Scotland, Nigeria, Trinidad and London – not your average journey before the age of 13. However, it has been for Rinse – the genre-hopping Super MC set to smash the boundaries of the UK music scene.
Born in Scotland 1983 to Scottish & Grenadian parents, Rinse didn’t have the smoothest of starts. Facing small town mentality through racism towards his family – Rinse learned the harsh realities of the world and how to stand up for himself at an early age.
After a 2 year stay in Nigeria, Rinse relocated to Trinidad, where he would reside for 7 years. The time spent here was one of growth and development for Rinse, experiencing life as an ‘outsider’ needing to integrate once again. Spending time on the beach or as a ‘mall rat’, Rinse spent his days observing his surroundings and absorbing the culture around him, his musical tastes however did not reflect the stereotypical Trinidad sound.
Although a fan of Reggae, Rinses early tastes in music were fairly mainstream. Whilst his brother was heavily into rock music, Rinse was playing records by Michael Jackson and Madonna. This was until he heard Zombie by The Cranberries.
“The first time I heard 'Zombie' it was as if it was the first time I was hearing music that I could really feel, it had an emotional and inspirational effect, the contrasts of instrumentation had me hooked, it made me want to be a part of music”
This was the first taste of rock for Rinse, who immersed himself in the genre and developed a love for Rock which stayed with Rinse right through to his move to London in 1995. Surrounded by peers heavily into Hip Hop and Garage, Rinse stuck to heavy metal – not liking the more ‘Urban’ genres favoured by his friends. However, circumstance found Rinse mixing in hip hop circles, and soon he discovered that he too could rhyme. Citing DMX, Nas, Bone Thugs & Harmony and Busta Rhymes as pivotal artists in his new fascination in rap, Rinse joined his cousins’ Garage crew and began rhyming on beats ranging from Jungle to Grime, showcasing versatility that would prove essential in the formation of the unique style we hear from Rinse today. The next few years saw Rinse writing and recording heavily, and studying music at University.
His first taste of fame came by accident, under the guise of Trim Monkey: initially a joke that got leaked and spread like wildfire. Many people to this day are unaware that it was Rinse who caused such a stir with his controversial and satirical spin on pioneers of the UK Grime Scene. Combined with early material such as ‘Famous In Your Bedroom’ Rinse quickly earned a loyal fanbase and an impressive demand for more of his unique material.
Hype has continued to build and a sea of eager listeners has swelled to unimaginable proportions – and for those listeners, the wait is over.
2008 sees Rinse working on an album project. Rinse’s talent knows no bounds, combining intelligence, sensitivity and wit, with high octane showmanship and a finger firmly on the pulse, the future’s looking brighter than ever!
INTERVIEWS
Every Urban Thing - Rachel White
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