Backla$h isback, and betterthanever. Havingbeenretiredforalengthy2 years,newsbroke on
twitterthatthe long awaitedcomebackwason.Andforgood. While,The I’shadbeendottedand
the t’s had beencrossed,we,the audience of wishful thinkerswithearsandeyespermanently
lockedtoour radios(forthe firsttime since the announcementof backlash’sretirement),laptops
and smartphoneswaitedinanticipationtohearconformationof the news. Today,we findhimina
Sohohotel,dressed inthe usual attire of trackingbottoms,flatcapand zippedupjacket,waiting
silentlyinthe cornerof the roomwithgoldenlightsbearingdownonthem.“Justanotherday”he
states,as he getsup shakesREBEL’s hand,grinningtriumphantly, notknowingthe impression that
he will create of himself.
Havingbeenone of the bestsellingrapartistsof thisgeneration,youwouldexpectBackla$hto have
a swaggerand an arrogance to his personalityandof the way he conductshimself.Withinsecondsof
meetinghim,we quicklyrealise thatneverjudge abookbyitscoverrings true withthisfine
gentleman.There iscertainlyahumblenesstoBackla$h,ashe doesn’trunamokwithan entourage,
or have an assistantor managertellinghimwhattosay everycouple of seconds.Backla$his
Backla$h,someone whodoesn’tneedtobe toldwhattosay because he believesinwhathe says,
whichissomethingthathe believesisvital tobecomingsuccessful.“Ibelieve thatyouhave tobe
you,otherwise youwillbe livingalie throughoutyourlife”saysBackla$h.“These people thathave
managerspesteringdone theirearevery20 secondshave noballs.These peoplewillneverbe able
to be artistsif theyare theirmusicwill dropinquality.”
Backla$h showsa huge amount maturitythroughout the interview despitehis tenderage of 17.
Startinghisprofessional musiccareerat the age of 15, he musthave beennervousof gettinginto
the musicindustryat sucha youngage.“Not really”statesBackla$hwithconfidence”Ihadbeen
creatingmusicfor a longtime at that point, andI alwaysknew whatI wasgoodat and whatI needed
improvementinwhenitcame to makingmusic”. Thisattitude shownbyBackla$hisexactlywhyhis
albumhisfirsteveralbumwentplatinum, whilstalsoearningcriticallyacclaimacrossthe globe and
the respectof his fellow musical peers. Yet, WhenREBELmentionssome of the namesthat
backlash’smusichasattracted,Backla$h seemsuninterestedandinterrupts“look,it’salways
flatteringtohave yourmusicliked,especiallywhenitfromartiststhatyou grew uplisteningto,but
ask anyartist whatattracts themto continue wantingtocreate music,andtheywill neveranswer
that theywantto be acceptedbypeople thatare inthe industry.But,theywill answerwithone of
twooptionsA) theywantto make a difference andoffersomethingnew tothe genre orb) theydo it
because they wantto showtheirappreciationtothe fans.Ihave alwaysfoundmyself inthe second
category,and youwill findthatIwill continue tocreate musicbecause of thatcategory.”Whenwe
questionwhyhe thinkthisway,he asalwayshitsrebel witha well-reasoned response “Because I
[always] feelresponsibletocreate musicnotfor myself butforthe fans.I personallyfeel that being
differentinanalreadyvariedmusical doesn’tmatter,butcreatingmusicthatyou know thatwould
wantto listentoand enjoymattersa hell of alot”
Withfame and musical credibilitywell withinBackla$h’ssights,Backla$hdidthe unthinkable when
he decidedtotake a break frommakingmusic.Leavingfellow starsandfanspuzzledbyhisdecision,
manyponderedwhyhe didn’tstrike whilstthe ironwashotconsideringhe wasnew andfresh.“I
feltthatI shoulduse themyearsto focuson myschool work” Backla$hsays ”yet,to be honest,It
never reallyfeltlikeabreakto me,as I waswritingdozensof new songsmonthlyduringthatperiod
and wasin continuouscontactwiththe musiccompanythroughoutthe break.Atthe endof the day,
I knewI wasgoingto comeback”. REBEL isimpressedathow the youngman isconductinghimself,
