Versetti

Being an up and coming artist is one of the hardest obstacles to overcome while you're trying to get your name noticed. But for Versetti it's all been breeze, and you ask hows that? Because he don't stop for NOTHING. When you have a burning ambition you reach out to that desire, you grab it. And this is exactly what Versetti has done. Although he's had no official release and he's stayed independent, he has everything that any other established artist has, SUCCESS. Versetti's passion in music has been within him since he was toddling around on his knees! From the age of 5 years old he was idolising the likes of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, taking in the whole entertainment industry to his heart. Through his teens rapping became a trend and him and friends would grab the mic at every opportunity, "I used to do talent shows with my cousins and every time there was a microphone we'd be chatting the most stupidnes, You know we saw people get on the mic and we're like I can do that and we was rubbish! But we thought we were better than everyone else so we used to just jump onstage and take over the mic and we'd be like yeah play this and we'd make some noise at the end. We thought we was good but we were wack!" So reality was that Versetti and his little crew invented the word 'spitting', but they would literally spit and the following act would have clean the mic before doing their thang! But of course as time went on and Versetti's musical knowledge grew with him, he knew his crew weren't getting any love and people wouldn't take them seriously. He knew he had skill and it was time he stepped up and represented himself as an artist, not another trend. So from the age of 18 he started experimenting with his own sound, and with having lived both in the UK and the US, both surroundings had influenced his own unique style having studied artists from both coasts. Versetti knew he cracked this when people were really feeling his tracks, "everybody wants to be on your song when it's already done, that's when you know it's a good song", and with this kind of feedback it made him more determined to follow his musical ambitions. The only way you could categorise this rising artist is if you put him under as 'versatility'. He's the type of artist who would take in the techniques of others but he wouldn't follow it, he would create around it. Some may call him arrogant, some may say his ego is bigger than his skills, but if you truly listen and hear the sounds of Versetti you'd realise he's only doing what does best and that is being an artist. Being labelled is something Versetti wants to avoid, he continues to explain, "I don't make UKHH, I don't make USHH because I don't put myself in no categories. It's no dirty South or West coast Hip Hop its just music at the end of the day you hear me? I'm keeping it funky and its just about making music and not focussing on getting no titles or none of that, just pure music." Versetti became promoter's favourite artist to flex on stage and he has supported Ja Rule, Llyod Banks, Methodman and Redman in concert and he has recently toured with UK's all time favourite Blak Twang on tour. Although he's only been the support act he's been overwhelmed with the reactions of the crowd, "I'm on stage now performing to like just 300 people for a Ja Jule concert but I came on stage now and it was like the craziest show I've ever done. Im looking into the crowd and they've never heard my music they don't know me from adam and this is a London crowd as well and they were showing me so much love. And that right there is memorable just because London is funny when it comes to artists on stage unless it's a major artist. I came off stage now and no word of a lie there was people dragging me into the corner and I turn around and there's a group of girls, I'm like hold on do I know you?!!" Versetti has had the taste of fame before even having any official release, now if that's not a respected talent then what is the definition of talent??!! Another memorable and entertaining moment was when DMX was on the phone line after hearing Versetti's 'UK To US' track, a story that needs to be published on audio, "I'm like stop this stupidness that ain't DMX, he's all the way in the states, it can't be him..." It didn't take him long realise that it really was the X and he wanted to hear more of this lyrical twisted talent and Versetti was on to this before he even put the phone down to DMX! He recorded a track called 'Freeze' that now features on the Bloodline mix tape due for release early this year. Although Bloodline Records UK have offered Versetti contracts he's building up his own label, Perfect Storm Entertainment, with his partners Sin and Kingsley and his main focus is to keep the label growing and promoting there recent project, 'Audio Crack', "we never stop promoting, a part two that will be released and its gonna be crazy. But