Words: Linn Branson
We will hold our hands up here and admit that Little Indie is not terribly au fait with hip hop, grime, rap 'n' trap. We have featured intermittently, but not to a large extent.
Therefore, when we heard from Londoner Wilson Roserie, aka Appoluso, with his debut release 'Bad Apples' released last week, we weren't sure we'd like it or even know if it was good, bad, hot to trot or middling. But on first listen we were hooked - and we had to have several listens on repeat straight off! When we looked at some of the comments on the video for the track, we pretty well knew that this was something definitely a bit good.
And if you don't think it is your kind of thing in particular, give it a go. When it gets to the chorus, the melody is sick and you'll find it hard not to groove along to.
Not sure we could do the track justice and wanting to find out a bit more about Appoluso at the same time, we sent him a few questions.
Hey, tell us something about yourself.
My name is Appoluso and I am a Afro swing/Hip-Hop artist. That is to say I take a melodic approach to rap, and lean heavily on Afro sounds. I’ve always been a performer - loved acting and rapping since young - always been a party starter and good energy person! So music is just a way of me using my natural gift to express and influence where I can. Growing up in North London, Grime had a huge influence on street culture and played a big role in that era of my life. I was involved in local music projects in my area throughout my youth.
I previously performed under a few different names, but wanted to refocus and pursue music more intentionally - so I decided to re-brand myself in 2017.
I’m a Hip-Hop/Grime/Afro-Swing rapper - think J-Hus, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar in one big bruddah! In addition to their musical style, these artists have a way of weaving a story and a narrative into their music that inspires me.
I usually write based on how I’m feeling - so if I’m feeling good, I’ll write music to make whoever’s listening feel good about themselves. If I’m upset I’ll write about how things went in my opinion or how things could have changed; I am a deep thinker, so music helps me express that in a healthy way. I find I usually write my best songs when an instrumental matches my mood at the time or emotional state and I just start typing up things on my phone then and there.
I then work with the producer to settle on the right sound and structure of the song, and just practice it and work with it over time until we're happy - I am a perfectionist, so sometimes it's a while before I even consider recording.
Tell us a little about your new single.
My single 'Bad Apples' is about me and my first love at age 16. We had broken up, begun seeing other people, but there was a lot of back and forth in actually getting over each other. I actually wrote it years ago and came back to it recently and decided it had potential, as I realised it had a really interesting story to tell.
Can we catch up with you at any forthcoming live shows?
Yes! I will be performing at the Walk of Legacy show on October 21st. All info is on my socials, it’s going to be big!
How's the rest of the year looking, plans-wise?
I’m releasing a new single in November, and working towards my EP releasing early 2019. So a lot of time in the studio, and a lot of time performing. I am also working with a really talented comic artist to develop a graphic novel which is (very) loosely based on my experiences.
So performing, promoting, recording - and a comic book!
Where can we hear more of your music?
You can hear my commercial releases in the usual places (Spotify, Tidal, iTunes, etc).
But I release freestyles, jam sessions and music videos through my YouTube series 'Saucy Saturdays' - so head there for regular content!
What social media platforms can we find you on?
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