#66ams

#HASHTAGHIPHOP FEATURED INTERVIEW: @66amsmusic

Stream “Duex” by A.M.S on SoundCloud here: https://soundcloud.com/66ams/deux-ft-zeemoney-prod-na

1. Who are you?

My name's Adam but I go with the name A.M.S or 66ams as a rapper. I'm 20, and I've been rapping since I was about 15-16. Been writing longer than that. I’m a British Asian, study at University and do what I can to give the youth a platform.

2. What state are you from and what area do you rep?

I'm from the UK, and I live in a town called Smethwick that's just outside of Birmingham. Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK after London but I prefer to say I'm from Smethwick. Malcolm X came to visit Smethwick in '65 and that's the kind of the legacy I love telling others about. Real history that solidifies my hometown as something worth visiting even if it was kinda shitty growing up here.

3. Who are your biggest influences/inspirations?

In the game? My biggest influence has to be Kendrick Lamar. Listening to To Pimp a Butterfly really ignited something in me to pick the mic back up and start rapping again. I have confidence issues and at 16 I gave it all up. Thought I was trash, which I was, but I let it put me down. I started performing live again at 18 and a year later I dropped my first track. I've always been inspired by the greats though. Listened to a lot of Nas, Jay Z, NWA, and Eminem, to name a few, as a kid. Knowing you could make it to a pinnacle from nothing always made me feel more ambitious by the day. I read a lot too. A lot of philosophy, on how the mind works, theology, and poetry and prose that can really be picked a part for deeper meaning.

4. Why did you decide to make Hip-Hop music?

I love English and that's why I study the subject at University now. But my love for English has always linked with writing, and because of that with music. When I realised the bars I wrote in my spare time were basically poetry in musical form, I realised that my dream of wanting to achieve what the greats achieved was possible with hard work and dedication. I love Hip Hop. Being a British Asian, you might think it's weird that I find myself so attached to a culture I have no heritage in, but I grew up around it. Not at home, but the youth around me. I always took part in silly rap battles, always kept myself up to date with the latest in hip hop. I wasn’t a big fan of UK grime, but I appreciated the dedication UK artists had to the culture. I appreciated how they innovated in the genre and added their own spin to it that’s developed so much today. And while I mostly stuck with American Hip-Hop, I knew there was something special. I’m pretty sure I listened to a handful of grime artists in my youth but you can see today how different UK rap has become. I love it so much now and it made me want to join in and add my twist to the culture as a British Asian that's always been around it. I have something to say.

5. What makes you different than every other artist?

Other than the fact that I'm British so my sound would most likely differ, I feel like I have a lot to say. I'm an opinionated person, I had it tough growing up. I’m against a lot of things that pressure the common man into giving everything they own for peace of life. I see it everyday and I depict my portrayal of it through my pen. I also love diversifying my craft, jumping on beats unorthodox for me, writing bars in a different flow than I normally would. I’m an English student, I love writing, and I love writing with complexity. Internal rhymes, multi syllabic, wordplay, I do my best to play around with a lot of it because of how inspired I was by greats like Em, and Big Daddy Kane for example.

6. Where can people find you?