"Call it what you like rock, grime, hip hop, anything. This is just British music, completely homegrown. I just don't get UK MCs who talk all American 'O my nigger', ra ra, all that. It's just fake. I'm saying lyrics that people can understand. I'm talking normally, like I would do to anyone on the street."
Just off the back of the very successful Urban Classic project of which Bruza colaberated with the BBC Concert Orcestra put together by Serious Events and Bigger Fish Organization.
One of East London's most talked-about new MCs may have only broken through in his own right during the last two years, but Bruza has quickly barged his way up to the UK underground 'A' list. Learning his mic skills within the drum & bass and jungle scene as a member of Reckless Crew and some hi-octane slots on influential pirate Rinse FM, Bruza hooked up with MC Triple Threat to start honing his own mic style during 2003. "Triple linked me with producer Terror Danjah, who together with Flash were just setting up a new label, Aftershock. The first tune I did with them was 'Bruzin', with Triple, Footsie and Shizzle. By then, Triple had a name after his clash with Lethal B. The tune got some good plays on Déjà Vu and others. I did loads of specials for DJs around it. This was just when Maxwell D and Donae'o were really big."
The track brought Bruza's trademark boisterous, straight-up delivery, marking him out as a true UK heavyweight in waiting. Although the tune put his name on the map, by Christmas 2003 he was everywhere. "I had this big clash with Crazy Titch on Raw Mission FM for their Christmas show... Everyone was talking about it. I definitely bruzed him, though!"
From circulating 100 CD copies of the battle, it ended up on pioneering mix CD 'Lord Of The Mics', the UK underground equivalent of a spot on 'Now That's What I Call Music 44'.
Since then, Bruza has been the hardest-working. Features in UK bible RWD magazine, big street singles over angular D.O.K. beats like 'Get Me' and 'Have Some Of Dat' rotated heavily on Channel U, tracks with Big-E-D and a feature on The Streets 'Get Out My House' have followed. As a live act, he has become one of the most in-demand UK players, regularly tearing it up at larger raves like Sidewinder and the 2005 Urban Music Festival through to influential smaller nights like London's 'Live' session.
He has even started taking the UK sound overseas to Germany, Holland, France and the revered Hultsfred Festival in Sweden. And this year he's looking to step up a notch and release a single and album to follow - "And I'm bringing through my hooliganz too, some hot new MCs."
Leading the Aftershock roster, Bruza is approaching the music game with a cool head, a strong focus on his own career and an uncompromising UK style.
Prepare to do it on Bruza's terms during 2006.
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