$ebbuku is a Norwich-based rapper whose presence on the local scene has reignited a need for unique material. At just nineteen, the artist produces his own material, making his own beats that perfectly encapsulate his gritty performances.
On his latest EP Affray, $ebbuku takes relentless strikes at both himself and the world around him, opening the project with the aggressive spread of ‘What I Need’, balancing old-school sampling energies with individuality and presence that brings him to new heights. On ‘Set Your Soul Free’, he once again strikes the balance of old-school beats and new-school performances, ‘40 Bars Of Fury’ bringing back the pure aggression and hypnotic movement, leaving you utterly stunned going into the final track ‘Hyperviolent’, featuring Jack Halsall. Truly finding his imprint with unbridled acrimony and indignation, amongst the dark and punching production, the artist draws you into his world with nothing but shouts.
Diving into the project, the artist adds, “I first started work on ‘Affray’ about two years ago when I was in a really testing situation. I was in my second year of college, working at a music venue in the city and sleeping on my best mate’s/Drummer’s sofa so I could do all of this as much as possible. Writing this project became my main outlet for expressing my frustration with situations that were going on around me at home and socially, whilst trying to survive as an artist and not taking the easy route through life. I spent hours every week writing demos that evoked the raw energy I wanted to push, telling stories about feelings and circumstances that I’ve been through. I wanted to write something that had the same ‘oomph’ as my live shows so me and the band could take it straight from the studio to the stage. I took the approach of getting hands on with Old-school mixing and chopping. This put the rawness into the music that I craved. I was massively influenced by artists like Ice-T and LL Cool J as a child and I wanted to mix my love of heavy dub with Boom-Bap to make something that sounded straight off the record pressing.
All of the tracks ended up being recorded at my home studio with the visuals for the lead single ‘Set Your Soul Free’ being filmed in my childhood home, mixing old footage of me breakdancing in the kitchen and myself and the band now, capturing how all of the project is home grown Hip-Hop. Love for the culture came from birth and it feels great to put out something I know I would have loved as a kid.”
Listen to ‘Affray’ here…
