If there is one genre we should all be paying attention to this year it’s UK rap, with the likes of M1llionz and Dutchavelli waving the flag for the genre this year, the UK scene has had a huge wave of success, and here at the forefront of the wave is rising rapper, Kristen Hanby. Tearing up abrasive grime beats with his dark and fierce lyricism, the rapper has built up a steady collection of tunes with his free-flowing hit “Cheat Code” and his repeat button breaking EP “Shooting For The Stars”. Dropping his new tune “All On Me” today, Hanby breaks away from quick-hard hitting bars and slows it down, for a tune perfect for chill late-night vibes.

Speaking on “All On Me”, the rapper said, “Firstly everybody wants to fall in love, everybody wants to find the one and treat them like a queen, that ride or die, so I’m expressing that heavy in this song and I want everybody to also try to experience it! Whatever they want they can have, it’s all on me.”

But it’s not all about the hard-flowing raps the artist tells us. With more music on the way we caught up with the Soulja Boy and Lil Can collaborator talking creating late-night drive music, growing up in Jersey and all the new music he is working on.

Check out the interview below…

Hi Kristen, how has lockdown been treating you? How has it impacted your music and creativity?
Crazy as it sounds, lockdown has been a blessing for me, its made me get my head down, focus more than ever, and that has allowed me to produce hundreds more content and really help me level up in the music game.

Where did you grow up and how did it influence you sonically?
I grew up on a small island between France and England called Jersey. It’s a super special place – I’ve travelled a lot in my life but nowhere comes even close.

Where are the most unusual places you pull musical inspiration from?
I think a lot about stuff when I’m alone, with that being anything from driving on my own, going for walks, and even when I’m laying in bed at night. I’m always thinking about stuff, I have a very unique mind space. I love being creative, love trying new things, and love sharing different types of things with the world, and that’s where the music came in, I always wanted to make music, it’s a different way to express how you feel.

Congratulations on your new single “All On Me” – why is it called that and what is it inspired by?
Firstly everybody wants to fall in love, everybody wants to find the one and treat them like a queen, that ride or die, so I’m expressing that heavy in this song and want everybody to also try experience it! Whatever they want they can have, it’s all on me

Love that you categorise it as “late-night drive music” – what do you find so meditative about it?
I love music that makes you feel a certain type of way, lyrics that make you think about something or someone, the type of beat that makes you also feel the same way, that’s what I call late night drive music, something you can put on and just get lost in your feelings – it’s one of the best feelings ever.

You explore a more melodic element to your music here – what made you want to do this in this single in particular?
This type of music is my favourite style to create more than anything! The hard rap stuff is fun but it’s not something you can relax to. Making music is a feeling for where I enjoy, feel super chilled and make magic happen, the rap stuff is just when I’m feeling crazy and want to show the world I can do whatever I want.

You’ve collaborated with the likes of Soulja Boy and Lil Xan – how did these come about? Who is your dream collaboration?
Yeah, Soulja Boy was my first ever collab. My homie Sour Matt introduced us and we got on super well and ended up in his home studio just outside LA, was such a cool feeling. Growing up every single kid I knew had Soulja Boy on their phone and then to go on and make a song with him was pretty epic by all means. Lil Xan was through friends too, showed him a song he liked it and we made a very nice song! Dream collabs are obvious, everyone wants that Drake feature, with him being my favourite artist too that’s a no brainer. I also would like a song with Lil Skies, Trippie Redd, the list is endless. Me and MOTi are currently working on a lot of music, we have some big plans so a lot to look forward to.

What do you want fans to take from your music?
I want my fans to take inspiration from me to motivate them to chase their dreams, not care about someone’s opinion, nothing is too big or too small, you want something go and get it

What’s next for you? What are you looking forward to in 2020?
Well, I’m most looking forward to Covid passing and being able to go on my first tour, that’s what I’m looking forward to most.