When you have surpassed the 10,000 hours required for achieving expertise, everything becomes relative to your craft.

In this project, two British master craftsmen, Juga-Naut and Mr Brown, explore a life dedicated to art. They have created this incredible body of work over the past 4 years, releasing themselves from time constraints in order to achieve timelessness.

Influenced by the idea of quality, lasting materials and the mid-century modern aesthetic, Mr Brown's production is a warm, drum driven and soulful sample-heavy landscape for Juga-Naut's witty, introspective, complex and catchy word-play. The tracks are as at home with today's best new releases as they would be in the score of a late 70s crime thriller.

This is a grown up album, for those who understand that the notion of being considered 'past one's prime' is shattered by the sophisticated realities evidenced in the work and craft of a lifetime.

Juga-Naut is a professional and prolific artist, rapper, producer and chef who has been setting the bar in the contemporary Hip-Hop landscape for over 15 years. A quintessential 'rapper's rapper', he also creatively directs all aspects of his music, from concept and production to lyrics, visuals and final product. Combining exquisite poetics, soul-shaking beats and a defiant delivery with a deep love for food, art, music and culture, his art-forward approach has led him to international renown with a global following. Boasting a discography that includes 16 published projects since 2011, collaborations with cutting edge artists and labels, and a range of physical product based on his music and original artworks, he has sold out his own shows and performed on stages alongside Hip-Hop royalty. Born and bred in Not-tingham, U.K., his unparalleled drive and creative consistency is surpassed only by his love for the culture.

Mr Brown is a London based Du, producer, engineer, artist/designer and founder of the We Stay True imprint. With a firm belief in quality over quantity (as an artist and label owner) Mr Brown picks his projects and collaborators carefully choosing to let projects grow organically rather than rush them out for a deadline. A heavy record digger that still holds the old methods dear to his heart, he crafts his music as he wants, eschewing popular trends and just making what feels right in the moment.

Cop the new album “Relative To Craft” on digital or hardcopy on Bandcamp here.

Juga-Naut sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:

1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?

I was born into a family of artists. Both my parents are in the arts, my dad is a drama and a poet called Stickman. Some of my first memories are musical, I was brought up around DJs, musicians, visual artist, actors. Also being brought up in Nottingham and having a close relationship with music scene. Hip-hop became a home for me the culture itself allowing me to feel fully whole within it. I made my first song at 13 being involved with the Grime scene right at its inception 2003. From there I learnt how to produce and was obsessed ever since, writing constantly and studying my craft daily for over 20 years.

2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?

Man, there’s so many different influences, as a rapper  some of my major ones are MF DOOM, Biggie, Jadakiss, Big Pun, Raekwon, Ghostface, Nas. But just musically off the top of my head Roy Ayers, Black Sabbath, Patrice Rushen, Quincy Jones, Kerry Chandler, Brian Eno. I would love to work with The Alchemist and Roc Marciano, two of the true greats in our time. The list could go on with collaborators!

3. You have just dropped your new joint “Relative To Craft” with Mr Brown, which has been in the making for 4 years, how did you guys link and what made you want to make an album together?

So I’ve known Mr Brown for maybe 10 years now and I met him through my Nottingham brother and collaborator Cappo. Hes worked on many of my projects helping with graphic design. But like me he’s multifaceted and talented, also a producer and mixing engineer. He was sending me beat over the years, and this album just came together or organically. No pressure or time constraints just when the wind was blowing in the right direction a song gets done and it’s added to the pot. I think we’re both very particular about who we work with and the type of music we make and it made sense for us to do this together focusing on quality, creation, style and doing something that’s Hopfully timeless.

4. As well as being a rapper, you are also a very talented chef with your own catering business “Chef Jugz”, which came first, rap or cooking?  And how did you become interested in cooking?

I’ve always just loved to eat. I’ve always been a chubby dude. Ever since I was young, my whole family loves to eat, enjoy food and explore culture through cuisine. I’m lucky that Nottingham is a very multicultural city and it’s allowed me to travel the world, just being in one place. Of course cooking came first because you have to eat! But through my music career and the buzz I was making it gave me a platform to showcase myself as a chef and that helped me launch my catering business. Doing pop ups, street food, deliveries and a food & film event. I’ve slowed down in recent years because it’s hard to juggle all these different plates, and the current climate for independent businesses is tough. I miss cooking as much as I used to, but we never know what the future holds!

5. You have worked with a lot of heavy hitting producers and rappers in your time as an MC, are there any projects on the horizon you can tease us with some details of?

I’ve been blessed with some incredible collaborators and hopefully that will only keep going. I’m always working on music and there some heat in the stash.  But right now I’m configuring and contemplating my next steps and where I go from here. There will be hopefully be another album with my man Giallo Point. And hopes to work with some legendary artists.

6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?

Man, there’s so much I can say. Study your craft every day, become obsessed with it, love it deeply and intently. Respect your art form, understand that there’s a legacy and a history that comes before you. Learn to do everything yourself, it’s fucking hard work, but it will get you ahead, especially on a small  budget. It helps just to have basic manners and talk to people like human beings, especially when reaching out online. I’d also like to mention people say stuff they don’t mean, a lot of things get said that sound very exciting and fruitful, but don’t come to fruition. This can be really hard to take as an artist and as a human to not take personally. It’s kind of like when you hear about those meetings in Hollywood where the executive, director or the producer says ‘hey let’s do lunch I’m really interested in what you’re doing, blah blah blah’. Sometimes it feels like the game is 90% disappointment and 10% pure ecstasy, so do it for the right reasons.

7. Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?

This is tough because there is so many, there’s loads of artists I don’t personally know, but some I do who are doing great things are my brother Vandal Savage also Kyeza, Jimmy Rocket, Snowy all from Nottingham. The multi talented brother Oliver Rees. Also go back and check Mr Brown’s back catalogue after you check out album ‘Relative To Craft’.

8. What albums are on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist currently?

Johnny Hammond Smith - Gears

Acid Kind - Busse Woods

Larry June - Spaceships on the Blade

Domi & JD Beck - Not Tight

Lone - Levitate

Scope - Scope 1

The Alchemist- The Genuine Articulate

Quincy Jones - The Pawnbroker Soundtrack

Quelle Chris - Deathfame

Ennio Morricone - The Thing Soundtrack

9. What do you like to do when you're not making music?

Enjoy life, see, hear, feel and eat. Spend quality time with a select few who really feed me. Travel and taking the world which I’m lucky enough to do. Get obsessed with stuff, new hyperfixations. Try and work out new ways how I’m gonna make a living and continue to do music. I think my main major hobby is film, I watch a lot and I’ve nearly seen 300 this year, which is kind of insane. Wonder how the world has got so weird? And generally do rapper stuff.

10. Name Three things you can't live without when in the studio?

A beat, a microphone and a rhyme.