BIPOC Artists in Scotland’s Rap and R&B Scene - Shogun Shato

BIPOC Artists in Scotland’s Rap and R&B Scene

Shogun Shato’s clever lyricism and wordplay brings a fresh air to Scotland’s Rap and R&B scene. Hailing from London, the influences of grime can be heard in his tracks’ but his sound doesn’t stop there. Read on to delve into the versality his music offers. 

What sparked your interest in music?

My family. Someone is always banging music.  It could be 5am and my mum is blasting gospel music, my sister sings and my brother has always been into grime and we bonded over that. My friendships too, a lot of them were founded on music. 

As for making music, I never intended to do that. Before studying for a year abroad in Japan, I felt boxed in and on a pre-chosen path, going away helped me get away from that and I realised there’s so much in the world and I started thinking about getting into music from there. When I came back from Japan, I remember watching a freestyle by Novelist with a friend and thinking that I could do that too, to which he said “Do it then” and it all started from there. The second I started writing, my love for music shot up to another level.

What artists are you influenced by? 

Growing up in London, a lot of my influences came from grime.  Skepta basically made up the soundtrack of my childhood. On the American side, J. Cole is my guy. 

How would you describe the music you create?

I’m still very early in my musical journey so I’m still finding my sound. I take influence from a large variety of different sources such as grime, R&B and American hip hop.  Being from Nigeria and playing Afrobeats on a regular or my mum playing gospel music both influenced me too; it’s really just me combining all of these elements of who I am and producing a sound that is unique to who I am, and I’m still in the process of finding that. 

With the songs you’ve released now, do you sway to certain sounds?

All my earlier stuff was me trying to use a typical grime flow. I’ve moved to beats that are a bit slower than the usual 140bpm of grime because it allows me to be a lot more lyrical and play around with rhyme schemes as I find the whole process of writing quite enjoyable.

But I still like the super high paced beats because I’ve got a lot of energy about me.

What was the creative process behind the songs you have released? 

‘Yasuke’

Writing ‘Yasuke’ was one of the easiest songs I’ve ever written. I was inspired by the story of Yasuke, who is a real historical figure. He’s the first recorded black African man to step foot in Japan, he was a slave. He met the Emperor of Japan who freed him from slavery and made him an official Samurai. I really resonate with Yasuke, having studied Japanese and living in Tokyo for a year, it felt like I was supposed to write a song about him.

‘Shogun’ & ‘Shato’

Obviously both songs are named after me, and that was intentional.

They were the first two tracks I released, so I wanted people to see the two sides to me, where I got my influence from and what my music is going to be moving forward. 

The beat used for Shogun is an iconic grime beat. I wanted to prove I could flow on a grime beat and actually go in. I want people to understand that London is a big part of my legacy because I am proud of being from London, it’s a part of who I am.  

The sample used on ‘Shato’ is from Luther Vandross’ ‘Never Too Much’ which reminded me of my mum as she’s always playing his music. A lot of the lines include wordplay and quite a few cheeky lines and that is who I am, I am a cheeky guy. In school I was a class clown. I’m a fun- loving guy and I wanted to have that element in there. 

How did lockdown affect your process of making music?

It has been tough for me because I get inspiration from the world around me and random encounters with people, and that doesn’t happen anymore as the world is at a bit of a stand still right now. But at the same time, I have been able to tap into my own emotions.

What UK artists would you like to collaborate with? 

Skepta. KwolleM, who I’m blown away by, I want to see if I can make mellow grime music similar to him. Jelani Blackman too, he has the smoothest flow I’ve ever heard. And Che Lingo.  

What can we expect to hear from you in the future?

I’m working on something right now, but in general you’ll hear a lot of new sounds, collaborations and possibly an EP.

You can listen to Shogun Shato’s songs on all digital streaming platforms now!

Tickets are available for Off The Record 2020 here