Haka

Hi Haka, how you doing? Firstly I want to say a massive big-up for you ‘Underground Journeys’ CD. It’s a great CD and really enjoyable listen. So tell us more. When did you start recording it?

Yeah cool man. I got a track or 2 on the mixtape I recorded in 2006, but mostly, the tracks were all recorded in 2007/2008, but the politics just took long bringing the cd out.

How did you go about picking the guests for your album?

Most of the artists on my mixtape are my boys, but thats not why there on there, we were just making more and more tracks, and in some cases I had to put my boys tracks on there rather than more well known UK rappers, cos in all honesty, they came a lot harder than most rappers on the scene could.

There are some good well-known names on there like Big Cakes, Logic & Mic Assassin and others. What was it like working with these three artists?

Yeah them guys are professional recording artists, I seen Logic write a hook and two verses to one of my beats, and I must of only played it to him 2 or 3 times! As for Micz, he’s showed me love for years, a big inspiration since I heard him on Blufoots album. As for Cakes, he’s bless, when we were in the lab recording ‘It’s All Love’ I have never had so much jokes as I did with him & the mandem in the studio that day lol.

O.C Jigga puts it down well on the album too. How did you hook up with him?

I hooked up with Jigs through Logic, and we been making bangers since. Thats my big bro right der, mad love.

N/A features a lot on the CD tell us more about him. He seems like a talented rapper.

You know what, N/A is the best artist in the UK right now, if you don’t believe me, wait for his album. His flow is crazy and his lyrical is beyond any other rapper. He’s the most talented artist I’ve worked with, gonna be making classics like ‘Makes Me Say’ with N/A til the end, Believe!

Right, let’s talk about you for a minute. When did you get into the whole Hip-Hop thing?

Since young my older brothers used to be banging out Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC, Mobb and other old school classics, Hip Hop always fascinated me as a kid but only as I grew up I started realising why people are so protective over such a meaningful culture, something that will never die.

How did you learn to make beats and what software/equipment to do you use?

Just from messin about on my own, no-one showed me how to use the MPC or any of the software. I got the MPC1000, guitars, synth, laptop and a pair of headphones! I gotta be portable these days! 

Do you sample a lot of music or do you play your own music?

I try to mix it up as much as I can, I like playing my own music in but obviously I don’t have all the instruments/orchestra’s to create them amazing sounds that you would of got in the 60’s/70’s so when im going for a certain feel I’ll dig through some old tracks and cut up the samples and make them my own. I don’t think you can stick to JUST sampling as a producer these days, its way too limited. Unless you’ve already got your trade mark sound, like Timberland has with his synths, and like Premier has with his rare samples.

How would you describe your production sound?

Alternative Hip Hop, that easy listening, real music! I don’t personally think that I sound particularly like any other producer.

Who would you most like to with in the UK?

Skinny, Klash, Estelle, Reveal, Doc Brown...

How you seeing the UK movement at the moment?

I'm seeing no money! Lol but I aint even looking at it like that, I like what im seeing with different genres coming together and the hip hop scene really strengthening in UK and Europe, its a good look!

Your down with Jetsun Beats, isn’t he Harry Love’s younger brother?

Yeah maingg, the big boss Harry Love, them two are family. Jetsun is coming with some fire though, we’re currently producing N/A’s album, which should be out in Summer sometime. And he’s involved some big projects with artists like Big Deal, Brother Extreme, Badbonez and more.

A lot of producers get behind the decks too, do you DJ?

I used to mix in my room but right now im travelling around the place and aint got a place to put all the equipment up in, so just focussing on the production for now.

So the CD is out now, where’s the best place to pick it up?

Dub Vendor (Clapham Junction), Reprznt (Brighton), www.hakabeats.co.uk, im not trying to push the CD in many places so if your online you can order from the website with any debit/credit card/paypal.

Thanks for your time, before you go is there anything you want to add?

Just watch out for the N/A album coming real soon, trust me, you’ll see what I mean if you listen to my mixtape anyway! But mad love to all my people: Jigs, N/A, Sam, Corpz, CeaSe, Neezy, Nathan, and bless to everyone thats supported the project!


Interview by Jonathan Miles.