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Groups: Moderators, Registered Joined: 18/02/2011(UTC) Posts: 27,950 Location: In between the couch cushions Thanks: 11347 times Was thanked: 19515 time(s) in 7776 post(s)
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Hey, yeah, yo, what's happenin' bruv? This is Jack Graze, but you can call me Scratch. I come from the glorious area of Brixton in the "wonderful" capitalist shithole that is London, you get me? Truth be told, I in't got a clue what I'm even doin' here innit? So close to Brixton and yet so far from reality. So close to home and still so far from my comfort zone that I can't even feel like I'm myself, but hey, maybe it's time I push myself and get out of what I've been stuck in for so many years, right? Shit, anyway, I'm off on a tangent. Ain't nothing out of the ordinary there. So yeah, I'm Jack, but call me Scratch, and I'm 24 years old. I like to think of myself as a professional musician. A rapper. A ska artist. A jazz musician. A folk singer. A reggae man, you get me? I got so many irons in the fire there's barely room to even light the ting, is it? I've been rapping ever since I was a little kid. Where I grew up, it was always a case of either gettin' into gang bangin', baggin' yourself a knife or a gun and doin' some kid in to prove yourself, or else goin' the other way, buildin' on that history of Brixton as a urban music hub and doin' your best to be the next success story. I chose to rap rather than battle. And hey, believe me bruv, that ain't an easy thing to do when you are born and raised in what is the gun capital of England, you feel me? You gotta have the balls and the pride to want to lift yourself above it. I got so many friends that took that wrong path, and it's out of respect to many of them that I vowed never to do the same. I guess, if you were an absolute bell of a cliché, you could go and say that rap saved my life, feel? Yeah. But still, man, I might not be out there stealin' and firin' on peeps, but that don't mean I ain't got a little bit of a notorious streak about me (he laughs). It's hard to respect the police when you were brought up in an area that is so hard done to by authorities, you know? Brixton, and my estate, gets so much flak, and we get so much negative attention, innit? So everyone looks for that way to rebel and be themselves in a way that sticks the middle finger up to the people in office and says 'fuck you, bruv'. For me, that came in the form of music, which it's always been about for me. I've been notorious in the last four or five years for settin' up live shows around London. Illegal live shows. What we do is we get a empty place, warehouse, shop, house whatever, and we case it for a while. Then we build a little makeshift stage, invite people to come in secret and put on these sick as fuck unofficial underground punk and rap shows. The cops have been tryin' to shut them down for so long, breakin' them up and shit, but we're always one step ahead. We been doin' this for so damn long that we know what we're doin'. It's like second nature. So yeah, I break the law. It started as a way into music for people who thought no one would want to hear them, and it became a way to express ourselves, through our music, and with that rebellion that angry young punks need to put out there at times. Yo house got that bad boy comin' up in there, you get me? Hahaha. I'm glad I got that edge, though, if I'm bein' honest, because I fully expect to be the least famous person in there. I mean, up until now I only put out two singles so far, innit? I think they both made a little decent impact, but I don't think a lot of people will be sayin' Scratch is their favourite singer, you get me? I had a nice little run with my song Wear Me Down wiv Rich. Man, some of the people who was talkin' about that....it was sick as fuck. I never expected to get anything like that from people, you know? I always thought no one would care, so for even a few people to give me a bit of buzz and even just a little bit of attention...that was well nice. I ain't never gonna forget that first buzz I got when that happened. I think one of the things I'd like to change in the Big Brother house would be the public perception of me. Or at least my perception of the public perception of me, if you get me? Like, I imagine after the interviews I've done before and the songs I've released, thematically, people will have me pinned as this angry, anti capitalist anti authority punk activist who just has so much that he's pissed off about. The sort of guy who thinks the world is out to get him and will keep on swinging until he goes down, innit? I mean, I am a guy who has those leanings, my music is totally genuine in its message, but I wouldn't like people to think that's all I am. I'm a guy who likes fun, to party and to get my nose a little dirty from time to time (laughs). When I'm not doing music, I can generally be found partying, really. I like hitting the clubs at the weekends and really letting go. Sometimes I think I might have stopped this by the time I got to this age, but apparently that's not the case at all. I'm not really the quiet type of guy at all. I have a strong sense of self and I'm not one to let things pass me by without speaking my mind. But I also get on with people. I'm a kid with a tough background and a rough upbringing, but that doesn't need to define me. I'm a good guy, and I like meeting new people and making friends. I can strike up a conversation with anyone and about anything. Aside from all that...I love Chelsea Football Club. Football is basically life, son, you get me? If I hadn't have made it as a rapper, I woulda loved it if I could have been a footballer. I mean I was never Premier League level, but you know I think I was pretty good. As it stands though, I just love music. I kinda made it my life and I