Riz Ahmed, aka Riz MC, is someone you’ll be hearing a lot about in future.  The talented 23 year old is known by many on the UK underground music scene, and as an actor, has appeared in the award winning film The Road to Guantanamo.  Whilst gaining a degree from Oxford University, Riz MC also founded HIT&RUN, a hip hop/d’n’b club night in Oxford which is still going strong.  I took the opportunity to speak to the man himself.

EUT: What made you go into music?

Riz MC: I’ve been doing music since I was 15/16 years old, spitting on Jive Fm up in North West London for years. In my first year at university, I was thinking about all these other mcs who were in London, focusing on their music, networking, and meeting with labels-shouldn’t I be doing the same? It was a big conflict for me, university or my music, but I convinced myself to stay, and resolved things by setting up my own club night.

EUT: Who are your musical influences?

Riz MC: Some of the more conscious rappers like Talib Kweli and Mos Def.  Also, DOC, Hieroglyphics and urban UK artists like Roots Manuva.  My inspiration isn’t limited to a certain period of time.  I listen to different types of music, and I think that these influences give UK music its edge and accessibility.  That’s why grime music makes so much sense, because we’ve come up with our own sounds.  I am a hip hop artist, but it’s that flexibility that I’m going to show people in my music. 

EUT: You were on the battle circuit for a while, culminating in a third place position in The Jump Off grand final.  What have you picked up from that experience?

Riz MC: When I came back to London, I thought ‘I’ve got to hit the scene hard, make a name for myself’, and so got involved in battling.  Battling other mcs showed people that I could put words together in a clever way and that I’m a charismatic performer.  It helped me become a better performer and it was a good way of showing my improvisation skills on the mic.  I’ve been asked to go back on the battle circuit, but right now I’m concentrating on my single release.

EUT: Post 9/11 blues is your new single.  Tell me a bit more about that.

Riz MC: Well, it wasn’t actually supposed to be my first single at all! I gave it to a friend, who gave it to their friend…and that’s how it got out.  The feedback was really good-djs wanted to play it but were not allowed.  The press got involved asking why the song wasn’t being played, and then Radio 1 djs Bobby Friction and Nihal managed to force it on, to a positive audience response.  Post 9/11 Blues then got out on the internet and Channel Four news.  My music right now is more about the message-not in a boring, preaching way, always with humour and a bit of comedy that everyone can relate to.  Post 9/11 Blues shows this.

EUT: What’s the message of Post 9/11 Blues?

Riz MC: It’s not a Muslim protest song or anything like that.  It’s a generational thing, which says something that everyone can relate to.  We live in a world that’s gone mad these days, and everyone can relate to that in the same way as when The Streets talks about pints of lager and packets of crisps.  The song is supposed to be insightful; are our values of free speech and censorship true?  I can put out a song glorifying guns, drugs, bitches and bling, but when I put out a song about reality, people become nervous.

EUT: You’ve released ‘Post 9/11 Blues’ on your own label.  Why not one of the major labels?

Riz MC: The label offers came in but I had to decide whether I wanted to be someone who bases their career around one single then rushes an album out or an artist in it for the long haul.  In a lot of the media, they’ve placed emphasis on the fact I’m Asian, but talent is colour blind.  So I decided to set up my own record label, to make sure I control how I’m packaged and how I come across.  I also want to know if it’s possible, with all the new media available, for the little guy to make it without any management and no budget.  Hopefully, I’m going to redefine what a hip hop artist is.

EUT: What can we expect from Riz MC?

Riz MC: I’ve got a mixtape coming out soon, and I’m going to be hitting TV & film screens on a couple of projects. Right now, I’m working on Gadaffi The Opera with Asian Dub Foundation-an opera over drum and bass music, which will be on Channel Four later on this year.

Post 9/11 Blues is available now on iTunes and all good record shops.  Alternatively you can visit www.myspace.com/rizmc, where you can also check out the video.

Isabel Affum – Aug 2006