and people going to HMV [as much] anymore. How Spotify supports artists, their ways of marketing, how you can edit your page and put tour dates in, they really know how to interact with people from different areas. People are making money again in music too. Creators need to eat! A lot of other artists would probably say the same thing, ones who agree and see the benefits and how much it helps us. A lot of artists are on the same page.”
How does a Who We Be interview differ from a radio spot? MB: “Podcasts are becoming just as important. They’re as big as the radio stations, they have as much influence. Semtex is someone who’s going to go down in history; he’s been bridging gaps. He can speak to Kanye West and Drake but he’ll still talk to me. It’s important to have people like him and sit down, talk and connect. He’s going to keep making opportunities and spreading our culture. Spotify need to run Semtex a bigger cheque! [Laughs].”
DJS: “It’s two very different dynamics. This podcast is the director’s cut, it’s in depth. We set off season one with Dave. Now, he’s in a totally different place. The next thing we do with Dave will be the victory lap. It’s the bigger picture, an overview. You just can’t do that on radio, you just can’t. Radio is different in the sense that if your record’s coming out you pass through and it’s a brief catch up. You’ve got to look at the Who We Be Talks podcast as long read press. When I was talking about doing something with Craig David, I told him straight, it’s about him as an elder statesman of the scene, it’s not his marketing plan, ‘album in stores, record out now,’ it’s about his position, he’s seen loads of things. It goes back to the business of music, what he’s been through and seen. I don’t want the marketing plan.”
Why is now the right time for this to make an impact? DJS: “Streaming has really shown that there is a genuine market and thirst for this music. For years I’ve heard all the bullshit, that the urban crowd don’t buy CDs, that there’s no market for this music and black music or hip-hop don’t sell. Streaming is the bedrock of an open playing field, there’s no agenda. Before, you were selling a CD if HMV gave you racking, or downloads if Apple gave you placement on the main store. The bigger artists were always going to get that, now, the priority artists are the ones the people think should be, you can’t cheat, you can’t fake it. The fans dictate what’s popping and what isn’t. Artists have got better at A&Ring themselves, there used to be a thing about blaming labels or whoever. Artists get it now; they need to make bangers, music that represents them and their fanbase. Artists have taken control.”
Would you agree with that, Ms Banks? MB: “I’ve loved every track I’ve dropped, but it’s been about trying and trying again to make a song that really connects. Saying my story, saying I’m a girl from the hood, or saying I’m a snack. That’s what my fanbase like; they want to feel like bosses, they want to feel the baddest. They want to feel edible! [Laughs] I’ve had to become my own A&R in a sense, really go back to the drawing board, listen to music and see how it makes me feel, make sure I’m honest. Because there are so many great artists right now, the stakes are just so high. We’re in the best position we’ve ever been in. I haven’t seen it like this since Tinie Tempah. All respect, but he’s from an era where they had to change their sound to fit in, we don’t have to do that. We’re charting with Afroswing, hip-hop, trap, drill… Our scene is thriving; streaming has given everyone more access to music in the right way. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
musicweek.com
Who do you want your episode to reach? MB: “I definitely want young black girls to hear it, especially from my area in South London. I always meet loads of young girls that go to the school I went to and a lot of them, I feel they need a bit more guidance so they need to see someone who looks like them. I’ve been through the same mistakes, I’ve been hustling since a young age and now I’m actually doing something that I love and it’s legit and it’s working out. It’s going well. For me, it’s always been really important that they hear that. I’m always trying to speak to women too, any woman from any walk of life.”
“Podcasts are as big as radio shows, they have as much
infl uence. Semtex is going to go down in history”
MS BANKS
Laughing all the way to the Banks: Ms Banks
01.07.19 Music Week | 19
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