Q&A - Steg G

We had the honour of catching up with Scottish Alternative Music Award winner in the hip hop category 2019, Steg G. With his album ‘Demons’ set for release on Friday 17th March, we got the inside scoop on Steg’s community work, approach to collaboration and his all important desert island discs.

You can follow all the latest Steg G news on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and via his website.

Hi Steg, welcome to our Artist Of The Week feature. Your new album ‘Demons’ gives a stark insight into the struggles you’ve endured in recent years particularly during the pandemic. How cathartic is the process of writing especially when so personal and does that help you manage your mental health?

Thanks for having me. The ideas for the new album and a lot of the lyrics kind of just came to me when I was going through a lot of personal stuff and I wasn’t thinking about music, hence the title Demons, as it felt a little like I was sort of channelling these ideas from elsewhere.

So I started to write these ideas and lyrics down and it just grew from there – in fact it was actually quite scary how quickly the ideas came together when I gave in and gave it priority in my headspace. I think that almost third-party approach to writing allowed me to embrace subjects that were ultimately very personal, and also express these concepts and feelings in a way that is relatable to others, as we all have our demons.

There are a number of scintillating collaborations on this album including Solareye, Empress and McRoy to name a few. Do you identify potential collaborators on a project prior to starting? Or is it a more impulsive process? 

I always start with the idea and then think what’s best for the song, whose voice has the texture and character that best suits the concept and mood of the song, is it multiple characters? Some friends like Freestyle Master are always around and an integral part of the process, I bounce all my ideas off him, and folks like Solareye, Jam, and Empress are all good friends who are super talented and understand or put up with me and my sketches and rough ideas, so I’m always going to gravitate towards them when I’m in the creative zone – we have good chemistry together in the studio and on stage.

I also was keen from the start to work with McRoy and Cappo on the new album. McRoy is one of the top rappers in Scotland, he’s got the flows, the concepts, the lyrics and the energy. He’s definitely one of our greats, and same for Cappo, he’s from Nottingham but he’s easily a top five lyricist in UK Hip Hop.

Your amazing career has spanned (unbelievably!) nearly three decades. What are 3 moments that have been real highlights for you personally?

There’s been a lot, and a lot I can’t remember, but three off the top of the dome are playing to 10,000 people (not once but twice) when supporting 50 Cent, Mobb Deep and M.O.P; touring the UK with Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa; and even though I’ve done it a few times now, any time I hear my music being re-created by an orchestra is always a very moving and powerful experience for me.

Your album show has a real twist with the added element of a 10 piece orchestra (conducted by legend Paul McAlinden). Tell us a bit about the thought process of bringing an orchestra for the live show.

Myself and Paul are from two different worlds musically but we have so much in common, such as our passion for music and community. He is an absolute legend, he believes in me as an artist, and as an artist that's all you need for someone to believe in you and your art. He’s done so much good for the Govan area that local people are starting to see themselves as the creative community that they have always been.   

I’ve learned so much about music from him, it’s been amazing and I hope he’s learned some things from me as well.

You’re extremely active within your local community and have been a driving force for a lot of education, broadcasting and community development. Tell us a bit about your work combining your hip hop career and involving the local community. 

One of the things I always admired about Hip Hop was its high regard for community action and its DIY ethos. Coming from a background of living in a community with limited resources and no access to music lessons or education, I really related to those aspects personally. I was raised in the era of conscious rap and instead of going to school, I was listening to Melle Mel, Public Enemy, Krsone, NWA – these records and artists were my teachers. 

Your 3 desert island discs are?

It changes every day, but right now I’d go for:

A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory

Outkast – ATLiens

Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly