Matt Baker (aka JaeSwift) is the first to admit that a quick follow-up to his 2004 debut ‘Breaking The Silence’ would have been the easy option. For not only did the aforementioned opus place the east Lancashire rapper firmly in the centre of the up and coming UK rap firmament, but it also brought him close to the kind of commercial success which has evaded so many of his peers and predecessors. But instead of capitalising on his newfound profile, Baker felt the need to batten down his hatches and craft a second album of which he could be truly proud.
We let JaeSwift take up the story…
The result is ‘Authors Conspiracy LP’ – a tight, focused collection that finds Baker not only celebrating his home city but also musing on the pitfalls of fame. And while the latter may be an established source of inspiration for musical sophomores throughout the ages, Jae’s characteristic versatility, skill and freshness ensure he’s still some way ahead of the chasing pack. Add to that the album’s numerous collaborations (including a contribution from a pre-hype Effektiv) and the extended period away from the spotlight looks thoroughly justified.
What were your aims with the new record?
“The aims were on more of a musical level, as an artist – what I want to achieve. To make an album that progressed on from the last one, just put my name on the map on a worldwide level. To tell people I’m serious, and to show that the last one wasn’t a fluke. To make an album that people can listen to in five years’ time.”
And do you think you have improved upon the first album?
“I’ve got older – I haven’t stopped making music since I was 13, and I’ve improved every year. I’ve got better lyrically; I’ve got more knowledge of song structure. I’ve also got more skill as a producer – I’ve progressed in every aspect.”
You said you wanted this album to be an honest representation of who you are – how important is that to you?
“Very important. With every song, man. I can’t do something that’s just not me. It’s those artists that I respect that speak about their lives, their experiences. When you feel like you’re getting to know a bit more about that person, after every album. I like them artists, and them artists tend to stay around for the longest time anyway. I just want to be a real person.”
Was that why you spent over a year on the album – you wanted to get it absolutely right and get yourself across?
“Yeah – I wanted to get it right. I could have put out the album six months ago, but I wouldn’t have had certain songs that I think the album needs. When I listen to it I think how could I not have spent that extra little while to make it perfect.”
Do you think there’s too much bragging in hip-hop?
“I think it makes people take it less seriously, but there’s artists out there that are real. A person is complex – everybody’s complex, but some people shut off sides to them and just portray one side. Maybe every part of you ain’t for sale, but why not speak about stuff you know about? In tracks where people are vulnerable, they make the best music. Even 50 Cent, he’s probably the fakest artist out there right now, but his best song to me is ‘Many Men’, where he’s speaking about being scared of dying, and I love that.”
Your new track ‘Nobodys Lookin’ deals with the negative aspect of being known – what’s the most difficult aspect, do you think?
“People think you’ve changed. You think you’re the same person, and that everyone else has changed! It’s difficult keeping friends, but still moving on in your life. Sometimes it’s not as simple as moving on in your life and everyone just being happy for you, and I speak about that in that track. That’s been a thing I’ve had to deal with.”
And there’s the title track ‘Authors Conspiracy’, when you talk about just making music in your bedroom and not having to worry about all the extra stuff that you’ve got to worry about now. How do you think being better known affects your approach?
“I like to just get in there and lose myself, and not think about all that. Sometimes when I have thought about that, the track hasn’t turned out right. All the tracks on my album are ones where I’ve just completely focused on the music. Before, I was just making tracks and not expecting anyone to hear them. Now I’m making tracks that are for this album that will come out one day!”
You went to a studio in Manchester to spit with Rickaine – what made you decide to do that?
“He’s my favourite engineer of the last few years. I really respect him as an MC, producer, and engineer. The track that we did – ‘Tell Me’ – he would have never done that kind of track before, but I knew that he would approach it in a certain way. I knew that he could spit fast, on 140 or whatever. When I played the beat he started writing so quickly, and we made the track in about 15 minutes. It was nuts.”
You worked with Effektiv on the ‘Better Than Me’ single. Were you worried about the reaction this would get from certain people?
“I knew him well before I worked with him. We spoke about working with each other and never really got around to it. But we eventually made a track, didn’t really let anyone know for a while. But I didn’t really think about how people would perceive it; it wasn’t really on my mind.”
And then there’s also TockSick…
“The track he’s on is one of my favourite ones from the album. He’s all for the music, no ego, no nothing. He’s talented, he’s versatile… he’ll play a classical piece on the piano and then do something on some shit 10p keyboard that’s broken, and put that on the track as well. A lot of the sounds on there come from little things he had lying around in his studio.”
What made you decide to make a track about Lancashire?
“I just wanted to show people the Lancs that I know about, not the one all these dickheads rhyme about! I’m also inspired by performing, and I wanted a song that people can sing, that can send the crowd mental. There’s all these directions on the song and then the live drums kick in and it shows the whole progression – starting off hard and programmed and ends live, with me freestyling over the drums. A crazy, exciting track.”
And how would you like to be remembered?
“I don’t know… just as a great lyricist, fresh, inspirational… someone that put the Lancs style of MCing on the world map.”
He is Blackmail Records’ new signing, just turned 16, a glossy kid from Oswaldtwistle, with skill, flow, platinum rhymes and Nikes so spotless they had to be straight out of the box. A golden child at that. 