MOAN on his new single and music video, the state of the UK for independent artists, and navigating an ever contentious music industry
Songwriter SPOTLIGHT: MOAN
UK hip hop artist MOAN is not afraid to do his own thing, and talk about some of the realest issues in the world today, both in conversation and through his music.
SoundScout Mag sat down with him for a good in-depth chat about his new single and music video, behind the scenes on his songwriting and film making, as well as the real issues hitting UK society today and how its contentious music industry neglects young artists.
Watch the conversation above, or read it below. And check out MOAN’s latest stuff at the bottom of this page.
So I’m here with UK hip hop artist MOAN – a filmmaker, and in my opinion, a master lyricist. He’s just dropped his first single in a couple of years, with a great music video to go with it, called Home of the Damned.
New single, video, and film making practice
So first of all, what inspired you to write the lyrics for Home of the Damned? How did the idea start to make the song and the video?
MOAN: It’s the first song I’ve released in about two years. I hadn’t written anything for about a year, and then in December, I suddenly started making music every day. I think I wrote Home of the Damned around mid-January. I had made loads of songs, and there was another one I thought would be the first single. But when you create, you get loads of stuff out, and eventually a theme starts to develop, and then you get something you’re happier with.
That same day, I dug out this old beat from the producer — Jay Oracle. He had sent me loads of new stuff, but I found an older beat and thought, that sounds perfect. I had also been listening to a lot of Lee Scott. It took me a while to appreciate his music, because a lot of people who listen to that kind of stuff tend to be younger and doing a lot of drugs. Sometimes I can’t listen to music that’s associated with drug use. But through the process of making more music and listening to more UK hip-hop artists, I started to appreciate it more.
I also went to see Dead Players live — the first time they performed in about seven years. At that show, I realized I’d been avoiding digging into the darker side of myself. I’ve been sober for over three and a half years, and I think sometimes I avoid channeling the dark energy I used to have. Being at that show reminded me I still have a desire to dig into that. I’m a psychedelic person. I did a lot of trips, and went through dark stuff. I think maybe I was avoiding putting it into the music, but I realized it’s a big part of who I am.
That beat let me connect to the part of myself that used to be self-destructive, used to do drugs, used to be involved in that scene. I channeled it. Also, a lot of people don’t understand, but UK hip-hop should sound like the country we live in. That song sounds dark grey, overcast, depressing — bad economy, no money, mental health struggles. I stuck with the theme of being this lonely demigod. As soon as I had that phrase, “lonely demigod,” I ran with it.
I think you’re right about the beat and production. It feels very UK hip-hop — a bit gloomy and grey — which is something I really like. You found that beat and it helped you express that darker side of yourself?
MOAN: 100%. A friend of mine said I should make a more pop song, but he’s not from England and doesn’t really get it. For me, it was important to represent myself, my darker side, the UK, the landscape — and to keep it really simple. I could rap double-time or switch the flow, but it wasn’t about that.
And you show the UK landscape really well in the video — it all comes together.
MOAN: I overthought the video so much. I had to just let go. I was worrying about it, but I realized, if I just filmed this, this, and this, it would work. I had the idea for the one white contact lens — to represent that maybe I was half-dead, half-evil. Just a simple subliminal detail. There are shots in there that represent drowning. Once I’ve written a song, I think about how the video can represent it — subtly.
Those underwater shots are great. We’ll come back to that in a bit, but just to say — to everyone watching — go check out the video. It’s great. So did you decide to make the video after writing the song?
MOAN: When songs come out, it happens fast. I wrote it, recorded a demo mix that night, and was listening to it on the bus to the gym the next day. That’s when I thought, this is the one. I sent it off to be mixed. While it was being mixed, I was already thinking about the video. I planned it in my head and shot it a week later. I wanted to do a proper pre-release campaign. I submitted it for distribution four weeks before release, and started promoting it straight away. The video was done two or three weeks before release.
I had a surgery — a wisdom tooth extracted. They had to drill bone from my face. I knew I had to get everything done before that, because I didn’t know how it would affect me. It was painful, and I knew my head might go or I might get lazy. So I used that as a deadline, and then spent a couple of weeks just promoting.
How long did it take you to shoot the video? A day? A weekend?
MOAN: I went out one day to film a B-roll of buildings. Then a friend helped me shoot the music video at night. We got back up at sunrise and filmed again that afternoon. So, one afternoon of B-roll, then two shoots — night and sunrise. It was all basically in one go. Very fast and efficient. My friend held the camera, and I used an app on my phone to monitor and direct the shots. I recorded the whole thing myself using the phone.
What app was that?
MOAN: It’s called Monitor. Most cameras have Wi-Fi, so it lets you view your camera through your phone. It made it really easy to record and direct at the same time. Being the director, camera person, and artist makes things easier.
And the underwater shot — where was that filmed?
MOAN: At my local gym. It has a lido — an outdoor pool. I put my phone in a waterproof case and just went underwater with it.
You make it sound easy. I wouldn’t know how to do that.
MOAN: I’ve been filming videos for a few years. I kept it really simple. As much as I hate to admit it, new phones are quite capable of high-quality footage.
In terms of lyrics, what line from Home of the Damned means the most to you?
MOAN: “Desolation, solitary, contemplating. Immortal, the demigod. I’ve finished waiting.” It’s cryptic but straightforward. I’d been waiting to release something for two years. I’m a spiritual, kind person, but I don’t come from silk sheets and riches. I’ve always suffered with mental health. I’m in the best place I’ve been, but I come from a dark place. I’ve done martial arts, kickboxing, karate, Muay Thai — I like being fit. Discipline is missing in hip-hop. I wanted to make a statement: I’m a clean, spiritual vessel, but don’t mess with me. I have the potential to be really dark.
The first verse is about that — good and evil. The second is more about trust, friendship, and love. The third is about resurrection — like Jesus rising from the dead. I mention stuff like that. It’s all woven in.
And the title Home of the Damned — does that refer to the UK, to you, or both?
MOAN: More to the UK. Living here feels like being in the Simpsons bubble. I saw a meme that said, “If you’ve made it to this age without becoming a conspiracy theorist, you’re a bit of a [__],” and I kind of agree. We’re in every kind of crisis — housing, unemployment, homelessness, drugs. If you’re not wealthy or don’t have generational wealth, you’re struggling. The UK has refined us into worker bees and wage slaves. That’s been a theme in my life recently. I’m more stable now, but I still see how hard it is to survive. This country forces people to work crap jobs for crap pay and live in crap conditions, and people still believe that’s normal. I wanted to channel that suffocation into the song.
I agree, and it’s good to talk about that. At the beginning and end of the track, who is the person speaking? What’s his significance to you and your music?
MOAN: That’s my friend Dutch. He’s a coach I met in a boxing gym in London. He’s opening his own gym and wants me to work there as a boxing coach. He helped me move into my flat — that move tied in with my three-year clean date. He sent me that message, saying he liked me because there’s no BS. If I get a nice message like that on WhatsApp, I download it and keep it for songs. It fit perfectly with what the track was about.
That’s a great idea — saving voice notes for music. It adds real authenticity. What was the biggest challenge in recording or editing the video?
MOAN: Just my own head. I overthought it. I wanted to get it out ASAP. I hadn’t released anything in two years. The music industry and social media have changed so much — we live in a different world post-COVID. I had to detach from overthinking the outcome. I kept it simple — filmed B-roll near where I live, repped who I am. It didn’t have to be a perfect short film. Just me, interesting shots, good edit. The only challenge was mental.
You said you live in South London. Where did you film the video?
MOAN: I’ve got to keep some secrets, but South London has been home. I’ve been here for over three years. This is my fourth year in London. I’ve had my own place for seven months. I’m closest to the river. I’m grateful, but I’ve worked hard to be here. I enjoyed filming here. You’ll notice even my last song a couple of years ago was also shot in South London. It works with who I am — coming from Sheffield too. Sheffield, like London, has poverty and wealth side-by-side. That contrast fits with who I am.
