Uche is carving out his own niche as an all encompassing artist. From directing his own music videos to a strong interest in fashion, this is someone who is looking to transcend the genres of Trap and Hip Hop in the pursuit of something even greater. Growing up between Nigeria and Chicago, he has been exposed to a myriad of musical influences, building up to his most recent project, ‘HOW TO DIE’, which is due to be followed by ‘HOW TO LIVE’ later this Spring. This kind of chiaroscuro and big picture thinking is telling of Uche’s vision, a quality he prides himself on.
Before the release of ‘HOW TO DIE’, I caught up with the artist in West London during his extended creative period in the UK, pulling up on sets at NTS Radio and collaborating with some of the most exciting artists in London’s scene. CLASH spoke about his eclectic upbringing, Lil Wayne’s influence, and his artistic evolution throughout his burgeoning career.
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What are your earliest musical memories?
My earliest memories of music kind of start when I think about singing in a choir in Nigeria, All Saints Church – being one of the youngest people to ever be in the choir. I think I was five or six at the time. Also just growing up in a musical family, having always been influenced by music. I learnt to sight read at a young age and I would always come home and listen to music being played. The Whitney Houstons, the Boys II Mens, Rod Stewart, Temptations, Michael Jackson.
We were flooded with so much music at such a young age that I don’t remember a time where we weren’t involved in something musical. Even watching movies like the Sound of Music, we were always watching and listening and being immersed in music.
How many people are in your family?
So I have three brothers but I grew up with my aunties – my auntie and uncle in Nigeria, mainly. There were three of us. It was me and my younger brother, and then they have a daughter. They were kind of like the core, the foundation of how I was raised. A lot of things around that happened and influenced me, but yeah, they get at least 70% of the credit when it comes to influencing who I became as a person and my musical influences.
Growing up between Chicago and Nigeria, how do you think those two places have influenced your art?
I got my wings in Chicago, I think. Chicago’s a tough place to be considered dope, because it’s not good enough to just be dope. You have to be consistently dope. And then you have to go a step above that and create something that nobody’s ever seen before. I think Chicago’s a breeding ground for that kind of talent. It influenced me to be confident and boisterous and really understand how to handle what I have and present it to the world.
Lagos showed me where music comes from, and what it means, and how to give it meaning and how it can affect and influence people. But Chicago definitely showed me how to wield my sword and kind of go into battle.
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Chicago has always had a rich musical history which has definitely translated to rap and hip-hop, ranging from Kanye West to the Drill era. Where do you think your music fits into that?
I’m a student of the game, and I definitely want to master my craft. Kanye is right up there but what also caught my attention were the Commons, the Lupes, even some of the more current guys like Mick Jenkins. Then you kind of tap into seeing the Drill scene pop off, and you’re talking about Sosa, G Herbo, Durk. Some of these guys who are around my age or a little bit older than me and were able to open the door.
I think I fall into all of that because I’ve seen both sides, right? I understand music from a technical standpoint. Being able to sight read at a young age, being able to sing in a choir, being classically introduced to music, but then also having to juxtapose and being brought up in the west side of Chicago, and being involved in the nature and the culture that is Chicago in that way too.
When I was younger, it was hard for me to explain that, or to involve myself in the right way, because there’s so much push and pull going on. My knowledge versus my experience. The way I see the world versus the way it’s happening. But I think I embody both sides. I think I can speak for both sides of the coin, and I see both clearly.
Who taught you to sight read?
I was taught as a child in Nigeria. They were teaching us how to read music, and it was almost a requirement for getting into the choir. I’m not as touched up on that as what I used to be, but like as kids we were taught to and were put in front of the piano and given sheet music, and told to play and told to sing.
Obviously music has been with you for a long time but at what point do you think Uche the artist began to emerge?
I think it was when I came to America. It was funny because music was so, like, forced on us. Not forced, but it was introduced to us in routine and habit. I didn’t enjoy it as a kid. And then I remember, if you’re Nigerian, you know that, like, we don’t have electricity all the time, and so whenever there would be electricity, I would want to watch cartoons or like, hang out and do kids stuff, and my cousin would always want to watch music videos. So I just grew up hating, not hating, but just having a dislike, a disdain towards hip hop music, music in general.
When I came to America, when I was 12, I heard ‘Mrs. Officer’ by Lil Wayne. It was the first rap song I heard. That moment was like “Oh, no, I want to do this.” I didn’t know what he was doing. I had never heard anybody that sounded like him. I was like, “Yo, why does his voice sound like that? What is he doing? Why does this sound cool?” From that point on, I kind of started tapping into myself, freestyling a lot and just trying to figure out where I fit on this scale of things that I like. So, yeah, I think Wayne Mrs. Officer was a huge turning point for me.
