Peter King
Fast Style Origination
By Ray Hurford & Colin Moore
Fast Style Origination
By Ray Hurford & Colin Moore
Peter King - Fashion Records
Peter King
Fast Style
Origination
(C) Small Axe 1986
(C) Muzik Tree 1992
(C) Small Axe 2005
Peter King
"Who inspired me? I used to like General
Echo a lot, a helluva lot, Cause I liked the way
he would chat a rhythm-comfortable and
make you laugh. At the time slackness was
kicking up dances, but he used to do other
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lyrics as well 'Soldier Take Over' all them kinda
of things. A whole heap of lyrics, it was him
who inspired me a lot. Then after him it was
Nicodemus."
Briggy
"When I heard Brigadier Jerry, cause of being
into Echo - the slackness and then coming
right down into culture, and me being a little
rebel and not really respecting the culture in
dem times, and that's the truth of the matter.
So when I heard Nicodemus, it was on tape
and Briggy never turned up. I thought Briggy
was a coward!
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Was that the infamous Jack Ruby tape?
"That's right, that tape. So I started off MCing.
I've got a cousin called Mellow, who comes
from America. We grew up together. Then
when he was about 14-15, he went to
America. We was like brothers. He came
back over on holiday and he told me that he
had started up MCing, over there - started
doing lyrics. So we went to Saxon, and he
was chatting on Saxona little bit with Levi,
Dirty Desi and the rest of them."
When was this Peter?
"It could have been '81, say '81 coming up to
'82. That was all sweet and nice. So he goes
to me, Mellow my cousin 'You had better
start to write some lyrics-originals without pirating
other peoples.' See everyone starts off
like that. So I said alright. Then I used to live
off of Nicodemus and Echo tapes.
I never chat like Echo, it was just easy to follow
him. That was why I used to like him. He
gave me so much inspiration. I started to
write a few lyrics. The first forward I can remember
getting in a dance was in a Saxon
dance, when I chatted 'Billy Boyo Black'
which was an original I wrote out. Then I
said yeah, people appreciate it. But money
wasn't getting paid, but I just did it for the
love of it. So I kept writing more style like
'Ganja Business A Money Business'. Things
like that, that people can easily relate to. Financially
we all want money things like that."
"Like I was getting a bit of a name sparring
with Levi, but people used to say that I had a
voice like Nicodemus. And they never liked
me, just because of the voice thing."
General Echo
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Nicodemus
You didn't do the fast style like Nicodemus!!!
"No not the fast style. I never chat the fast
style then. That was in '82, near the beginning,
but time coming on now and I noticed
how a lot of MC's were just rhyming lyrics
without a point. Just rhyming, rhyming,
rhyming. Just as long as it ended in the same
idea. But my thinking was that lyrics should
have a story. Unless you have a different style
of chatting. Yard tapes I used to listen to a lot.
Then one day, I don't even know how it
came to me...To tell you the truth...I heard
someone, I think it was Dennis, Dennis Rowe.
He was doing something like "Me Neat, Me
Sweet" round his house one day."
Is Dennis part of the Saxon Posse?
"He owns Saxon, and he was doing 'Me Neat
Me Sweet'. And I was going you couldn't
neat and sweet like me! Then I said neat and
sweet - yeah. I can do lyrics out of neat and
sweet - all what it takes to be neat and sweet.
So I went home and started writing this lyric.
And at first it started off like, 'Me use ultrabright
to brush me teeth at night, it's out
of sight, yes me dynamite-things related to
that."
"Like me wash me hands, me brush me
teeth, comb me hair, things like that. Just
things to be neat and sweet, not just gimmicks,
because it had the point of being neat
and sweet. And so I thinking like - 'me neat
me sweet, me know how fe do it, me wash
me hands, me wash me feet, me brush me
teeth'...then chatting it a bit more , it got fast
faster! And I said yeah, yeah!! I've got a style.
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And the style just come, and by writing it, the
way you write it down...well they are secrets
I'm not letting them go yet, and I finished it."
Peter then gives us the whole lyric in fine
style. Or should that be fast style (both terms
apply anyway) Peter continues.
"And that was it. By the time I had done that
the whole place would have erupted already.
Then after that I just put in what I was
going to do first of all."
How would you deal with the rhythm. I've
heard some Saxon tapes, where you use a
fast Studio One rhythm.
