In Depth: Wyatt Earp
A former boxer who became an emcee after being passed a microphone at a D Double E gig - receiving a wheel-up which made him realise his future calling, Wyatt Earp didn’t grow up with rap aspirations but was drawn into it as an adult. On a group chat Wyatt Earp shared with friends, they used to send joke battle bars to each other for fun, which is how Wyatt Earp first memorised his rhymes. After receiving a rare opportunity to perform live before he had even recorded a single track, the reception he got inspired him to take rapping more seriously. “I went backstage, smoked a thingy with D Double E and I was like, 'Oh my God, this is the sickest - this is what it's about,' recalled Wyatt Earp, reminiscing the fateful evening. “I came away from there and I started writing bars. I was like fuck it, I need to come with something proper.”
As well as emceeing, Wyatt Earp is also a renowned up-and-coming hip-hop producer. He was introduced to it by his homie, Owen, who had a Maschine MK3, a drum machine at his house which amazed Wyatt. After being taught how to use the drum machine, he decided to practise it more proficiently, taking notes from two of his other friends based in Plymouth, Sniff and Jman. “Literally about a year and a half ago, or just over that, I couldn't even make a drum loop,” admitted Wyatt Earp. “I was trying to make a drum loop on Sniff's computer and I just couldn't do it bro, it was beyond me. I was so pissed off, then one day it just clicked.” Sniff is an emcee hailing from Sheffield, who moved down to Plymouth around 2018. Wyatt Earp met him through a mutual friend, which led to them getting together to record beats on a regular basis. “We used to go around to Rudi Shocker’s yard and we would just be doing random tracks,” recalled Wyatt Earp. “The recording set-up was a bit raggo, but that's where we sort of gelled. As soon as I moved into my own place, I got a set-up and then me and him just started cracking on. We have probably made 40/50 tracks, we have easily made like, 300/400+ beats together - we have been on job for the past few years.”
Plymouth has a music college called dBs, providing courses for sound engineering, production and other music related subjects. Wyatt Earp spent a month enrolled there before realising he wasn’t down with all the extra curricular, he preferred to more practical studies. With multiple experienced producers already offering to assist him, Wyatt Earp decided to drop out of college and handle his future with his own head and hands. “I just wanted to know how to make beats,” shrugged Wyatt Earp. “Still being around Sniff, Jamaal, Owen, Illinformed and those people... I would just see them doing their thing, seeing how easy they make their beats and make something classic in five minutes. I would just be like, 'I need to be able to do this.'”
Although Illinformed was based in Bristol, far from Plymouth, he came to know Wyatt Earp through Jman, who Wyatt Earp has known since the age of 11. “We have been boys for years,” revealed Wyatt Earp. “So obviously as soon as I dropped this track - or as soon as he saw that I was rapping, he helped me out.” Since at least 2013, Jman had been affiliated with Illinformed through music, and a label called RLD Records overseen by Illinformed’s brother, Leaf Dog. Sometimes when Wyatt Earp was sat with Jman at his computer, Wyatt Earp would hear catalogues of Illinformed’s beats and would go through them himself.
“I would be sat there with Jman listening to beats and I would ask, 'Whose is that, and that? That's crazy!'” reminisced Wyatt Earp. “As soon as I heard the sound of Illinformed's beats, I was drawn to it like, this is fucking raw.” It all happened by chance, from Wyatt Earp telling Jman he was rapping, to Jman having access to exclusive Illinformed instrumentals. “I ended up just writing loads of bars to these Illinformed beats,” continued Wyatt Earp. “Then eventually when I got the chance to meet him, I was like, 'Bro, I've been writing all these bars to your beats, they're fucking crazy.' Obviously there was a few that hadn't been used, so I asked if I could use those beats, he just said, 'Yeah, crack on.' Since then, he's been a good mate for years bro, he is a good geezer.”
From there, the opportunities only kept coming for Wyatt Earp. Jman helped link Wyatt Earp with Sektion Red, who offered to record a visual for his debut single, Reg Kray. However Wyatt Earp is quick to admit that his initial tracks were just testers, as he basically just reeled off as many hard hitting bars as he could. “I dropped these when I didn't even really know how to lay out bars properly,” claimed Wyatt Earp. “I wasn't even writing hooks then, I just used to write 32's and 64's, I just wrote cypher bars if you know what I mean.” In essence, these tunes were just bundles of 16’s and 32’s which Wyatt Earp had first penned down. “I can't even spit those tunes any more, it's just non-stop bars,” laughed Wyatt Earp. “I have just started to learn that you need to have a bit of a formula - to try and make things a little bit tighter and more musical, as opposed to just spitting fucking bars all the time.”