Was there a particular part or shot in the video you enjoyed most?
MOAN: I think filming underwater was difficult. As I said, I did it with my phone. The last shot at the end, the cityscape — that was actually when I came out of the dentist after I had my tooth out. I did that on my phone. I’ve got this app where you can hack the settings to make the footage higher quality and more cinematic so you can color grade it. I realized my camera is a bit like a B-cam, so I quite enjoyed shooting some stuff on the phone and then putting it in. I just wanted to make it a bit like a montage of my life — there’s some training footage and so on.
We filmed on Chelsea Bridge as the sun came up. That was quite challenging because there were a lot of white middle class, maybe upper middle class, people walking past on their way to work, and you’re rapping with a bright white eye on a bridge at about 6:30. It was freezing — it was February — and I had to do a couple of takes to get it right. I didn’t end up using much of that bridge footage, but I really wanted to because it’s one of my favorite views in London. From Chelsea Bridge you can see right into the town center.
And so, just kind of moments where you were going about your life and you thought, “I’m going to capture this,” is that it
MOAN: Yeah, I mean, I walk — sometimes I go to a sober meeting in Chelsea that starts at 7:30 in the morning, so I have to get up at 6 to make it there on time. That’s an actual spot I walk over regularly. I didn’t want to do anything crazy. Like I said, I just visited bits of places that I walk past.
And how many takes did it take to do the underwater shot?
MOAN: Originally, I wanted shadow boxing underwater, but because it was freezing and the pool’s unheated, my friend got in and came straight back out — he wouldn’t do it. So I got in the pool at the other side. The plan was, he was going to film me underwater, swim towards him and stop and shadow box. He got in for five seconds and straight back out. So I took the phone myself, held it like this, dunked myself under, and then actually went back a couple days later and did it again on my own because I was off-center. The footage I actually used was from that second shoot.
Rap music & producing
Right, okay, cool. And in terms of the music production — the music production complements your rapping and visuals so well, I think. How did you start working with J Oracle? You’ve already mentioned that you found one of his beats and decided to use it, but how did you originally start working with him?
MOAN: I’ve stuck with the same three producers, I’d say almost always. Jay actually approached me. I put a song out a few years ago, and he asked if he could have it on a compilation album. I said yeah. He wanted to put it on vinyl, but that never happened. We just kept talking. He’d send me beats now and again — I’d write to them and never finish them. Then I got the itch in December. I sent messages to my three producers because being in my flat for seven months meant I had no studio. For three years I was in a shared house, I didn’t really feel comfortable making music. I used to go to a studio and do things as fast as possible.
This was the first time I said, “Look, I want to make music, what have you got?” They started sending me batches. Jay sent me the most beats. What I like is, if a producer sends me the beats and the stems, I can go straight into the project and create demos. I don’t really like to wait around for stems. If I’ve just got a beat in, I know what I’m doing producing — I can cut stuff. I like to create a feel.
I went into an older folder and found that he’d sent me that beat like a year ago. He said he made it on an MPC, and he’d actually sold the MPC, so he didn’t even like the beat anymore. It’s maybe a couple of years old, but I liked that it was rustic and very simple.
I’ve probably recorded quite a lot of new songs to his stuff. I just try to make as much as I can for fun and then take the best. It just felt right that we’d been meaning to work together for ages. I recorded a lot of demos and thought, it’s good we got that one song out — and we’ve got loads more.
That’s good, that’s exciting. And you mentioned a compilation — what was it?
MOAN: I can’t even remember the name of it. It was about four years ago. The song was Could I Not Be Breathing Next, and I released it myself. He re-released it on a compilation. I didn’t really mind.
Obviously you mentioned you’ve removed maybe half your catalog — I don’t know if you noticed I took loads of music videos down and removed a lot of singles and stuff — what made you do that?
MOAN: MOAN started off as a group thing. There were three of us, and not everyone remembers that. The first project was me, another rapper, and a producer. We all just fell out — it didn’t really work out. It was fun for a year. I just felt like I should remove that, remove those videos — memories of the past. I feel like I’ve outgrown who I was, the situations and people.
