March 9, 2023 |
Strandz is making waves in the UK rap scene. The self-taught producer, whose romantic lyrics often read like a love letter, has crafted a throwback, East Coast-leaning sound which has hurled him into the limelight.
The artist’s recent success isn’t just a stroke of luck. The 21-year-old has spent years polishing his craft. Working with producers Blueboy & Lex1x, Strandz have been able to create an all-encompassing, distinctive sound which blends nostalgic hip-hop with future-facing songwriting.
Growing up on the likes of 50 Cent and Fat Joe, his love for such artists spurred him on to learn how to self-produce, building a core, collaborative team to take the sounds he grew up with and make them his own. This creative intuition spills effortlessly into tracks like “Don’t Let Them See You Cry”, which has amassed over a million plays on Spotify.
Born in Germany, subsequently moving to Nigeria and finally to South London, Strandz paints his tracks from personal experience, having made his first track at age of 6 in his local youth club.
This week, Strandz launched a remix to his track “Us Against The World” with UK rap titan Digga D. Before he drinks in the thrill of the remix’s rapid-fire success, we grab Strandz for a quick-fire round of VIQs (that’s very important questions).
1. Where does the name Strandz come from?
“That’s just what people in my area used to call me so I embraced it.”
2. As a UK rap newcomer, if you had to pick one track to introduce an alien to your sound, what would you choose?
“I got some crazy shit that’s unreleased and would 100% interest an alien but I guess you gotta wait to hear that.”
3. You’ve lived all over! What’s your favourite food from each place: Germany, Nigeria and South London?
“Favourite food in Germany is probably Currywurst, Nigeria gotta be Jollof Rice and Suya, and London ain’t really got its trademark food like that but I like that I can have a bit of everything.”
4. As a kid, you used to dig through your dad’s CD collection hoping to find some hip-hop. What are some of the most transformative tracks you’ve ever come across in his collection?
“‘Outta Control’ by Mobb Deep and 50 Cent, ‘Lean Back’ by Fat Joe and ‘Limit To Your Love’ by Feist.”
5. Your sound is largely inspired by 1990s & 2000s east coast icons. What attracted you to this style of music?
“It’s organic and raw and it’s something that gets your energy up when your feeling low/ Initially I couldn’t find the production I needed to start making the music I wanted, so I learned to produce and engineer and built my core team musically which I then grew the sound with. My aim however isn’t to recreate anything, but to push it forward.”
6. Can you talk us through your ‘Fully Lidge’ movement?
“Fully Lidge is a way of saying Fully Legitimate. In my eyes that was always the goal and focusing on staying Fully Lidge helped me survive and outgrow the environment I grew up in. There’s plenty of young people growing up in similar situations who feel exactly how I did, like they didn’t fit their environment – I’m doing this to show them that they ain’t gotta blend in.”
7. How is it working with your producers Blueboy and tn_490?
“They are like family to me, we are all passionate about making music and I believe for good music to be made the energy and chemistry in the session gotta be perfect. Making music with people you came up with and trust is the only way forward.”
8. Tell us a bit about your new single “Us Against The World”, how were you feeling when making the track?
“It was something I decided on making in the summertime because I felt I needed something with good energy that would reflect the summer I had with my partner. I simply went to the studio, found a sample I fucked with and got to work. The music video was the result of a really tight budget and a crazy amount of creative energy to make up for it, I gotta big up my manager Jai and his team at ABS (Alpha Bravo Studios) who produce all the visuals for making it work!
9. The Digga D remix is fiery and fast rising to the top of the charts. What’s the best thing about it?
“The best thing about it is that the streets love it! The streets need this kinda music to balance the negative shit.”
10. What have you got in store for 2023?
“2023 Is a year of growth for me, and I mean that personally and professionally.”
Photography by Becca Wheeler. Stream “Us Against The World” Remix on all major platforms now.
