Earlier this year Nottingham’s – and perhaps Britain’s – finest MC, Cappo unleashed his best album to date, Genghis, on Son Records. Ash Akhtar spent a bit of time with the elusive Cappo.
Tell me a little about your initial attraction to hip-hop. What was it about groups like Public Enemy and NWA that appealed?
Yeah Public Enemy and NWA were the first tapes I ever had and I played them to death. Before that, I heard my cousin playing Silver Bullet and I remember hearing ‘Walk this way’ [Run DMC] and the ‘Only bugging’ track [Whistle’s ‘Buggin’’] somewhere. Just picking up on the music from here and there, but it was definitely the Public Enemy and NWA tapes that showed me there was a whole other sound out there.
I take it you had a community of like-minded friends in Nottingham – all looking to the US for musical inspiration and lyrical relation?
I’m still looking to the US for my inspiration and I’m trying to keep my mind focused on the music that matters. I hear a lot of UK music and I think it’s good and vibrant, but at the same time I feel the US is light years ahead for real Hip-Hop. It’s advancing over there, but keeping its foundation, which is why I keep watching the US. Throughout the world, Hip-Hop changes and merges into different hybrids and that’s good, but I listen for the real Hip-Hop I know and grew up on.
What were you listening to before hip-hop? Any pop secrets you dare to share?
I know the first album I ever had was by Mr Mister. My mum bought it for me when I was probably 10 or so, it had the ‘Broken Wings’ track on there [Welcome to the real world, 1985]. I had the ‘My Prerogative’ single from Bobby Brown as well…
The inlay to Genghis features you in an Elbow Chair Freeze: are you still breaking?
That’s classified information, but I will say this: I’m fully prepared for the throw down whenever, and I know my mentor – the Legendary DJ Styly Cee – is still popping like a machine under strobe lights.
What do you think of the new generation of streetdance? In your opinion, can ‘Streetdance-3D’ compete with ‘Beat Street’?
I haven’t seen that movie so I cant really talk on it but I can say ‘Beat Street’ was a worldwide influence on dancing full stop, so ‘Street dance’ has a lot of work to do to get to that level of influence.
Your production on Genghis is deeper and darker in many places than predecessor, Spaz The World. What made you decide to self-produce this time?
I had to prove to myself that I could complete a whole solo album on my own without outside influence and I’m proud to say I feel I accomplished that to the best of my ability. I had the luck of the whole project being over seen by Styly Cee and The Theorist so I had the confidence I had achieved something big when I got their seal of approval. I’ve been producing almost as long as I’ve been rapping, so I felt I had a point to prove: that I could complete the album and stand among the producer / MCs at the forefront of Hip-Hop.
Tell me about some of your production influences. You seem to have a wide appreciation of musical genres.
Before I bought my MPC, I would listen to records and try to find sounds that would relate to the music I was listening to at the time. I would listen to anything and a lot of the music was old, so I would listen to good amount of classical. I listen to film scores and progressive rock music a lot. I enjoy the fact that the vinyl I find will always surprise me and that it is literally never-ending, so I’m learning every day.
Why was there such a time gap between Spaz The World and Genghis? Have you been working on other projects?
Yeah I was working with some MCs from Nottingham and getting my business correct for a while because I found that being a musician – you can’t be sure that you’ll receive the money you feel you deserve all the time. I kept working on the music and production and I was always putting aside the best pieces I was making and saving it for the Genghis album.
There’s a demo album I made during that period that was close to being released on Breakin’ Bread. I don’t have a version of it but I know there are a couple of copies floating around somewhere. It was entitled ‘Directors Commentary’ before I used that title for the compilation album. On a lot of the tracks I was working on putting extra syllables in my sentences and really working hard on rhyming every word exactly with the next. I’d like to hear it cos it was a full album, but I kept the best parts and used them for Genghis.
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Genghis is a bold name for an album. Is this your time to achieve world domination?
I named the album Genghis because he really took it worldwide and that’s what I mean to achieve with the Genghis LP. I watched Mongol [The Rise Of Genghis Khan, directed by Sergei Bodrov], and was inspired. I have no intention of being boxed into a scene that’s stationary – I want my music to have mass appeal and to inspire people.
The other reason is that I feel when I spit, I go into Genghis mode: meaning I destroy all who I see, similar to when I’m on radio and I spit venom for long lengths of time during freestyles and go for victory each and every time. We’re putting out an album soon that features all my recent radio freestyles and I’m looking forward to making people realise how much work I put in.
To what do you attribute your lack of visibility in mainstream hip-hop?
I don’t think I promote myself enough and my business and connection work is not as good as it should be. I try to work on the music more than anything else cos I find that if I mix it with the internet and phone calls, I can’t concentrate on the music properly. I hope that the more prolific I am the more I will be recognized, and I hope that I’m listened to by people who really respect music and use my albums as soundtracks to how they are living.
You’ve toured with names like Public Enemy and Roots Manuva – how were those experiences?
I always enjoy doing shows and those were some of the good ones that I can recall. We just recently did the launch for Genghis and when I watched the performance back I was blown away cos I was going in for real! Shows to me are better with the more practice you do for them, so that and the H-Bomb launch [an EP release in 2008 with Stylee Cee] defiantly stand out as relentless shows. The Public Enemy show was massive cos I was given the opportunity to rhyme alongside Flava Flav and Chuck D and that takes it back to the first ever rap tapes I ever had.
Do you dream of having a career in the US? What American MCs would you invite to appear on your album?
If I was to branch out and try to produce for US artists I would get The Clipse, Big Boi, Andre 3000 and Stacy Lattishaw. I’d get unheard accapellas from Big L, Biggie and Big Pun. Drake and Lil Wayne, J Cole, Nas and Cassidy. Shok G, Raekwon and Roxanne Shante, Inspectah Deck, Slick Rick, Kool G Rap and try to reunite Run and DMC.
‘UK Hip-Hop’: how do you feel you’re supported here? Are we likely to hear you on Westwood’s show?
I feel that whatever music you’re doing, there’s enough exposure in the UK to get you heard by the right people. A lot of the promotion is down to the artists themselves. There’s still a scene in the UK, but the music must tick all the boxes in order to get you on nationwide radio stations. I feel I’ve had some good support from the radio and it’s down to me to bring the next single and keep the visibility of Genghis prominent.
You’ve not deviated from hip-hop and jumped on the grime wagon. Success seems very much measured on your own terms and not by the number of records you sell. Do you wish that being a successful artist could be easier, or are you pleased with your status?
I wish that the music I make is heard by the people who can use it to move forward with. I hope that I’m inspiring the younger generation and keeping like-minded musicians on their toes. I’m grateful for still being able to make music and I gauge my success from the response I get from my releases.
Genghis has been my most successful release to date on all levels, so I’m looking forward to my next one. I’m always keeping my eye on the prize: the prize of being able to live entirely from music without compromising my integrity. I feel that if I continue to keep doing what I’m doing, I will get there in the near future.
Genghis is out on Son Records now (http://www.sonrecords.com/releases/) and is available for download on iTunes and Bandcamp.
Words by Ash Akhtar