Recently, Irfan had the pleasure of interviewing one of the best up and coming stars on the desi music scene at the moment, namely 'G.I. Jatt.' He is the man who fired the mc'ing on a few Untouchables Smash Hits including 'Aja Sohneeay' on Indy Sagu's The Debut plus on the Akhian mix featured on Gubi Sandhu's Dil Karda. He showed us all just what a class MC he is.
Irfan: How long have you been into Mc'ing? I mean is it something you have picked up recently or have you been doing it for a long time?
G.I. Jatt: I have been MC'ing for about 2 and half years. It is not a lot compared to other MC's who have been in the game for about 7 to 10 years and some even 12. I started off in the days I would get bored or and times when I did not have a car and would have to use public transport, therefore I started to make up rhymes to pass the time. I was intrigued and looked up to people in the industry such as HMC and MC Lyca. I began to think of some more lyrics and my friends encouraged me and said go for it. I used to listen to all Untouchables stuff and watch the RDB videos and think to myself, 'one day I want to MC for them.'
I started to then MC at small functions with different DJ crews and then got introduced to Gubi Sandhu. A guy called Harj who is RDB's cousin also got chatting to me through some mates and he got me to MC to Kully from RDB. Coincidence had it that both Kully and Gubi organised for me to go to the studio a few weeks later.
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Irfan: So far, every track that you have done has been with the Untouchables label. Are you signed up to them? If not, then do you have any plans to sign up for them or any other label?
G.I. Jatt: I am not signed up to Untouchables or any other label. However, I just do not do other tracks for other labels and work strictly for Untouchables only, because at the end of the day, they are the ones that helped give me the break, get me into the industry and promote me. I believe it is the best label to be with and I am very lucky in that sense. Plus, it is a friendly environment within Untouchables and everyone treats me like a friend and younger brother in a way. |
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Irfan: I just must rate you for the super-speed Mc'ing on the track 'Aja Sohneeay' on Indy Sagu's album. When did you realise you had this skill of speaking so damn fast? Is it something you practice a lot?
G.I. Jatt: Thank you, lol. I practice doing fast liners a lot. I used to wonder how some MC's in the mainstream and underground could do fast MC'ing and some of them told me its just about practice and getting the right words in the right place which flow well. I didn't believe I would be able to do it, but I practiced and eventually got the hang of it. Some people like the fast-liners and some people criticise me because of it, saying I am rubbish because they cannot hear what I am saying. What people need to understand is that I do not just do fast liners, but slower lyrics too and try to add as much meaning now as possible, such as, "We're uniting as nations, in collaboration, we aint all different, cos we're all still Asian." I respect constructive criticism from people, but sometimes I think people criticise to an extreme limit just because I'm Asian and jealousy prevails a lot sometimes. I try and make my lyrics as best as I can and want to improve with each track, so hopefully, the best is yet to come.
Irfan: Since Metz and Trix burst onto the scene, in my opinion the Mc scene has been saturated with a mixture of good mc's, average and some completely useless ones. Would you agree with my comments? Also, what makes you any different from the average Tom, Dick & Harry?
G.I. Jatt: Yes I agree with your comments. This new urban feel to bhangra has taken off and a lot of MC's are coming onto the scene. Garage may be fizzling out in mainstream, but I think its here to stay in the bhangra market, so yes a lot of MC's to come and go. I respect all MC's who respect other people and other MC's talent too. At the end of the day, everyone has their own style, feel and character and if someone wants to pursue being an MC….then let them, everyone wants to achieve something or follow a dream. The time when it becomes wrong is when people start to mock each other in the industry…just let people be. Another major way to make yourself different, is to make sure you do NOT give attitude..this does not impress people. Be yourself and not stuck up. I try to be different from other MC's by just trying to use a mixture of styles, lyrics, slow lines and fast-liners, and obviously as every MC has something unique to themselves….their voice…you need to have something catchy and something that stands out in your tracks that people remember. With me, I meet many people who say, "Militant Militant……Entaaaaaa Representaaaa….or Punjabi Sniper." Its good that people remember some stuff and it gives you your own kind of quality, however, its best to make each track as different as possible from the last one, so the public does not get bored of the same old stuff. I hope to get better and better and just begin to shock audiences.
Irfan: Firstly for those of us that doesn't know what the GI stands for? How did you come up with the name GI Jatt?
G.I. Jatt: I wanted a name that was different and stands out. I didn't want to be called MC this or MC that, I wanted a name which stood alone, without the letters MC at the beginning or the end, I suppose its one way of being a bit different. When I was younger, my sister used to buy me comics and one day I was sitting in my room and saw the comic titled, 'G.I. Joe.' A lot of people must have heard of this American comic and action figure hero, and I just thought to myself, 'yeaaaaaaa, G.I. JaTT.'
The G.I. stands for 'General Intendant,' which means 'Standard Soldier.' Some people criticise me for my name too. My name at the end of the day…IS JUST A NAME…I didn't think of it to offend anyone and I don't mean to offend anyone by it. I do NOT discriminate against other castes or religions.
Irfan: Being a London based artist, how did you get in contact with Untouchables who as we all know are based in the North (Leeds)? Does this make it awkward for you to make recording with them due to the travelling?
G.I. Jatt: As mentioned before, I got in contact with a guy called Harj, who is RDB's cousin and Gubi Sandhu. Harj got me to MC and then ring Kully from RDB. I MC'ed to both garage and drum and bass to Kully and he organised for me to go to the studio, as they were then working on Danger 2. I had tried many a time to get with certain DJ crews or MC at certain venues with certain DJ's, but they would never let me. One day I was just randomly chatting to Gubi and he asked how the MC'ing was going. I told him how I was getting skanked a lot, to which his reply was, "Don't worry bro, I'll get you up there one day." And he did…it was just coincidence how Gubi and Kully both got chatting to me at the same time and called me to the studio at the same time. I believe in fate I suppose. (Thank you Harj, Gubi and Kully) hehehe. I don't just live in London, but in Leicester too, so travelling is not a problem.
