mc deadman
mc deadman
mc deadman
How did you first get into MCing?
I would love to have an elaborate back story but I quiet honestly fell in to it. I’ve always enjoyed writing poetry as an outlet and i’ve been raving since as long as I can remember so I guess it was only a matter of time before the two eventually married
up. A couple of years ago, I was in Bristol with friends, who were playing out, and for a laugh I jumped on the mic and spat the very very limited bars I had at the time, instantly got the bug for it and it kinda all went from there really.
"Playing at Fabric was an absolute dream come true."
How has your journey been navigating the scene as an MC?​
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It's been mainly positive on the whole, I think it's been refreshing for a lot of people to hear a new/female voice on the mic. I think the amount of years I was raving and involved in the scene before I started MC’ing really helped, I’d already built connections and knew what ‘as a punter’ you wanna hear and see when you’re on the dance floor, which in hindsight was invaluable. On the flip side though I’ve definitely come to realise just how under appreciated MC’ing is, people don't seem to
realise how many hours go in to writing and practising bars, sometimes promoters will assume you can host a whole 6 hour rave and end up being the person paid the least on the line up. That part’s definitely got to change.
What was your first live set on the mic? What was that moment like?
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My first proper live set was for a Northern collective called Big Fat Rave in Newcastle and the anxiety was REAL, I remember being so nervous as to when to come in, whether I was gunna remember my bars etc so many doubts running through my mind but once the ball was rolling (and a few Stella’s had been consumed) it all just flowed and after my set I ended up staying on and hosting a little for Pete cannon. I can still get a little nervous before sets now but I think that just proves I care about what I'm doing and that I'm passionate.
If you could perform with any other DJ or MC, past or present, who would it be and why?
I’d absolutely love to jump on a DJ Sammy B-Side cypher set, I’ve always been drawn to the lyricism of UK hip hop MC’s and get a lot of inspiration from people like Jam Baxter, Dirty Dike & Dat Kid. I love the delivery, word play and story telling of it all. Proper raw and gritty.
Who are NRG Cru and how did you become a part of the collective?​
​NRG CRU is a female led, high energy, community based collective from south London that i’m very lucky to be apart of. I first joined the collective about 2 years ago now after coming down to a few parties of theirs to MC at, from the get go it just felt like family. It's been amazing to see everything we’ve achieved together since then.
How has being in the collective aided your growth?
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NRG CRU has 8 DJ’s in total each with their own very distinct sound, from Grime and Dubstep all the way up to Hardcore Jungle and techno, so I never really know what curve ball is about to be thrown my way especially when it comes to our whole crew B2B sets, It keeps me on my toes and constantly learning. We’re also just mad supportive of one another, We always show up to cheer each other on and never shy away from mentioning each other for opportunities.
"I don’t want to be viewed and always boxed in as a ‘female MC’ ... I'm trying to connect us together "
What’s been some stand out sets for you, so far?​
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My first stand out set has to be our NRG CRU take over at Boomtown Fair this year, The place was jumping from the get go, everyone was on top form and it was just so magical to be apart of. one of them ones where everything fell in to place perfectly. Love to the Botanica Zoo crew for allowing us to showcase like that. And my second stand out has to be when I was lucky enough to be invited by Sexy Lady Massive to join them in supporting 4AM KRU at Archives in Tottenham. To say they know how to put on a show is an understatement.
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What are some emerging events that you would recommend?
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Keep an eye out for Spotlight, Juubi and She Beats.
How important is it for you to use your craft to speak on the female experience, especially in MCing which is hugely male-dominated?
I’ve always been bit of a tomboy and although I use my general platform to speak on important female experiences, most of my bars reflect a more gender neutral stance, I want people of all gender backgrounds to be able to connect with what I'm spitting. I think the work we’ve done with within the scene to push more female and non-binary artists is incredible but there still seems to be a divide, like there’s so many cypher events where the main event is men and then they chuck a female cypher on
the side, why cant we all just spit bars together? I don’t want to be viewed and always boxed in as a ‘female MC’ because i’m just an MC, I'm trying to connect us together by speaking on shared lived experiences from all genders.
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What do you have coming up for the rest of the year?
Massive shout outs to Jolie P, ItsLia, Nobel Prize, Jayahadadream, Cola B & Jaz kahina. Certified BAD GYALS.