Like I said, hip-hop unfortunately comes with a lot of toxic stuff, and I played my part in certain things. I just wasn’t the same person. I haven’t drunk or done drugs in over three and a half years. I’m not involved in any of that. I don’t associate or hang around with any of the people I used to. Four years is a long time.
I wanted to start fresh. My style’s changed. I’m more myself. So I removed what doesn’t resemble my direction — including work with people I don’t talk to anymore. It just felt right to strip back as much as possible.
Yeah, now you’ve explained it, that makes complete sense. If you’ve changed as a person, you want to kind of get rid of past you and have a clean slate. Have you kept most of the stuff that’s your solo work then?
MOAN: Some of it. I’ve removed a lot of singles. I’m sitting on a lot of stuff. I had some stuff that wasn’t my best either. My style’s changed — not drastically, but I’m more me now. I think as artists we cling to the past. I thought, if I’m not proud of this or it’s not who I am, what’s the point? There’s a lot more to come.
Some people say I’m young. I don’t know. A lot of the guys at the top are way older than me. I’ve still got time. I might as well remove a load of stuff. I think it’s a refining process — that’s what I’ve learned.
Do you mind me asking how old you are?
MOAN: I just turned 32.
So how many years ago was the group thing?
MOAN: 2018, I think — that was the first single.
And you mentioned you’ve worked with three producers most of your journey. There’s Jay Oracle — who are the other two?
MOAN: KMA — I’ve been working with KMA since 2018. Then Kulma from Finland, he’s produced some of my stuff. Macki from Estonia has too. J Oracle only produced Home of the Dam so far, but I’ve got other stuff with him now. There’s another producer called Sim — we’ve got one song from an EP, but we’ve been trying to make more stuff. It takes time.
I was very convinced during my year off that I wanted to self-produce because I had a particular sound I wanted. But it’s inconsistent. I’m not managing to make as much. I do have a few self-produced tracks I’ll put out, but it’s not my main skill, so it’s taking a bit of time.
Okay, because I was going to ask if you’ve produced any of your own singles before?
MOAN: I have — under a different alias.
And what’s that alias?
MOAN: I don’t want to say here.
Okay, fair enough. I was just wondering
MOAN: I can send you some stuff, but if you’ve been on my YouTube, there’s still some older stuff there that I haven’t removed. But, yeah, I’ve self-produced a little bit, but not as much yet.
Yeah, okay, but you’re planning to, in the future, probably put out some self-produced stuff?
MOAN: Yeah, I’ve got one finished, actually. I’ve already shot a video for it. I just never got it out, or I never edited the video. I suppose it’s a good time to tell you this—I’ve been given some funding to release an EP. That’s what I’m going to be doing this month. I’ll be trying to finish it. One of the singles on that is going to be self-produced.
The state of the UK, income & funding for independent artists
Excellent! We’ll talk about that more in a minute. So, if you could change one thing about society in the UK today, what would that be, and how do you think the government could improve the lives of artists and creatives?
MOAN: I mean, there’s no one thing I can think of, because there’s so many that all work together. I’d introduce a national living wage [Universal Basic Income]. It’d be like a benefit, but a living wage. It’d be a lot higher than what benefits are now. I don’t think people realize exactly what you’re expected to live off month to month if you’re unemployed, or signed off sick, or can’t work. It’s incredibly low, and people die because of it.
So, introducing something like that to take the pressure off people to actually have to work—because I actually think people shouldn’t have to work. The mindset of people thinking, “Oh, I’m better than you because I work,” is totally wrong, and everything’s backwards about our society. People become so proud of saying, “Oh, I work for my money.” Or, “Oh, I work for this, so I deserve more than you.” But, realistically, as a spiritual human being, I think mental health issues are a manifestation of being forced to do things you wouldn’t naturally do. Like, as a man, I’d be sat around in a cloth with a stick, maybe hunting, bashing a rock, building things with my hands, running around in nature, hunting, fishing, fighting—yeah, I’m a bit more evolved than that actually, but… I think we should have the freedom to only pursue the things we want to do.
