Harry Shotta interview

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Harry Shotta is a vibrant MC way ahead of his time. . Since his youth, during his schooldays he has loved juggling new rhymes with all the passion of those youngsters in Rio who spend all their free time practicing football skills. Throughout the history of popular music, there have been artists who have inspired a whole generation. Once upon a time guitar heroes fed childhood dreams, but with the advent of the digital age, urban music now rules the school ground. He plays Innovaiton in the Dam November 23rd – 25th across Amsterdam with tens of other huge d&b acts.

http://www.innovationinthedam.com/
http://harryshotta.com/


What first got you into the word of Drum and Bass - didn't you originally come from a hip hop background?

I was doing the Rap thing before I got into MCing in Drum N Bass but I’ve always been a fan of the music and I have been going to the raves for years. How I got involved with the scene on a professional level was when I rolled to Carnival with Funsta around four years ago and he encouraged me to jump on the DNB stage and spit some bars. Now I had some double time bars where I had been working on Hip Hop tracks with quick flows with Skibadee so after a few Red Stripes I went for it. The reaction from the crowd gave me such a buzz and I thought to myself if I actually go fully in on writing lyrics for DNB aswell as my Rap stuff I might be able to make a bit of an impact within the scene. Within a year I was getting my own bookings, I had over a 100,000 downloads on my first DNB Mix Tape and I won the Best Breakthrough MC at the National Drum N Bass Awards.

You have been a figure in Radio 1xtra, how was that been for you?

Yeah I have had a lot of love from the station and they have bought me in on a lot of special events and shows they’ve done. I feel like 1xtra do a lot for up and coming artists and break a lot of new talent. My exposure on Semtex’s show for instance is how I got noticed by Huw Stephens on Radio 1 which led to many appearences on Huws show exposing me to a massive audience. I feel like 1xtra is the breeding ground for the underground and it’s a blessing to have been involved with the station so much.

The station had had huge props since its start for careering new talent, what has been special for you?

For me, as a listener I have heard artists for them first time on there. There have been some classic interviews on Semtex Show, really insightful and deep ones with big American artists. I’ve enjoyed Cameo’s pirate sessions, The Original Fever show was sick and of course all the MC’s I’ve been exposed to through Charlie Sloth’s Fire In The Booth. On a personal level, doing the Rap Round Up for a whole year on Semtex Show was a real honour for me. Sem said he saw something in me that not many others could deliver in terms of being able to sum up current events in an insightful and sometimes humorous way. So he came up with the idea of a weekly Rap Round Up where I basically sum up the news and things that have been going on in music and entertainment in a rap format. Other highlights for me were the many DNB sessions I’ve done on Crissy Criss’s show, the Fast and Furious Freestyle Sessions with Mic Righteous, Skibadee, Sway, Goodz and Scrufizzer plus the live performance I did with a host of big artists as part of 1xtra’s 10th Birthday Celebrations at Maida Vale Studios.

You will be at Innovation in the Dam this term, possibly its last event over there, what can we expect from Harry Shotta?

This year we are doing the Harry Shotta Show for the first time at Inno In The Dam which I’m really really looking forward to. The show is a mixture of our own DNB vocal tracks, some which are recorded specifically for the show plus new and classic Drum N Bass bangers and snatches of Rap, Grime and Dub Step. We also have a beat box called Jackapella who comes out and smashes it, an up and coming artist I’m working closely with called Fatal and the legendary DJ Phantasy on the decks. We’ve taken the show to festivals overseas and in the UK and have performed at all the big DNB club nights so its gonna be something special out in the Dam.

Innovation the brand is a huge player in the Drum and Bass culture, what makes it so special?

Taking my own experiences into account, I have to think about my yacht party which has sold out the last two years at Innovation In The Sun. Where else would you get hundreds of ravers out at sea going crazy in the blazing sun up close and personal with some of the biggest names in DNB?

Who are you listening to at the moment that we should take a look at?

I’m constantly listening to all different types of music, mix tapes, freestyles and stuff off channels like SBTV. Some of the artists I’m really feeling at the moment are Mic Righteous, Scru Fizzer, Ratlin, No Lay, English Frank and Fekky. I also like Kendrick Lamar a lot, Meek Mill and different stuff to chill out to like Miguel or The Weekend. Artists that you need to look out for are the ones I’m working with in the studio like Fatal, Dreps and Paris. You’ll be hearing a lot from them soon.

Finally where can we see you next?

I have so many shows coming up before Christmas from Amsterdam, to London to Germany to Bristol, and of course all the big ones on New Years Eve where I’m gonna be doing three spots across the UK.