AIL Meets Rodney P

Rodney P has the nickname “the godfather of British hip hop”, a well-deserved label as he’s been making music since the mid-80s, when UK rap was, at least to mainstream audiences, just a murmur on the horizon. He got his big break as part of London Posse when in 1987 they were invited to tour with Big Audio Dynamite, the group formed by ex-Clash member Mick Jones and Don Letts.

Back when Rodney P started, hearing a rapper with an English accent was unheard of, but things have changed. Now credible line-ups like that of the upcoming Big Noise Festival, which consists largely of British hip hop, drum and bass, reggae and electronic artists, are not at all strange.

The event is a fundraiser for the Big Issue Foundation, with all the money made from ticket sales going to the charity. Rodney P was invited to perform, and as he says: “I was more than happy to do it. It would be something I would have wanted to do and I’m glad they contacted me because it’s something I’m more than happy to show my support for.”

The Big Noise Festival is now in its second year, and is entirely organised by volunteers to maximise the funds given to the foundation. Among other things, the money goes into a “vendor support fund” for Big Issue sellers, towards things like train tickets to visit family members they haven’t seen in a while, and ordinary things like passports and laptops. “People need food, clothes and shelter” says Rodney. “For me being involved [in the festival] is all about being able to do something and highlight the issues of the homeless. I think a lot of the time we try to sweep it under the carpet because we see people on street corners and we don’t look them in the eye. I mean, I don’t give money to everybody that asks me if I walk past them, but I do make a point of looking them in their face if I’m going to say no, to at least let them know that they exist and I acknowledge that they’re there. There should not be people sleeping on the streets in a country as rich as this one, but there are, and because there are it’s important we always take a moment to highlight issues like this, we can’t just try and brush that away and pretend it’s not really happening, because it is.”

Who does he think is London’s biggest villain? “I think mayor Boris Johnson has to be at the top, he carries a lot of weight and a lot of power, and what he says and does or doesn’t do has a direct effect on the lives of people in the city that we all love so much. I think he does his job and represents the demographic he represents, but that doesn’t necessarily represent people like me, or the people we’re supporting when we put on this event. So for me Boris is a villain, but he’s not on his own. I’m not a labour voter or a liberal or a conservative voter, it’s not about that, it’s about doing right by the people.”

So it’s about the man rather than the party? “Yeah, I know his politics are very conservative, but as the Mayor of London it’s not supposed to be party political, he’s supposed to represent the people, and I don’t think he always does that to the best of his abilities.” He wouldn’t be surprised if Boris Johnson became leader of the Tory party, but he wouldn’t be happy if he was elected prime minister. “As much as it pains me to say, I don’t have much faith in the good common sense of the people not to elect him, but saying that I think Boris Johnson would be a hard sell to the electorate outside London. He was in Liverpool for a very long time and he can’t ever go back because of the things he’s said about the people from Liverpool, so maybe becoming the conservative leader might be a bridge too far for Boris. I would really hate to think that Boris was my prime minister, that wouldn’t sit well with me at all.”

When asked what he’s usually up to at weekends in the early hours, he replies he tends to be playing somewhere, “making other people’s kids happy.” Which are his favourite venues to perform? “For me it’s more about the audience than the venue to be honest. It makes a difference whether the audience have come to see you, or they’re just out to have a good time. I find if I’m doing a show in London I like smaller, more intimate shows where you connect more. I think in London, in big venues sometimes the audiences have been spoilt and they’ve seen everything and they’ve heard everything. When you go out of London people are more appreciative because they don’t get to see you so often, so a lot of the times the smaller the town, the bigger the reception. The same with going into Europe, because they don’t get to see you very often they’re more glad to see you.”

For a while he was a resident at Fabric, a club he really likes. “Great energy, great vibe, when you have a good night in there you have a genuinely good night, and Fabric is so big, and the music policy is so diverse that you must be able to find something you like in there. If you don’t like this room go next door. There’s enough good music in there that you’re going to have a good time no doubt.”

He says he’s been in some strange places over the years. “Me and my DJ partner Skitz found ourselves at 8 o’clock in the morning leaving a Thai stripper karaoke club, going to the airport after singing My Way by Frank Sinatra for the last two hours. To be honest with you even today I’m not really sure how the hell we ended up there. But we had a really good night.”

Throughout his career he’s collaborated with an extremely diverse roll call of artists, among them Terry Hall, Dub Pistols, The Brand New Heavies and Bjork. Who would his dream collaboration be with? “I would have really liked to have been around when Donny Hathaway was performing. I say that because there’s a live album of him performing and it sounds like he’s in a room in a really intimate club, and the texture and the quality of his voice is so amazing! I’m not sure if I’m worthy of a tune with Donny Hathaway but that would be an absolute blessing, because I’m such a fan of his voice. And I’d really like to do a tune with Chuck D from Public Enemy, just because to me he’s the most important MC of our generation. Lots of people argue about who’s the best MC - Rakim, Nas, Jay Z or KRS-1, and that’s a valid argument, they may be the best MCs but I think the most important MC is Chuck D, and I would love to be able to get on a record with him.“

He’s currently working on his next album for Tru Thoughts records, as well as working on new material with the Dub Pistols and on a programme for BBC iPlayer about Notting Hill Carnival. “There’s a few different programmes coming up, there’s going to be some about Caribbean food, about the history of the carnival and its origins, and I’ll be taking part in some of those. We’ll be delivering some brand new fresh content for the iPlayer. We’re giving it a big push, so look out for it.”


Rodney P is performing at the Big Noise Festival on June 14th alongside Dillinja, Schlomo, Perc, 2 Bad Mice and Channel One Sound System. For more info visit www.thebignoisefestival.com