Rap trio Ndubz (from left to right)- Dino, Tulisa amd Richard |
Rap to a different beat
Ndubz aim to take violence out of music
RAP trio Ndubz hail from Royal College Street, Camden Town, and all went to Haverstock school.
Tulisa Constostavlos (2lisa) and her cousin Dino Constostavlos (Dappy) along with their childhood friend Richard Rawson (Faze), who are all 18, got together eight years ago and set up their own label, London Rebels Connection (LRC) five years ago.
Their new single Don’t Waist My Time is being played on Kiss and Choice FM and the BBC’s 1extra. Their fourth album comes out in the summer. Check out tour dates at www.myspace.com/ndubz.
Faze has a photographic memory and none of the group write any of their lyrics down.
Q: You’ve got a song called Manufactured Bands, where you say “forget about the guns and knives” – a common preoccupation in the rap genre. Why did you want to move away from that?
A: Dappy: We’re making songs window cleaners, grannies and school kids can sing along to – we want to get everyone buying our songs. Kids just download and we want to make money!
Tulisa: Rappers are sending out the wrong message, and it makes it harder to get commercial success – who wants to buy a record about someone shooting someone?
We want to give out a positive message and get youths to come to our production company.
But I do think there should be more youth centres, kids have got nowhere to go.
Q: In Everyday Of My Life you say 10 years ago things weren’t so bad. What’s changed?
A: Dappy: Young people have a need for power but they’re getting it in the wrong way.
Tulisa: The world’s become very image-orientated – they think if I’m not famous or on TV then I’m not anything.
Q: What’s your rant?
A: Dappy: Having to pay for public transport. It’s too expensive.
Q: Name some artists people may be surprised to hear you like.
A: Tulisa: Phil Collins, Roachford. I listen to classical and rock but I’m not into pop – having said that I liked the Sugababes’ Push The Button.
Dappy: People call us the British version of the Black Eyed Peas, image-wise we’re similar although our music’s different.
We’ve got one foot in the underground and one in the commercial – put them together and we’re off around the world.
Q: Should schools have metal detectors?
A: Dappy: If kids want to fight it out they should stick to fists.
Q: What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you?
Faze: I dropped the mic once – it rolled offstage and when I went down to get it all these girls started touching my bum.
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