Nonetheless, Wyatt Earp received a viral response for his first two singles, accumulating over 50,000 views between them. The next thing Wyatt Earp knew, he was being offered performances on festival stages, including Balter, Nass Festival & more. “I was gassed with that,” continued Wyatt Earp, humbly. “I wasn't expecting any sort of reception, it was just the heads that I had been listening to for a few years that rated it, so I was massively gassed. I had just been pushed in the right direction, Jamaal and Bill made it easier for me, helping me with everything and jumping on my shit.”
With an aggressive rap tone, Wyatt Earp’s long term friendship with Jman seemed to insinuate the influence he potentially took from Jman’s own ragga vocal delivery. “I just think one thing that massively influenced me is seeing him perform and seeing the way they do stuff live,” mused Wyatt Earp. “His energy, delivery... When you have got people like that around you, you have got to make sure you are coming correct.” Wyatt Earp went on to confess that on many occasions, Jman helped coordinate his bars more efficiently, providing constructive criticisms in the process. “He won't be a 'Yes man' and gas me up to any random shit I write,” continued Wyatt Earp. “He helped me to think about things musically and write hooks, not just write a million bars.” Wyatt was also hugely influenced from touring with Jman on his Babylon Dead tour. “Jman took me on his Babylon dead tour across the country,” recalled Wyatt. “We did two shows in Melkweg, in Amsterdam and toured on to Germany and Italy. That’s a big bit of my inspo, laa.”
Around 2019, Wyatt Earp linked with more like-minded young rappers across the country, getting waved at festivals then meeting up afterwards to record tunes. Three individuals in particular are Mal from Liverpool, Teno from the Midlands, and Skintman from Sheffield, all emcees who were impressed by Wyatt Earp’s bars and beats. They collectively decided to become a rap unity, called Slum Government. “I first met Mal years ago at Balter Festival, it was like kindred spirits tuned into the power of two weirdos on a mad wave,” recalled Wyatt Earp. “He was stumbling around, asking for a phone. I chucked him my phone, then he bossed a thing on the phone, you know what I mean? He was like, 'One of them, lad!' and I was like, 'Boom, there you go!' That is how we met, it was literally the most random thing.” Through Mal, Wyatt Earp became introduced to Teno, who had made a name for himself with a string of self-released projects and live performances. “I met Teno a year or two later with Mal,” confirmed Wyatt Earp. “When was it, two years ago? Jesus Christ, it didn't seem like that long ago now, but that's mental, that.”
“So I'd met Mal and Teno, we were all sound like that,” continued Wyatt Earp, before revealing how he came to know Skintman. “Sniff was obviously talking about Skintman because they're boys, then Sniff recorded a track for Skint at mine.” After hearing Skintman and thinking his rhymes were raw, Wyatt Earp learnt that Skintman also made beats, which inspired him. “It was inspiring to meet Skintman,” confirmed Wyatt Earp. “Another person who is on it, who is passionate about making music and doing shit.” At the same time, Teno was also in contact with Skintman, as they had been asked to collaborate on a previous track. “I think I sent Teno a tune with a verse on it,” continued Wyatt Earp. “He put a verse on it, then said, 'My boy Skint would kill this.'” After sending the tune to Skint to lace a verse on, Wyatt Earp took the opportunity to get Skint involved with Incognito Grinders as well. “These lot are just instant, they are on job,” added Wyatt Earp. “Mal is extra long, but he has been on point. He is the longest,” Wyatt Earp laughed. “But when he is on job, he is on job like no-one else.”
The energy within the debut Slum Government project reflects the music which raised the artists, raw music made by common people. Taking lyrical aim at ‘government fuckery’ as well as ‘little fake, begging pricks,’ it is underpinned by old school hip-hop instrumentals with an eerie UK twist. “It is horses for courses,” shrugged Wyatt Earp. “I grew up listening to robbery music, that is the energy that I like out of music - I want to be aggressive and attack the mic. That is what Mal and Teno are like, that's what Skint is like. When we all have a wave together, make some music and shit, it's bedlam.”