The one with the fast bass drum 'Baby' suggests Gussie
Prento. That's the one. So you would have
a special rhythm to do the fast style lyrics too?
"No, no, what it is, what it is what you're doing
with the fast style, your running it hot.
Cause if the music is slow or fast it don't matter.
You're just doing it fast. You're not not
doing it to fit on anything."
"Like 'Boby Babylon'. When 'Boby Babylon'
was playing, I fit it on that originally. The first
time it sounded nice. so I kept chatting it on
'Boby Babylon' wherever I went. It started in
'82, December. That was when I started it.
And I just kept on doing it from then. When I
first did it, Levi (Phillip Levi) never liked it. He
went 'Ah no'. He wasn't really into it."
"I chatted down at Dick Shepard's at this [DJ]
'Explosion' and everyone stood to attention
when I dropped it down there. That was
when everyone started to do it. That was the
first big dance I'd been to and everyone started
to do it. and then er...I heard that Smiley
was doing it. Pirating my style, word for
word, but because it was fast it didn't really
matter, just as long as people can follow one
or two words, but Smiley made his one
slightly longer than mine."
So you can fit any lyrics into any rhythm, just
as long as it's at the right speed?
"That's right, when I did it, it never rhymed
continuously, but it didn't matter. If you're
doing it fast it don't matter, but then I
changed it. And I just said, I'm going to do
just lyrics. When it came to putting it on music
when the fast style was every
where...what happened was, I stopped. You
see there was confrontation in Saxon. Like
we weren't getting paid enough. so we started
up a posse called the Crucial Posse."
"Which was like all the MC's like Maxi [Priest],
Levi, Smiley, Asher and me. We was all in the
Crucial Posse. If you want us you have to pay
us for your dances. So we went to dances
when was Saxon was playing out and no
one was on it except beginners, novices. The
crowd was going mad. So two of the rest of
the posse (Louis & Basher) went round with
a hat 'Money for the MC's - Put money in the
Maxi Priest hat for the MC's'. And it worked! There was
money in there, over thirty odd pound. I can't
remember exactly, but there was enough for
all of us. It was a joke thing. We was in a
dance, and people paid. So we said this is
sweet, if we could always do this it would be
good...It never lasted, cause people was going
I'm not going to pay money to hear Saxon
and then afterwards they are going to
want money as well! That cooled out and
stopped."
"Then, like some people went back to Saxon -
er Levi and this time Smiley and Asher was
chatting on it. I just cut. I had something behind
me already - electronics. I was working
on computers, designing computer circuit
boards. I was working on that and I stopped
MCing...sod it I'll live and work a normal life.
So I stopped writing lyrics for over a year...
and the fast style kept getting big. People
kept saying how come you're not doing it.
Then the work situation got hard, work got
short and I got laid off. And trying to get a
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job was hard. I wouldn't want to do anything
and go right down the scale."
"So I thought, well I don't know what I'm going
to do, after a few weeks or months I
thought I'll start writing lyrics again. And by
this time the fast style was still getting big, but
I was thinking I don't want do MCing again
really, cause it would look like I'm following
the rest. They had used the style and I would
only be following it as they were making the
money out of it, and I wanted a cut."
"I was thinking people were...I wasn't that
worried about people. Just thinking myself,
that going back into it...You see usually I like
to go into something, achieve something
and then cut out. I was a blackbelt Kung Fu.
Once I got that, I cut out. I did Table Tennis, I
got trophies then I cut out. Everything I do, I
get to a certain stage, then I cut out, but I cut
out too quick for the fast style really (laughs)."
"So people were asking me to do it. but
there's no point in putting out just one lyric
and that's it. So I've got to build them up. So
lately I've been writing styles, and I'm still doing
it."
And this is working exclusively with Fashion?
"Not really, I'm working with Fashion, but it's
for the purpose of putting something out, to
build up my name. And I want to do that
with Fashion, cause Fashion are a good studio
to work with. It's like a school down here.
You learn. I could do a style and say yeah use
it. I want it on music. And certain producers
would say alright, then put it out, and it
might not be right, cause it might not be
done right, but here they would tune it up,
get it right."
"Once the lyrics are together you can see the
commercial aspect of it. Which I don't really
know. Which the buying public side of it. So I
learn a lot as well."
