New Artist of the Week - Ramz

This week’s new artist is 20-year-old South London native, Ramz. The young UK rapper found difficulty breaking into the music industry. However, 2017 was his year, where the young man found himself on the scene with his single “Barking”. This catchy track reached seven million views within just three months. This essentially equates to around 500,000 views a week. Ramz explained the track was actually recorded when he was studying at University before his success elevated, having one of the most popular singles in 2017.

After listening to the track, myself, it has become one of my favourites which you will find on my playlist. The song itself highlights culture in London- a daily commute. It is evident how the use of simple repetition can really grasp an audience, creating a track that people will subconsciously sing along to. Alongside the YouTube success, the single has also featured on Apple Music and Spotify. As well as the Official UK Top 40 Charts. GRM managed to have an exclusive interview with the star where we gained further insight into Ramz as an artist.

“You speak on balancing university with the music on "Imagine", how have you managed that?”

“I have actually taken a gap year and I’m unsure if I’m going to go back. The hardest thing about uni is that you don’t really have to be there, but that means you can easily fall behind. Some courses allow for you to be able to focus on other things aside from your subject and luckily, I was able to; other courses like engineering for example might not allow for that.

“Don’t get me wrong, first year is always good; freshers, the parties and all of that. I was networking with a lot of people, and when I started releasing my music, I think it came at the best time cause a lot of people were behind me. I was getting angry in my music at times, like on “Throwback”, but it really helped me out. “

“With the obvious, almost 6.8 million views on GRM Daily in just 3 months, how much has life changed since the Barking record?”

[Laughs] “A lot, I would say it’s a massive jump, no disrespect but its like going from playing football on the streets to the Premier League, so yeah a big jump definitely.”

“What was the first song or album, which really had an effect on you growing up, and why?”

“I would say 50 Cent, I used to just listen to him all the time and I loved his track “Best Friend”. A lot of people at the time knew that he went to prison and it was like if I go to prison, I can still come out and make something of myself, it was very motivational.

“I also listen to a lot of Travis Scott too, he’s sick. Ive seen him a few times now.”

“Lastly, what can we expect from Ramz in 2018?”

“Features, but not a lot though, as I’m quite wary with who I work with. Singles too, something also with Lotto Boyz and even GRM maybe, who knows [laughs].

“Im going to record an EP too and hopefully try to get that out, but I'm not going to rush putting it out, more so when its ready, you know.”

Well I think it’s safe to say Ramz is definitely one rising star! However, he really is just like the rest of us at University and knows the difficulty of balance and time management! Keep a look out for more catchy tracks from the 20-year-old because it won’t be the last!