Diversion Tactics interview ::
 
 

First up, for those who don't know, who are you and what do you sound like?
Jazz T: We are Diversion Tactics and have our own sound which stays true to the original hip hop format of ill breaks,samples,cuts and rhymes
Chubby: Unashamedly 110% real Hip Hop. It ain't broke so put your spanner set away.


How long have you been together, and what have you been doing all this time?
Jazz T: We have been together as a group since 1998 and 10 years prior to that as friends.
Chubby: I was an alcoholic. Now I'm an alcoholic in a band. Nice. The chubby bit took time. We've also been working, paying taxes and looking after ourselves.


You're performing at the launch party for Blade's new lp on 9th Feb at London's Cargo. Are you looking forward to that?
Jazz T: Yes for real.Its dope to be performing with such a fat lineup and its always a pleasure to rock the same stage as Blade.
Chubby: Correct. Blade smashes it every time.


Which other artists are you looking forward to performing with that night?
Jazz T: We're just gonna enjoy the shows as a whole.Its a good cross section of British artists from all over and that in itself is cool.
Chubby: All of 'em.


What are your thoughts on Blade as an artist?  Be honest, now.
Jazz T: Blade is one of the all time greats over here.He is a British institution and has inspired all of us.
Chubby: No doubt. There ain't enough talented, hardworking and humble artists out there. Blade is the standard. (Should be a few free drinks in that).


The video for your track Ladies man is easily one of the funniest I've seen in a long time?  Who came up with the idea for that and how did it come about?
Jazz T: Chubby came with the concept for the track which i think is one of the funniest ever.I had my friend Jody Vandenburg take care of the visual concept.He had previously done a video for "Mr Parkers Siesta" which I saw and realised he was the man for the job.
Chubby: Many a true word spoken in jest i'm afraid. Big-up Jody as he had little or no budget and still pulled it off.


Who's the fella in the clip?  A paid actor, or just a real old ladies man?
Jazz T: No Jody auditioned actors for the role.


Is that how you see yourselves ending up in a few years?
Jazz T: Hopefully not!!!
Chubby: I got my chair reserved at a run-down South London boozer drinking black and tan all day. Heavenly.


Now for a couple of important hiphop related questions.
Chuck D famously called rap "the CNN of black America".  Ignoring any issues of race and geography, can you give us a rappers-eye-view on these current news stories?
*  Liberal Democrat leadership challenger Mark Oaten stands down over claims of an affair with a rent boy.
Chubby: Fine. If you're a single gay man with a little spare cash then good luck to ya. Not my cup of tea. But a politician with aspirations of leadership, married with two young children. Not on my watch.


*  £100m payday coming after EuroMillions jackpot rollover
Chubby: Just glad it ain't my grandma spending £10.00 a week she can ill afford in the vain hope of changing her family's lives. It's up for debate but that's too much money. But who's to say a lottery winner is no less deserving of money for nothing than the talentless dross that some call entertainment.


*  Rapper 50 Cent is being sued by the ex-frontman of rap group 2 Live Crew for allegedly stealing a line for his 2003 hit single In Da Club.
Jazz T: Good,50 cent needs to share the wealth.Even though using a line is no more a crime than doing a cover in the pop world in hip hop which he claims to be this is biting which he should feel a prick for doing.
Chubby: If I was the originator of one of the lines in
'In Da Club' I'd be keeping quiet.


The Disposable Heroes of Hiphopracy famously called"Television, the Drug Of The Nation".  As you know our generation are all on drugs, so what's good on TV at the moment?  And what's not?
Jazz T: TV as a whole is shit.I quite like Little Britain and Lost but I can't speak for the others on this
Chubby: Just have to check myself turning on the TV as soon as I walk in the door not knowing what's on. I like my Chelsea football and my extreme Asian cinema. You figure it out.

