Blizzard has had the streets hyping since he dropped a freestyle that showcased his abilities to rap and spit over a grime beat. The beat just happened to be JME’s and he just happened to tweet it out to his 80,000 followers.
Blizzard has since built up his fanbase since then which has seen him drop freestyles on SB.TV for both a Rap and Grime warm-up session which hit 40,000 views in two weeks.
With that in mind we caught up with the 17 year old Manchester MC to discuss SB.TV, JME, battling on Don’t Flop, and which Manchester football team he supports.
Read our exclusive interview with Blizzard below..
HTF: Hi Blizzard, thanks for taking time out to speak to Hit the Floor. How are you?
Blizzard: Not a problem at all, I’m very well thank you, just keeping busy, getting as much music done as possible.
HTF: For those that have not heard about you yet, can you give them a little introduction.
Blizzard: For those that don’t know, my name is Bradley; I go by the name of Blizzard and I’m a 17 year old MC / Producer / Rapper from Manchester.
HTF: You recently hit up SB.TV and performed both a Grime and Rap ‘Warm Up Session’ which has seen over 40,000 hits in 2 weeks, why do you think people have warmed to you?
Blizzard: I’m not too sure actually, I think it might be because I’m young; it’s not often that a new face pops up on the internet so I guess people feel the need to check this new person out. The fact I did two videos as well helped because the minute you search my name, a video of each genre comes up, which gives the impression that I’m not just a one trick pony. The promotion from my peers and from Manchester and the UK as a whole really helped me too.
HTF:JME recently tweeted one of your videos to his fans, how did that make you feel?
Blizzard: It’s crazy. JME is such a powerful name in the grime scene, so anything he cosigns is taken seriously. When he first tweeted my video I was surprised because with the following he has you can only expect good from it. It’s also rewarding to know that somebody of such a big calibre has acknowledged you. It’s a change, but a pleasant change.
HTF: You also work off the mic as a producer, and recently dropped a 5 beat EP ‘Talk Less’ for free, how important is it to be a jack of all trades?
Blizzard: I think having more than one angle to go at really helps because that way there is more chances for people to discover you. I’ve produced beats for people and even though my name was referenced they didn’t think that I was the same ‘Blizzard’, but when you discover that an MC can make his own beats, it’s good. Especially when making a record; I would rather produce a whole record myself than have help from other people, because that way it would be more personal to me.
HTF: As if being a talented spitter and producer was not enough, you also battle aswell, recently taking on ‘H-Bomb’. Do you enjoy the competitive nature of the battling scene and would something like Lord of the Mics interest you?
Blizzard: Battling is so fun, especially in Don’t Flop events (youtube.com/dontflop) because the crowd are always supportive of you, and you could go to event with little to no respect and you literally have to battle your way up. It’s a test of strength. Lord Of The Mics is something that has never really caught my attention; though it’s something I’m not willing to take part in I respect their graft and I wish them the best of luck with it.
HTF: You are currently working alongside Launchpad Records, does this mean we should be expecting a mixtape in the near future?
Blizzard: Definitely. I’m working on a mixtape for 2012, but I don’t really have any concrete ideas for it. It’s all going to be confirmed along the journey. Who knows?
HTF: A lot of artists seem to be getting more recognition from Manchester, who would you recommend to us as the next to blow?
Blizzard: I think D’Lyfa Reilly is gonna do very well; he’s a rapper from Manchester, not too far from me in fact, and he’s bringing the old school hip-hop, boom-bap, lethargic feel back, which I can respect being an avid rap fan.
His track ‘Concrete Safari’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNLYoZXrp2c) has been on repeat since it came out, and I know he’s gonna get somewhere.
HTF: Of course being from Manchester, there is one important question United or City?
Blizzard: United, no doubt about it. My family are split between United and City but my immediate family (my Mum and my Dad) are all Reds. Shifty is a Blue, but we aren’t perfect, are we haha…
HTF: Thanks for taking the time out to speak to us at Hit The Floor, is there anything else you would like to add?
Blizzard: Not a problem! Just stay connected I guess, my Facebook is facebook.com/blizzarddubs and my Twitter is @iamblizzard; watch out for the music that’s to come and watch out for the Manchester scene as a whole!
Blizzard is available for bookings now via info.launchpadmusic@gmail.com at a special introductory price.
Interviewer: Michael O’Connor
