Originally posted 4 December 2008:The Bitch over at ConsumerBitch does not generally do nice things for people, but when they make offers she can't refuse.
She ends up at the Jazz Cafe, London at 11pm on a Friday night, with dangerously low alcohol levels, in a teeny-tiny changing room with Beat Assailant (and camera) for her good friends over at Vainzine. Before you start sending your complaints/requests in, we're not about to branch out into porn, The Bitch simply turned Journo Bitch for the night.
The Bitch: So...Mr Assailant, you are here promoting your new album Imperial Pressure
BA: Yeah, the new album Imperial Pressure came out in October here in the UK, so we yeah, godda liddle date lined up to rock for the people here in London.
The Bitch: And I hear that you were locked in a studio for a whole week to try and simulate the live sound
BA: Yeah, yeah, even longer really the recording lasted a week, we had a week straight lock out in the middle of the tour last summer, where we just took time off from the tour and you know just went in the studio and tried to mash it out...But even before then, we were in the studio, and we recorded the album already one time, without all the musicians, you know, more like track by track, more like a conventional hip-hop album, and then after the tour, and a couple of months of being on the road, we found some new things in the music playing together, so we decided to try re-create the vibe in the studio.
The Bitch: So were you properly stuck in the studio for a week? Or were you allowed to leave and stuff?
BA: Properly stuck, properly stuck - we couldn't leave so much, nononono!!!!!
The Bitch: What did you do for hygiene?!
BA: It got complicated, it got complicated - we had a little squat going!
Actually what we did was we had the studio and our hotel was across the street, so you could leave technically, but you couldn't go too far...so you could leave to eat and wash up a little, but then it was back to the studio!
The Bitch: I hear you started rhyming at like 13 - what sort of things did you rap about then? what sort of things were you doing and what was your inspiration?
Wow! Really funny and dumb stuff, just like you know kid stuff, middle school stuff at that time. To me now its funny to think back to my first raps, but at that time i really just looked up to the kids that were a couple years older than me, they were the ones who really brought hip hop around, doing their demos, so in the beginning i learnt everything from them, tried to copy their styles, just hanging around being in the cyphers just sticking my head in, just learning stuff step by step.
The Bitch: And what are you inspirations now? Everyday life?
BA: Yeah, everyday life, i mean it grows all the time, i think that as an artist I just try to talk about my life and about things that touch me, and things that influence me.
Some rappers get to be really good story tellers, me I just try to tell real stories...I think that when you try to keep it real the vibe comes across you can really touch people with your music, you can talk about the things that maybe don't go so well, as well as the things that go good in your life, I try to keep the stories human and just rock on the everyday life vibe.
The Bitch: Whilst you are here in London are you going to try and learn any cockney rhyming slang? Do you know any at all?
BA: Not really, not really...
The Bitch: Dog and Bone - phone?
BA: I'm learning step by step, i just learnt what is it -
The Bitch: Knackered?
BA: Knackered! So I'm kinda knackered i just came back from Shanghai! So maybe I can incorporate that into a rhyme somewhere!
The Bitch: Gloria Gaynors Trainers?
BA: Gloria Gaynors Trainers! Hey that's not bad! I need to get me a good handful of phrases before I leave, so next time I'll have more to throw out!
The Bitch: How was China? What's the hip-hop crowd like out there?
BA: It was crazy! Every-time I travel and move to a new country, I'm just blown away at the global impact of hip-hop, to see that there are so many hip-hop heads all over the globe, people that are really thirsty to not only hear new hip-hop but also to practice all the different facets of the art-form. So it was really fun to go to a place like Forbidden City, like a big symphony hall, and bring a rap concert/hip-hop concert there and have people get out of their seats and start dancing - for me, in a communist country it was just crazy to see everybody just let it go and and let it all hang out, it was definitely a crazy feeling and one of our best shows!
The Bitch: So where's your favourite place to play in the whole entire world? Your favourite country to go to?
BA: Wow! There are so many I mean wow! There are so many, that we just try to rock every place we go, I mean Budapest was really crazy, we played there...But, Paris...Paris, I mean, that's were I live now, that's were I rap now, so Paris is always crazy for sure.
