All You Need To Know About Bump N Grind

Bump N Grind is a gig that has been getting the attention of quite a few during the last few weeks because of it being a gig that is touted to support local hip hop & rap artists. We caught up with Minol D who’s responsible for the gig.

DB: Tell us about bump n grind

Minol: Bump n Grind is a hip hop & R n B themed event that I started to help the musics cene in the island. The first gig is on the 1st of Feb at the W Lounge and Shiraz Rude Bwoy will be the first one performing as he is one of the pioneers of the English rap scene locally.

DB: How will this help propel the rap scene in Colombo?

Minol: I strongly feel that there is so much talent in our hip hop music scene. The rappers especially the guys who do stuff in English do not get the due exposure nor the opportunity to perform to an audience and introduce their originals to the market live. Hence through this event I create a platform for them. It will help them to groom their live performance skills in return

DB: How much of original rap music from the island can anyone expect at the event?

Minol: Shiraz Rude Bwiy has a few English and Sinhala originals already and he will be performing most of them at the event, plus expect him to do a few free style hooks as well.

DB: Would this be a continuation project and what can we expect from Shiraz on the night?

Minol: Yes, to be frank with you, I have already got inquiries from upcoming artists for the next rounds. Saying that, there is a possibility of featuring an artist with Shiraz at the event for a collaba!. The response is very good.

DB: Have you started planning round 2 already?

Minol: Yes and my plan is to continue this every twice a month.

DB: You have only one original music act and a lot of djs playing…Are you trying to encourage a hip hop/ rap dj culture too? Original music or would their sets include international music too?

Minol: The Dj’s will be keeping up to the theme and will be spinning music from the 90’s, some old skool and rap/ hiphop from the early 2000’s. I will be also introducing some ragga / dancehall in the mix as we are also trying to intro it to the club scene & generate a following for it.

DB: Any thoughts on getting the guys from the Sinhala rap scene too?

Minol: Yes there is a thought to carry this forward and give a chance to the Sinhala rappers in the future and cement Bump n Grind as a well-established & recognized brand for Lankan rappers.

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