In a way you are the UK equivalent to Brigadier
Jerry. Even though you weren't inspired
by him. As he's also an originator?
"Yeah, I find that I do one or two lyrics and a
lot of people like it. Then they do different
styles to it, but I wouldn't like to claim anything.
So what I've been avoiding ...I could
go and chat on a sound system now, but I
don't want to flash out my lyrics and let people
use them. So what I would rather do is
try...If I do a music, and it does something for
me and people recognise that I'm not
washed up after all, as I'm sure a lot of people
think that I am."
I think people are surprised that it's taken you
a long time to come forward, being the originator.
"And that he was in England sitting down all
the while.."
A bit of mystery (laughs) Now it's been revealed
it's an interesting story.
Have you seen anything coming off of the
fast style, any direction that you didn't expect?
"Well it's getting big all over the country, all
over the world, that shocked me. And here
was me not doing nothing much about it.
And right now it's time that I should. That's
why this one I'm doing now, I design it with
a fast style in it."
What's it called?
"It could be called many things 'Step On The
Gas'. It's got a story, it's got style and finesse
everything is in it."
How about some of the criticism of Saxon,
that they have taken the mix down style too
far? The live LP on UK Bubblers, there's more
talk on it than music. There is a lot of...(Gussie
P who's also present at the interview) 'Haul
And Paul'. Colin adding that the DJ has become
more important than the music
"Well what it is, since MC's realise that people
listen to actual lyrics rather then just dance to
the music, it's changed, but big headedness
is another thing. If you get too big headed it
will be your own down fall. Lyrics wise you're
putting yourself over the people. Imagine
you're doing lyrics about - I'm brighter then
this and cleverer than that, and that and this
and all that right. And people are going yeah
well so am I. I don't want to hear about you,
cho. Now if you can do something like 'Police
Officer' that's wicked. It's something everyone
can relate to."
Why did some of the tunes on the Johnny
Ringo meets Asher Senator album get faded
out Gussie?
"Everyone of those tunes had to be cut
down. Just too much lyrics for the actual
tune."
That's unusual isn't it?
"Not really" replies Gussie. Peter see's my
point and continues. "That's true, one time
lyrics were much too short for a record. Then
again (Gussie comes back) 'Smiley and Asher
and you PK write lyrics', Gussie indicates to
Peter's book of lyrics, and it's clear what Gussie
means. Peter's book is full with lyrics.
Peter continues. "If I was to show you my
book, there were over two pages [to one
tune], that had to be cut to two, then down
to one and a half. A lot of what I put in there
has been chopped out and twisted around.
A lot of work. What a lot of MC's forget is that
things that swing in a dance that people can
click to, Sometimes it's what people can say -
a catchphrase."
Gussie continues. 'That's what it is. A song
has a chorus and from time you hear that
song once you just remember it...you might
not remember all the verses, but you know
the tune is nice, from the chorus, which a lot
of tunes don't have. It's just three minutes of
rambling, but if you lay the song out properly
you only have to hear it once, and the second
time you hear it you can sing the chorus."
Peter King continues. "Also style is important.
There are many different ways of saying
things. And what MC's are penetrating now
is lyrics, and a lot of MC's are fogetting about
style."
How about the change in calling DJ's MC's
now is that significant. Does it mean anything.
That you now prefer to be called MC's
rather than DJ's?
"Well, that was started by a Yardie, Ringo-really.
He said don't call me no DJ, a DJ is a dirty
John Crow! (laughs) an MC is a master of
ceremonies. Call me an MC. Everyone goes
wicked, yeah, me is an MC. And everyone
switched, and he done that with a few lines
in a lyrics, off a cassette. It's not even on
record. When that happened everyone
changed. Everyone is an MC now. Now
some MC, now say they are a lyrics banton,
or a banton. Some people don't know the
meaning of it."
What is the meaning of it?
"Well more or less it's known as a fowl." Gussie
then mentions that there is a chicken
called a banton.
"I wouldn't call myself something I don't
know." continues Peter. "Like you get MC's
who say they walk pon the sea and swim on
the land, but I can't do that, I could do the
lyrics, easy to do. You just think of impossible
things to do. It's just gimmicks really, a joke
business. What is harder to do is to form sensible
lyrics. That's why people write lyrics like
that."
