5 Questions: 90BRO

90BRO performing at ObSceNE by Decibel42 Photography

I first met Rizwan Yousuf (aka 90BRO) back in 2015 when his rap collective; New North East (NNE), performed at a fundraising gig I was promoting. They were inexperienced but made rapping look like the funnest thing in the world. Since that gig, 90BRO and the rest of the members of NNE developed their art and then some, releasing dozens-upon-dozens of mixtapes, EPs, making their own music videos, with 90BRO directing, and of course gigging.  

2017 was a watershed year for 90BRO and the rap sceNE.  Finally a dedicated grime and hip-hop open mic called ObSceNE was launched by Hash Rotten Hippo, with 90BRO as the resident DJ.  Then the festival invites came, culminating in 90BRO and others doing their thing onstage at Lindisfarne. 2018 though sees 90BRO and too some extent the NE rap scene at a crossroads...

MT: Let's start off with your brand new EP P.A.K.I. (Patient. Ambition. Karma. Intuition). Track number 2; Airplane Mode, with it's incredible Jazz-influenced beat is, on the surface at least, the kind of good-time track I associate you with. But if you listen to the lyrics of it and then add that with the “taking it way more than personal” frustration, barbed-arrows and on-a-downer-vibe of Terminal and 2018BRO it's clear that you are at something of a crossroads in your artistic journey – could you tell us more about the feelings and experiences you are talking about in it? For example in light of some of your recent facebook posts it now seems pretty clear that parts of those tracks are aimed at Ken Masters and also Northentic Records?

90BRO: It may be taken as a downer vibe for some of older gen but it is a battle cry for the new. This is OUR TIME. They can help us or get out of our way but we are doing it regardless. P.A.K.I is my sister project to RaJi. Soundcloud raps without conventional song structure. I had some lyrics for 2018BR0 for some time.
 

That record label facebook group bar was going on my demo Cybersoul to be honest. It pertains to more than Northentic Records, cliques and groups new and old. Facebook groups that are not labels on paper. I get it, you meet a group of artists you connect with, you want to promote release stuff together. I never want to break up collaboration. Build others up and encourage talent when you see it - that is how you grow a scene. The younger gen is starting to get it now but still there are so many one man brands and platforms. It is a sad state of affairs when many of us essentially share the same goals. 
 

Ken Masters is commited to misunderstanding me. After he went at me publicly I left a reply saying let the music do the talking, meaning leave it off Facebook, and he still took it personally. He inboxed;"very brave, good luck" like I was going to diss him. None of this was about him. During one of the most trying weeks of my personal life all I heard online was that me and Ken had beef which I never instigated at all. When you have 100-plus people messaging you at the same time as working on studio set-ups, recording, mixing, shooting and editing music videos while travelling across the region, broke and essentially homeless you really don't have time to reply to everyone straight away. We, Ken and I, even started to get somewhere, albeit agreeing-to-disagree until I caught him crowdsourcing opinion against me and the comments he continued to leave and like. I was not up to speed on all of it until the Thursday night. Had he heard any of the prior podcasts or my in depth interviews, or any of my music, or known me personally, he would have known what I am about and that I was speaking for artists not being exploited.
 

Reali-T is a brother to me. I discovered Sutherlands music through Soundcloud and we have collaborated many times. His music has got me through hard times and I believe him to be one of the voices of our generation. I owe Seek an apology. We briefly discussed it online and agreed to meet in person. The initial excerpt of Seeks interview made it out that Sutherland was someone not to work with. Having read Seeks full interview, which was released later, I respect his side of the situation a lot more. I implore others still invested in this situation to read that interview in full also.

Rated highly by 90BRO but not by some traditional Hip Hop heads: Tees Grime Family

MT: The disagreements which were mentioned above seem to be symptomatic of a few wider processes going on. Yourself, Tees Grime Family and the younger-generation of local Hip-Hop and Grime artists have, artistically speaking, reached a certain level of experience and confidence with your sound and direction but, with some exceptions, it's pretty different from traditional ideas of what rap music and culture should be and because of that some of the local hip-hop purists can't stand it and have been telling you so. Do you feel there's a real divergence there between the old and the new?

90BRO: I can not in any way shape or form take credit for what TGF [Tees Grime Family] have done and are doing. I support it wholeheartedly, they have massively inspired me. Hip Hop has always been about being innovative and different. If it is not fresh it is wack or played out. Even the word “fresh” is old now. It is that innovative spirit that gave it such longevity and why it was the most listened to genre of 2017.

We had the rock and roll generation we are bang in the middle of the hip hop generation. Where you started to get punk rock, alt rock, heavy metal, indie etc. that is where Hip Hop is now. At 27 I am seen as old by much of the younger gen and young by the older. Much of the music from the younger gen locally is very D.I.Y. and not exceptionally well mixed or mastered, which sadly turns people away from listening to some exceptional and promising young talent.

Since New North East I have been focused on convergence and celebrating and embracing the differences. Tehuti Gold sold me on the movement: 'Unite the North East through positive conscious movements.' He is owed far more respect than he gets. I spoke on Tuckage being “the wave” on Terminal but Tehuti was at a time a beacon of light and a positive influence that we all needed. I went into it on airplane mode, “a passion you could never fathom just have to believe us”.

