At a time when Grime has been dominating the UK urban scene, many of us are hoping to hear a new sound, that embraces a more thoughtful lyricism.
Step forward Bezel, a 26-year-old rapper, born and raised in Hackney, and a member of a group called QBH. Priding himself on word play, Bezel uses his experiences of growing up in East London to tell a more sophisticated story through his music.
His most recent single ‘Talk to me’ ft Maxwell Muzik, is Bezel’s favourite to date, and has proved popular on YouTube. His spiritual nature and experience of street life gives this track a unique mix of street vibes and higher consciousness.
What does QBH stand for, and how did you form as a group?
“Quality Beyond Heights, started with myself and West London rapper OG Sliim. Both of us have been working together for years and decided to form the group QBH. We both thought it would be a good idea connecting East London and West London styles of rap together”.
How has growing up in East London influenced your style?
“I wouldn’t say East London influenced my style, but East London influenced me to rap about what is going on in the streets and what other people have gone through at the same time”.
In an industry where urban music is currently dominated by Grime and Afro-Swing, what makes you stand out?
“Word play, the way I use intellectual word play makes me stand out from other rappers, certain people have to get a dictionary – like, what does that word mean?”
If you could collaborate with any UK artist right now, who would it be and why?
“I’ve got a set of people that I work with already, all of our lyrics coincide together, so I haven’t really thought about another outside person that I think will fit well with my music”.
What are your plans for the future musically?
“I’m creating another mixtape at the moment and working on an album at the same time, which will be available on Sound Cloud and Mixtape Madness”.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
“A millionaire”.
Do you like your independence, or would you like to have a label behind you?
“I like my independence at the moment, I feel like if I can push and do so much on my own already (I mean help from a label would be fine). I know I can get to certain places without a label, its about who you know at the end of the day and what connections you can make”.
Do you feel any pressure to be more commercial, to break through in such a competitive industry?
“Not at all, I’m not even to worried about going commercial, I feel like most of the stuff being put out commercially, has no message behind it, its just commercial music, I don’t even know how to make commercial music, I’m more of a lyrical person, if people want to accept lyricism as commercial than they would but at the moment I don’t feel like commercial music is on that lyrical level, only certain people are known for that and they’ve been around for years and they’re kind of old skool now. Now there’s this new genre who’s just coming in and just chatting rubbish”.
What did you think of Stormzy’s recent performance at the Brits?
“I loved it, not every rapper has got the guts to say what they want to say, especially about the government. I agree with what he was saying, I feel like there’s always hidden stuff behind what people are doing and they’re not going to show what’s really going on, there’s always a cover up in every story, but I feel like the fact he’s gone commercial with it – he’s gone to a next level of music now, because it’s not even just about music anymore. I rate Stormzy to the highest, he stays true to himself and say what he wants to say, no-one’s gonna stop him, I feel like everybody should be like that, nobody should sugar coat things, if you feel some things are going a certain way – just speak it, no hiding”.
Did you have a role model, growing up?
“No, I don’t tend to idolize other people, I’ve always stayed true to myself, I inspire myself from what I’ve been through and put that into my music. People are always going to want to know about yourself as an artist not other people so stay true to yourself”.
What advice would you give to other up and coming artists trying to break through?
“I’d say make sure you have a solid team around you, no one ever really makes it by themselves, you’ve always got to put in the grind yourself, but if you have a solid team behind you that are willing to grind with you, and help you push your music out there you’re going to get several crowds of people. Not everyone has the same type of friends, certain people know people in higher places so make sure you stay consistent with it, hit different topics, different genres, people get interested.
If friends were to describe your lyrical style, what three words would they use?
“Intellectual, vivid and impactful”.
Bezel will be releasing his new mix-tape in the summer so be sure to listen out for that, and if you can’t wait until then check him and his friends out on their regular Podcast (Drunk Facts) available on YouTube.