Of course, society has to function, but we’re at a point now where it could take care of itself. So, introduce a national living wage so if you didn’t want to work, you wouldn’t have to. You could pursue the thing you want to do. Also, housing—there needs to be way more social housing. A lot more. I’d set limits on landlords. I don’t know exactly how to word it, but there needs to be a lot more social housing, and landlords need to be monitored more carefully. A lot of landlords only make their properties available to students, because they can avoid taxes, and students don’t pay council tax or housing tax.
Right, yeah. That’s a real issue.
MOAN: Exactly. So, in the UK, to rent a property, you need to be making 30 times the rent. In London, 30 times the rent is about £40,000 a year, but the average salary is only £25,000. So, most people have to live in terrible conditions and can’t afford to live on their own. Only the top percent of earners can live in their own places. Even up north, 30 times the rent is lower, but the salaries are lower too. That all needs to change. And like I said, I understand the housing crisis well, because I’ve lived in it.
Yeah, absolutely. So, you mentioned before about a living wage—you mean universal basic income, right?
MOAN: I think so, yeah. I think something like that exists. I’m not the best at understanding all of that.
Yeah, that’s essentially what you’re describing, that some people are trying to push for around the world, not just in the UK. It’s the idea of everyone getting a certain wage, whether you work or not, and then you can earn more on top of that if you want. It’s been talked about for a long time, but yeah, it’s still not fully implemented anywhere.
MOAN: Yeah, and I think I understand [the] housing [crisis] more than anything.
What do you think is the hardest thing about being an independent artist in the UK?
MOAN: There’s no money in it. Not that there should be, but what I’ve realized is, we’re in a privileged position now. I don’t think a lot of young artists work hard enough. They think they can make music for two years and then it should just be their job. People should pay them, hire them, whatever. But all the great bands worked for maybe 10 years before they made any money. The problem in a lot of cities—especially in London—is that only people from privileged backgrounds, who can live off their mom and dad’s money, are able to pursue being musicians and artists. So, a lot of the genres, like hip-hop, are dominated by wealthy, privileged, quite posh people. People from underprivileged backgrounds, like those in urban decay, are often unable to pursue art seriously as a career. So, we end up doing it for passion, barely putting anything out, and can’t finish a product.
10 years ago, the statistic was that the average independent musician was making £6,000 a year, and I can only imagine that’s gone down since COVID. I’ve told a few people that statistic, and they don’t believe it, but that was the reality. I’ve applied for £3,000 several times and never got it. Even £3,000 doesn’t go far—it’s for mixing and mastering fees, music videos, advertising, marketing. When I make a music video for an artist, I charge £500, so that’s a huge chunk of it gone.
Wow, that’s rough.
MOAN: Yeah, and making income and support more accessible for artists is a huge issue because when you apply for money, they want so much justification for such a small amount—it’s ridiculous.
And who provides that funding you’re talking about?
MOAN: There’s an amazing organization, Help Musicians UK. They run several rounds of funding all year round. I’ve had support from them. They funded my private therapy for years. Despite not having much money to put into music, they support musicians, even in crisis situations. If you become unemployed, they’re there to help. A lot of people don’t even know it exists.
I’ve heard of them before, but I didn’t know they provided that kind of support.
MOAN: Yeah, they offer all sorts. They have a FastTrack funding award of £500, then they have a mobile award and a few others up to £3,000. They also run workshops and support musicians in other ways, like courses and random opportunities.
That’s great. And you know, with streaming and everything, it seems like artists struggle to make money from that. It’s just impossible unless you’re getting millions of streams.
MOAN: Exactly. The industry only wants to capitalize on you when you’re profitable. Talent doesn’t equal opportunity anymore—there’s talent everywhere. Labels haven’t done their jobs in maybe over 10 years. A&Rs, marketing—it’s what makes me unique. I studied the industry more like an indie artist than a hip-hop artist. Some of the biggest hip-hop labels don’t even have proper splits written down. It’s still all verbal, which is part of the culture of hip-hop, but it’s also why the underground scene hasn’t blown up properly.
