Interview With Maxsta

Music Eyz Interview with Maxsta

You may remember not so long ago we were one of the first to showcase and review the new track from Maxsta ‘I Wanna Rock’ well the man liked our review and agreed to a quick call with us this afternoon.  Read what we spoke about and see the video in full for ‘I Wanna Rock’. We covered hot topics like the top Hip Hop artists of all time, his track, the beef with Scorcher and whether he has a girl friend.  Read on.

Music Eyz: So first off Maxsta, thanks for taking the time to speak to us, I know you are busy getting the hype out there for ‘I Wanna Rock’  We hope you liked our review.

Maxsta: Yeah, thanks, read it and it was good to read something with an opinion and getting to the core with a proper review, rather than just sticking a line up around a video.

Music Eyz: Yeah, well we try to avoid just sticking vids up, as to be honest, anybody can do that, we want to add something for our readers.

Anyway, jumping straight in to it.

Music Eyz: So tell us all about the man Maxsta, what do we need to know?

Maxsta: Well I am Maxsta, I make music, but I don’t want people to know me just for that.  I want to make a first impression that lasts.  Just because I love my Hip Hop, there is more to me than that. I mean I listen to all types of music.

Music Eyz: Go on then, give us some examples.

Maxsta: Listen to everything.  Love Biggie, Sum 41, the new tune from Carly Rae Jepson, Conor Maynard and Misha B.  Loads to be honest.

Music Eyz:  Yeah, going off topic a little.  But I love Biggie.

Maxsta: To be honest, its only been in the last six months.  Always knew him and liked him, but in the past six months really got underneath his music.  Some of his tunes… He is definitely in my top two rappers of all time.

Music Eyz: So who is the other one?

Maxsta: Definitely Tupac.  He had such sick tunes and delivered powerful messages.  He definitely had meaning to everything he did.

Music Eyz: Completely agree, you definitely called out the biggest Hip Hop acts of all time.  A lot of people call out Jay Z at the moment, how do you think he compares?

Maxsta: To be honest, its unfair to compare.  You never know what those two may have done.  Jay Z is definitely in the Top 5 of all time, but those two may have just overshadowed him, its impossible to tell what would have happened.

Also, I have grown up loving Eminem, but his early stuff which had meaning.  Not the recent stuff which is all a little soft and pop(py), not so good.

Music Eyz: OK, sorry to have taken us off course.  Back to why we are here.

As a Londoner, what influence has growing up in the area had on your career and what you rap about now?

Maxsta: I let life dictate everything I do and say. It dictates what I rap and write.  The people around me, my family and where I grow up, it is everything.  If I had been somewhere else I may not be on the phone talking to you now.

Music Eyz: Nah get that, I mean if you had some privileged life in Hampstead, it would have been completely different.

Maxsta: Yeah or if I had grown up in Wales, I might be out sailing on a boat or something.

(Music Eyz Ed at this point managed to refrain from using any stereotyped jokes about Welsh people)

Music Eyz: So tell us, how did you get found?

Maxsta: To be honest it was just battering everything I could, especially back in 2010.  I was battering everything back in 2010 on the underground scene.  Nobody knew me, but I was getting out there and hitting everything.  Any cameraman with a camera, I would go and see and run a freestyle for them.  Thats when I brought out ‘East London is Back’ – it got picked up by Annie Mac who played it.  Then after that, all those people that didn’t want to speak to me before or didn’t know me, sure wanted to know me now.

Music Eyz: Loved that track.  Quite a gap though between then and now. How long was the process to get signed from first chats to the ink drying on the contract?

Maxsta:  The whole contract process, which wasn’t recently, took about two months.  The whole thing seemed to take ages. Regardless of what people were telling me, my management, my lawyers, everybody around me I just kept asking “why is it taking so long”.  I realise now it wasn’t, but at the time it was frustrating as I just wanted to put music out there.  It takes you away for a while, but just builds you to make it when it happens.

Music Eyz: So how has being signed changed you as an artist?

Maxsta: Just the time to be honest. I was kind of on the shelf a bit last year, like a lot of artists.  But it just helped me take time out and make lots of great music.  Over the last year I have made loads of records.

Music Eyz:  Cool, so tell us about your track, what inspired you to make it?

Maxsta: To be honest, I can’t sit there and say I woke up one morning and wanted to make this track.  It was a process.  Its exciting to be in the studio and making it happen.  But to be honest, I got given the beat and I went away and wrote the lyrics. Actually on this one, all in the same day, then went and recorded it.  Then I sat with it and made it my own.  The inspiration really came after, when it was mastered.  I loved it cos it turned out, I love how I spat my lyrics, a little commercial without selling out.  It has a real edge to it but enough to make it accessible.

Music Eyz: What else is on the horizon for Maxsta?

Maxsta:  OK, I shouldn’t be saying this.  But there is something on the horizon.  Something big, so watch this space.

Music Eyz: Big explosion on the UK urban scene at the moment, what do you think has caused it?

Maxsta: Its just progression.  The bridge between Britain and the rest of the world just aint there no more.  It don’t matter where you from, a lot of that is due to the internet.  People start to think, even those starting out, begin to think, “I can be a universal artist”  I mean I can listen to the new Misha B track which is pretty sick and not care where she is from.  I can picture somebody the other side of the world picking that up and not having a clue or care she is from UK.

Music Eyz: As a multi-genre site we cover everything from Rock to gabba, from pop to grime. Can you explain the difference between grime and Hip Hop to our readers?

Maxsta:  The main difference is grime is a lot faster, I mean its 140 bpm which is quicker than most Hip Hop.  Grime aint all about hype at the moment, it seems more real.  The beats tend to be more grimey and raw.  Grime could be mainstream, it just feels like it shouldn’t be.  Its just not meant to be commercial.  Talking of Hip Hop, loving Joey Bada$$ at the moment.  He aint all about the hype, swearing for the sake of it, it aint all money, bitches and strippers and all that.  It just aint over commercial I like it. Not just talking all that without having a message.

Music Eyz: Yeah like Flo Rida has to be the biggest example.

Maxsta: Yeah, I like it when people have some personality in their music, have a message in it.  I respect any artists that has got something to say.

Music Eyz: Like all of us, you fallen out with a few people over the years. You are known not to see eye to eye with Scorcher, is that still running?

Maxsta: Now we OK now.  I was a gassed up kid back then.  We all was when we was kids.  I was overwhelmed by the hype and reacted how a lot of people would, calling people out and all that.  But I grown up now, learned not to do it.  Don’t get me wrong those people aint coming to my birthday party or nuthin, just now I should now look up and say hi when I see them.

Music Eyz: Yeah concentrate on your own, not worry about others.

Maxsta: Yeah that is exactly it.  Don’t worry about what others are doing or saying just concentrate on my own.

Music Eyz: Who else do you think will break through this year?

Maxsta: Its difficult for me.  When I am out coversating with others I always ask who else is good.  Not to see who is a threat just to get a feel, like I said I love all music.  Just trying to think, obviously Misha B new single is sick and loving Conor Maynard.

Music Eyz: Our female readers wanna know, is there is a Mrs Maxsta, or are you single?

Maxsta: Nah I aint got a girlfriend at the moment.

Music Eyz: Do you want one?

Maxsta: Ha no, not at the moment

(Music Eyz Ed: Sorry ladies, we did try)

Music Eyz:  Any message you want to give the readers of Music Eyz?

Maxsta: Just simply, WATCH THIS SPACE!

Music Eyz: OK thanks Maxsta been great talking to you, speak soon.

Have a look at the official video in full for ‘I Wanna Rock’