wouldn't really want to have it any other way, you know? What made me want to apply for Big Brother was really just the fact that I wanted to have a chance to get some. I mean....last few years, just about everyone who's went into that house has ended up rolling into bed with someone at some point, innit? Nah...nah, I'm honestly just joking, innit? But are you gonna have anyone hot in there? (he laughs) For me, this represents a chance to just get a bit more out there. People are likely to say that I'm selling out and wanting to be famous and rich or whatever by getting my mug on TV, but it's not even that. It's about two things really. One is just the chance to get my message out there. My singles have done well, but there are still so many people who wouldn't be able to tell me from Adam you know? If people haven't a clue who I am, then it's highly unlikely to buy my music and learn about me. And at the end of the day, I just want to be able to spread my message of anarchy and anti-authority, anti-capitalism and that, you get me? This is the best platform for doin' that in my opinion. The other reason is that I really want to meet other people in the industry. Over the last few months, I've been getting gigs and doing the festival scene a lot. But when you turn up backstage at the festivals and that, it's like everyone knows each other and they just have a big party, which is awesome. But for someone like me, who didn't know anyone there, it was a bit subdued at first. I did my best to get involved, but it always takes time to warm up new people to you when they all know each other. If I can make a few industry friends, that would be pretty nice. I'm generally a very sociable guy, and I love having the chance to meet people....as long as they ain't the money grabbing fat cats, innit? In terms of what you can expect to see from me in the house....I wanted to try to liken myself to someone who's been there before, but I was struggling a bit. My mate's call me the partygoers dream though....what does that mean? It means that I'm the sort of guy to go all out at the party. I just love being involved and having fun with everyone, so you'll always see me having fun. But I'm also that guy who's up before everyone else the morning after frying up a big hangover cure of a breakfast, you get me? My mates love that. Generally I'll be a chatty guy who just wants to go in there and make friends. I'm not sure how I'll react to authority....so that could be fun for you lot to witness, and I'm also never afraid to speak my mind. So if someone pisses me off or gets on my bad side, you're gonna know about it. No matter how much I try to hold it in. I don't expect that many people will piss me off though. I'm pretty tolerant. I think the only sort of person I'm likely to be pissed off at is the sort of money grabbing "look at me, make me famous", sorts. That would be the worst type of housemate for me. Someone who's entitled and thinks that they have some right to be rich just because they can almost hold a note and they have big tits. Oh actually, I also hate people who will shout over the top of someone else because they don't know how to get their pointn across in any sort of civilised way. I might end up shouting someone like that down. I hate that. I'd prefer to live with someone who can just kick back and have a laugh, not trying too hard to be something they're not. If I can live in there with someone who likes to have fun and make the nights worth something, but also is happy to spend the days just chilling and chatting shit about nothing at all, then that will be great. Generally I just like it when people are nice and when they can just be themselves. A couple of Londoners who know what it's like to be who I am, and someone who has the same opinions about the world as I do....that would probably be quite nice as well (he laughs). I guess the thing I'll miss most about the outside world is my mates, though. Coming from a small tight knit shithole in a big city like I do, you have a very close community feel with your mates and I'll definitely miss that. I'm sure I'll cope like, but it'll be a bit of an adjustment. Aside from that...emmm can I say that? Yeah fine, I'll also miss weed if I'm honest. I'm one of those people who claims they write better when they've had a toke or two and I do smoke weed pretty often, so that'll be something that I need to get used to. Well, you know, unless someone brings some in in their arsehole. Do you carry out cavity searches? I swear I won't bring any in...just don't shove your finger up my arse, innit? With regards to being locked up for 24 hours a day, I should be good. I'm a bit of a seasoned veteran on that one. At one of those underground shows I was talking about that I put on in London, I ended up getting myself arrested when the police broke it up. I was just giving them lip when they was breaking it up and being dicks about it so they slapped the cuffs on me. It was a Thursday night on a holiday weekend as well, so I wasn't able to go to court until the Tuesday morning. Spent a full...four days inside, innit? Hardened jail veteran here (he laughs). I'm that bad boy you dream about (laughs) But no that was a bit of that feeling of removal of freedom for a few days and I actually did find it quite relaxing to be away from the world in that time. And that was in a setting way more horrible than the one I'm about to go in, so I'm sure I'll be fine. But nah, as long as the company is good and the place is fun, I'll happily live anywhere. It should be a riot. I'm going all in for the experience and so looking forward to it! So....I guess this will be about time for me to get locked inside. Hopefully none of you is booing me as I walk up the stairs, innit? If I can finish with three words to describe myself....I think they would be; "party, meaningful, relaxed." Let's do this. |