The Bitch: What about the French hip hop scene are you still enjoying that?
BA: Yeah yeah its cool, for me its really hard to get into, cus I don' t understand I'm starting to understand more and more the slang.
I'm just starting to get to the point where I can understand all the slang and nuances, and the rhyme, I'm starting to get more into it, but from a musical stand point, there's a lot of interesting things going on, like groups that are playing with musicians - like us, groups that are doing things with djs and multiple djs, there's a lot of crazy things going on...
The Bitch: Right, so we'll just wrap this up now, cus I am sure you are really busy, but before I go I have some silly questions for you...
The Bitch:What's your dirty music secret? What's the music that you listen to and don't tell anyone that you listen to? Like mine's Dolly Parton...
BA: Oh man! Er...I have to think...What would be a dirty secret?! I mean there's so much stuff that I like, but I like it, it's not even like a dirty secret to me. So i don't know.
The Bitch: Is it the Spice Girls?!
BA: Not so much the Spice Girls!
The Bitch: Come on everyone's got a terrible track!
BA: I can listen to Phil Collins sometimes..I don't know if that's a dirty secret or not...haha!
The Bitch: Do you say zucchini or courgette?
BA: Zucchini...Zucchini
The Bitch:What would your porn star name be?
BA: Ohhh ohhh!!! Ohhh!! Ohhh! If I was a porno star, I would be Young Slick hahahaha!
The Bitch: Well we've taken up enough of your time Mr. Assailant, it was very nice to meet you.
BA: Hope you guys enjoy the show!
The Bitch: We will do - hope you have a good gig, hope you enjoy it, do you think there'll be any French people here?
BA: Don't know, I mean, I hope so, if there are so French people here
The Bitch: What kind of crowd you expecting?
BA: Hopefully there'll be some BA fans here, and hopefully there will be some people who will just be discovering what we do tonight.
To me either way its a pleasure, I like to share my music with people, so if people can come tonight and discover what we do that's great and if we can play for our real hardcore fans, that's even better so you know everybody's welcome tonight!
If you want to see what The Bitch thought of the show click here.
She ends up at the Jazz Cafe, London at 11pm on a Friday night, with dangerously low alcohol levels, in a teeny-tiny changing room with Beat Assailant (and camera) for her good friends over at Vainzine. Before you start sending your complaints/requests in, we're not about to branch out into porn, The Bitch simply turned Journo Bitch for the night.
The Bitch: So...Mr Assailant, you are here promoting your new album Imperial Pressure
BA: Yeah, the new album Imperial Pressure came out in October here in the UK, so we yeah, godda liddle date lined up to rock for the people here in London.
The Bitch: And I hear that you were locked in a studio for a whole week to try and simulate the live sound
BA: Yeah, yeah, even longer really the recording lasted a week, we had a week straight lock out in the middle of the tour last summer, where we just took time off from the tour and you know just went in the studio and tried to mash it out...But even before then, we were in the studio, and we recorded the album already one time, without all the musicians, you know, more like track by track, more like a conventional hip-hop album, and then after the tour, and a couple of months of being on the road, we found some new things in the music playing together, so we decided to try re-create the vibe in the studio.
The Bitch: So were you properly stuck in the studio for a week? Or were you allowed to leave and stuff?
BA: Properly stuck, properly stuck - we couldn't leave so much, nononono!!!!!
The Bitch: What did you do for hygiene?!
BA: It got complicated, it got complicated - we had a little squat going!
Actually what we did was we had the studio and our hotel was across the street, so you could leave technically, but you couldn't go too far...so you could leave to eat and wash up a little, but then it was back to the studio!
The Bitch: I hear you started rhyming at like 13 - what sort of things did you rap about then? what sort of things were you doing and what was your inspiration?
Wow! Really funny and dumb stuff, just like you know kid stuff, middle school stuff at that time. To me now its funny to think back to my first raps, but at that time i really just looked up to the kids that were a couple years older than me, they were the ones who really brought hip hop around, doing their demos, so in the beginning i learnt everything from them, tried to copy their styles, just hanging around being in the cyphers just sticking my head in, just learning stuff step by step.