as he is shownto answereachpassingquestion withacheeky charmandeloquence whilstproviding
a variationof knowledge.Thismakesusthink,ishe like thisatall timesordoeshe throw the
occasional diva-like tantrum?“I’ve neverthrownadivatantrum, no.I feel like youhave tobe
humble inthisindustry, becauseotherwiseyouwill be leftouttodry, especiallywhenyoucome
froma poorarea and have giventhe opportunityof alifetime.You’dhave tobe a dipshitnottotake
it”
Yet the questionsthatseemstobe oneveryone’slips,is whynow isthe right forBackla$h? “I mainly
wantedtocomebacknow because Ifeltitwasthe righttime.Ifeltthat I neededtogetbackintothe
studiotocreate freshnewmusic,otherwise the anticipationthatthe fanshad woulddie out
eventually.Some comingbackisdefinitelyacase of me feelingthatIowedcreatingthisalbumfor
the fans since theyhave beenwaitingsolong.” Throughoutthe interview one of Backla$h’s
favourite topicshasbeenwhathe feelsthe fansneedandwhatthe fanswant.You getthe feeling
that there isa mutual respectbetweenthe artistandhisfans”oh,most certainly.Ihonestlybelieve
that I have the bestfansin the worldand I mostcertainlywould notwanttochange anythingabout
them.”Backla$h hasmost certainlybeenanhonourto have as an intervieweethroughout.Whether
it be answeringquestionswithapositive attitudethroughoutorhavingmannersatthe level of the
queenBackla$hhas beenadelightthroughout.YetBackla$h,uponaskedwhatfanscan expectto
findwithin,becomesmore serious,almostdroppinghischeekyandladdishattitudelikeitis
mandatory.“Theycan definitelyfindsomethingnew throughout.Ithinkthe maindifference isthat
the entire albumislike astory.”Backla$h continues “Ithinkmore than anythingthe albumshows
the variationthatI have withmy art and showswhyI’mconsidereddangeroustoolderperformers
careers”
If there is one thingto be sure of withBackla$h,isthat despite the cuddlyoutercore,he isn’t
someone tobe messedwith.

Copy 3

  • 1.
    Backla$h isback, andbetterthanever. Havingbeenretiredforalengthy2 years,newsbroke on twitterthatthe long awaitedcomebackwason.Andforgood. While,The I’shadbeendottedand the t’s had beencrossed,we,the audience of wishful thinkerswithearsandeyespermanently lockedtoour radios(forthe firsttime since the announcementof backlash’sretirement),laptops and smartphoneswaitedinanticipationtohearconformationof the news. Today,we findhimina Sohohotel,dressed inthe usual attire of trackingbottoms,flatcapand zippedupjacket,waiting silentlyinthe cornerof the roomwithgoldenlightsbearingdownonthem.“Justanotherday”he states,as he getsup shakesREBEL’s hand,grinningtriumphantly, notknowingthe impression that he will create of himself. Havingbeenone of the bestsellingrapartistsof thisgeneration,youwouldexpectBackla$hto have a swaggerand an arrogance to his personalityandof the way he conductshimself.Withinsecondsof meetinghim,we quicklyrealise thatneverjudge abookbyitscoverrings true withthisfine gentleman.There iscertainlyahumblenesstoBackla$h,ashe doesn’trunamokwithan entourage, or have an assistantor managertellinghimwhattosay everycouple of seconds.Backla$his Backla$h,someone whodoesn’tneedtobe toldwhattosay because he believesinwhathe says, whichissomethingthathe believesisvital tobecomingsuccessful.“Ibelieve thatyouhave tobe you,otherwise youwillbe livingalie throughoutyourlife”saysBackla$h.“These people thathave managerspesteringdone theirearevery20 secondshave noballs.These peoplewillneverbe able to be artistsif theyare theirmusicwill dropinquality.” Backla$h showsa huge amount maturitythroughout the interview despitehis tenderage of 17. Startinghisprofessional musiccareerat the age of 15, he musthave beennervousof gettinginto the musicindustryat sucha youngage.