I thrive on working with unique artists that have contrasting musical styles and making it work regardless of age. It's amazing to see artists liking other peoples music at events you would never have thought. It is a different world online though, symptomatic of both old and new. The bitter cynics are the ones that are not making music or being creative.

Not just a rap-artist - 90BRO is a developing film-maker and has directed a number of music videos including this one.

MT: Another part of the divergence between the older and younger NE rappers seems to be over career routes. Back in the day the plan would have been to get signed by a record label, but of course since Napster, and Chance the Rapper and Stormzy, that has all changed. Locally Zico and NATO are making significant money from music through being club-night hosts. So what careers paths do you think NE rappers should be trying to go down?

90BRO: Music is the answer. Some people use it as a springboard to other creative career paths, myself included. As I say in an upcoming collaboration; Mission Complete, with Halo of La Familia, "you can never lie to the beat." My advice is be careful of what ownership you relinquish and own the rights to your music and content whenever possible. Doing the research on how things work. 

We all have the internet. In this Digital Age it has never been easier to make music and [it is] getting harder to make a career from it. Touring and merch. sustain many independent artists. If you want to make it a career, develop long term relationships in an industry that is constantly thinking short term. It thrives on the naivety of talented young artists. Much of what labels used to do we can now do ourselves.

Quality management can help navigate the industry and let the artist focus on artistry. I suggested NNE get management many times and to Reali-T personally many moons ago. If you do go with a label or get a manager have "the conversation" before signing. It is better to have a full discussion, establish [whether] you have the same goals and ambitions and how you can benefit each other early on than to run into problems down the line. Transparency needs to be paramount. Regardless there will be problems as with any collaboration as well as goals changing and artists growing and developing, but when you trust who you work with, you work those out together. No one that I can see, including me in the North East in particular, understands promotion and distribution properly. That is something we all need help with. 

MT: Could you tell us a bit about the successes of 2017? It seemed like the NE rap SceNE took a big leap forward with Hash Rotten Hippo collaborating with yourself and others to establish a dedicated open-mic in ObSceNE and also with the various invites to perform at Lindisfarne, the Bridge and other festivals.

Like I say in the track Prodigal from the RaJi project; “The North East is back making conceptual projects”. We have a regional culture in North East Hip hop, and yes, grime to, that we can and should be proud of. The Blitz Vs. Just B actual battle was incredible. I was disappointed that the audio quality was sub-par when it was uploaded online and the editing was shoddy - though I'm not the best to talk myself as I'm still learning. I see BlitzfromtheBoro is battling in Manchester in Feb., really looking forward to that.

Reali-T's Album launch party and countless ObSceNEs have brought creatives in the same room, the collabs happening off the back of those made for some great music. I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know a lot of local artists I have been listening to for years. Our cypher after ObSequel in particular was extraordinary.

On a personal level I learned much, shooting music videos for many local artists I respect. DJing at Seaham Carnival with LaFamilia was a major highlight of 2017. Shooting the Angel Dust video simultaneously was a satisfying challenge.  Eum became notorious for going first at ObSceNE. I was delighted when he agreed to let me shoot the vid gogh. B.E.N's Livin by the minute video was an early shoot I am very proud of - many have shot vids on the High Level Bridge but we actually got under it! The Smile for the camera vid was surreal. To have such elite local talent converge in the middle of Hendon to shoot water guns at each other. We had a blast!

I am still learning. I see film making as a natual progression for me creatively. Lindisfarne is a truly unique festival like I have never seen and I was grateful for the opportunity- I hope it continues to grow. More events out of the region is the next progression. As I also say in Prodigal; "Why preach to the converted?" Once galvanized let us share our culture with the rest of the UK.

Every ObSceNE came with at least one pleasant surprise. New artists, or at least new to me, include Big Fletch, Jack Fox, Pharoah ba, Alex Bailey and John Dole. Emilio Parker has grown so much musically and as a person since I first met him. I am glad he dropped by the last event and wish him well in the year to come.

MT: Your DJing and performing at Independent on the 23 February as part of the Shut Down night. What else have you got planned for 2018?

90BRO: Performing and DJing at Shut Down is full circle for me. I learned so much from the Wearsiders Presents events we used to put on monthly. Last year I got to DJ and perform at Riverside, the O2, Tynemouth and been in more bedroom and professional studios than I could hope to mention. So to return to Sunderland DJing and performing after working across the region with the experience I have now I hope to put on an epic and historic night and help to showcase the breadth of our local talent. Independent has an exceptional sound system also and is a great venue to experience our local grime scene. I implore hip hop heads to come too it is an eclectic line up. Tees Grime Fam are an all star line up in itself!

Big Fletch put me onto N.E. Dons. They have gained a rep for merking cyphers and always light up the crowd at ObSceNE, I am very intrigued to see their solo set. E-Mence is the artist to watch in 2018. He is a prodigy that produces his own music and is a consummate professional to work with. Listaa is in beast mode this year, the shining light of our sunny Sunderland. LaFamilia always bring infectious energy and incredible stage prescence- Ceremony in particular will shut the place down. Me and Max Gavins have a project in the works that will turn heads one way or another. That and my demo CyberSoul. I'm working out what to perform given how much music I have released and unreleased, solo and collaborative. It is going to be f**king insane. I can not wait!