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Irfan: On the desi scene apart from yourself, which MC do you rate as the best in the business?
G.I. Jatt: I don't think I could just choose one MC, its got to be two and that's HMC and MC Lyca. HMC has done some of the best tracks and is sick at fast-liners MC'ing. MC Lyca, has one of the most unique and best voices for MC'ing. It is a completely unique voice for a desi MC and goes well with his lyrics.
There are a lot of good MC's out there, some that spring to my mind are, Ms Scandalous, MC Usmaan, MC Koppa, MC Tips, MC Drilla and MC Science, plus many more. |
Irfan: With the desi scene finally making a name for itself in the mainstream can we expect to see a track featuring yours truly to hit the mainstream sometime in the future or would you prefer to stick with the desi front?
G.I. Jatt: Well you never know what is going to happen in the future, but everyone wants to jump on this mainstream bandwagon at the moment. I have fun MC'ing in the bhangra industry and just want to improve on the desi front, make a name for myself and just get bigger.
Irfan: In my opinion one the hardest tasks for Mc's is coming up with new unique lyrics that flow well. Do you agree? Do you write your own lyrics? Does anyone help you with your lyrics?
G.I. Jatt: Yes I agree, it is very hard sometimes to think of lyrics. The best lyrics are the ones that stay in your head. If they don't stay in your mind, then in my opinion they have not got a flow and are not good enough. I believe this is the case for many other MC's out there and even similar for DJ's and producers, as where if u cannot remember the song, then it is not going to be a hit. Yes I write my own lyrics. I get inspiration from everywhere and if I think of just one word or I see it somewhere, I save it on my phone and just go home and write lyrics that match with that word or relate to a topic.
Irfan: Some people say Mc'ing in bhangra tunes is annoying and it should not be mixed with them as real bhangra tunes are meant to have the desi vibe such as dhol. What do you have to say to these people?
G.I. Jatt: Well I understand how people love the traditional desi bhangra with dhol beats. Obviously that's the roots and sounds very good too, but people have different tastes and likes in music too. Some people like MC'ing in bhangra tunes and some don't, some people like dhol or proper desi tunes and some don't, and others like a mixture of stuff. Nowadays I don't think its really just 'MC'ing in bhangra' anymore, its brought about a kind of new genre of music, which is the URBAN VIBE or FLAVA…hence all this urban stuff that has been released lately.
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Irfan: It is now becoming a trend for Mc's to release their own albums with Metz & Trix (Danger) and Mc Intensity (Heartbreaka). Will you be releasing your own solo effort? If so, when is this likely to happen?
G.I. Jatt: Obviously I would love to release my own album one day too, but I just want to take things as they come. I want to build a good name and get a good reputation for myself |
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| within the bhangra scene first and just do however many tracks it takes to get myself well known and then see what happens. I would also love to do a lot of collaborations with other artists. It is pointless in doing one track or two and then releasing an album. People should just be patient, not rush things, make a name for yourself an then release an album as this will then promote you better and hopefully lead to a better album, as they say, 'Good things come to those who wait.' |
Irfan: Let's talk about GI Jatt the person, what do you get up to when you are not firing the lingo on the mic?
G.I. Jatt: I just chill like everyone else, go out, have a good time, try to spend as much time with my family too as we get quite a few gigs and I study graphic design at university.
Irfan: For all the female fans out there who have asked about you, is ma man GI Jatt single at the moment or what?
G.I. Jatt: I have been single for a long time. There have been a few cases where I have heard of people trying to pretend to be me and they end up giving me a bad name and I have heard from people how some girls say they are checking me. This is all not true, I have respect and do not want to get a bad reputation for myself, so if you get any sleazy offers and that's NOT me, lol.
Irfan: When performing at gigs do you ever MC live or is it a more a case of miming over your pre-recorded tracks? Is their any particular venue that you most enjoy performing at? If so, why?
G.I. Jatt: We perform live every time…you cant just mime, its too obvious and would be boring for ourselves too. I used to love performing at 'Equinox' in Leicester Square, London. Its just a big club, always rammed, good crowd response and jokes to be at.
Irfan: What should we expect from GI Jatt in the near future? Do you have any tracks lined up? If so, who will be featuring in them?
Just expect the best is yet to come….but everyone will have to wait and see.
Irfan: Finally, do you have any final message for the thousand of desitunes4u followers worldwide?
G.I. Jatt: A BIGGGGGGGG THANK YOU to all the followers and supporters or fans. Big thank you to my family and all the people that helped me to make it. Thank you to Irfan from desitunes4u, respect to Gubi Sandhu, Kully, Surj, Manj, Indy Sagu, Nee2, MCP, Harj, Harry, Tony, Noddy, Nick and all my mates and everyone that knows me. To all the haterz….let me do what I want to do, I am still a person like everyone else at the end of the day, and people who see me around, just because I do not smile 24/7, it does not make me stuck up lol, thank u, laterzzzzz
G.I. JaTT
That concludes the interview, firstly a big thanks to him for taking some time out to chat to us. He is new and still developing as an MC, and his early tracks have shown us just a glimpse of what to expect from him. If you can keep coming up with new lyrics I think he's definately got what it takes to be one of best in the business. If you want to e-mail him or catch him on msn then you can now at gijatt@hotmail.com.
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