Rye Shabby is back with more gold on In The Balance Records. This time with producer Forrest Moon in tow. Dreamlike production and sampling underpinning Rye’s spite fuelled musings on ‘Hey Presto’ make for something engaging from the first listen. Taken from the new EP, Esta, dropping next Friday.
Check out the title track from the brand new Verb T & Pitch 92 album A Question Of Time which dropped today on High Focus. The single features fellow ITB collaborator Rye Shabby, dope visual courtesy of Parallel Media
A Question Of Time is out now, grab yourself a copy here.
Ever menacing with the bars, Rye Shabby is back with another reason to cop his Die Shabby project. Throwing the rule book on rhythm out the window on ‘Concrete Camouflage’, Shabby delivers a disjointed anthem for your sunken place. Murkish, wavy production by Muckaniks.
Die Shabby is available to buy here.
New one from the In The Balance camp. Verb T, Moreone and Rye Shabby team up for ‘Hallway’ lifted from the forthcoming In The Balance compilation project. Produced by Micall Parknsun.
Trust Rye Shabby to make a summers day by the river something ominous. Sickly dark beat by Taube contributes towards an overall vibe that’s one part unsettling to one part head-nod. Shabby’s trademark deep vocal tones and control of vivid imagery make this one to pull up repeatedly. ‘Hummingbird’ is lifted off the EP Die Shabby available now on In The Balance Records.
Lifted from the recent ‘Die Shabby’ project, Rye Shabby drops a video for Those Eyes. Visual courtesy of Parallel Media, with a cameo on the hook and production being handled by Verb T
First up, tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Ryan with a silent B. I am from sunny Ipswich Town. I support Liverpool. And I shout words that rhyme at people from a higher level of ground.
The new project ‘Die Shabby’ is out now, how did it come together?
It was a journey. A long, blurred journey which involved 2 hospital trips in two different cities. But it was really fun to create. I actually made the project 2-3 times, because it came out not quite how we wanted it but we got there. I am really happy with i now for sure.
Tell us about the title, and the concept behind the project.
Well basically I was in a real bad state at the time, which involved a lot of substance & alcohol abuse, also just making really bad decisions in life in general. So it was a project that involved me finding a lot out about weakness & addiction, and killing that personality off. So although it seems like a dark project, it actually has a really positive message.
The majority of Die Shabby is produced by Verb T, but you’ve got a few different producers on there, how do you go about beat selection, and selecting producers to work with on a project
I just wanted it to fit the story. So selecting the beats was actually an easy process, because I had the vibe in my head and I just rolled with it. Then I had the expertise of Swerve T with moulding it all together, which made it all so much easier. The beats from Forrest Moon on the project just picked themselves cos he was one of my closest friends so I am with him on a daily pretty much and we make loads of cool shit, those just happened to be 2 of them.
Whats the furthest thing from Hip Hop you take influence from?
Most of my musical influences didn’t actually come from Hip-Hop. My parents listened to a lot of punk, soul & corny smooth R&B which actually fucking banged. Heads like Maxwell, Vandross, Badu etc. But my first inspirations from rap music were Doom, Nas, Andre 3000 those really creative wordplay kind of dudes.
Your writing is quite abstract, yet reflective, it’s a weird balance but it works really well, is that something you’re aware of while you’re writing, or does it just sort of come out like that?
My writing process is actually so weird, other people I have worked with who have seen me write get annoyed because I tend to write my verse or whatever without a beat. I will play the beat a few times so I get the feel, then go off and write the ideas down and then gel it all together with the tempo. That way I won’t over play the beat and I don’t lose any love for it, if you get me. If I explained some of the metaphorical wizardry I jot down. you would realise what I’m saying is actually just everyday shit. I just try find an interesting way to explain it without it sounding like a nursery rhyme.
What’s next for you?
Next for me is my debut album. Which is going to be like my baby, I’m excited to start working on it. And just as many shows as my body will allow me to participate in, I love playing live. It’s good exercise.
Give us a tip for 2018
Stay away from prescription drugs.
Any shoutouts?
Shout out my Ma. Shout out the entire team, lost £England and everyone at In The Balance Records. We are coming.
Die Shabby is out now on In The Balance Records, and available to buy from Bandcamp – below, and stream on all the usual platforms
New visual from Rye Shabby to coincide with the release of his new project ‘Die Shabby’. Turquoise prod. by Verb T
Die Shabby is out today on In The Balance records, and available on CD here as well as digitally on Bandcamp and all good streaming platforms.
Introducing… the first ‘3 Reasons Not to Sleep On…’, a series of pieces by UKHH writers showcasing artists they think deserve greater recognition.
From spitting over grime beats as a kid to spinning vivid lyrical yarns over sparse instrumentals, Shabby has honed in on a sound both unmistakably British and singularly impressive.
With a string of collabs and allusions to a number of other projects on the way, 2018 looks like the year those ripples turn into a tidal wave for the Ipswich native. Check out the tracks below for just three very good reasons to find yourself on the end of that Shabby wave.
Kate Moss
“I want Versace satin sheets just to rest upon, and a Nokia 3310 that you can text me on.” Shabby skewers the material obsession and celebrity worship of the Instagram generation, delivering each line with the sting of a scorpion on steroids. Kate Moss lands like a well-timed gut-punch, giving two fingers to the starfucker culture and positioning Shabby as a worthy ambassador for the new generation of UK hip hop.
Face the World
The tranquil pace, the liquid-smooth flow, the laid back, stripped down instrumentals; this is Shabby in his element. Working with producers like Illinformed, Verb T and Muckaniks, Shabby has access to some of the best beats around. In Face the World, his hazy drawl and murky wordplay find the perfect home.
Black is the New Black (Ft. Verb T)
You get the feeling that Shabby would be just at home tripping balls in a field with a crowd of space cadets as he would smashing out bars at an inner-city cypher. His rapid-fire delivery recalls the earlier days of hip hop, and that’s exactly what Black is the New Black does. An ode to keeping it classic, Black is the New Black proves Shabby knows his roots but, more importantly, he isn’t afraid to outgrow them.
Bugged Out is the first single lifted from ‘Bread Slices’ to be released on In the Balance Records on 24th March. Bread Slices is an instrumental album with 4 bonus tracks featuring vocal features from Verb T and Rye Shabby. Check out the video above and head over to the ITB website to pre-order on CD and Cassette.