BIPOC Artists in Scotland’s Rap and R&B Scene - AiiTee and Mandani
By Panashe Nyadundu
AiiTee, a.k.a Scotland’s darkest berry, has the music to match her moniker. Her soulful voice accompanied by the sound of soft R&B and Afrobeats on her EP ‘Love Don’t Fall’ is definitely sweet. Growing up in a Christian household and going to church, the influences of gospel music can be heard in AiiTee’s debut single ‘Agape’.
What music inspires you?
I used to be in an all - girl gospel group and playing gospel music is a part of my household, hearing it all the time really kick-started my interests in music and through that I explored the genre of gospel music.
I listen to a lot of music in general so I get inspiration from different places which is why you can hear different vibes in the EP like R&B and Afrobeats.
What inspired the EP, ‘Love Don’t Fall’ and the tracks on it?
The overall message is just my own way of saying how unmatched finding God’s love is in the midst of “the rest”, especially in a generation where people are running away from “love” due to passed hurt/trauma. The message is grasped towards the end of the EP (i.e the end of the story).
It also shows that love is not black and white; there are shades of grey and in those grey areas you need to remember that this person might not always be there but there’s always something to be learned from it.
‘Issues’
A lot of people think it’s about a certain person, which isn’t true. I’m able to write songs based on what I’ve seen, although I may not have gone through it. The subject of it is really relevant too because so many people go through that kind of thing.
‘Raise a glass’
The meaning behind this song is in the lyrics, “knowing what’s yours won’t pass you by”. If it’s meant for you, it won’t pass you by. I really believe that as a Christian.
Aiitee is a seasoned performer, having performed in church since her childhood and in a number of venues across Scotland. How do you find performing?
I enjoy performing even though I have stage fright! I’m so introverted but you wouldn’t see that from my music and performances. I feel like a different person when I’m on stage, I really enjoy it. Because I have performed with my sisters over the years at church, I’ve gotten used to performing.
Do you have a process for writing your music?
We used to have children’s day at church and I’d write songs. They were terrible but aunties and uncles gassed it anyway! But I think that experience really helped lay the foundations for writing music. Now, I feel like I’m perfecting my craft. I like to make music that people can relate to, so if I can do that and someone resonates with it then I’m happy.
Listen to ‘Love Don’t Fall’ on Spotify & Apple Music!
Up-and coming rapper and producer Madani has a lot to offer. As seen in his album ‘50/50’; he’s definitely multi-faceted, from his extensive production of beats and mixes to the varied genres his music brings. From trap hip-hop, to slower lyrical tracks or Afrobreats Madani’s work is impressive.
How did you get into rapping and producing?
I was into hip hop before anything else, but I grew out of it and got into heavy metal as I’m from Norway and there’s a big heavy metal scene over there.
From the age of 13, I started playing the guitar, in a band. I also played the drums, bass and vocals, which I eventually stuck with. When I got to the age of 17/18, I stopped playing the guitar because it wasn’t going anywhere, my band broke apart because we weren’t getting gigs, so the next best thing was rap and hip-hop.
What artists/producers inspire you?
I’ve been listening to Lil Wayne since I was 13. Then I started listening to Drake, and I got into music that was a lot more smooth sounding from there. Now I’m into Young Thug and Future and mumble rappers and the Atlanta scene, that’s my favourite stuff right now. XXXTentacion was also influential for me as he bridged heavy metal and that dark hip -hop sound and that’s where I started; making dark, heavy 808s and then I moved onto drill and I’ve been doing that since.
What was the inspiration behind your album 50/50?
The name ’50/50’ is a play on words, the first half of the album is all Afrobeats then the second half is trap. It’s also a play on words because of my race as I’m Norwegian and Ghanaian. It represents who I am as a person. The desire to be different is mentioned a lot in the album, being by myself and a lot of relationship stuff in there too, which can be seen in the track ’On/Off’.
In terms of the sound, I’m open to different sounds and genres of music and that’s what I wanted to portray in the album; that I listen to, produce and perform different genres of music well, whether it's Afrobeats, a lyrical hip hop track or a heavy 808. The album shows that I can be lyrical and make a catchy hook as well.
(It’s easy to get caught up in the lyrics and flows whilst forgetting that Madani produced the following songs on his album from scratch; ‘Gimmie Gimmie’, ‘Doctor’, ‘Baby Baby,’ ‘Loco’, ‘O.D’ and ‘New Here’)
What are your favourite tracks on the album?
On/off, Dirt on My Name, Benjamin
How has lockdown affected your writing/producing experience?
It changed everything. It shut down the live scene, meaning there are no more gigs so half of my networking job is gone, it's’ more online based now. Now, I’m focusing on making beats.
What can we expect to hear from you in the future?
Currently, I’ve got a lot of beats circulating in the local scene. I’m also trying to collaborate with a few people locally like Skyyboii, Sean Focus and Princyboii as well.
Check out Madani on instagram: @madani.beats
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