Interview with The Bluntskins

Manchester's super skunked and funky hip hop collective The Bluntskins are back with their newest album The Bluntskins III : Return of the Blunts, fittingly released on 4/20. Now an official foursome it proves their most versatile album with huge party anthems like 'This House' and more mellow tracks such as 'Sometimes'. The album as a whole is rich in production, full of catchy hooks and witty verses. We caught up with them for an exclusive interview discussing politics and the importance of a good roach....

The first song is the ‘something different’ tune, so is that an opening statement for the rest of the album then? Is Return of the Blunts different from your previous releases?

Cheech: Erm, well….yes and no. I think that was the intention and then we got lazy and just fell back on what we’ve done previously .

Bill Sykes: Cheech just got annoyed everyone was hating on him for rapping about weed so much

C: Yeah pretty much, It’s the same… but it is different

Pro P: We’ve been gradually changing over time I think rather than switching styles completely or making a jump from one thing to the next. We’ve got a few tracks on this album we wouldn't have put on others maybe. Hopefully it’s all just progressing over time.

Obviously there’s a new member now with singer Martin Connor, so how did that come about?

C: I still think Martin must of been desperate…

Martin Connor: Haha, well I did a couple tunes on Cali Kush and then that was it. I’ve just sort of invited myself to the party really, we were gigging that album and yeah nobody has told me to fuck off yet

C: I mean that’s how we all became members of The Bluntskins really

How have you found the working process of having a vocalist as well?

B: I think it’s good you can add a next dynamic to the music, definitely. I think that’s what has changed the sound on this third album. It’s a new layer init

C: Polishing a turd

M: It’s been really fun actually making the album. What was there was obviously already wicked but I’ve been trying to fit myself in and trying to make it sound better by adding myself to it.

Has that been the work process for the album then? Getting the structure of the track then adding Martin's vocal parts?

B: It’s a mixture there are a few tracks where we’ve all sat down together and formulated it. There’s others where we have kind of built it

P: Yeah we’ve worked through stages.

What are your 'personal favourite' tracks of the album?

B: I like ‘Choices’

C: ‘Why make criminals’

P: It’s hard to say I have to wait a couple of months anytime I finish an album because I'm coming from the production side but probably ‘why make criminals’.

There's a political theme through this album, with tracks like 'Why make criminals' speaking on legalisation and other topics. Have you been more conscious of that with this release? What's been the influence?

C: Have you seen the end of the Ali G in da house? When he like gets sent to Jamaica…that’s kind of what we’re about. That’s our end goal, just there with our julies and that... No, I think sometimes Pro will name a beat from maybe the sample and we’ll write to that so I think ‘Why make criminals’ was one where the concept was there. ‘Sometimes’ Bill wrote to first and I followed that’s another that’s quite political. I suppose ‘Deep Meditation’ as well and again Bill took the lead. I think it’s him, he’s the activist.

B: I’m trying to topple the government

C: He’s literally starting a revolution from his bed

P: It’s about getting a mix init, you want some tracks that are more deep, well about something and others that are more fun.

B: Where we are though in the world today, I mean since the last album came out, the atmosphere is politically charged and I think it connects with people. It means you’re getting through to a certain type of person

M: Essentially what comes out of you when you hear a beat is what you’re living in everyday life and makes you feel a certain way.

B: I think a lot of people are affected by the cuts and stuff, the tory government

M: It would seem almost weird for the music not to reflect that

B: Yeah, it’s definitely influenced it…..our government

M: Cheers George Osbourne!

You've got some heavy features on this album like MC DRS, Lyricalligraphy and Dubbul-O and ofcourse Beer Money Funk Remix brings together plenty of Manchester rappers. Is Tommy Dockerz the only rapper on the album from outside the city?

B: Tommy Dockerz representing Kettering!

P: He recorded his verse a few months ago when we did the Blaze the Endo video

What was your favourite video to film?

C: Beer Money Funk Remix. We filmed that at Wellington Mill

P: Yeah like two days after christmas, so it was pretty heavy

C: At the end of the day I got an ear infection. I can’t believe we got everyone their for the video really

Haha, Beer Money Gunk. Can we expect anymore visuals?

P: There’ll be some more videos coming out

B: Yeah we’ve got a green screen so that’s why you’ve been seeing some green screen action. It’s not real, we’re not really in weird environments.

What solo projects have you been working on?

P: Just had an album out with Dubbul O on Room 2 Records called 'As We Proceed'.

C: Me and Dubbul O have got an album with Reklews droppin' soon aswell

P: Me and Cheech have got a solo album too, me and Bill have his solo album pretty much done as well

B: Some new TNC stuff…

C: Got some Mothership Connection releases coming out finally and

M: I’ll be featuring on both of their (Cheech & Bill) solo albums and yeah me and Pro plan to work on some stuff too. Got a few bits down now its sounding alright!

Plenty of stuff! Any upcoming gigs?

C: Book us! Yeah put that in the interview, book us we’ll play for weed…or money, money is good.

It only feels fitting to have a weed related question - favourite rolling papers?

C: Raws.

B: To be honest I’m not fussed as long as they’re not smalls or dead thick

C: I don’t mind those OCBs either or in fact Elements are nice but Raws are generally what I go for. You get too used to them though cos if i have to make a roach out of anything else that isn’t roach card it does my head in.

B: I would say that roach is something I can’t do without

C: Roach is very important, people underestimate the value of a good roach……

The Bluntskins III: Return of the Blunts is available on bandcamp both CD and Digital Format. Check out the site for official T-shirts too!