UTG INTERVIEW: Bossiie

Bossiie, a multi-talented hip-hop up-and-comer based out of London has a brand new EP due out in August, but it’s already available to stream now as she continues to sacrifice sleep for hard work and puts hours into her second mixtape which should also surface later this year.

Bossiie took some time to speak with UTG about her forthcoming EP, her beloved influences, and what sets her apart from other current talents making their own paths in the genre. Follow the jump to read through our conversation and to stream Bossiie’s 3-track EP, Tjovitjo.

I read that you began rapping as early as 6 years old — what inspiration did you find at that time that got you wanting to be involved with the genre?

I am coming from a very musical family; my mom played bass guitar and my dad played piano, and at that age of six, my mom listened to Missy [Elliott] a lot. Since then I could not hold back. At a later stage, I listened to the likes of Da Brat, Eve, Trina, etc. and I then had a mounting toll of inspiration in this particular genre.

And as you’ve stuck with it over the years and are now finding your way professionally, are there any artists in particular that have a heavy influence on your style, sound and the way you have written your material?

As one can hear from my EP, the track called “Tip,” I chuckle and I am playful and that is Missy’s influence. However, as a versatile artist, I think I have a bit of influence from a number of artists. I listen to different artists and I definitely pick up influence from each one of them really. I listen to Bon Iver a lot, I listen to South African artists as well. So, it is a bit of everything that makes up me!

It looks like you’ve lived all over the world at this point which I would imagine has spawned a decent amount of experience. Do you feel that all the traveling and various locales have aided in your ability and desire to create?

Definitely, living in different countries made me the person I am today and also aided in my creation. For instance, my EP is named Tjovitjo, that’s track number three on my EP and the beat of that track is South African influence. “Tip” and “Hero” are more mainstream. There’s one of my songs called “Wild Up In Here” featuring Raphadon and Jamm Tyme–there one can hear London influence, the video of “Wild Up In Here” is on YouTube. So, yes different styles, different influences for a well-traveled me!

And you are now currently living in London permanently and working at the BBC, is that correct? What do you do there?

I wouldn’t say that I am here in London permanently, as I am planning to travel to Europe once more and travel to America as well as Africa, and yes I work for BBC for now. Working with these different production companies, I find myself doing different roles; from being a technical runner to being a video editor, depending on what position I am offered.

Being a relatively new artist that’s quickly gaining spotlight, what do you think you bring to the table that helps you stand out amongst other rappers?

I am a producer, my style and flow differs from one song to the other. I am a song writer, rapper and a singer. I really think all that I do is enough to make me different from others as well as to make me stand out.

I could be wrong but it seems to me that up until recently there was kind of a drought of female rappers making headlines for a decade or so following the reigns of Missy, TLC, Eve, Trina and so on. Now with Iggy, Nicki Minaj, Angel Haze, MIA, etc. becoming more prominent in the genre, do you feel that this kind of resurgence can help your chances of gaining a larger fanbase and getting your music heard more than it would have been 5 or 6 years ago, or do you see more women taking their lead, ultimately making it harder to gain traction in the industry?

I see more women getting involved but in my opinion I do not think that that will make it harder to gain traction in the industry because the more different one is the better, the more hard working one puts in their work the easier. This is like saying, “do you think having more successful women will make it harder for the next one to be successful?” No! Work hard, sleep less and do not stop when you are tired but stop when you’re done.

So what can you tell us about your new EP? Who did you have working on beats and production with you and what kind of sound can listeners expect to hear?

I worked–or I still work–with Miles Gould, Raphadon and JKadet and my EP is a mixture of R&B and hip-hop. The EP is called Tjovitjo, meaning “whistle” in a South African street slang. “Tjovitjo” which is the third track of the EP was produced by Raphadon. “Tip,” Miles Gould produced it, and as for “Hero,” I originally made the beat and Miles revamped it and the whole project was mixed by JKadet. Listeners can expect to hear powerful sounds and the versatility of styles in just one EP.

The EP does not release until August but you are streaming it on Soundcloud now many months in advance, what was the reasoning behind that?

I would like to build a buzz, and yes I was just tired of keeping my EP a secret, I just wanted it heard.

As far as your lyrical themes in your flow, could you liken yourself to any other rapper?

Because I flow so differently in every song, it is hard to liken myself with any other rapper out there. My work is inspired by many, many artists and that makes it very difficult to liken myself with any rapper. However, I will leave this to the listeners to liken me.

Are there any artists or producers you’d love to collaborate with on future work, or any collabs already in the works that you can reveal?

I would love to collaborate with anyone who shares my vision and my focus but mostly it will be a dream come true to collaborate with Missy Elliot, Drake, Jay Z and many more. I have collaborated in the past with Jamm Tyme (“Wild Up In Here”). I do receive messages from South African DJs in house music asking me to collab with them which I do consider.

You are working on your second mixtape as well right? What can we expect to hear on that and when do you expect it to release?

Yes, I am working on my second mixtape, Please. Expect to hear more powerful sounds, various flows and lyrics that reveal my personality more, and the date I have not decided on yet, but I think end of this year.

So it seems like you have a pretty busy year ahead of you. Any other major plans you can tell us besides what we’ve already discussed?

Yes, I am planning to have more and more video filming, more traveling and hard work.

Brian Leak
Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.