ESSA FORMERLY KNOWN AS YUNGUN INTERVIEW

First Word are proud to present “Time For Something New”, the FW debut from Essa. He’s no newbie though – under his former name, Yungun, he rose through the UK Hip Hop ranks to reach a worldwide audience winning praise from Nas, Mark Ronson and Cody ChesnuTT. Loyal fans have waited patiently for this, his first commercial release since 2006′s “Grown Man Business” album with long-time collaborator DJ Mr Thing. In the meanwhile, though, he’s kept them entertained, gigging and recording with the likes of Guru (Gang Starr), The Herbaliser and The Nextmen and releasing a series of free downloads – “Jack The World” mixtape and a set of freestyles/remixes he calls the FRMX EPs. With a truck-load of hot tracks now ready to go, the time was right to officially relaunch one of the UK’s most distinctive and original voices.

With a new label and a new(ish!) name comes a new musical direction… Time For Something New! Whilst he won’t be abandoning his hip Hop roots, Essa has always had an ear for a variety of musical styles and this EP shows his growth as an artist. He’s roped in collaborators as diverse as Simbad (Gilles Peterson Worldwide Family), Waajeed (Slum Village / PPP), Finn Peters (Bansuri / Accidental Records), plus UK Hip Hop legend Skinny Man and Wutang Clan’s Inspectah Deck. Add in a remix from Hyperdub rising stars LV and you have a release that leaps over musical boundaries. The EP takes in latin-fuelled bass music (Something New), low-slung anthemic hip hop (Let’s Start Living & Panache) and Nu Soul (A Walk in The Park) with LV’s Panache remix adding minimal, claustrophobic club beats to the mix.

What are your earliest memories of music?
Terry Wogan’s breakfast show on BBC radio 2 in my dad’s car on the way into school.

What got you into Hip Hop?
The first Hip Hop record I remember being into was De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising”. My older sisters used to play the album and we would act out all the game show skits. Then one day I got a flexi disc of “Me Myself And I” that came free with a cereal packet! But at that point I didn’t even know what Hip Hop was. The record that really got me into Hip Hop was later – “Doggystyle” by Snoop Doggy Dogg (as he was known then).

Who were your musical influences growing up?
Snoop and Dre around the Chronic / Doggystyle Era. Then I got more into New York/East Coast stuff. I was (and still am) hugely inspired by Gang Starr (RIP Guru), Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Nas, Mobb Deep, Biggie, Black Moon and the whole Bootcamp Click, Tribe, De La and of course Wu-Tang.

When did you first realise you wanted to be a MC?
When I saw a video of a Blak Twang tune featuring Roots Manuva called “Queen’s Head”. I’d never heard someone rap in a British accent, let alone sound cool in the process. Twang is a legend and was basically the reason I decided to give it a go.

What was the turning point when you knew you could make this a career?
I don’t think I’ve reached it yet! For a long time I have had a separate career as a media/entertainment lawyer. And before that I was a law student. So music has never been full time for me. Even so, I’ve done two albums, countless singles and features and have toured across Europe, Dubai, Japan, China, Australia… so it’s way more than a casual hobby but just short of a fully-fledged career. I like to call it a passion!

A lot of people regard the early to mid 2000’s as a golden era for UK Hip Hop what was it like to be an artist around that time and what do you miss most about then?
I miss the record shops (Mr Bongo, Deal Real, MSM…). They were a great place to hang out and “network” with people on the scene, although I didn’t realise that’s what I was doing at the time. I also miss the Camden club night Kung Fu which was the top spot back then. The whole scene felt a bit more cohesive then. Things are much more spread out now.

How do you think UK Hip Hop has progressed from when you first started out as an artist until now?
It’s better, because of the greater variety. It’s not just underground music any more – there are pop star hip hop artists from the UK now, getting number ones. That never used to happen. It’s just grown in size so now there are lots of different sub-genres: grime, road rap, some that don’t really have names. In general production values have gone up – there were some shoddy artists back in the day, with only a few whose music genuinely stood up alongside US hip hop. There’s still a mixture but nowadays even some of the rubbish artists have fairly polished product. But you know what they say, there are some things you can’t polish!

For those unfamiliar with UK Hip Hop which 5 albums/tracks would you recommend for them to check out?
Tough question! I would probably start by playing them some of the hits just to grab their attention. Tinie Tempah, Pass Out… Roots Manuva, Witness… Fallacy, Big and Bashy. Then I would go a little deeper to show the variety. Jehst, High Plains Drifter… Oh and definitely some Wiley. Wot U Call It I guess, or a more recent one like 100% Publishing. I could pick five more and I’d probably choose different ones if you asked me tomorrow.