The music industry
Yeah, I agree with you completely. I’ve spoken to a lot of independent artists, and it’s such a problem. Labels expect you to have a massive audience before they’ll even consider you. Before, labels would find artists and invest in them. That doesn’t happen anymore.
MOAN: Yeah, and even big artists are losing money now. I’ve seen interviews where people like Kate Nash talk about how they usually lose money on tours. They break even, and if they make money, they’re happy.
Yeah, it’s a real struggle. And what you said earlier about the music industry not doing their job is so true.
MOAN: Everything’s changed. Labels don’t take chances like they used to. You can’t even imagine a small independent deal being profitable, even if it’s 10 to 30 grand. Yeah, it’s confusing. Even for small artists like me, if I were to sign a deal for less than 10 grand, would I even consider it? I don’t know.
Yeah, it’s tough.I think it all comes back to the audience and listeners. The big streaming platforms like Spotify are there to please the listener, not the artist.
MOAN: And I think we’ve been brainwashed into thinking social media is more important than it actually is. Social media is a form of control. It keeps people compliant and stifles actual growth. It’s all about real-life interaction—live music, for example. The key to success is organic interaction, not just social media. Real life—live shows—those are still the most important.
Yeah, definitely. So, what was the last show you did?
MOAN: I played Green Gathering Festival in August, and that’s it. I haven’t got any plans for shows right now. It’s a difficult one. I understand how important shows are, but I’m 32 now. I’m not in my early 20s anymore. I don’t want to be running around doing open mics and staying out late. I enjoy looking after myself—keeping fit, staying healthy.
Yeah, I get that.
MOAN: But when promoters approach you, it’s all about ticket sales. They don’t really promote the show, and that’s what frustrates me. I message them and ask, “Are you going to promote this show, or are you just trying to get me to sell tickets?”
Yeah, exactly.
MOAN: I just do it myself. I don’t need anyone else to do it.
Yeah, that’s the way to go. And just before we finish, back to the filmmaking side of things. What advice would you give to young artists getting into filmmaking and recording their first music video?
MOAN: I think maybe just keep it really simple but don’t copy what everyone else is doing. Because if you think about it, all rap videos look the same—everyone just sticks to the same formula. It’s like they think a good video is just a replica of what everyone else has got. But to me, that’s boring and doesn’t make you stand out. I’ve simplified my stuff down a little bit. Just film something. If you’re going to pay someone, pay them properly to do a proper job. If you want it cheap, do it yourself. Never expect anyone to work for cheap, because they’re either going to do a bad job or they’re not going to want to do it. If you’re not paying them properly, I don’t believe you’re respecting what they want to do. So it’s like, if you’re not willing to invest in a good quality piece of art, do it yourself.
Yeah, that’s a great piece of advice. If you just want to pay peanuts to someone, you might as well do it yourself or invest properly into it. So any artists thinking of filming their first video, those are three big takeaways for you.
Because, like you said, so many rap videos are the same these days—they get a load of women shaking their asses, money, you know, and it’s like, this is so dead now.
MOAN: It’s so done. Or it’s guys on pedal bikes, motorbikes, standing with dogs and balaclavas. I’m like, that is every single music video ever.
Exactly. Which is part of the reason when I see your videos, specifically your last video, it just caught my attention. It caught my eye because it was different, and you were doing your own thing.
MOAN: Yeah, I try not to care about the statistics, but I actually looked at all my insights and I was like, “Oh, it’s actually done well.” Because it’s simple. It’s real. And like you say, it’s your life, it’s your environment. So yeah, be proud of the results, man, because it shows that it’s got something for sure.
Future plans, projects and aspirations
So lastly, what else have you got planned for this year? And where do you see the UK hip-hop scene a year from now?
