Recently, Usman had the pleasure of interviewing one of the best up and coming stars on the desi music scene at the moment, namely 'Mc Lightnin.' He has recently featured in a few tunes on Ruthless Records and the Untouchables label.
Usman: As your relatively new to the industry could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Mc Lightnin: I'm a 2nd year fulltime undergraduate student studying economics at Kent at Canterbury University. In my spare time I like listening to music, writing lyrics performing, kickboxing, playing football and generally chilling! I'm also the president of the Asian soc at my Uni, but I don't know how I got elected!
Usman: How did you get into the industry?
Mc Lightnin: RDB crew and Indy Sagu did a set at my Uni back in March this year, I dropped my own set with another rapper, and DJ Luck and Mc Neat did there set the same night. When MC Neat handed me the mic during his set RDB boys seemed impressed and it all went from there. Kully rang me up a couple of months later and said Ruthless Records are making an album asking if I'm interested (with my answer being obvious!). Recording Kamaal for Ruthless for was my break into the bhangra industry and getting a video made for my debut track was the icing on the cake!
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Usman: Where do you draw your musical influences?
Mc Lightnin: Well to tell you the truth I've always loved Bhangra so much that I never even realised the existence of garage music and I wasn't into rap either! When the MC's started up in Bhangra and So Solid crew released 21 seconds track in the charts I was extremely impressed. I used to know all the lyrics to that song and the new idea of MC's hyping tracks appealed to me. I started listening to a lot more garage, RNB, Hip Hop, and Bhangra tracks with mc vocals on. |
| So Solids influence provokes my style to be more like theirs in the way that I like to penetrate my lyrics with a good flow rather than say them as fast as possible. I would say that overall my musical influences are mainly formed through my own initiative. |
Usman: Where do you get inspiration for your lyrics? I especially liked what you did in the track "Billo" on Urban Flavas 2, how did that come about?
Mc Lightnin: I use my own knowledge and creativity to write all my lyrics so I can't really say I am lyrically inspired by any artist, but my knowledge and fluency in Punjabi helps me to mix Punjabi with English well, and in Kamaal I have literally rapped a whole verse of the song in Punjabi and I used a lot of the same technique in Billo too. I have introduced this new style to the industry so it differentiates me from the other MC's and incorporates the Punjabi language in Bhangra songs. I think it makes more sense to relate my lyrics to the music genre to achieve more authenticity and connect my work to the music.
Usman: There is a common misconception that all MC's are a bit thick, obviously I don't think that as I know a few personally but what would you say to this common misconception? I mean, have you had first had experience of this?
NOOOO! I never thought people would discover my secret! Hmmm that is just a stereotype, which is formed through ignorance. If people were to get to know a lot of the MC's they would realise just how wrong that stereotype is. You have to be creative to write lyrics, well co-ordinated to flow to a beat, and very clever to come up with freestyle lyrics on the spot. These qualities, which all the top MC's possess, are direct indications away from the natural stereotype. So how does that make MC's thick. An artist is an artist and to be one you have to have some sort of intelligence. I have had personal experience with this and a typical example is the shock on peoples faces when they realise I'm studying economics at Kent.
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Usman: Who do you think is the best MC on the asain music scene? (Apart from yourself!)
Me of course! Lol! Nah man, there are so many MC's doing good for themselves! Metz and Trix, HMC and GI Jatt are just few of the MC's, who have contributed a lot to the industry, but everyone has their own style and it would be unfair to single out any one mc.
Usman: Is it just me or do you think there are too many MC's? Not just that but the fact that a lot are not very good, would you agree with that? |
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| There are definitely a lot of MC's in the market doing their thing, but personally I think that if your getting on a track you can't be rubbish! If they are not good then it is likely they wont get any more work, and if they are good they will! |
Usman: Is there any person or group you wouldn't work with? Why?
I am not a very fussy person so if someone comes to me with a reasonable proposition I don't see why I wouldn't work with them!
Usman: How far away do you think asain music is from really making a major impression on the mainstream market? What would help it get there faster?
It's already making a major impression on the mainstream market! There's a separate section for Desi Beats in a lot of music stores and Bhangra is like the new thing right now. Everyone seems to want something to do with the bhangra industry! Big names like Jay Z, Dr Dre, Craig David, Mary J bilge and many more in the main stream have collaborated with Asian artists so I don't think we can get there any faster!
Usman: What is your opinion on mp3 downloads? Being a University student you know as well as I do that students love their mp3's, agree? Do you think it is killing the industry? A lot of people are forgetting the fact that the bhangra CD's are not openly available outside the UK and mp3 downloads give artists worldwide exposure and helps them become known in such countries to enable them to tour them. What is your opinion on the whole matter?
I don't currently have access to Internet in my accommodation at Uni where I can download MP3 tracks, but I think personally they give the listener a chance to listen to what they may potentially purchase in the future. It avoids consumers being ripped off and buying bad albums, and it also promotes tracks, which deserve to be bought. If an artist deserves a certain level of sales they will get that level if their work is up to scratch. I think it is only bad if you download MP3's and don't buy any albums at all. It isn't killing the industry at all, I mean they has given so much global exposure to the bhangra industry, and I think MP3's have played their part in helping the industry to break into the mainstream! I mean if you tried to sell a Bhangra album to someone not of Asian origin before it all kicked off there was no way they would have bought it, but if you tried to send them an MP3 to show them an example of our music I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving it a go. This means MP3's are good to create awareness of our music and this would be a lot harder if they didn't exist!
Usman: As far as record labels go you've done work for a couple of labels so far, are you signed to any label just yet? If not, are you looking to get some sort of contract sorted?
I'm not signed to any label and I don't really intend to do so because there are a lot of talented artists in the industry that I would like to work with, and I don't want to tie myself with a contract. To me my main priority is my education, and being a mc is a hobby. In a hobby you want to have fun and gain something from it! You don't want to sign a contract, which forces you to do your hobby and stops you enjoying it!
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Usman: What are your plans for the future? What other tracks do you have lined up in the near future?
I want to complete my degree and assess my future employment possibilities! I don't really know what I want to do for a career, which is the reason why I chose such a broad based subject for my degree, so I'm just going with the flow and seeing where it takes me! I think it's the same with the music side of things, I don't actually have any tracks lined up as yet but there are a few projects I've been told about. I want to introduce my rapping because I write |
| rap lyrics all the time so it would be nice to give that a go! I've been told I can sing a little and I wouldn't mind exploring that field, but I'm going to take things as they come! Watch out for anything I may do in the future but remember don't be surprised by what I may come out with! |
Usman: Not to mention most importantly, where in the country do you think the best looking Asian girls are?
That's the only question I haven't got an answer for! I'm going to have to say everywhere!
Usman: Do you have a final message for the thousands of desitunes4u.com visitors all over the world?
First I would like to thank desitunes4u crew especially Usman and Irfan. Heavy site! And big up anyone who visits it! Big up to all my local manner Letchworth, Hitchin, Stevenage (Herts massive!) Toooo many to name! Shout to the Kent Uni crew with one special shout going to my man Davinder. Shouting out all my people from London and my birthplace Birmingham! Bare respect to UntouchablesUK and Ruthless Records labels for getting my name out!
Finally one shout out to anyone who has played a part in helping me to get where I am! Nuff respects take it E-Z and remember Lightnin will strike again! Peace.
Thank you very much, best of luck in the future, hope to interview you again soon. This is Usman, signing out… (I know they are your lyrics, but plz don't sue). If you would like to e-mail him direct then you can at mclightnin@hotmail.com. |
