“Hi. Barsha here. You might know me from my 1990 album Barsha’s Explicit Lyrics. Yep, I know that was over 30 years ago, but don’t worry about me. I’ve got plenty to be getting on with. No, I don’t want to talk about why it didn’t get a vinyl release. I’m not here for that. Ask Nat Robinson, mate.
No, I’m here to talk about my man Andrew Emery. I don’t get a lot of free time – promoting and touring my one classic album keeps me damn busy – but when I get chance to kick back, I like to read. And when it comes to writing about hip-hop, Emery is my man.
Fat Lace Magazine? Big laughs. Belly laughs. He co-edited that shit and put my brother from another Milk D on the cover. Hip-Hop Connection? My boy was Contributing Editor for mad years, and interviewed everyone from Eminem to De La Soul, Scarface to Big Pun, Overlord X to Dave the Ruf. Yep, I totally know who those people are.
The Book of Hip-Hop Cover Art? My go-to coffee table book. Okay, I’ve got the book but not a coffee table. You can’t have a coffee table in a tour bus as everyone will bang their shins on it. No, it’s not a caravan. It’s a tour bus. I’m touring.
I loved Wiggaz With Attitude. I didn’t even know you had hip-hop in the UK in the 1980s. 1990s yes – because I think I probably went platinum over there. Anyway, that was some funny shit. They were going to make it into a TV show, but then covid hit, and you know that fucked up a lot of shit. I had to put my world tour on hold. Put the cara… tour bus… on ice for a bit.
When it comes to Emery, I go deep. I’m loving the new book, but I still got the back issues of the Guardian Guide when he was writing for that. The Face, The Word, Mixmag, Muzik, NME. Heck, I go deeper than deep. I even read the stuff he does for a day job. That white paper about gamification for a digital agency in Leeds? Off the richter. That common-sense guide to getting pension ready he did in 2023? So useful, and really struck that balance between engagement, actionable takeaways and SEO-friendly. I don’t have to worry about pensions, though. The royalties from my Who’s The Master 12″ should be arriving any day now, and they’ll see me through. That and the world tour.”
*To get the crowd whatting? To get the crowd jumping.