Notorious BIG famously said "Stay far from timid, only make moves when your hearts in it, and live the phrase sky's the limit".  So what's next for Diversion Tactics?
Jazz T: As a prodution team Me and Z are producing for Tim Dog,Kashmere and a few others.Z is putting out his solo lp"Beats to make you frown"in April on Boot.We are starting a new Diversion Tactics lp which should be ready at the end of the year and we will continue to rock shows all over the world.Our Boot record label has been going from strength to strength selling units worldwide so that is one of the main focuses.
Chubby: Quality control in all aspects. I gotta make sure i'm happy with every lyric. No fillers. Got some Kashmere and Verb T collab plans. Working with Juice and The Last Skeptik. Make sure the new DT album is a hit. Got an EP under the name Bobba Fresh on Down&Out which is a bit deeper and serious. Sounds depressing. Finally, after five years of trying to pin him down, I got some beats from J-Zone. Worth the wait.


What's next for UK hiphop in general?
Jazz T: We need to keep control of our music,from distribution to radio shows to performances.Its ours so no corporate fucker should have any say. Hiphop should run hiphop.That will decide our future!!
Chubby: Independent success, however difficult, must be the answer.


What artists are you particularly feeling in the past and at the moment?  Who would you like to work with in the future?
Jazz T: London Posse.Demon boys,Blade,Jehst,Kyza,Kashmere,Sundragon,Harry Love,Madlib,Wildflower and Beyond There.For the future I personally want to work with Lord Finesse,Kool Kieth and Rodney P
Chubby: All of the above plus Verb T, (talk about having your own flow). And Skinnyman, that's Hip Hop right there. MF Doom, Percee P, Big L, Kane plus Scoob and Scrap Lover, Kool G, Gangstarr, Three Times Dope, Rakim, KRS, Captain Rock, Egyptian Lover, anything that makes
me feel young. To work with, Kyza for sure. R.E.A.L. tune jus' done it for me. Set everybody straight. Working with people needs to be organic. Shit just happens when it's right.


With the success of other local ventures (i.e. Phylum) do you think the way UK hip hop is percieved now is differently to the way it was before? Do you think it's popularity has changed?
Jazz T: We put on artists from all over not just UK so at Phylum we're reppin for hip hop as a whole.The popularity of hip hop has grown as a worldwide thing so,bearing that in mind the UK stuffs popularity has moved with that.Theres always been heads out there.


Who were your influences growing up?
Jazz T: Jazzy Jeff,Cash Money,Kool Herc,KRSone
Chubby: Mike Allen, Tim Westwood, Bob Haro, Rock Steady Crew, London Posse, Broken Glass, London All Stars, The Chrome Angels. Every B-Boy I met. And of course, the fly girls.


What was the best gig you've done & why?
Jazz T: The second gig we did at Solution in Oxford or New Years 2004 in Guildford.Just dope vibes from the audience.
Chubby: First ever DT gig at Scratch's 50th Jam. Baptism of fire. Rocked it.


What was the worst gig you've done & why?
Jazz T: Spread love at The Social.The mics were fucked up.
Chubby: Yeah. Got no love at Spread Love.


What album/tune are you listening to at the moment?
Jazz T: Ultra The Four Horsemen,All our new ish.
Chubby: Redman - Rated R.


Has anyone ever beaten chubby in a drinking contest?
Jazz T: No.
Chubby: It's not a contest.


What advice would you give someone looking to start
out in hip hop?
Jazz T: If you got skills develop them. If you dont there is nothing wrong with being a fan and supporter of hip hop.
Chubby: Jazz drops science again.


Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?
Jazz T: Not today.
Chubby: Nope.


Finally, anyone you'd like to shout out, or anything that needs one last plug?
Jazz T: Shrub, Alpesh, P, Random, Juice, Tim Dog, J Zone, Freestyle, Yesh, Tash, Kath, Shaz, Tom Hendry, Cluso, Hans, .Fame, Nomis
Chubby: All those with their heart in the right place. to all the uk hip hop family. Love to all the communists. Love to all the revoloutionarys.
All power to the people.
 
Diversion Tactics' website
 

This interview was conducted by members of the blade691 forum. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this especially Pidgeon and Welli for the questions.