“I was behind them bars, now I’m reciting bars…” rhymes London Zoo (LDZ) member Cobes, on the hook for a single called Anchorman, lifted from his debut solo album: PM To AM. “It was more of a thing of like, rah, you are lucky to even be doing these things - it could have went the other way,” continued Cobes. “That is kind of where the essence of the Anchorman hook came from.” PM To AM is a 12 track album which came over five years in the making, over the course of which life changed significantly for Cobes. The project had a modest Bandcamp release on a West London record label called Shadow Player Records during October 2021, in anticipation for a second release on streaming services. In this interview, Cobes reveals exclusive insight into his musical career - rising up through pirate radio, being invited to join London Zoo and significant highlights which ensued. He also shares personal details concerning the creation process and intentions of specific singles lifted from his solo debut, PM To AM.

Beginning a lyrical career in the early 2000s, before he had recorded any music Cobes used to emcee on pirate radio stations, mostly over drum & bass or jungle instrumentals. Inspired by friends who made rap a possibility in his eyes, Cobes started writing his own rhymes and was soon also spitting over house, garage and other sounds. “I was doing that with Harry Rocksta, who is the other rapper in London Zoo,” recalled Cobes. London Zoo, otherwise known as LDZ, were an emerging collective of experimental rap artists at the time. Rocksta then introduced Cobes to Dabbla and Pierre Green, two other respective LDZ members. “I ended up at Dabbla’s studio through that with the three of us basically putting music down, laying verses and shit like that,” added Cobes. “That is basically my birth into recording.” This was in 2009, around the time LDZ released their Puppa Murc EP. Although LDZ had a hyper music style which wasn’t a significant switch up from Cobes’ prior experience with jungle/d&b emceeing, working with LDZ allowed Cobes to develop his flows and rhyme patterns, which ultimately impressed the Zoo. He was invited to join their posse in Pierre Green’s studio, after being given the word from Rocksta. Over the course of future sessions, Cobes learnt further techniques in terms of structuring verses and recording music. “All of that was at Dabbla's studio basically,” continued Cobes. “Where I am at now, I can look back and say I wasn't at that level to put a solo project together at that point, so it was nice to be in a group because you have that support as well as you are learning the craft.”  

London Zoo had released music years before Cobes joined them, they had already earned nationwide notoriety and had a degree of infamy within London. Cobes respected them for this, as well as for the acceptance they showed him and also the assistance they provided. The first LDZ project that Cobes was involved with was the LONDON ZOO EP, which according to Cobes came together quickly - over two or three sessions. “I think we were in the space where we were able to put time in and just hit the studio and stay in there, you know what I mean?” said Cobes, reminiscing about the creation process. “Just putting that time and work in between the three of us, that energy is infectious. People can feel the energy coming through because the vibes was there, the vibes which were in the studio come through in the music.” As this was Cobes’ first official release, he learned a lot as far as recording and putting music together. He revealed how LDZ set themselves goals to reach, although it wasn’t an easy process and shortcuts were used in the studio to make the LONDON ZOO EP happen. “The bottom line: I was just learning to cut my teeth,” continued Cobes, summarizing the situation. “I was brand new back then, so I was learning a lot and I had to learn it on the go, but I was learning with good emcees so I learnt fast - it all worked out well in the end.”  

The reception off the back of the LONDON ZOO EP surpassed Cobes expectations, as he received many opportunities to perform live thereafter. He even received unexpected TV exposure, as a tune he and Dabbla made called MOVIE STAR got used to BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. However, Cobes most notable highlight was performing at Glastonbury Festival in 2010, through an affiliation with a West London producer called Formz, who invited LDZ through. “I kind of landed in a spot where they hadn't released a lot of London Zoo music for a while, we came back on the second wave of London Zoo releases,” said Cobes, reflecting on those times. “So yeah, there has been some others along the way but they're the ones that come to mind when I remember, when I look back and think rah, yeah, they were signs of people appreciating what you do if you crack on.”  Following the success of his first LDZ venture, Cobes went on to feature on their following projects, the BRAINSTORM LP and the CATFOOD LP; his last LDZ feature was for a single called Hero.

Although his place in the Zoo was cemented, in amongst these releases Cobes was also dealing with personal life problems, which had an impact on his musical work rate. Nonetheless, Cobes stayed writing and also began penning his own solo project, PM To AM: a 12 track album which was released on Friday, 3rd September - the week both Kanye and Drake also dropped releases. He made a decision to build his own solo profile in order to take more control of his direction, as well as to get a few things off his chest musically. There are zero lyrical features, however Cobes did work with multiple producers to achieve the project. “I am automatically finding their energy, their vibe and trying to find a new energy between us,” explained Cobes, on the topic of working with other lyricists. “Rather than just writing what I would write, because that is why I have got my own pattern, my own tracks and my own things. That is basically what I am doing, I am channelling that kind of energy towards solo stuff.” At the time of writing, PM To AM had only been released on Bandcamp, with an intention of a second release for streaming services due in the coming weeks. “We decided to do a Bandcamp early release,” explained Cobes. “That was to shot some of the merch off of there and get it downloading off the back of Bandcamp - making the most of Bandcamp Fridays.”  