The Bitch: And what are you inspirations now? Everyday life?
BA: Yeah, everyday life, i mean it grows all the time, i think that as an artist I just try to talk about my life and about things that touch me, and things that influence me.
Some rappers get to be really good story tellers, me I just try to tell real stories...I think that when you try to keep it real the vibe comes across you can really touch people with your music, you can talk about the things that maybe don't go so well, as well as the things that go good in your life, I try to keep the stories human and just rock on the everyday life vibe.
The Bitch: Whilst you are here in London are you going to try and learn any cockney rhyming slang? Do you know any at all?
BA: Not really, not really...
The Bitch: Dog and Bone - phone?
BA: I'm learning step by step, i just learnt what is it -
nack-id?
The Bitch: Knackered?
BA: Knackered! So I'm kinda knackered i just came back from Shanghai! So maybe I can incorporate that into a rhyme somewhere!
The Bitch: Gloria Gaynors Trainers?
BA: Gloria Gaynors Trainers! Hey that's not bad! I need to get me a good handful of phrases before I leave, so next time I'll have more to throw out!
The Bitch: How was China? What's the hip-hop crowd like out there?
BA: It was crazy! Every-time I travel and move to a new country, I'm just blown away at the global impact of hip-hop, to see that there are so many hip-hop heads all over the globe, people that are really thirsty to not only hear new hip-hop but also to practice all the different facets of the art-form. So it was really fun to go to a place like Forbidden City, like a big symphony hall, and bring a rap concert/hip-hop concert there and have people get out of their seats and start dancing - for me, in a communist country it was just crazy to see everybody just let it go and and let it all hang out, it was definitely a crazy feeling and one of our best shows!
The Bitch: So where's your favourite place to play in the whole entire world? Your favourite country to go to?
BA: Wow! There are so many I mean wow! There are so many, that we just try to rock every place we go, I mean Budapest was really crazy, we played there...But, Paris...Paris, I mean, that's were I live now, that's were I rap now, so Paris is always crazy for sure.
The Bitch: What about the French hip hop scene are you still enjoying that?
BA: Yeah yeah its cool, for me its really hard to get into, cus I don' t understand I'm starting to understand more and more the slang.
I'm just starting to get to the point where I can understand all the slang and nuances, and the rhyme, I'm starting to get more into it, but from a musical stand point, there's a lot of interesting things going on, like groups that are playing with musicians - like us, groups that are doing things with djs and multiple djs, there's a lot of crazy things going on...
The Bitch: Right, so we'll just wrap this up now, cus I am sure you are really busy, but before I go I have some silly questions for you...
The Bitch:What's your dirty music secret? What's the music that you listen to and don't tell anyone that you listen to? Like mine's Dolly Parton...
BA: Oh man! Er...I have to think...What would be a dirty secret?! I mean there's so much stuff that I like, but I like it, it's not even like a dirty secret to me. So i don't know.
The Bitch: Is it the Spice Girls?!
BA: Not so much the Spice Girls!
The Bitch: Come on everyone's got a terrible track!
BA: I can listen to Phil Collins sometimes..I don't know if that's a dirty secret or not...haha!
The Bitch: Do you say zucchini or courgette?
BA: Zucchini...Zucchini
The Bitch:What would your porn star name be?
BA: Ohhh ohhh!!! Ohhh!! Ohhh! If I was a porno star, I would be Young Slick hahahaha!
The Bitch: Well we've taken up enough of your time Mr. Assailant, it was very nice to meet you.
BA: Hope you guys enjoy the show!
The Bitch: We will do - hope you have a good gig, hope you enjoy it, do you think there'll be any French people here?
BA: Don't know, I mean, I hope so, if there are so French people here
Bienvenue!
The Bitch: What kind of crowd you expecting?
BA: Hopefully there'll be some BA fans here, and hopefully there will be some people who will just be discovering what we do tonight.
To me either way its a pleasure, I like to share my music with people, so if people can come tonight and discover what we do that's great and if we can play for our real hardcore fans, that's even better so you know everybody's welcome tonight!
If you want to see what The Bitch thought of the show click here.
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