March 2012
PAUL Adey does have a lot of caps. Over 70 in fact and many of them are on display in his lounge. But that’s not where the name Cappo came from. The hip-hop artist, who was born in Cotgrave and raised in West Bridgford, was given the nickname by his dad. “All my family have called me Caps or Cappo every since,” says the 32-year-old.
“I did a Radio One show in Nottingham at The Boat club with him,” he recalls, one of his favourite shows, alongside performances with Public Enemy and The Herbaliser and a Radio One session for Tim Westwood. Despite the early success, it’s only since he’s become a father that Cappo has been motivated to make his music his career.
“I’m pushing the boundaries of what I’ve done musically. And lyrically it marks a big change from my debut. I was in a different place. I was a little more destructive back then.
He says: “I saw something on TV that really inspired me to do hip-hop although I can’t remember what it was. I really immersed myself in the culture.
PAUL Adey does have a lot of caps. Over 70 in fact and many of them are on display in his lounge. But that’s not where the name Cappo came from. The hip-hop artist, who was born in Cotgrave and raised in West Bridgford, was given the nickname by his dad. “All my family have called me Caps or Cappo every since,” says the 32-year-old.
The collection of mostly baseball caps are a bi-product of using the name for his music over the past ten years.
“Recently a lady in Philadelphia sent me a couple of caps. As a thank you I sent her a new album. And now I’ve got a place to stay in Philadelphia,” he adds with a laugh.
Cappo has been one of the best known names on Nottingham’s hip-hop scene for over a decade, ever since he released his critically acclaimed debut album, Spaz The World, produced by Nottingham’s P Brothers.
But prior to that his first few EPs were championed by John Peel.
“I did a Radio One show in Nottingham at The Boat club with him,” he recalls, one of his favourite shows, alongside performances with Public Enemy and The Herbaliser and a Radio One session for Tim Westwood. Despite the early success, it’s only since he’s become a father that Cappo has been motivated to make his music his career.“I’ve always done it for the love of the music and I built quite a reputation but I’ve never really took care of the business side of things,” he says. “In the past few months I’ve decided to give it a real shot. I’m just working on the music now and seeing how long it can sustain me and my son.
“He’s two and a half and he takes up quite a lot of my time, but it’s good to be able to spend so much time with him.”
Cappo has released numerous albums and featured on countless tracks with other artists but sales are limited because of his use of samples.
“I bought a sampler 15 users ago and I’ve been using it all this time. I’ve always used samples from the progressive rock bands and soul bands from the sixties and seventies.
“But you do need a record label to pay for and arrange for the use of the samples. Otherwise you can’t legitimately release anything due to copyright issues.”
The trick is it not use them or...
“Use more and more obscure samples that might not be picked up by a record label,” he says. “It’s to avoid getting sued for breaching copyright.”
But he adds: “My new album is more sample free.”
The album is Gusto Grizwold: International Vacation.
“I’m pushing the boundaries of what I’ve done musically. And lyrically it marks a big change from my debut. I was in a different place. I was a little more destructive back then.“I’ve grown a lot and gained a lot of knowledge. So now I’m talking about being a father.”
He adds: “I feel like a motivational speaker in certain ways with some of the lyrics on this album. I want you to be inspired by it.”
Mostly he wants it to earn him a living.
“In the past I’ve always prided myself on being an underground artist who gets critical acclaim. But now I’m trying to break through to the mainstream and make a living out of it.
“Especially since I’ve had my son. I’d like to be able to say to him that this house or this car was born from the music that I created.”
Cappo’s own father died when he was just four. The family moved to West Bridgford, where he lived until he was 18.
The music started for him after watching the Police Academy films and actor Michael Winslow, who used his voice to create sound effects.
This evolved into beat-boxing.
He says: “I saw something on TV that really inspired me to do hip-hop although I can’t remember what it was. I really immersed myself in the culture.“Then my next door neighbour took me to Apna Arts Centre in Radford which was run by Trevor and Courtney Rose and they took me under their wing.”
The Roses now run the Community Recording Studio in St Ann’s, where they continue to develop local music talent.
“I’ve released quite a few albums and I’ve done a lot of work with other artists. I feature on a lot of other peoples tracks.
“But now I want to break through to the mainstream on my own and ultimately leave a legacy for my son.”
Gusto Grizwold: International Vacation is out now and available fromwww.cappohq.com and www.gustogrizwold.comcappohq.
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