Frankie of the OG Frankstah blog, caught up with Maxsta over the weekend and has allowed us to feature his interview here.

Me: Thanks for talking bro, what’s good…..

Maxsta: I’m ‘ere just found out who I’m clashing on Lord Of The Mics 3 so I’m strapping…. you cool ?

Me: Everything’s healthy. I assume you can’t tell us who your clashing, but are you confident ?

Max: Very, it’s gonna be interesting man I found out like two hours ago and I’ve been at it, got about 7 16’s for my man lol. Plus Wiley’s gonna set up a Movement back to back with Roll Deep set so I’m getting ready for that too…alot of stuff going on

Me: Yeah you’ve been knocking about quite a bit with Roll Deep lately, how did that come about ?

Max: I done a version of Danny Weed’s ‘Activity’ this year and we bucked, got it cracking and didn’t stop. We started the maxtape and I also jumped on some tunes with the mandem on Aim High 4. Me, Manga and J2K have got an ‘09 version of ‘Heat Up’ it’s mental fam truss me bare tings popping. I get along with everyone as well so I jus fit at home with Roll Deep.

Me: The Maxtape ? Is that gonna be your next project ?

Max: Yeah man, my first… I got Ghetts on there with a couple of other mc’s, produced mainly by Danny Weed and Target but I’ve got a Silencer tune and a Scruface tune, 15 tracks 100% gritty. A couple of tunes have been getting showed some mad love on Radio 1, 1xtra, Logans Slot on Kiss so I’m jus’ keeping it moving.

Me: Last year you featured on a few CD’s, most notably on Frisco’s. How did you two come to meet and do you plan to work further with him.

Max: Emmm I was at Always (Recordings) at the time and one day I was at studio, Fris told me to spit a bar and it went from there. We bucked up after at studio and done some work. But yeah me and Fris are cools he’s on the ‘Maxtape’ he’s waiting on me to set a date. I’m jus’ stalling like a fruitcake but there’s jus’ alot of stuff going on for the minute get me.

Me: Understandably, who isn’t on the mixtape who you would’ve liked to have worked with ?

Max: I wanted to get a beat off Skepta but really that’s it, ‘The Maxtape’ is like a grime album so my main focus was to showcase every aspect of me through it.

Me: Someone you’ve also made music with consistently is Voltage, are you two going to bring something out together ?

Max: Yeah we’ve got a promo coming out with Nutcase still.

Me: Ok, will that be the last we hear of you before ‘The Maxtape’ ?

Max: Yeah probably… Actually I’m on Terror Danjah’s ‘Hardrive Vol. 2′, Jammer’s album, Manga’s promo, I’m about man truss me, Faith SFX’s album as well. I’m looking to flood the scene for a minute you know… I think I’ve got alot of potential as a grime artist.

Me: When did you first decide to do music ?

Max: I’ve always been into grime.. And most people who get asked this question say blah blah blah school days, playground whatever, but I grew up listening to every grime mc that was about and I jus’ felt like even then I had it in me so I wrote bars in my bedroom, locked into On Top FM or Rinse & kept on listening seeing what people were doing right or wrong and got to the task you get me.

Me: Who inspires you to continue en route to the top of the scene?

Max: Wiley, Danny Weed, Target. Them man have seen it all man. And whether it’s music, gash, beef or even a argument with the marjay them man have got some words of wisdom for man. And music wise they are the best producers in my eyes.

Me: Sure, recently you appeared on an edition of Westwood Cribs, what was it like stepping into “the big dawgs” house ?

Max: It was presidential man, me and Axe were drunk, everyone was vibsing, it was like an old school set man, bare indirects flying about non-stop, bare sly clashes and what not. JJ was moving like the top selecta he is you know.

Me: So apart from the person you’re gonna be clashing on Lord Of The Mics, who would you like to clash ? Who realistically do you think you could out-spit ?

