Written by Megan Kamanga.
For this article i sat down with ‘Teebo FG’, an artist who is not new to the music scene but new to the ‘UK Rage’ genre. I decided to centre the interview around whether or not a creative’s environment is crucial to their development and for me, Teebo is a perfect example of this…
Enjoy the read and let me know whether you agree or not!
The name Teebo derived from a nickname his cousins gave him back when he was in year 8, which stuck with him as he grew up. When he began making music and the time came to form a stage name, he looked at other artists like Digga D and other UK Drill artists and felt ‘Teebo’ fit that aesthetic.
Megan: “talk to me about where you’re from and how that environment has contributed to your artistry.”
Teebo: “I’m from Middleborough near Newcastle, no one really knows about the place. In terms of how it contributed to me becoming an artist… to be honest it didn’t really influence me like that, if I’m being brutally honest it sort of capped me from even rapping in the first place. The people around there…you know…it’s a mostly white environment so i wasn’t really trying to come out my shell like that.”
I think a lot of artist can agree when i say a sense of community and finally finding your people is one of the most important things when deciding not to pursue a traditional career.
More specifically being a black artist in an environment where you’re already considered different, i can understand the anxiety around not wanting to make decisions that further the idea of you being outcast.
Teebo: “I didn’t properly start rapping until i came to Manchester and that’s when people heard about me, heard about Teebo.”
Megan: “would you say you’re the only guy doing what you’re doing from Middlesborough?”
Teebo: “Yeah one hundred percent. I couldn’t tell you one person from Middleborough, first of all that have even come out their shell to start this rapping ting… there’s people from Middleborough that you wouldn’t think would message me about music saying ‘I want to start’ and so on. I definitely am one of the first people to start this.”
If you’re going to take anything away from section of the interview, take in the fact that there’s no shame in being the first to do something different. You’d be surprised how many people react positively rather than negatively.
megan kamanga writes 
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