Who else around that era did you take inspiration from?
When I came to America I was a huge TI fan. I mean, I’m a student of the game, so I’m a fan of everybody who’s great, honestly. I can’t just pinpoint it to one person because I’d be naming everybody. But in those days when I was still trying to get a grip of what was going on, get my wheels turning, I became a J Cole fan. I obviously became a Ye fan. I’m just a fan of the art, really. I also listened to a lot of Linkin Park and Highly Suspect, basically just trying to expand what piqued my interest.
You released your first full length project, ‘There’s Fire On The Lake’, last year. How do you think you have improved or evolved since then?
I think I’m more precise now. It’s more calculated, it’s more careful, but it’s more surgical. It’s also just more meaningful. I want to create from a place of meaning and intention. It’s not saying that I don’t take chances or risks, or I’m not pushing myself as an artist, but I just think that if you do something long enough, it becomes a part of you, and I think that’s where music is with me. I think music has always been a part of me, but I think very much now me and music are like one, and so we work in synergy.
And working with more meaning and intention – do you think that just comes from experience?
I definitely do. That’s the most important thing, is just experience. Get as much experience as you can under your belt. I think that’s something that I overlooked as a kid, not understanding how much work it takes, you know? They say 10,000 hours. I think you need 30. It takes more than that. I paid attention to a two year period where (Young) Thug was on every feature, and there’s probably like 90 songs with all different types of artists. He was still talking about what he was going to do next and proving himself all over again. So I took note of that, and I think that’s something I’m very cognizant of and work towards, and work with that in mind as well.
Your new project, ‘HOW TO DIE’ – can you tell me the inspiration behind that title?
It comes from a place and a time period of me just really feeling like I was ready to do whatever to get to where I needed to be – to sacrifice versions of myself to get to a certain place. Really, I felt like I was about to crash out, if I’m really being frank, so there’s a lot of angst in the project. But I think when you also show a mirror to it, in the world, the world looks like that too. There’s a lot of angst, there’s a lot of frustration, there’s a lot of misunderstanding.
Instead of actually crashing out, I kind of saw this as an opportunity to reflect on what I’m going through. I think as you listen to the project, you see the evolution. You hear the voice of somebody that understands that he may be making the wrong decisions, but still can’t ignore the fact that he’s aware of it.
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What got you to that stage of nearly crashing out?
Just everything, bro. Life, but at the same time too, I love music, and music is the most important thing in my life. I take music so seriously. The industry is the kind of thing where you can give everything that you have to this, and it may not necessarily reflect in what you reap. I hold myself to a really high standard and just the way I was living, executing, I didn’t think that was what was set for me. It just pushes you to the edge, you know? I just felt like if I was gonna give this one final big blow, I would do it this way, and just explode. That’s kind of where ‘HOW TO DIE’ kind of came about.
Alongside this release you’ve also been working on another upcoming project, ‘HOW TO LIVE’. How did you balance these two bodies of work?
What’s really crazy about these two projects is a lot of this music has been in a vault for a really long time, or has been created over time, unintentionally. I could really encapsulate or latch on to a certain emotion. ‘HOW TO LIVE’ kind of explores how to live in order to die. It’s speaking on rebirth, and speaking on a lot of things that, you know, I think we kind of bypass when we think of evolution. Versions of yourself have to die in order to become the next thing. ‘HOW TO LIVE’ I think shows you that. There’s a lot of toxicity in it. There’s a lot of elements of letting go that I present melodically, in a well composed, encapsulated way. But I think ultimately, it’s evolution.
I was impressed with your wordplay and your punchlines in particular. Do you think that’s your best asset as a rapper?
I think my biggest asset is actually my vision. I think music is just a bridge. I think it gets us to where I need to go, but I really think my biggest gift is my vision. I think I see the world in a certain way, and all I want to do is execute my vision and get my vision out into the world.
When I’m making a record, I’m seeing the visual, and then when I’m doing the visual, I’m thinking about what the show looks like. When I’m on stage, or when we’re putting together the show, I’m thinking about what it’s gonna feel like if I was wearing this, or if I had these kinds of lights. How I create is to be multi dimensional. For me, it’s about creating experiences – immersive experiences.
Finally, you seem like an ambitious person. What are your short and long term goals?
Take up space. Take up a lot of space. I think I play a huge part in a shift that’s about to happen in culture, and I’m very disciplined in my journey and my process of taking up that space. Take up space, be impactful, and be exciting while I’m doing it.
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‘HOW TO DIE’ is out now.
Words: Joe Simpson
Imagery Shot by Sully – @_sullman
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Bigger Picture: The Rise Of Uche – clashmusic.com