You have been involved in numerous musical projects with a variety of artists what has been your favourite to work on and why?
I have been blessed to work with some amazing people and to do some great features like being invited to do a track with Guru (RIP) for one of his last ever projects. But this new EP of my own feels good because I really feel like I’m doing my own thing and making the kind of music that represents me. I feel like I’m not held back by expectations of any particular genre or scene. It feels great! Plus I got to work with some incredible artists on it (Skinnyman, Inspectah Deck, Waajeed, Simbad, Finn Peters … so many), so that’s a blessing.

You work during the day as a lawyer did you find it hard to switch off from being a lawyer and go into artist mode?
Yes, it’s difficult. Often it’s a real case of left brain, right brain. But I do a lot of music industry law, so my legal work crosses over with my music world in that way. That helps a lot. I understand the business and legal side of the industry really well, which is really important. The problem, though, is finding time. Music and law are both very time intensive. And I need to have a personal life too somehow!

Do you think your job has helped you in your career? How often do you get other artists asking you for advice?
It’s been a big help, partly for the reasons above and partly because it’s given me financial independence. I can make music and live well without having to sell out. Artists do ask me for advice, every single week. It’s a blessing to be able to help people and some have become good clients.

In terms of official releases it’s been a while between the “Grown Man Business” album with Mr. Thing and the release of this EP what have you been up to?
See above – working as a lawyer! But also features with Aaron Jerome (SBTRKT), Herbaliser, Guru, touring with the Nextmen, and gigs all over the place with DJ Mr Thing. I’ve also been constantly writing and recording behind the scenes. I’ve done a few low-key online releases: the Jack The World mix tape with DJ Mr Thing and a couple of FRMX EPs (freestyle + RMX = FRMX). Grab them for free from www.yungun.bandcamp.com.

Having been known as Yungun you are now Essa what’s the reason behind the name change?
There are several reasons. I got bored of the old name and it started to feel less like me. I thought of the name Yungun when I was 14 and wanted to be a young upstart who would burst onto the scene. That happened and then time moved on. Now I feel different. Essa is my actual nickname that my mates call me. It’s a twist of my surname. It just feels more natural, more me. It’s a better fit with my personality and my sound.

The new EP shows a lot of diversity in its 5 tracks and a switch from the traditional Hip Hop sound you usually do. With the new artist name is it a new musical direction?
Yes, to some extent. In all honesty, I’m a bit bored of standard hip hop sounds so I’m branching out a bit. I like all kinds of styles of music so I’m trying to reflect that in my own material. But it all has a hip-hop backbone: banging beats and strong raps. This EP is kind of like a bridge to introduce some newer sounds but still keeping some of the classic feel. So it’s not quite a “Snoop Lion” type switch – my die hard heads don’t need to worry.

You are also working with a new label was there ever a point you thought about putting the music out yourself and what made you work with First Word Records?
I thought about self-releasing but I don’t have the time! Better to leave it to someone else so that I can just concentrate on the music itself. First Word are a great bunch of people who I have known for many years. They have a fine ear for good music and they have a varied roster of other artists, lots of different styles and genres. So it’s a really good fit.

Mr. Thing who you regularly work with is notably absent from the EP will you still be working with him in the future?
Not true! Mr. Thing is on there. He did the cuts on Let’s Start Living, the track with Skinnyman and Inspectah Deck. He’s like a brother to me and is closely involved in everything I do, whether in the studio or live.

Which other artists/producers would you like to work with and why?
Top of my list is a guy called fLako. His music’s incredible – we’ve been talking about trying to get something together and hopefully that’s coming soon. I’d kill for a beat from Hudson Mohawke but who wouldn’t?! So many other people too – Oddisee, a singer called Fatima, Kwes. And I’d love to do more with some people I’ve worked/performed with before: Hello Skinny, Jehst, Dave Okumu, Finn Peters, Eska … so many. Oh, I also want to work with an MC/singer called Brotherman. He’s a really promising talent and I’m trying to help him out a bit with his own stuff too, kind of like a mentor.

You will be releasing “The Middle Man” album sometime in 2013 what can we expect and can you let us know who will feature on it?
It will be mainly me on the vocals, but with some wonderful producers, singers and musicians, including Waajeed, the Nextmen, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Dave Okumu and Tom Herbert (The Invisible), Tom Skinner (Hello Skinny), Colonel Red, Jessica Greenfield and many more, including my boys Resin Dogs representing Australia!

What inspires you to make music?
I have some weird OCD thing in my head where, if I hear an interesting word or phrase, I immediately start thinking of things that rhyme with it. Thank God I found a way to make use of it, otherwise it would drive me mad!

What does the future hold for Essa?
“The Middle Man album” is finally on its way plus a bunch of other singles and EPs. I’m looking to tour worldwide again soon, so look out for me!

What’s your definition of Grindin’?
Nine to five grind, five to nine shine. That’s how I live!