Hard work and bangers: Rimzee is an inspirational figurehead for road rap

After a long hiatus from the scene it's important to outline from the start, Rimzee is not a new artist. After being nominated for recent awards under the ‘Best Newcomer’ category, he is quick to correct this title.

The 31-year-old, who hails from Clapton, Hackney in East London, is back on the UK rap scene after being sentenced to 13 years for an incident which involved shooting at the police (he served half based on good behaviour). He has studied the music game intensely and has a passion for entrepreneurship and business, which has lead him to his current path.

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Three years on from leaving the jail house, he has put in the graft to run a successful business, Burger & Bagels in London, and has multiple properties in his portfolio. But his music is the driver for his status and business, which takes us to his latest release ‘Cold Feet': the mixtape has already being hailed as some of his best work, and explores the pain and journey he has faced. The game has changed a lot and is always moving, but Rimzee is always growing with it.

DJ Firestarr caught up with the rapper at one of his recent pop-up shops in the UK.

Firstly, congrats on the success of the recent release of the ‘Cold Feet’ mixtape. How have you felt the people have received this offering? It also charted, how important is that for you?

You know what bro, charting isn't really that important for me, I just wanted it to chart because that is what other people measure success by. Me, I already know what my shit is, it’s better then most anyway. That [charting] was just a bonus… icing on the cake!

What are you most pleased about regarding the project?

It got received the way I wanted it to be received.

What are a few of your favourite cuts off the mixtape at present and why?

'Soul To Da Streets', 'Thinking Out Loud', cause you know what it is Firestarr, 'Expensive Pain' is a banger. 'Juggin' as well is one of my favourites now; I didn’t like it as much at first but it grew on me - it’s a vibe you get me. But the whole tape basically!

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When it comes to making music for you, what do you enjoy more, making the record, or performing the record, and why?

It's making, because you know when a song is a banger, you can feel it, so when you perform it you know it’s going to be mad. Whereas if you perform a song you don’t know, you don’t really feel it, and it might not get received properly. You know what I mean, you might get booed off the stage and they might throw piss at you. Not me though, I'll jump off the stage and that!

It's been a long journey for you in the game as an artist and human being, with many trials and tribulations. When you sit back and look at where you are currently, some of your newer audience may not be familiar with the history, how do you feel currently both musically and in life?

True stories, I feel like they’ll catch on soon innit - the more someone digs into someone, like for me personally, if I find someone and I like their music, I'm going to go and do some research on that person. Then the more you find the more interesting it gets — then they are in for surprise! And in my personal life alhamdulillah, we’re good, we take life as it goes!

The recent ‘Cold Feet' rollout, you and your team did everything independently, could you tell us more about that?

We can't give out our secrets man! In fact let me start again… We did it with no marketing team, we didn’t diss no dead people, no TikTok trends, and didn’t collab with no one on merch, just hard work, and bangers. That’s it!

What did you enjoy the most about travelling city to city?

You’re meeting bare different people innit, and you get a feel of what a lot of people like innit! So I decided to hit more cities, and we gonna keep working and doing that, maybe even hit cities with more exclusive shows!

What would you say to a young upcoming artist, who also wants to be successful in business, in terms of advice?

You gotta be serious about what you wanna do bro, and don’t rely on no one for nothing, that way you wont be disappointed.

Later on this year, December, you go on your first UK tour across Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London, are you excited about that, and what can the fans expect from that forthcoming tour?

Yeah! A superb show, gonna go all out for them!

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Can we expect an album next? And is that something you are already planning or working on? Anything you can let off about that even though it’s early?

We working my bro, I cant let off too much on that right now!

Regarding the current rap scene in the UK, are there any other artists from that you are currently listening to, if you could only name three?

Raph Racks, Frogzy, Skinz. Those three are doing it for me right now, they are all hard and on the tape!

And finally, what does Rimzee do to relax when it's not music or business?

I don’t relax, a day off is a day lost!

Thanks for your time Rimzee, is there anything you would like to let people know?

Yeah man, make sure your streaming it, if you ain't bought the mixtape already hit iTunes, even if you got the CD, let’s just keep winning.

Rimzee's 'Cold Feet' is out now, get it here

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