that good Northern Sense of
Humour.
"Its Them Northern Scalliez, we got holes in our pants,
Get Laughed at, every time we try to dance". (Anthum)
"I'm Arseholed.., I Think I've got Ringsting" (Intoxicated Munkiez)
"I'll Break In Ya House and Eat Your Fukin Dinner" (Crusty Eggz)
We try to put out tracks that everyone can relate to or have a laugh at. We've
done a couple of shows where some of the crowd weren't really into Hip Hop but they
enjoyed the Chumps stuff because they could relate to what we talk about. Like
the Track "Intoxicated Munkiez" is basically about getting pissed,
what we get up
to when we're pissed and its something that almost everyone can relate too.
"I see The Barmaid, I look her straight in the eye,
Come on get ya tits out and don't be shy"
The track "Bitch Troubles" always goes down well as its about our girlfriends or
wives and how lazy they are. A lot of lads can relate to this as most girlfriends
do sod all and sit on there lazy arses all day while we have to go out to work
and earn some bread. We then come home from work and have to do the house work
then we even have to make our own tea while the wife watches TV. So that's Bitch
Troubles.
"Skule Daze" is another one everyone can relate too. Smoking weed at the back off
the class, drinking bottles of cider, getting your first blowjob, taking the piss
out of your class mates. Everybody's done it.
Basically all the tracks on the EP are about something that most people can
relate too or have a laugh about. The Track "Crusty Eggz" is like a brag/in your
face/battle type track but at the same time isn't a hard track. You know this is a
track that works well in the clubs when ever its dropped and features guest MCs
Filthy Rich and Leon The goose. It has a good chantey UK chorus that definitely
gets the crowd involved.
There's also a couple of guest producers on the EP. Mike-S produced the "Anthum"
track and JPM produced "Skule Daze" then Noz took care of most of the other
beats using bizarre samples such as Russian Folk music. The good thing about the
production on this EP is that the beats really fit in well with the lyrical
content. Like as soon as the music starts on "Intoxicated Munkiez" you can
definitely feel that drunken/cant stand up straight sort of vibe well before the
lyrics kick in then you've got DJ Pressure cutting up Fart Noises and human Burps
on the chorus. It's definitely a beer drinkers anthum.
To get more of an idea about what the EPs about check these links to a few
reviews we've had:
http://http://www.ukhh.com/reviews/ep/1463.html
http://www.ukhh.com/reviews/lp/1487.html
What has the reaction been like to the record so far, and are you happy with
this?
The reaction to the record so far has been
excellent. I'm definitely happy with
it. I mean as we're distributing it ourselves its not out in as many areas as id
like it to be, but the shops and areas that are stocking it are doing well.
We've
also sold a lot of records at the gigs we've been doing and via mail order
as well..Its also available through Disorda's Suspect packages site for anybody
who wants to purchase it.
How available is it going to be? So you haven't actually got distribution for it
yet?
Well we haven't got distribution for it but we haven't tried too yet. That's what
I'm
looking into at the moment. So far its available in certain shops in areas such
as Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool and Brighton and over the
next couple of weeks I'm taking the record to London, Nottingham, Bristol and quite
a few other places unless in the mean time we get a distribution deal then it
will be available all over. Like I said though you can get it through Disorda or
direct from me [email protected] and soon online at
www.cbmag.co.uk so there's no
excuse for people to miss out.
What is going to be keeping you busy in the coming months?
Well we're still busy promoting and putting out the new EP plus we are working
on tracks for the next EP or single as well as the Wolfman Part 2 track for
Aerosolik plus I'm doing a track with producer Hoodee for one of his upcoming
projects and I've recently been talking to Tricksta from Wolftown Records about
doing a Pedigree Chumps/Wolftown collaboration which does seem likely to go
ahead.
Obviously there's the mag/radio shows and website as well plus we've got our full
time factory jobs to pay the mortgage. I think that will keep us busy enough for
the time being.
Id actually like to do a collabo with blade as well.
Is there anything else you would like to mention?
Yeah thanks to everyone who's purchased the new EP so far and hopefully to those
who are still gonna go out and buy it and all the CB readers. Plus if there's anyone
who's got any demos or records they want playing on The Critical Beatdown Radio
shows or reviewed in the mag just send 'em to Po Box 227,Hyde,Cheshire,Sk14 5ye.
Oh yeah I cant forget, be on the look out for the video to "Intoxicated Munkiez"
coming soon. Shout out to Mark..
Is there anyone else you would like to mention?
Yeah big up yourself Pete for doing this interview with us. Also Mime 109 for the
help with the mag and website, all the Aerosolik Crew, every one who got involved
with the Chumps project, Tricksta and Wolftown, all the other Manchester
crews, Broken English/Microdeez etc. In fact big up everyone otherwise I'll be
here all night running off names and I want me tea and a pint..
Oh Yeah. On the track "Intoxicated Munkiez" you talk about beer a
lot. What's your
favourite beer?
Good question. There's loads. If I'm just chilling in the afternoon in the pub
'avin
me dinner, I like a nice Carling cold, then when I'm on the piss I'll drink Bud,
Red Stripe, Kronenburg, most lagers to he honest except for Stella. I can't stand
Stella. Tastes bloody awful. Brandy and cokes, Vodka and Orange, Baileys. I've even
got pissed on cherry B. Pedigree Chumps will drink anything Alcoholic I suppose.
Pork scratchings as well. I've just had 3 pints of Fosters and Burger and
Chips for me dinner today at Whetherspoons in Hyde. Sat next to Shipman's Wife!
Before we go ask us what the Chumps favourite food is?
What's on the Ped Chumps Menu tonight then?
Egg and Chips..... Cheers. Oh shit and four slices of Blackpool Milk roll. Branston
is for Everything! Not Just for cheese.
Thanks for giving the time to let us know what is up with you.
Original
CRF interview.
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C.R.F.
Discography :: Tone Def Records Discography |
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| Intro |
Early Doors: 1979-1985 |
False Dawn: 1985-1990 |
Underground Years: 1990-1995 |
The Renaissance: 1995- 2000 |
The Future: 2000 & Beyond |
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