When you look at the rosters of UK labels there is a void. A huge gaping hole in fact. Hip-Hop gets no major label love in the UK at all. Two brothers from North London knew they might just be fighting a losing battle in the UK, that’s why they took to the skies and familiarized themselves with the epicenter of Hip-Hop. Respected and known, SAS allow the readers of FemaleFirst.co.uk to step into their world and understand what being an MC from the UK is really all about.What was it about rapping that encouraged you to become rappers?The 'oooohs & aaaaahs'. We took rap serious once we moved to NY, and in the late 90's, Hip Hop was in its battle era, so punch lines and saying hot shit to get a reaction out of a crowd you usually didn't know, is definitely what attracted us then.
What do you believe your biggest break to have been?
Meeting and running around with Dame Dash in our city for a year. From acting, modeling, to chauffeurs and living in mansions we did it all, except drop a single or album.Has it been hard to garner attention in the UK and please explain why yes or no?
Not for us really, but I can see why it would be hard. Although we kind got known off of our 1st video on Channel U we still to this day have never been play listed on ANY radio stations. It really doesn't affect us coz we have a authentic street buzz but when it comes to rap, the UK industry does not a have a clue what's going on [laughs.]Where do you think the problems lie with Hip-Hop in the UK?
Sadly probably every aspect. The radio programmers and DJ's, the music channel programmers, the C.E.O of Record Labels and the people behind the award systems, they are to blame. But that all depends on what type of Hip Hop you are bringing to the table. If you incorporate alternative or dance music then they'll work with you, Grime, then 1xtra and MTV will work with you, but if it's credible rap music then you gonna have problems all around the board no matter what type of hit you got. Jim Jones 'We Fly High' didn't even get spins on radio or in the club here and they didn't wanna pick up the video claiming it didn't work in UK??? Wouldn’t it be the streets, the people, who would decide that? Tell me how the biggest hit in the US doesn't even get played in UK? They control what they want us to see.
Do you think eventually a major label here will take a chance on pushing Hip-Hop to the mainstream here?
No, never. Only if he is originally a Grime MC, or adds comedy or some gimmick to his act. Someone that be in the streets, never, because they are intimidated by that. They wouldn't even know how to market anything real like that. Not one label here would take the risk but yet no urban artist here can break 200k even with all that marketing. If they threw that marketing and promo on a credible artist the effects would be crazy.
How have you made your presence felt in the US?
Simple, we just did what everyone else didn't from UK, kept it street, and painted a real picture of our city. The same way T.I and Jeezy rep ATL, Weezy reps New Orleans, Game reps Compton, and Juelz reps Harlem. With one Hot 97 freestyle we created a buzz in the Tri State so big, no UK urban artists has had even 10% of that buzz since and that was '01. UK Labels should be paying us to break their urban artists in the US because they're struggling. Eurogang (Villain, Bigz and Haze) got buzzing off one tape so I don't know what those guys are marketing at the labels. [laughs.]
Was it hard for you to capture the US market as the Americans don't necessarily have much faith in UK Hip-Hop?
The most likely thing a American would say to a UK rapper is, "you can't be gangsta and be from there". We lived in NY and were known for getting in crazy money, putting in work in the streets and being trendsetters with the designers no one ever heard of. People like to talk in NY, so things we were up to, in those days have spread through word of mouth all over the city. So now you realize these two guys from London you thought were punks, in their late teens took over blocks, and made stacks of money in one of your hardest cities. So now they listen to us different. For example, on our myspace our profile reads "We The Flyest Out, know that, yeah.” You might read it thinking that we feeling ourselves until you read a girls comment saying "I knew you guys in high school nine years ago, when you had Iceberg early and Moschino bed sheets", which leaves you like "Damn, they do have the rite to talk shit".
You have continued to put out mixtape after mixtape, how important is the mixtape scene in the UK?
For us it's very important, that's how we built our UK fan base. We drop a low budget video to promote our tapes like mini street albums. We get like £4.50 per unit and do no lower than 3,000 on any S.A.S/Eurogang release so that money we put back in and get bigger and better on every tape. Plus it's the only source of income for most UK urban artists, we are just fortunate enough to eat off features and shows around the world also.
What plans do you have right now for getting yourselves to the next level?
We are looking to find the best manager for us, and the rite Major Label in the states. But we got a new video along with a mixtape called WHERE IS S.A.S?, a 10 part youtube series by the same name and a CD/DVD pack for Coming To America pt 2 : Family Vacation coming soon
Do you believe Hip-Hop is dead?
I believe these old rappers are dead, stinking and clogging up the game. A lot of these rappers should jus play C.E.O positions and sign new talent. 30 is definitely not the new 20 so these guys need to cut it out and play a different position in the industry. They too thirsty for the shine and have fucked up the game. Even we getting bored of it and it's at the point where people we use to look at as greats we look at now as idiots, coz they didn't know when to hang up the jersey and reinvent themselves as businessman. Hip Hop ain’t dead though, it's jus hiding out in London waiting to be rediscovered.
Melanie Cornish