London-based hip-hop artist, podcaster, DJ, and loquacious individual, Rebel
ACA is a charismatic force to be reckoned with. His latest collaboration, the
single “Mygraine” with dancehall powerhouse Spragga Benz and UK icon
Rodney P., is not to be missed.
Rebel ACA’s music can be found at the intersection of old school and new.
Versatile yet distinctly personal, his sound is characterized by live
instrumentation and a funk influence. His latest single explores the pain of daily
migraines mixed with the double-entendre by Spragga Benz and Rodney Pl. of
“my grain of weed,” all set to vintage 80s French-influence vibes.
The single comes in two versions: the original “Old Cool Funk” hip-hop version
and the drum and bass mix by DJ Phantasy. “The hip-hop version is funky, in
your face,” tells the artist. “Meanwhile, the drummer base has old-school, funky
hip-hop vibes; it’s eclectic.” A music video, directed by Big Ben Bro, is also part
of the multi-dimensional package.
Rebel ACA’s professional endeavors range from a white-collar day job to
moonlighting as a rapper, producer, and podcaster. His resume boasts
collaborations with artists including Spragga Benz, Rodney P., Harry Shotta, Doc
Brown, Murat and Jose, and Illaman. And did we mention Buttercut Records? He
owns that, too.
The single, “Mygraine,” comes from Buttercuts Records, the company Rebel
ACA began in 2000. Featuring artists across various genres from hip hop to
reggae, funk, and soul, Buttercut Records is home to many memorable hits,
including Spragga Benz’s “Chiliagon,” a #1 reggae billboard hit in 2019.
Four or five years after starting Buttercut Records, Rebel ACA turned to writing
music of his own accord. “I always wrote poetry to cope with bad bullying in
school and an eating disorder. When you’re on your own, all you have is a pad
and a pen. There’s comfort in that. I was having a tough time when I was young
and realized there’s this honesty with a pad and pen—the brutality of you sitting
in front of a pad and pen.”
Rebel ACA realized that carrying around his decks to DJ was understandably
less convenient than sporting a pad of paper and writing utensil. And, so, it
began—he slowly turned to writing rap. “By 2006, I found that the best release I
could find was rapping, writing stuff down, and rapping it out.” He shifted his
focus from working solely with other artists—many of whom were different to
work with due to their elevated narcissism—and began creating for himself.
He connected with Spragga Benz, a friend of his late sister, and put his album
together. “That project got me into the studio with all of my biggest idols in British
hip hop/rap. It was a terrifying experience having to rap with my idols. They did it
in one take while I took 20.”
Speaking of his idols—and collaborators—Rodney P. and Spragga Benz are two
major musical forces of their time. “Rodney P. is an enormous figure in hip hop
and an amazing rapper. Americans invented hip hop. It took decades to sound ok
rapping with a British accent, and Rodney was part of that. It took time for Britain
to find its sound in the shadow of America. And Spragga Benz is one of the great
dancehall MCs. They are huge people in their space—full on legends.”
It was also around this time that Rebel ACA realized he needed to stop being just
“the business guy” and start being the confident artists that he had the potential
to be. “My wife at the time said, ‘a lot of your issue is a confidence thing.’ So
that’s what I’m trying to work on—not doing everyone else’s **** and being the
business guy.”
“I partly wrote the song with friends. Historically, I get migraines, so I thought I’d
do a song about them. I’m generally trying not to rap about sex or violence. It has
become popular in England—everyone rapping about American or Jamaican
concepts—but it’s not very British. Rarely do we do violence outside punching
each other in the face in a pub crawl. And we’re repressed about sex,” teases
Rebel ACA. “It’s interesting that it’s one-dimensional, really. We’re bothered to
listen to what a 19-year-old artist thinks, yet they don’t understand a lot about life
yet. Then I remember that the people listening to them are also 12 or 14. I come
from a place where I want rappers to talk about something more.”
These days, Rebel ACA is collaborating with crew, the ADHGs, tackling
important issues through hip hop. “There are so many things to be discussed,”
adds the artist. “I asked ChatGPT what important issues are not being talked
about in hip hop and it said ‘mental health issues.’ So, I wanted to create a
simple dialogue around these issues. And migraines are a mind issue. They’re
awful and a terrible infliction. All people need to do is work out their triggers.
Anyone who has one has to diary what they did the day before and will find it’s
manageable.”
On the topic of mental health, Rebel ACA is quick to point out that “music is
therapy.” “It’s strange that people give up music. Many see it as they have to
make it big or they have to stop,” adds the artist. “If you’re a runner, you’re still
going to run around the park to keep fit, even if you’re not as fast as Usain Bolt.
Yet people don’t think that way about music. If they’re not the most popular or
reach fame, they give up. You must love music to be involved. And there’s
nothing like it—it’s magic. No one needs to listen to what you create but you.”
Make sure to stay connected to Rebel ACA on all platforms for new music,
videos, and social posts.
Website: www.buttercuts.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebel_aca/
https://www.Instagram.com/therealadhgs
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B01IUCK482/rebel-aca
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/rebel-aca/1086797152
Bandcamp: https://rebelaca.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ze2Yu0NUzfbXo6OqnOW22
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ButtercutsRecords