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SPHEREZ
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Most artists live life and talk about all their experiences through their music. A true Hip Hop artist takes that aspect and puts it on their shoulders to explain their observations in a poetic manner. Often times, they are standing outside the world and looking into it (through a magnified glass, so to speak).
In the UK, storytellin'-wise, it is no different. The only thing in the UK that is visibly different, Hip Hop has remained in the underground. Untainted by the clutches of the mainstream music industry, it is able to stay more pure to it's roots.
It is apparent and transparent that they are going to give you a taste of what going back to Hip Hop's roots has to offer; where they are planted in a more earthy east coast style of Hip Hop. This is no surprise since Dr. G (a UK producer, who I call the Rescusitator) is involved in this project. A producer who has been very rooted in the east, releasing his projects under Hell Razah Music Inc, of Sunz of Man.
You can see why these guys all came together as one under this group, Seven Spherez, they are like minded and properly feed off each other. Look at their video for "Number 7";
"Number 7"
In this video, there is a feeling of prophecy, that Hip Hop needs to go back to when it was a lyrical dynasty. Truth was an objective that was met within the wing bearers of Hip Hop. What Hip Hop has exposed is what the mainstream has created, closemindedness. This conscious Hip Hop group is bringing back this very essence while giving thanks to where Hip Hop has come from in the track "7 Heavenz", a classic-esque boom bap banger. Check it out;
"7 Heavenz"
I can't wait to write about the album "Seven Spherez", lyrically, they have a great understanding of bringing references from all throughout history. They show that philosophically, the world hasn't changed much and I think this is one of the truths they touch on. An important one to know about if this world is to ever change and in their song, "Candlewax", the beat's narration puts us on a path that sends us straight toward that type of thinking. Their small catalog of sneak peeks into their music has compiled to being quite a body of work. It makes the mystery of their forthcoming album that much harder to take (suspense, nahmean?). Triumphant beats meet triumphant MCs, we should expect no less...
Ghost One's Interview
TMSB: How did you all meet one another and what made you guys say man we got something here?
GO: I met Dr. G around 7 years back through a mutual friend who was working in one of the local recording studios. At the time Doc was doing a lot to put Manchester based emcees on the map so quite often when I would go to the lab to lay shit down, his beats would grab my attention! We hooked up on one or two early joints and I guess you could say the rest is history... Me and Doc both met Coopz at a rap battle, I suppose Hip Hop was the force that brought us all together. As far as saying, "man we got something here" I guess you could say "7 Heavenz" is the track we have gained the most feedback from to date. We received a lot of messages from kats all over the world bigging that shit up- saying things like "I ain't heard anything as raw as this since the 90s", so I would say it was that track that made us shift up a gear as far as taking the group forward.
TMSB: What is the philosophy behind your group's name and what does it mean to you guys, you know, what's its significance to your musical direction?
GO: Well, this entire project is 7 oriented, being probably the most sacred number known to man. You can see the 7 riddled everywhere within nature and through all life and forms in the universe. From the more obvious examples such as the 7 colours in the visible light spectrum and the 7 notes in the perfect musical scale right through to more esoteric examples such as the 7 great hermetic principles of the Kybalion or natural law with their many subdivisions of 7. Most people will be familiar with exoteric concepts such as the creation of earth in 7 days, 7 sins etc... I personally am not religious or a subscriber to the biblical mode of thought but you can certainly say our music is divine influenced. The spherez element can be seen as aligned with 5 classical planets of our solar system along with the 2 luminaries- the sun and moon analogous to the beats and lyrics of microcosmically to the atomic world of spheres according to the law of correspondence...As above so below! 7 Spherez represent the divine immutable truth omnipresent in the universe and beyond.
TMSB: As a group, what are you guys setting out to do? What is the mission behind your mission?
GO: We are bringing something different to the game, a style of music that stimulates mind and soul aeons beyond the wack shit out there that has the audacity to label itself Hip Hop... I guess you could say we are bringing back the essence of real Hip Hop and our mission is to reach and uplift as many people as we can through our sound.
TMSB: How is the Hip Hop scene in the UK and where do you guys fit in?
I feel like the UK scene has become somewhat stagnant in recent years, especially when compared to the European scene in places like Poland for example. Of course I see a handful of really solid artists scattered across the UK who are keeping the music aspect of the culture breathing- some up and coming kats and of course the old school veterans too, who are engrained in the culture, but I personally see a lot of what's commonly considered to be part of the "UK Hip Hop Scene" to be tainted and by that I mean lacking the true essence of the Hip Hop culture and ultimately void of substance. That said, there are pockets of people across the UK that are actively making moves to keep the vibe strong, so I wholeheartedly salute those contributors- you know who you are. If I could sum it up in a few words, I'd say we need more unity, more real Hip Hop promoters, and more action! Especially here in Manchester, our home city. As far as where we fit into the scene- we're certainly one of the handful I just mentioned above striving for recognition.
TMSB: Who are your main influences as an artist? Who were the influences that really spoke to you and set you on this path to be apart of the Hip Hop culture?
GO: I would personally say my main influences as an artist come from life itself, from the exploration of the mental plane, esoteric research and my own personal lessons and experiences. Musically I have definitely been influenced by kats like Big Pun, Nas, Rugged Man to name a few. As far as group influences, I would definitely say Wu Tang, Sunz of Man, JMT, AOTP etc.
TMSB: How does the songwriting process work itself out with you guys, give the readers an example of how a song all came together, like "7 Heavenz" (for instance)?
GO: Our format for laying shit down is pretty straight forward, really. Dr. G generally hits us up with a batch of beats he's put together while meditating on the 7, Me and Coopz pick out the ones that resonate with us, briefly conceptualise and then get to work individually on writing the rhymes. Currently we write and record separately in our own personal quarters with no knowledge of each others lyrics until we hear the final mix- the organic format for a lot of collaborations, I imagine.
TMSB: Where do you hope to go with this new found group?
GO: Ultimately we would like to travel the globe performing live shows to different international audiences, that'd be dope as fuck!
TMSB: When can we cop a copy of "7 Spherez" the self titled debut?
GO: We aim to drop the album before Xmas.
TMSB: We look forward to hearing what you guys are going to bring to the table, is there any future plans for a tour and if so, where will you guys be touring?
GO: Currently there is talk of a UK tour taking place in the coming months and of course we would love to hit Europe, places like Germany, Poland, Czech (Hip Hop Kemp) etc. but of course that relies heavily upon promoters feeling our shit and putting us on- you know how it goes.
TMSB: Who is the MC out there now that you would like to do a song with?
GO: That's a hard fucking question...I'd like to do a whole bunch of joints with kats from Onyx to Deck, Vinnie Paz, Immortal Technique, etc... my list of desired collaborations could go on and on!
Well there we have it y'all, namsayin'? Seven Spherez coming out to fill that void in your ears that is never filled by the mainstream. Hopefully the UK can rally around these guys right here, their voice is loud and artistically nice, something that I am sure that some of you have been waiting for. Wait no longer, Hip Hop is back! We aim to find it and bring it to you! Now peep the links...
Seven Spherez:
Website- http://sevenspherez.com/
Soundcloud- https://soundcloud.com/seven-spherez
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