DOI: 26/11/2020
Prod Rage and fungiFerg caught up with Just B and spoke upon new projects forthcoming, a highlight performance, features, with many laughs and more topics covered.
fungiFerg: “How’s lockdown been for you?”
Just B: “Hasn’t really massively changed for me to be fair like I’m just deing the same stuff that I’ve already done other than obviously its slowed down some recording of music because the studio I use closed. I’m canny particular owa where I record, I record in Broadwater Studios in Gateshead and they shut so it’s a bit of a nightmare. You’ll probably kna what it’s like yourself when you’re sitting on tracks and you’re just itching to record them. You feel like if you divnt record them sometimes they lose that… (fungiFerg: “passion for that specific track?”) – aye, I like to get them while they’re fresh.”
B continues by saying that HB (himself and H-Man) have been sitting on a couple of tracks for a while now which were written ‘months and months ago’. Admitting that he found it frustrating when they couldn’t be recorded closer to the initial penning, however, when a session was rescheduled to get them done, the tracks hit as much expectation in which firsts thoughts had set out.
fungiFerg: “Obviously you’ve done a lot in the past with H-Man, will there be more work coming?”
Just B: “Aye, we’re working on the third album now, we’ve got a few tracks done like mixed, mastered, all sorted, sounding class. To me they’re probably the best that we’ve done so far just with the growth and that you know what I mean. A lot of people prefer that first album (‘The Perfect Storm’) but that’s from a listeners perspective, I like it, of course, it’s the first one but I feel like these are the best so far.”
Discussing a Makina remix project in the works:
Just B: “I started bloody working on it in 2018 man, I had the beat for that ‘Halloween’ one just sitting on me laptop for ages, 40 (Naughty40) sent is it. I believe at first he made it for someone else and they didn’t want it. We done a video in Ashington, we shot ‘Limitless’ and obviously we had a bit crack on and that and he’s like: ‘ahh I’ve got this beat I think you’d like it’ – and I was like: ‘weyaye giz a listen to it’ – it was that ‘Halloween’, I was like: ‘nee way!’.
“I’ve always had the idea in me mind to de that, to remix the Makina tracks, the rave tracks to like Grime but I never really got it done then he’d (40) already done it, he had the same idea. We only did that first track ‘Halloween’ and then obviously people loved it, that was like: ‘right, we need to de more’ – so I just sent him some ideas, he come up with that second one ‘You Make Me Feel so Good’ and now we’ve got five. We’ve technically got six, there’s one I’m not so sure on but there’s ganna be at least five. All from 40, they just need recording, I’ve got a session soon and I’m ganna box off at least two of them, few features on two of them and I’m ganna drop a video for a solo one. I’ll let you in on one, obviously it has to be H-Man on a track and on the same track since 40 produced it, we’re ganna have a verse from 40, it’s the track ‘Blue Spaceflower’, so it’s that, remixed into Grime.”
Towards the end of the conversation Just B said that he plans to drop this project sometime during January as well as aiming to release a video to a track very soon. There are a few ideas floating around that may be used as the EP title but nothing confirmed as of yet.
fungiFerg: “What’s the possibility of being able to get in the studio now?”
Just B: “They’ve reopened but they’re only licensed to have one person in, if nowt works I can still gan in, but for the features cos I need to get them boxed, I’m just ganna have to de the old get the verse and wack it on but it works anyway. I like the energy of having people there, obviously in this situation we cannit but you’ll probably be the same like, where you can, it’s best to record together.”
Commenting on adaption within these circumstances, Just B was asked to perform a couple of live streams towards the beginning on the first lockdown: “I think I might of done two or three but I haven’t really done anymore. They were alright like but they’re just not the same are they. Its not got the same feel.”
Question from Danny Riley: “What’s your highlight performance that you’ve done before this lockdown?”
Just B: “Me and Hendaz (H-Man) done the Devlin show, I think it was last year, that was definitely a highlight, it might not have been the best of gig but it was sick cos I got to spit some bars backstage with Devlin and that. I grew up listening to ‘The Art Of Rolling’ and I was spitting his bars back to him and he was like: ‘fucking hell, you know the bars better than me’. It makes you realise they’re just normal people like yourself. They’re no different to any of us, anything’s possible.”
Reflecting on personal growth and recognition, B stated that it is mad how well known he has become within the region: “You divnt think of yourself as that and time just gans on, you keep dropping stuff and then people kna who you are. You divnt feel a change with you, you start getting recognised in the streets and that and you’re like: ‘what?!’.”
fungiFerg: “Do you see that future for the region, can we break out?”
Just B: “When I first started making music, dropping Hip-Hop mixtapes, Grime and stuff, there wasn’t really that many people, just the hardcore people who were already listening to it, like myself, there wasn’t actually that many, but now since you get these channels like you said before, JDZ, SBTV and that, people have caught on up here, it feels like five years behind. With everything though, even like fashion it’s just like were behind and if we clicked on, people think you’re a bit weird cos you’re different init. Everyone likes what you liked five years ago now. But yeah, I can see some good things coming, it’s people still dropping music at the end of the day, likes of yourself, you’re still doing it of course, me and Hendaz, then you’ve got newcomers coming in. It’s definitely bigger than it was when I started.”
Reminiscing about past times where not many would step out of their way to feature with another artist, Just B and fungiFerg agreed that they are all for it now to create sick music whilst embracing the talent which is possessed. Just B mentions: “I’ve done at least eight to ten features this year with people, I’m game for features now as long as I like the track. I’ve probably done more features than me own music to be fair.” A different approach and changes in attitude as each individual develops.
Listen back to the audio just above to hear further depth and additional talking points in alignment with the whole interview. Everyone at CUSH:UK, TS1 REGGAE RADIO and each listener highly appreciates the time taken to portray each insight, massive thanks to Just B! Support the work via the social icons!
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