Hip Hop trailblazer Icy Chill has resurfaced with his album “Rock out the Truth,” which features a fresh skill set and a playful attitude, ten years after his last release. This rapper’s lack of interest in getting back into music quickly turned into an all-encompassing endeavor when he realized he had the resources to set up his own home studio in Colombia. In order to make this album a reality, he found himself taking on roles as a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, writer, producer, sound engineer, and mixer. Icy Chill remembers that his studio space allowed him to work on a more passionate, uncommercial side of himself, allowing him to feel free to be more experimental than before. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
ICY CHILL: I was born and raised in the London Borough of Hillingdon which is a London suburb in West London. I always had an interest in music from listening to what my parents listened to which ranged from James Brown to Simon & Garfunkel. When my mother died from bow cancer when I was 9 years old, my love for music got stronger and when my father died from a brain tumour when I was 14, I think that was the start of me having a greater interest in making music and I had the freedom. My life was turned upside-down it was very tough and RnB music brought ease and relaxation to my life and Hip Hop was something I could relate to and for me was the most realest form of music out there for the youth going through tough times. It was also inspirational to see people do well with it. I started messing around with music at 15 years of age and wrote and recorded I would say my first decent song at 17 years of age.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
ICY CHILL: I’m self taught, it was mainly experimentation here and there in the early days and still is today but later I would also research things and also see what others were doing and just be myself inspired from whatever I liked, learned.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘ICY CHILL?
ICY CHILL: I would say Jay Z, Eminem and Dr Dre. Jay Z is very good all round, he can make good songs… I mean if you talking straight Hip Hop I would pick Nas over Jay Z but Jay Z had a good mixture of songs from soft, deep, club banger etc he had good variety on his albums. Eminem, didn’t care and just said whatever he wanted pushing the limits of freedom of speech and bringing inspiration to really talk very personal about my life in a very deep way. Dr Dre is about quality. His productions are well done, he’s bringing the highest quality to the record. Why the name “Icy Chill”? Here’s what I wrote when I released my album “Encounter at Farpoint”….. I never could do anything well in life especially during my teens. It was as if every time I reached for something I kept slipping. It was like winter all year round. It was as if everything I stood on was ‘ICY’ and as thing’s got worse I knew I needed to ‘CHILL’ but finding that ‘CHILL’ is hard when everything in your life has a ‘ICY’ surface that make’s you slip. So to bridge that gap between ‘ICY’ AND ‘CHILL’ I found hip hop…… The name also sounded cool!
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
ICY CHILL: I would say… I try to give something for people to relate to or escape to which I got from music growing up. When you lose both your parents by the time your 14, life is really going to throw you about and if you get through you are going to learn a lot and I think you have to keep the things you learn and detox the pain, anger etc. Music does help with that too and when you listen to music where someone has gone through a similar pain, it gives you a sense that your not alone in the struggle. It gives something to relate to or even just to get away from problems… it’s an escape. Music is very important with the youth who are trying to find themselves in life and and have to fight through. Music is a powerful expression for a feeling at the time. My sound is a mixture of the London Hip Hop scene with the American Hip Hop scene…. its just bits taken from both. Also I’ve tried to surround or throw into the mix the influence of RnB, Soul, Rock etc
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as UK Hip Hop?
ICY CHILL: Hip hop started of in the US… We are historically very inspired by the US music scene in the UK. Hip Hop can be so personal and reflect the life you growing up in so it’s like the only form of UK music where you got to perform vocally in a UK accent because it reflects the society/culture/slang your in. My vocal sound I would say is a UK sound (with my accent) inspired by a mixture of LL Cool J, The Game and Dr Dre. I would also say The Clash have also given me direction on my latest album “Rock out the Truth”.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
ICY CHILL: My work overtime has been mainly a mix in a personal narrative and/or just for entertainment but I do like to mix in political, spiritual and social vehicles at least indirectly. People should make whatever music they want whether its just for entertainment or something deeper. We listen to music for various reasons, whether it’s to escape and just have a good time, something to relate to that’s deeper or just to have on as easy listening in the background. I definitely like and appreciate songs that do reflect on issues in society… It’s something that can resonate. I’ve done a few songs that’s more political/in a crisis but if I go there I really need to have a good feeling to go there. James Brown saying “I’m black and I’m proud” It was a very clear message as a force of right conscience against people discriminating/trying to make you lower in society. Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’”. Change can be tough but we have to keep bettering ourselves and not let wrong stand in the way of that. Of course that change needs to come with understanding and common sense. Bob Marley ”Get up, Stand Up” another powerful message for people to protect their right. There are people that get pleasure from kicking/stealing peoples rights. We must stand up against that.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
ICY CHILL: I mean…. I do this because I enjoy the process of making a song and I will be honest it’s like therapy to me too. I have had therapy before and my therapist has said about writing things down and I’ve never done that…. I do it through my music… that’s my way. There are personal joys of doing it, sharing it and if a handful of people like it.. that’s great for me and if not I still enjoy the process. So I generally always get something out of it. That’s why I’ve been doing it on and off for so long.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
ICY CHILL: Generally… it usually starts with a beat, I go with that feel then the writing comes. The beat generally sets the mood which inspires the writing but there were times on my latest album ”Rock out the Truth” where I got inspiration from somewhere and I start writing then try to look into beats I’ve made previously if it feels the words or I would try to put something together. My best approach is to just make beats whenever I feel inspired then start the writing later but if I have a beat and I feel inspired to write lyrics on the spot I will. Nothing is in concrete. There has been times when I’ve had the beat and written the lyrics and it all looked cool but when recording came I wasn’t feeling it so I would re-write some of the lyrics during the recording session.
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
ICY CHILL: the repercussion from the death of my parents…. I mean theres a lot it’s hard to say specifically but not having their guidance and care with total love and not expecting anything in return is something that was really missed after their passing. That’s a very unique/special thing that good parents give. Outside of that everything felt transactional in my life and yeah… I was basically navigating through life in tough spaces.
10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
ICY CHILL: People should be free to interpret the song in their own way as long as it is not mis-guided/goes against what is morally right. People’s own conscience/right moral judgement should be the final say. If there is something in their to relate to that can make you feel that you are not alone so you find comfort in that or something that inspires you to do the right thing then then it’s great! Once the art is out there it’s not just about the artist. If someone can connect to it, it’s also about them too. Moreover the listeners that connect to the song are part of the song in their own way.
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