Recently the subjects of a BBC programme documenting the ins and outs of the pirate radio scene in Greater London, Sniper and Beats from Kurupt FM (@KuruptFM) have shot to national stardom overnight.
However, anyone familiar with local garage scenes will know that these two have been street stars for years, keeping their listeners up to date with swathes of locally nurtured talent from the lively music scene in Brentford.
Last week, I was lucky enough to get invited to the secret location by Sniper and Beats to ask the questions that we all wanted to know the answers to.
Watch the BBC documentary People Just Do Nothing on iPlayer here
Please read on for part one of two from Get Some’s Kurupt Chamunity Sessions…
Can you all introduce yourself and tell us what you do as a group?
Sniper – I can introduce everyone. Quicker that way. Basically you’ve met me, MC Sniper, Kurupt FM leader stroke owner stroke MC. Beats, you do your bit.
Beats – DJ Beats, strictly about the music. Basically I help with the running of the station
Sniper – Directly under me.
Beats – Not in a gay way.
Sniper –Nah! More like army General and loyal foot soldier sort of dynamic. Then we’ve got DJ Decoy, official Jamaican and allocated driver….
Beats – Brings that Carribean vibe into the station.
Sniper – …MC Weapon X, sharpest dresser in West London…
Beats – Always proper smart
Sniper – That’s Steves over there slumped in the corner. He’s a DJ but he’s usually too wrecked to go on air so mostly we just get him up on the rooftops, taking down aerials and that cos he’s tall.
Beats – He’s scared of heights but it’s good for him. Challenges his fears.
Sniper – That’s basically it really. There’s also Chabuds, our rig doctor. He sorts the equipment out. He can basically get you anything you want.
Beats – You name it. He’ll get it shipped in He could get you a hippo if you wanted one.
Sniper – Why would you want a hippo?
Beats – Dunno. Bring it down to a fight or whatever. They’re proper aggressive, hippos.
Kurupt FM generals, Sniper and Beats, ask local entrepreneur Chubuddy G for help with their station
How did you guys meet? Can you tell me about the history, musical or otherwise, behind Kurupt FM?
Sniper – Me and Beats used to know each other when we were little cos our mums were friends but I never liked him cos he was always too weak back then,
Beats – I wouldnt say I was weak I just wasn’t as strong as Sniper was at the time.
Sniper – I was always a man. Since I was about five years old. Not literally, I didn’t look overgrown or have facial hair, but I just had that inner strength which I felt a lot of the other five year olds lacked.
Beats – Sniper hung out with the older lot mainly. We only started hanging around together when we were about fourteen or something.
Sniper – He was still a bit weak but I saw something in him. Plus I needed someone with decks and his uncle was a DJ so I knew he had the link…
Beats – Yeah we used to do sets in his garage. I still remember the first time Sniper picked up the mic and I got on the decks I put on some old 94′ jungle white label on…
Sniper – It was all jungle back then.
Beats – Yeah…
Sniper – But then we started playing with garage and also cos we were in a garage it sort of made sense.
Beats – All came together.
A behind the scenes look at the filming for the video of the locally popular diss tune Get Out The Way
Sniper – Eventually Beats’ uncle gave us the decks for free cos he saw the potential.
Beats – Plus he was annoyed cos we used to spend every night in his garage mixing and blazing and inviting loads of our mates over.
Sniper – After that we moved the sets to my house and we used to get groups of people listening on the green behind my house every day while they played football. You could see we were starting to get a bit of a following.
Beats – It was Steves who had the idea to broadcast over the airwaves.
Sniper – Nah… was it? I thought it was me?
Beats – Nah, remember he turned up at your house with a massive aerial rushing off his nut and saying that we should set it up and then everyone could hear the sets.
Sniper – Oh yeah, I remember that. He hadn’t slept for two days. Been at some squat rave and he’d had an epiphany.
Beats – My uncle put us in touch with Chabuds and he helped us set up the rig. We got it up and running in a few days.
Sniper – Kurupt FM was born. The estate wasn’t even ready.
Beats – We chose 108.9, the highest frequency on the dial, cos the idea came from Steves when he was the highest he’d ever been.
Sniper – There’s something quite beautiful about that I think.
The Get Out The Way music video
For those that haven’t seen the documentary, can you tell me what an average day in the life of Sniper and Beats is like?
Sniper – Just like bare blazing, sorting the station out… like making sure everyone’s paying subs on time, making sure no one’s trying mug me off…
Beats – People do try and mug you off sometimes when you’re in a position of power.
Sniper – Me especially, cos I am the highest position.
Beats – People try and test you and you have to be instantly ready.
Sniper – You have to literally be ready before it even happens sometimes.
Beats – Sometimes Sniper does think people are muggin’ him off when they’re not…
Sniper – Yeah but even if I’m wrong they will still learn a valuable lesson.
Beats – Yeah. So it’s actually good in the long run
Sniper – Attack is the first form of defence…
Beats – Like karate.
Sniper- Nah I’d say I’m more kickboxer… use your elbows and knees in that. More choice.
Beats – Yeah, elbow to the top of the head.
Sniper – Yeah, I taught you that so don’t act like that’s your thing… what was the question again?
Beats – About a day in the life…
Sniper – Oh yeah… Basically no day is ever the same with us mate. You know how people say “same shit, different day”? With us it’s much more unpredictable. If there was a saying or whatever for us it’d have to be more like… “different shit, different day”…
Beats – Doesn’t have the same ring to it though…
Sniper – Like to see you come up with a better one mate.
Sniper and Beats discuss the everyday troubles and risks associated with Pirate Radio, from problem neighbours to trouble with the police
Stay tuned for part two in our Kurupt Chamunity Sessions
Make sure you follow @KuruptFM on twitter to keep up to date with the station!
@BobbyGSP