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N-Dubz
N-Dubz: interview
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By Eddy Lawrence
Updated: Thu Nov 20 2008 -
After turning their backs on a major label, N-Dubz are making hits and selling out shows. So why is post-grime not being exploited? We also look back to what they had to say this time last year
Read what N-Dubz had to say in 2007
Those wacky capitalists are a funny bunch. On the one hand, they’re moaning about not having enough money. Yet on the other, they’re baldly refusing to raid the piggy banks of the nation’s youth. After all, what else are the kids of today supposed to spend their pocket money on now it’s illegal to target them with ads for junk food, fizzy drinks and fags? The UK music industry’s failure to capitalise on an existing scene is ably demonstrated by N-Dubz, who finally release their debut album this week after nine years of doing it for themselves.
Older readers may remember the last time we featured Dappy, Tulisa and Fazer, aka N-Dubz, back in October 2007, just after they won the Mobo for Best Newcomer without the aid of a record company. Following this fame injection, the band were picked up by major label Polydor, home of 50 Cent and Girls Aloud. So far, so not surprising – after all, nobody took any notice of unsigned trance-metal teens Enter Shikari until they sold out the Astoria. What is surprising is that the label failed to profit from this position. A re-release of fan favourite ‘You Better Not Waste My Time’ charted at a respectable-ish Number 22 (around the same as Dizzee Rascal’s last three pre-‘Dance Wiv Me’ releases), but failed to set the zeitgeist alight because most people, as Dappy points out, had already downloaded the track a year earlier. Feature continuesAdvertisement‘It’s very important to build up your own underground fanbase,’ says Tulisa, ‘because they will be the ones that buy your records. I think re-releasing “Better Not Waste My Time” was a mistake Polydor made because they weren’t aiming at our main fanbase, they were reaching out for a new fanbase. It did gain us new fans, but at the same time, we missed out on how many thousands of fans we already had, because we didn’t bring out a fresh track.’
‘We’re talking about thousands and thousands of imitations,’ says Dappy. ‘Young ladies doing the “walking up the stairs” dance routine… You will laugh your head off.’
Ultimately, the band asked to be released from their contract and went back to doing things the old-fashioned way: over the internet. Still in their early twenties, the group put their own money into self-produced internet sensation, ‘Ouch’, a kind of dwarf-free ‘Trapped In The Closet’ which introduced the phrase ‘My name’s Shaniqua and what?’ to a startled public. The video has had around ten million views in the past five months and spawned a surf-worthy surfeit of tribute videos.
The group’s new video, ‘Papa (Can You Hear Me)’ looks set to beat even that, having run up more than two million views in the past three weeks. At one point, the video ranked just below Barack Obama’s presidential acceptance speech on YouTube’s most-viewed rankings – and above it, in the top spot, on the ‘most discussed’ chart. Although the UK’s well established club scene means dancier strands of urban music, from drum ’n’ bass to bassline via dubstep, are more easily disseminated into the mainstream, the potentially poppier, radio-friendly end of British urban music is a viral culture, something shared between peers via word of mouth and Bluetooth. Although Channel U, Kiss and the pirates all play their part, the intensely localised support networks of labels, clubs and radio stations which nurture urban music in the US just doesn’t exist over here. This is perhaps one of the reasons that British urban artists are often teamed up with American counterparts to ‘legitimise’ them. The belated success of Estelle, who has struggled to cross over despite her all-round brilliance, is held up as a prime example of the British industry just not knowing what to do with British artists.
‘Estelle’s amazing,’ says Dappy. ‘She went to America to do what she had to do. But we wanna do that from where we live. We want 50 Cent, Lil Wanye, Black Eyed Peas to say, “Man, N-Dubz, they’re the dogs.” I don’t wanna have to collaborate with anyone else to get big.’
