Ramonie is a rapper from Hackney, who I initially heard through his pop out song, Xpills. He is able to blend genres like Garage, Trap and R&B to create his own sound, full of cheeky lyrics and bubbly flows.
Unruly, which dropped on May 8th is no different and I was excited to have a conversation with the man himself, following the release of his first music video. I wanted to understand his mindset and get the story behind the making of the song.
How did Unruly come about?
“Unruly was a laid-back freestyle I wrote when I was chilling in the studio one time. It just started flowing really and I ended up writing a crazy freestyle which was initially four minutes long but I chopped and changed [it] into a song with a hook”.
Some of the stories in your song could sound mad to a new listener. Are they all real experiences?
“All of the stuff I mentioned in the track is based on real life experience, which is quite funny because… some people will think I’m just trying to be funny. But I actually write about…my way of life”.
Which artists have influenced your music?
“I’d say my biggest influences are Jay-Z, Dave, Drake and Octavian. However, I…listen [to] a lot of R&B and take inspiration from groups such as The Internet“.
Does your brother, Frenzy, influence your approach to music?
“Having a brother that made music before helped to give me an insight into music and the whole creative process behind it. I was very observant from as young as 11”.
So, when did you decide to take music seriously?
“[I] started to write [at] around 14. [But], I began recording properly when I turned 16 and then I released my first single Xpills. [That was] my first experience [of a]…buzz”.
In the studio
Now that you and your brother make music, is there any rivalry between you?
“There isn’t any rivalry…[we are] a team because we do things like freestyle together in our room for hours,[listen to artists and discover new music]”.
I feel like Hackney has quite an exciting music scene. What other artists should we look out for?
“There’s a lot of talent in Hackney that I would recommend people to give a listen to but to name a few I would say Sir Rockz, Dayor, Arz & Ruty“.
Has Corona virus affected your music or productivity?
“Corona has been a blessing and a curse; it’s helped me to spend more hours in the studio as I have one at home… and I even released my first video, for Unruly, so… I’d say I’ve been productive”.
So, what’s next? What can we expect from you?
“I’m planning to release some more videos over the next few months and finally a video for Xpills“.
Ramonie seems to have a promising future. He has the right mindset, in terms of wanting to grow from the ground up. He also seems to take pride in his art, reaches out to other artists, like myself, and is active in his local area, helping out organisations, like the Badu Community He’s someone who I would like to do well so make sure to stream Unruly and watch out for his next moves.
Xaymaca Awoyungbo
Forever Sauce 