After dropping mixtape Devil May Cry in 2010, which even now is constantly mistaken for an album due to the calibre and precise exection, Iron Braydz proved that he is truly a student of hip hop and the project was hailed by many as being a masterpiece. His influences shine through like a brilliant, bright light. Can anybody say 36 Chambers? Yup. Braydz is no doubt a hardcore WU fan and a fan of REAL hip hop. You know, the kind of hip hop that actually has something intelligent to say, before skinny jeans and fluorescent moon boots took over? Not many artists can live up to Braydz lyrical abilities but even so, he's a relatively humble guy in comparison to some of his UK counterparts which is nice to see but he is certainly no wallflower. As soon as he hits that stage, he comes to life and bounds from one end to the other, completely immersed in his surroundings. Never a dull moment and I'm pretty sure he knows all the lyrics to every hip hop song released during the 90's ever made… EVER!
If you are looking for something to "Dougie" to, then this is not your guy. Having worked with some of hip hop's finest – everybody from Guilty Simpson, Phat Kat to M1 of Dead Prez and even The RZA his talent has officially been co-signed.
Two years on from "Devil May Cry", Iron Braydz is poised to release his newest project Holla@Braydz. Having dropped the video for Life's Ill – the first track which was released earlier this month, we are all waiting on tenterhooks to find out what his latest offering will bring as Braydz is being a little tight lipped about it. It only makes us even hungrier, but I suppose that's the point.
Check out this EARMILK exclusive below.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f27u6aPmScI&list[/youtube]
EARMILK: Who is Iron Braydz?
IronBraydz: A versatile Emcee Producer hailing from North West London.
EM: Anybody who has any knowledge of you knows that WU TANG heavily influenced you growing up. What was it about their music?
IB: Their honesty, energy, sincerity, passion, vision, knowledge, experiences, their growth. Pretty much everything they did throughout their career in the late 90’s. They had such a relentless drive and it was easy for me to relate to that, because I already had that mentality growing up.
EM: Do you feel as though today’s hip hop is of the same standard?
IB: I’m in no position to judge, however I know I can say the sounds from these two eras are different. It still feels to me that the 90’s had a lot more soul in the music, whereas now there’s a lot more technology behind it.
EM: What sets UK hip hop apart from our US counterparts?
IB: Our accents (obviously), depends on if we’re talking about hip hop on a whole. On a technical level, I have found that we in the UK we have a desire to produce more intellectual, clever and insightful hip hop, which was clearly inspired by artists like Rakim, Wu-tang, Nas Ras Kass , Kool Keith/Dr Octagon, Prince Po, Pharaohe Monch etc…
EM: “Devil May Cry” was very well received. Why do you think that is?
IB: I thought it was received well, because it was an honest work of art. You could tell from track 1 that I didn’t give a F**k about anything, whether good or bad. The people got that and appreciated it. For that I am very grateful.
EM: Who has been your favourite artist to collab with?
IB: All my collabs have been a special experience for me you know. I don’t have a favourite to be honest.
EM: Who would you must like to work with, in the industry and why?
IB: Kendrick Lamar, Because I know it would be the best challenge of my career trying to keep up, in fact just reaching his level lyricism and technique. He’s a genius.
EM: Tell us about “Holla@Braydz”. What can we expect from this new project?
IB: Holla@Braydz, is just a mixtape showing some of the other sides to my capability as a writer emcee. Paying a bit of homage to some of my musical inspirations. Having fun with it.
EM: Who’s in your iPod right now?
IB: Nuthin, sometimes for me listening to other peoples music whilst in the process of doing my own gets me down. Has me feeling like I’m not doing enough or working fast enough, before you know it I don’t wanna do sh*t.
EM: What can we expect in the coming months?
IB: Expect the versatile side of BRAYDZ, fun loving etc…, but don’t get it twisted, I still got a back catalogue of my hardcore sh*t so all challenges are welcome.
EM: Why should our readers check out your music?
IB: For the same reason they check the other good artists out there. I do good videos. I’m consistent and you can relate to my pursuit of happiness.
