"Dap-C is just a man putting his thoughts and experiences down in a studio. Nothing more, nothing less."
Dap-C is a name to watch out for in the UK hiphop scene. His album 'Character Building' is the first release on new Nottingham-based label Sin Nombre records and sets the tone for things to come. The man himself has been hanging out in Leicester for the last few years after moving down from Newcastle, following a little 'incident' that ended up with him spending some time inside. He spent this time wisely, however,honing his powers ready for a verbal assault on the UK scene.
How would you describe Dap-C to people new to your music?
"Dap-C is just a man putting his thoughts and experiences down in a studio. Nothing more, nothing less. I want peeps to know that if you hear me say something in a track, its gonna be true."
I'm told you spent some time in prison because of a 'serious fraud' Are you willing/ legally allowed to tell us what you went down for?
"I can legally chat about that bullshit, but up until now I've chosen not to, so here¹s a little exclusive for LeftLion! To cut a long story short, I owned a recording studio in Newcastle, staged a burglary on it and put in a fake insurance claim for 23 grand. After about 6 months I got a 17 grand payout, then an old friend, and i use the word 'friend' loosely, got jealous and grassed me up. Stupid thing to do really, but if i hadnt of gone to prison and perfected my skills, i wouldn¹t be sitting here right now doing this interview!"
Did your spell inside inspire you to write the tracks on 'Character Building?'
"Some of the tracks on that album would have never been written if didn¹t go to prison. Especially something like 'I dont care anymore' which is all about being at that point i reached inside when i decided i was never gonna care about any thing else again and that what ever happens, happens. Get me?"
You relocated from Newcastle to Leicester recently. How are you feeling the Leicester hiphop scene?
"I've been down here for nearly 2 years now. There aint really much of a scene here, theres loads of crews recording shit but they never seem to do much with it. There is a few good regular nights on here but thats about it. My aims are set a lot higher than this city, but it is a nice base!"
When you go out in Leicester where do you go?
"Shit man, I'm out in Leicester a lot, haha. Any girls ever wanna check me, eyezofman & Shakespearz, we¹re in Creation on a Thursday or Po nana. I¹m normally out around town some where on a Friday too. Other than that, we¹re always kicking it round at N.G.U. headquarters."
What's the best hiphop venue in Leicester?
"A place called Sumo. We hold nights there the last Sunday of every month with loads of live acts!"
You got Farley Jackmaster Funk kicking the album off. What's the connection with him?
"I was always a big fan of Farleys from time ago and I met him through my producer Dom-P. Farley was staying with him when i was recording Character Building. Farley was in the studio with us every day, we became good friends, so I asked him to introduce the album for me!"
Tell us what 'Character Building' means to you..?
"Anything that doesnt kill you makes you stronger, so at the end of the day its just Character Building. I see the album as my way of introducing the whole world to every side of me."
What's it like being the first artist to release a track on Sin Nombre?
"Its cool man. I know someone¹s got to be first up to bat, and i'm ready to get off the bench and kick this off! I get on well with the label owner Ben, which i think makes shit easier with the day to day dealings."
Tell us a bit about the guests on your album...
"On the album we got Dom-P, he produced most of the beats and gives a few guest verses. We got Eyezofman, who i think is one of the sickest emcees in the uk, and his brother A-Bomb . Their EP is out on NGU Records/Sin Nombre. I also have NGU CREW on there which is made up of Universon, The BC, Mc Beads & B-Side. They are all members of my crew and they all put it down hard in really different ways. There¹s also guest spots from two other Sin Nombre artists; Pedigree Chumps and Hard livin."
Who else are you feeling in the UK hiphop scene?
"Terrafirma, Speech Ferapy, Cakes, Dom-P, Paragon, Rodney-P, Skinny man, peeps like that!"
What kind of films are you into? What are your favourites?
"Any kind of film as long as it entertains me. Kill Bill, Blow, Belly, Shawshank Redemption, Training Day, Scarface, shit like that."
What's the best advice you've ever been given?
I have two:
"Fuck 'em all Dap, just do your thing" - Mc Beads
"You'll never do anything with that music rubbish" - my mum
What inspires you to write lyrics?
"Anything and everything. Most of my tracks are true stories, so i guess my life inspires me."
Will the England football team win the European cup in Portugal?
"England football team? European cup? Man, I know nothing about football. Peace."
Dap-C is playing Camouflage at The Social in May.
His album Character Building is out now on Sin Nombre Records
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