right now the focus is 'Audio Crack' and the reason why the girls are on there with hardly any clothes on I didn't just do it for my on personal pleasure, its for promotional purposes only!" As Versetti digs deeper into that hole and crawls in it we continue to discuss previous projects with the label, "the first CD I've put out under my own label is 'Power Of The Pound' compilation album which featured tracks from myself and we had had K9 on there you know representing the Rotton Club, we had SAS, a track from Kano and Lethal B but it wasn't about focusing on names, it was about producing the best tracks we could and to promote that. We have tunes rotated on KISS in courtesy of Big Ted and Shorty Blitz and Choice FM's Phoebe One has been playing tunes and 1xtra was playing very little." Going back to his 'UK To US' track, Versetti discussed the reason of the concept of this song, "it was produced by my boy Mike Dark which is a track about you know bridging that gap, people are pretty much isolating themselves in each place and I'm like you know what, I've lived in the us and in the UK and the US and go from here to there all the time and that's where the song came from and Phoebe One and Big Ted ran with it. One day I got a phone call from my cousin who I don't even speak to , and he was saying that I'm on the radio I thought he was just taking the piss so I put the radio on and I was like WOW that's actually me!" Versetti feels that this is the one thing that people will judge him by and that is his accent. In Hip Hop accents have always been an issue when it came to UK rappers, but truth be known that if you listen to Versetti's old tunes he sounds American but his recent tracks are sounding more British but it's because of his natural background, where he's been raised. If a French rapper spent majority of his life in the UK does it mean he should still have a French accent to his sound? People need to come to terms with Versetti's background before they judge, "People need to stop focussing on there accents and focus on making good songs." Verse City/Perfect Storm Entz has taken over the internet like a world wind that's never gonna end! It's like a computer virus that's spreading but instead of causing a PC breakdown it's a music breakthrough! 'Power Of The Pound' sold 2,500 copies off hand and 'Audio Crack' is set to buss that figure! But why does everyone love Versetti? "Because I'm good!" no really… "It's about the entertainment factor that people don't understand and that's what I bring. You're never gonna see the same show twice. You won't see me on stage with my hood up and walking about. Im gonna give you your moneys worth. We've been trying to just get down and create music where as a lot of people are like going around with a hype thing or waving flags and what not." Influences have come from life in general and he uses his music as a way to express what he's thinking, "Sometimes you see things and you tell someone but no one is listening so I just write it down. I can say what I want and no one can tell me nothing. When I first heard swearing on a Hip Hop track I thought the world was gonna collapse! I thought my mum was gonna beat me for listening to it! And when I didn't get beaten and the world didn't end I was like WOW I can say what I want on a record and no one can arrest me, yet! I'd rather my anger for things came through my lyrics than be on a bus and blow it up! I'd rather say what I've got to say through music." The UK music scene NEEDS more Versetti's, but there's only one Versetti and we are very blessed to have such a unique and ambitious artist on the scene. His entertainment standards not only shine through his performances but through his music as well. He'll produce tracks to satisfy everybody's musical ear and his determination and dedication is endless. Although Versetti feels that attitudes from certain British artists are weakening the scene this will never faze him, "beat wise it's raised, the beats are different and theres so much stuff going on it's a beautiful thing. In terms of attitude it's the worst it's been. It's like a witch hunt like people are going against there own folks and its like if you're not UK enough they're not gonna play you. Only in black music they like to make a scene, we can take over this thing and go forward." Amen to that statement. With endless projects underway the only way Versetti and his label are going IS forward. 'Audio Crack' just like a drug addiction without the facility of rehab, will only stop if you let it, and this man ain't looking for any cures! 'Audio Crack' Volume 1 and 2 are just an instruction to Versetti's LP, 'Lord Forgive Me' which will feature productions from himself, Mike Dark, K9, Sway Dasafo, Dame Grease (from Bloodline Records) Boy Wonder, Karisma, DC Kid, Triple O and guest appearances from many artists who have been supporting the movement of Perfect Storm Entertainment.