The current wave of post-grime urban music must be the first youth cult not to be ruthlessly exploited since the 1950s. This week the band headline the 2,300-capacity IndigO2, with support from Bashy, whose ‘Black Boys’ was one of the best tracks of 2007, and Chipmunk, already a rising star despite the fact he’s only just released his first proper single. In a parallel universe, the news that Chipmunk will be joining the band on stage to perform their joint non-hit ‘I Will Destroy You’ is like Rihanna and Kanye West duetting at the Super Bowl. In this one, however, it will likely mean nothing to anyone outside the building.‘Records labels right now,’ explains Fazer,‘they’re a bit scared to invest in urban music because they think the main crowd of people who listen to it are downloaders. Actually, the people that listen to urban music like to see artwork, they will go out and buy CDs.’
‘They’re probably more album buyers,’ says Tulisa.
‘Kids at high school, from 13-16, they’re the downloaders,’ continues Fazer, ‘and then they pass it between their friends on the phone. But there’s a big market out there for urban music and it still hasn’t been opened 100 per cent, and that’s what we’re trying to do.’
‘Uncle B’ by N-Dubz, is out now on All Around The World.
N-Dubz, Bashy and Chipmunk play the IndigO2 on Nov 22.
Read what N-Dubz had to say in 2007- Add your comment to this feature
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164 comments
HelloX3 Samee I finkk datt N-Dubz r daa bestt aswel. I Wozz gonaa go andd see demm inn consertt butt theree werentt ay moree ticketss leftt :( x GinA x
safe we love n dubz they are the best band ever xx
hello
hiya im such a big fan omg my auntie lived in camden and she had a mate called tula c but she says she looks abit like you
it was when they were little she is 21
dappy ur so buff man i realli wanna meet u and tulisa ur so pretty
hi its my cozs birthday on the 13th of febuary and i was wondering if she could come and meet yous.the tickets to see your show in southend is full and i cant find nothing else to go and see in concert.so i was wondering if u could meet her please please .
Nt realy coz they said on youtube them selves Plz vote 4 us . They av a numba u cn txt. Gina x
They are already very famous, voting for them on a silly website isn't going to do anything to their fame... They are really good song writers and performers and good looking too, but dont get too obsessed,, your embarassing yourself.
Show ur support and coment on them and vote 4 em ! Cum on ppl we can make em mor famous and wel nown thn they al ready r. X na na nyt X <- tht is how its spelt btw if u didnt no. But i spel it Lyk dis na na nye or na na niii . XlolX Gina x N-Dubz x
All 3 of them r ledgeands! They are al AMAZIN! Listenin 2 there music everydai of my life on my fone and mainLy on my cd! X. Dappy and faz Jst rememba tht ur sxc and fiiiit! Ly al. X Gina X N-Dubz X3
Dappy's a fucking legend haha
Wel dappy is fit! Aywys i wuld luv 2 met ya. April 17th N-Dubz r cumin 2 southEnd . I live Lyk 19 miles awy from there. :( but i aint allowed 2 go and c em. X .
Aywys Plz coment on N-Dubz more they need our support so they cn gt more famous and gt noteced more coz they av gt a lt goin 4 em.
Gd luk N-Dubz.
I cum Frm london but i live in crapy essex now:(. X london 4 eva and eva and life. Init. X
Ltz ov luv Gina X3 N-Dubz X3
Why do you people all seem to bring up the fact that hes fit, theres obviously alot more to dappy than his looks.
Cant you comment on his spirit and determination to make his Dad proud of him.
Makes you seen abit shallow people...
Hey . X . Dappy and fay ur both so fit. Luv al ur songs . Gt ur album the dai it cam out! Luv it . Listen 2 it everydai! I cried when i read da leaflet fing inside. X. R.i.p byron. ( Dappys dad ) x tulisa i wuld kill 2 lk Lyk u! X ur al guwjuzz! X . Gina X3
Im listenin 2 ur cd now! It rokz. Bangin tuneezz. Luv ya ! Gina X3