MOAN: I started shooting a video for a new single. I’ve already decided what the single is. I’ve had it mixed and mastered, so I need to submit it. I just want to do the same as I did last time, but I’m actually not going to try as hard. It’s weird—I feel like the video won’t be as good, but I’ll actually watch the footage back and be like, “Oh, it’s not too bad.” Because I’m focusing on consistency over perfection. I think that’s more important. I’ve shot some nice footage, but I kind of can’t see it yet in my head because I think I’m overthinking the idea. I’m just seeing it more as documenting my journey. So if I’m going somewhere, I’ll think, “Oh, let’s get some footage. Let’s do this, let’s just document where I’m going and what I’m doing.” I’m not treating music like I want to make it or break through or live off it. I’m just doing it for fun while trying to focus on my life, like my life in reality. Music is just something I do on the side because it makes me happier doing that. And I need to finalize the EP and get an EP out this year, at the back end of the year. I want the EP to go out. And, yeah, like I said, I might be working in a boxing gym that’s going to open up. I’m waiting for that to open up. My friend’s going to run it. And who knows, man. To be honest, like I said, the country’s a mess. When I think about what I want to do, how I’m really going to earn my living, where I’m going to live in the future, and how I’m going to create a stable life while still managing to be creative. Because I don’t consider myself a super creative person. I work in bursts and not for long. So that’s kind of it, really.
That’s good that you’ve got music that you’re intending to release this year. A single as soon as possible and the EP later in the year. Are there any titles for maybe the single or the EP that you want to give away?
MOAN: I’ve always worked mostly in secrecy. Anything I’ve ever released, even the person that produced it or features on it, never hears the finished product until it’s out. That’s always how I’ve worked. I’ve never shown anyone things—my friends, anyone close to me—they never hear anything. No one sees the videos until they’re all done. I’m changing a bit. I’ve been sharing stuff with people close to me or if someone’s at my place, I’ll show them something. You know, Jay heard the song before it went out. But generally, I’m really not a big believer in sharing stuff early. Because most people don’t really care, and you’re forgotten about so fast. I feel like when everything goes out, you’ve got to maximize everything on the day it comes out. Because the attention span of people is super short—even people who really like your stuff, their attention span is so short.
And in terms of the UK hip-hop scene a year from now, do you think it’ll be more of the same—videos of cash, women, and cars—or do you think we’ll see more people doing something different and doing their own thing?
MOAN: I mean, as much as I hate to pay attention to the world of social media, authenticity is becoming bigger. So I think there is a shift happening. The pop stuff’s always going to be super generic—money, women, drinking, balaclavas, blah blah blah. But I think, you know, what we were talking about—like the guys in their 40s and a lot of the independent hip-hop guys who are quite big right now, they’re all in their 40s, maybe mid-40s. And I was talking to a guy, and he was like, “Oh, I hate TikTok, this, that, and the other.” And I was like, those guys had the unique opportunity to get big before they needed to use Instagram and TikTok. So they’ve got their fanbases, but people in their 30s sometimes missed the wave because we were in the middle of it.
But the younger generation—teenagers and people in their 20s—are capitalizing on social media because they’re in the wave of it. So I think we’ll see maybe more people making authentic UK hip-hop—not just rap or trap—and doing simple video content that might start developing big followings. But at the same time, maybe it’ll just be the same. I don’t know. What I’ve realized is that to get to where people I listen to and admire are, people who are at the top but not famous, I can’t get there doing what they did. It doesn’t exist anymore. The younger people have to do things differently. Like, we see it—it’s easy to say TikTok’s cringey or this is cringey, but the reality is the world is different now. People have to do things to get noticed.
I think at some point the UK hip-hop sound and landscape could move back toward a more golden-era, 90s-influenced sound—something a bit grittier. I think that might come back around. The trap stuff might fade out, and we’ll see more of the older influences. I do think that’s going to happen because that’s just how things work. And I think the real stuff is always going to come from the underground anyway. Like you said.
Yeah, definitely. Well, good luck with everything this year – with your single, the next video, and the EP. And thanks for chatting with me.
MOAN: Appreciate it, man. Thanks for having me, keep supporting real music. And yeah, I’ll see you soon.