This album had been in the makings for five years, which Cobes recognised due to a timestamp he recently saw on his phone’s lyric book. “The oldest track is five years old, or at least I wrote the bars five years ago,” confirmed Cobes. “Most of them are between five and three years old I would say, nothing is brand new. This was ready to go like, September two years ago.” This might seem quite long to most, however in fairness to Cobes and artist’s everywhere, the music industry took a hit from the Covid crisis which is only now starting to find its feet again - many artists are only just releasing music that has been ready since before the first lockdown in 2020. “It just got dragged out even further by lockdown,” shrugged Cobes. “So it was already getting dragged out and then it got dragged out a bit further, but I was just trying to get it out ASAP and this is as quick as I could get it.” To promote the second release, Cobes had chosen a single from PM To AM to be given a visual: Am I Dreaming? shot by Formz. 

Cobes first became aware of Formz through Pierre Green, who knew Formz as a mutual friend and introduced them. “Yeah, the cool thing about Formz is he actually brought us down to see one show in Brixton Jamm to perform,” recalled Cobes. “That was the first time I actually met him, we had been talking and doing stuff before but that is when I met him, years back.” With PM To AM being released on Shadow Player Records, it was apparent that Cobes has great respect for Formz. Cobes is first to admit that their friendship mostly impacted his decision to release on Shadow Player, however there were more personal reasons as well. “I needed to have a certain amount of control over it,” explained Cobes. “I didn't want it to just be sitting in someone's hands that I can't speak to on a partner level, you hear what I'm saying? I didn't want them to think it was their product and they can do what they like with it.” Ultimately, the two had a conversation which convinced Cobes that Formz was the right person to trust the release of his solo debut with. He also felt that they could both grow mutually from the process, as Formz was able to release the project much sooner than other labels were able to. “I felt like me and Formz haven't released a lot of music together and this was a nice project that we could work together on and put out together,” continued Cobes. “So even though he is not an artist listed on a specific tune, you know, he mixed it and was heavily involved in it.” 

Instrumentally and lyrically, PM To AM is underpinned by a sonic darkness which is reflective of Cobes mind state when he wrote the album years prior, over the course of which he experienced multiple personal losses. “You noticed it and I noticed it too,” nodded Cobes. “That this is some of the darkest stuff I have ever wrote, bro. I mean, music-wise, some of the darkest music that I have ever written to.” Amongst the standout tracks, Am I Dreaming? seemed particularly cynical, however Cobes explained that he was simply being self-analytical. “Looking at certain things differently, not rating people the way I used to rate them and also looking at my own life, like rah…” Cobes paused momentarily, before taking a deep breath and continuing. “I felt myself losing grip and I needed to try and work harder to get back. It is hard to put it all into words but yeah, I definitely felt like I was slipping and that is what is reflected in the track.” On the album, Am I Dreaming? is followed by a track which is called Liars which features exceptionally cold bars and beats. Cobes revealed that this was his favourite track on the album, one he looked forward to performing live due to its energy. “Liars was a track where I thought we can push this now,” explained Cobes. “It had the old tempo of spitting that people who know me before this project will be used to that is not really on this project, but it is on Liars and it might be on one or two other tracks where it is reaching about 130 towards 140bpm - everything else is 120 or slower.” 

As the album progresses, the instrumentals become increasingly captivating with icier vibes. However one track that allows a breather is Sunrays, which acts as a calm amongst a storm, with an uplifting instrumental that contrasts with the colder vibes featured throughout. Cobes revealed that Sunrays was one of the first tracks which he wrote for this album, one which he wasn’t sure would make the final cut. “So, this was all before it has really taken shape as a project,” recalled Cobes. “Lyrically it is kind of different to what I have been doing on the rest of it, there is only one other track that I think even mentions relationships. But at the same time, I felt like it had the tempo to keep it going and that it fits into the other tracks, so that is why it's there.” As the album comes to its close, another single gripping for its lyricism is Anchorman, in which Cobes reflects on how different life may have ended up had he not put his energy into music. “It is a weird one because most of my run-ins with the law and being locked up and stuff, they were a while back before I wrote this,” revealed Cobes. “I have been on a different path since, but I never really got to express it, do you get what I'm saying? I guess it was busting to come out of me - I had to say something about some of the fight and happiness, that music has saved me.” 

“That is why, to go a little bit off the point, I rate anyone who is involved in criminal stuff but manages to find something to make music happen,” added Cobes. “Because you could be doing more badness and now you're not and that's a massive thing, I know it is probably not the best thing in the world but it is one good thing that could be a bad thing and I like that. It's worked for me, it's worked for other people and that's a huge thing about music for me: it can stop people who don't have opportunities to do much else, to stay out of trouble for at least a few hours.” 

Cobes, thank you for your time. Any final shout outs? 

“Yeah, 100% man. There is a co-producer on most of the tracks called Eric Electric, that is Sinner's older brother who is my close bredren. We have been doing music together forever, so I definitely want to big him up. There are other people who are Sinner's bredrens who deserve a shout, but I don't know all their names, but their names are on the CD inlay and that. But yeah, big up Dabbla for teaching me to record and stuff like that. Big up Rocks, all my Zoo gang, Potent Funk, Shadow Player... There is probably more, but those will do for now, bruv. My mum, my dad, all of that, you know what I'm saying? On the real, Dabbla, the Potent Funk lads, Sinner, his older brother Eric Electric obviously. Formz, you know. The love is given on the CD but yeah, those certain people - Rocks as well, special shout outs to them because I wouldn't have made it. And my girl's here saying 'Yeah, me too' even though she wasn't there or nothing, it was all recorded and finished before I met her but love, you made it happen, babe.”

"I know," she replies. 

Words by Evo
Photography by @onedonpedro

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