Max: Kozzie blatantly but I don’t even wanna be put in that league, not on a big headed ting but jus’ ‘cos they have different goals to me you know them way…really and truly the only person I wanna clash and have wanted to clash for ages is getting it on lord of the mics !

Me: I hate secrets. Assuming the situation between you and Kozzie has settled now, could you see yourself working with him ?

Max: Yeah we’ve got a tune still it’s a hype ting, obviously man showed him levels, I clashed Mischief on Rinse at Manga’s birthday set and just let him know, all them man there know what it is now. Which is good but competition aside I think them lot are good man..Mischief and Kozzie.

Me: Well some good dubs were made from both of you. Your an MC that participates amongst the forums, how do you see the forum in relation to your progress ?

Max: I don’t think there’s any connection really. Fair enough I’ve promoted myself on there but it’s not like I collabed with an mc ‘cos they heard about me on the forum. I’ve started to use it less though man. Alot of guys on there are genuinely opinionated people with positive and negative views and I wish I could put this differently but alot of people jus’ chat shit man. Thats a small percentage though, so shout out to the positive people on there who support the scene and don’t just slyly download mixtapes from (mentions download site) then say “copped” in the thread about it.

Me: Something I ask regularly is about commercialisation within the scene. How do you see things ?

Max: You know what, with the music that’s been brought to me, for instance working with the Sheffield based producer called Toddla T who made Bashy’s ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ and a track on Tinchy’s ‘Catch 22′. I’ve become more open minded when it comes to that kind of stuff but my view on it is, what’s stopping man from doing the money tunes and doing grime ? Nothing, so shout out to Stryder on that one, but what it is is like certain man just get blinded so much that they think ra grime aint making me money, it won’t chart. The reason why it wont chart is that alot of people who get into the limelight stop making it.. I wouldn’t do that though man.

Me: What’s your favourite tune at the moment and who are your top 3 MC’s ?

Max: Right now my favourite tune is Wiley – Bun A Likkle Weed ft. Trigger. I dunno if you’ve heard it though, it’s for ‘The Illusive’, it’s nang truss me. Top 3 MC’s are J2k, Ghetts and Manga, I know you said 3 but Axe is nang as well trust me !

Me: Recently, legendary pirate radio station Rinse FM turnt 15, what’s your favourite Rinse moment ?

Max: Ah jeeze lol, you caught me there I don’t actually know man a lots happened on Rinse but my personal favourite moment was the first time I went there spitting with the Roll Deep veteran Riko and holding it up getting wheels n that.

Me: During this chat it’s become apparent that your cool with a lot of producers, would you ever consider producing yourself ?

Max: Bless Beats told me to start producing like 2 3 years ago but I never got involved man cause I just thought I don’t really need to man, I’ve had producers around me from early you know them ones, I feel lucky man I’ve always had help around me man and now I definately wouldn’t . I got Danny and Target making the presidential grime trust me. Two tunes I’ve got that you may have heard by them are ‘East London Is Back’ which has been played on Radio 1 and 1xtra by Ras Kwame, Twin B, Annie Mac, Tim Westwood, DJ Cameo, Toddla T and more it’s one of the gulliest riddims man. And another tune ‘The Reason’ is just Target at his best, plus them man are like my older brothers man so I won’t ever be short of a riddim.

Me: Ok, You’ve been tipped to “blow up” by the likes of Tim Westwood and Annie Mac, and Ras Kwame even said “you could well be the next kid”, how much does it help you to know them sort of figures are backing you ?

Max: It helps alot man ‘coz I think these people know potential and that gives me the confidence to carry on. Some days I don’t even wanna be an MC cause it comes with alot of behind the scenes drama but stuff like that keeps me going.

Me: Ok, well thanks for taking time out, any last shout outs/announcements ?

Max: Shout out to ak’s look out for his ‘City Boy’ EP shout out to my brother Voltage, Danny Weed and Target and the whole Eastside.

Maxsta’s Myspace / Twitter / Facebook

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