“Not really”statesBackla$hwithconfidence”Ihadbeen creatingmusicfor a longtime at that point, andI alwaysknew whatI wasgoodat and whatI needed improvementinwhenitcame to makingmusic”. Thisattitude shownbyBackla$hisexactlywhyhis albumhisfirsteveralbumwentplatinum, whilstalsoearningcriticallyacclaimacrossthe globe and the respectof his fellow musical peers. Yet, WhenREBELmentionssome of the namesthat backlash’smusichasattracted,Backla$h seemsuninterestedandinterrupts“look,it’salways flatteringtohave yourmusicliked,especiallywhenitfromartiststhatyou grew uplisteningto,but ask anyartist whatattracts themto continue wantingtocreate music,andtheywill neveranswer that theywantto be acceptedbypeople thatare inthe industry.But,theywill answerwithone of twooptionsA) theywantto make a difference andoffersomethingnew tothe genre orb) theydo it because they wantto showtheirappreciationtothe fans.Ihave alwaysfoundmyself inthe second category,and youwill findthatIwill continue tocreate musicbecause of thatcategory.”Whenwe questionwhyhe thinkthisway,he asalwayshitsrebel witha well-reasoned response “Because I [always] feelresponsibletocreate musicnotfor myself butforthe fans.I personallyfeel that being differentinanalreadyvariedmusical doesn’tmatter,butcreatingmusicthatyou know thatwould wantto listentoand enjoymattersa hell of alot” Withfame and musical credibilitywell withinBackla$h’ssights,Backla$hdidthe unthinkable when he decidedtotake a break frommakingmusic.Leavingfellow starsandfanspuzzledbyhisdecision, manyponderedwhyhe didn’tstrike whilstthe ironwashotconsideringhe wasnew andfresh.“I feltthatI shoulduse themyearsto focuson myschool work” Backla$hsays ”yet,to be honest,It never reallyfeltlikeabreakto me,as I waswritingdozensof new songsmonthlyduringthatperiod and wasin continuouscontactwiththe musiccompanythroughoutthe break.Atthe endof the day, I knewI wasgoingto comeback”. REBEL isimpressedathow the youngman isconductinghimself, as he is shownto answereachpassingquestion withacheeky charmandeloquence whilstproviding a variationof knowledge.Thismakesusthink,ishe like thisatall timesordoeshe throw the occasional diva-like tantrum?“I’ve neverthrownadivatantrum, no.I feel like youhave tobe
  • 2.
    humble inthisindustry, becauseotherwiseyouwillbe leftouttodry, especiallywhenyoucome froma poorarea and have giventhe opportunityof alifetime.You’dhave tobe a dipshitnottotake it” Yet the questionsthatseemstobe oneveryone’slips,is whynow isthe right forBackla$h? “I mainly wantedtocomebacknow because Ifeltitwasthe righttime.Ifeltthat I neededtogetbackintothe studiotocreate freshnewmusic,otherwise the anticipationthatthe fanshad woulddie out eventually.Some comingbackisdefinitelyacase of me feelingthatIowedcreatingthisalbumfor the fans since theyhave beenwaitingsolong.” Throughoutthe interview one of Backla$h’s favourite topicshasbeenwhathe feelsthe fansneedandwhatthe fanswant.You getthe feeling that there isa mutual respectbetweenthe artistandhisfans”oh,most certainly.Ihonestlybelieve that I have the bestfansin the worldand I mostcertainlywould notwanttochange anythingabout them.”Backla$h hasmost certainlybeenanhonourto have as an intervieweethroughout.Whether it be answeringquestionswithapositive attitudethroughoutorhavingmannersatthe level of the queenBackla$hhas beenadelightthroughout.YetBackla$h,uponaskedwhatfanscan expectto findwithin,becomesmore serious,almostdroppinghischeekyandladdishattitudelikeitis mandatory.“Theycan definitelyfindsomethingnew throughout.Ithinkthe maindifference isthat the entire albumislike astory.”Backla$h continues “Ithinkmore than anythingthe albumshows the variationthatI have withmy art and showswhyI’mconsidereddangeroustoolderperformers careers” If there is one thingto be sure of withBackla$h,isthat despite the cuddlyoutercore,he isn’t someone tobe messedwith.