“I would just literally say it is raw, un-watered down shit from every corner of the UK,” continued Wyatt Earp, attempting to describe Slum Government’s music for people unaware. “Someone can listen to it from the North and hear Mal and get gassed off that, someone from Yorkshire could listen to Skint from Sheffield, then you've got me down in Plymouth, Devon. Even Jman, he's got his like, London-esque style but it's not - it's his ragga flow. Then you've got flipping Teno, who comes through with his completely own style from the Midlands. There is something for everyone, I think as well there are tunes where we just come in ignorant, then there are other tunes where there is intellect within it. I don't know, I'd say it is a nice balance of music.”
Altogether Slum Government have an accumulation of approximately 40 tracks recorded, the collective features are contributed by Wyatt Earp, Teno, Skintman, Mal, Jman, Sniff and Sez. “My boy Sez, he is on job,” added Wyatt Earp. “He is like, the OG with it. He has moved back to Plymouth now and he is making stuff as well bro, so he is going to be on the projects as well.” When pressed for details concerning a release date, Wyatt Earp replied, “Without a doubt it is going to be this year.” However due to present coronavirus restrictions, amongst crucial decision making regarding the best ways to promote their projects, a release date is still far from confirmed however there is certainly a lot in store.
“I have made a Slum Government YouTube channel, we just need to make a Spotify and all that and get the ball rolling with that basically,” continued Wyatt Earp. “We are going to organise a few videos, the thing is though, it is hard to get us all in one place because we are dotted around the country. But we are going to make it happen, the thing is with all those guys, there are so many people you mission around to do shit with and it feels forced. When Slum Gov link together, it is just a vibe and if anything, we need to slow down when we link each other because we just get too waved - we need to focus on the music.
The first time Slum Government linked up in person, they recorded freestyles for a South-West channel called DuttyGoonz, operated by a man nicknamed Dutty. Wyatt Earp met Dutty through Teno, who organised for the Slum Government to meet Dutty in Shrewsbury sometime in late 2020. “We got hella wavey,” recalled Wyatt Earp. “We recorded some freestyles and shit then made some plans for the future - we all need to link up again soon to get some videos done and finish off the project.”
On top of his Slum Government collaborations, Wyatt Earp has an impressive amount of music in store. One of them is an album alongside Sniff, which is currently being polished with added production. Wyatt Earp also has an album with Illinformed in the pipeline, and is half-way through completing a project with Skinzman. “We have got another Incognito Grinders project coming very soon,” added Wyatt Earp. “I have got features on Datkid's new album, I’ve been making shit with Jman, Bil Next - shout out Bil Next, one of the realest people I’ve met in the scene.” Of course, Wyatt Earp also has his own self-produced album in store too. “I've got features from Leaf Dog on my album, I've got Sniff on there…” Wyatt Earp paused. “But the two things I am really focussing on is the thing with Sniff and the one with Illinformed, I am overly gassed with them and hopefully if we can push it towards RLD - I've got like 30 tracks with Bill, bro. If RLD would want to get involved with it they can, if not I'll just drop it on my own Slum Government thing.”
“I’ve also been working on a project with my girlfriend,” added Wyatt Earp. “She is an amazing vocalist called BTrill - I’m just trying to bring the best out of her voice with my limited skills as an engineer.”
Our final question for Wyatt Earp was whether there were any other UK artists he was watching, that he might like to collaborate with?
“I do rate Lee Scott and those guys, I'd like to do shit with them maybe. Trellion, I think Trellion is ultra sick. I would love to do shit with Potter Payper, that shit is going to happen in future. It's a long way away now, but I do believe with the right pushing we can get shit like that on board. I think that is what would do UK hip-hop so much good, is to be getting these mainstream - not like a sell-out thing, but these are the reasons I like UK hip-hop. I grew up listening to people like Potter Payper spitting over old school American boom-bap beats. These people have got bars bro, they have got bars and I think that is what I wanted, with my whole thing coming into it - I wanted that raggo style on boom-bap beats. To bring it back to the old school shit, not just spitting over these digital, trapped out UK rap beats.”
Wyatt Earp, thank you for your time.
Words by Evo