Do you think slackness is another easy way
out of writing good lyrics?
"I used to use it a long time. When I chat
slackness. I said I want to do something that
would make people laugh. Make them say
forward. so you put a little nastiness into it.
Since Echo use to kick up with it for long
time, but then it started to run down. He
died (General Echo) and they said slackness
bite the dust. Briggy come out with that.
'Slackness bite the dust.' And people would
Maxi Priest
say slackness bite the dust, he's dead. I don't
want to chat slackness. I don't wanna be
dead. Satan works that, and thing. Everyone
stopped chatting slackness, and I stopped as
well, but certain DJ's carried on 'cause they
couldn't find no other way keeping the
dance lively. And when you have to resort to
things like that your intelligence doesn't really
show. It won't be appreciated after a while,
where there are people who are chatting
intelligent, who don't need to do that.
Gussie then comments that a lot of people
are saying - "Intelligent they're intelligent, instead
of actually being intelligent and showing
it.'
Peter adds "That's why I've done the lyrics '10
Commandments of An MC'. That shows everything
that I'm talking to you about. I've put
everything that I've thought in it."
Smiley & Asher
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"There are MCs who are chatting like they are
intelligent, but are only using long words out
of a dictionary. They're just looking in books
seeing long words - 'Oh yeah me dis.' Ask
them a year afterwards what was that again?
'Um I've forgot now'. It's not a natural instinct.
It's best to chat off of your own original natural
instinct. Why try to be something that
you're not." What do you think of the Ja MC's
who are now using your style. How do you
see that? "Yeah well people should see that
British MC's should be getting the headlines.
Not just the Yard MC's. When they are over
here they kick up. Alright, repect due for
them drawing style from a long time, but the
English MC's are trying to get through as
well, and they are getting a fight down. They
are not getting the respect, and why not, we
are the home base. Why fight within yourself?
But reggae music as a whole always get
a fight, yet we could go international. Look at
Smiley Culture's record, and that's just one
record. If everyone got a breakthrough, people
could hear all the lyrics."
"One thing, I'm not rushing to get big, I'm
doing it for the love of it. Just love, cause I
would do a PA and they might get away
with me doing do it free. Which is a bad
thing in a way. It's one of the reasons I
stopped. I wasn't rushing it. There was nothing
stopping me anyway. I could have. I
could have gone to a studio - look I originate
the fast style Levi did over the other day. Let's
flash the original one right now, but I didn't
want to rush it out. I could have done it,
even before Levi, flash one."
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"I was in the studio, Max, Maxi (Priest) introduce
me to go a studio, the same time as
Levi did 'Mi God Mi King' and I didn't go
cause I didn't want to. I could have gone,
and it would have been out at the same time
on Level Vibes...everything, but I said no,
cause I always think the music business is a
rip off. I remember Sir Lloyd after that Dick
Sheperd dance. He did a LP thing and there
was like pennies coming in. Real pennies. I
went, oh boy, music business is like this. He's
giving me all these percentages and that. I
don't know. I don't know, I thought sod it let
me work man. I'm earning more that way.
Do some overtime. If I wanted to chat, I
could chat on a sound, when I wanted to.
But then I thought, no I wouldn't even bother.
I won't chat on a sound, I have other little
runnings and things."
Papa Levi
Where do you get your inspiration from today?
"I don't look at other MC's. I hear other MC's, I
hear a whole heap of MC's, but I don't hear
anything that worries me, boy I can't write
nothing like that. There are many things to
being an MC than just lyrics. You can capture
people with many styles you know. A fast
style, anyone could do a fast style."
Gussie: "Once you know the lyrics inside out,
it's only a question of time. You then just say it
fast, something you know off by heart."
Peter: "Yesterday in my little home studio, it
just came to me that I could have got the fast
style off of something, but it wasn't that. I
know it wasn't that, cause it just came to me.
I was sitting down and chatting to myself all
sealed off."
Does that help you?
"Yeah it does 'cause I don't listen to the sound
tapes at all now. Then it came to mind, hold
on, I thought the fast style could have been
done like that. Then different lyrics come to
my mind. I have
many different
ways of writing
lyrics, sometimes
it's not lyrics it
could be a style."
Other styles cited
by Gussie include
a Car auction or
the bookies at the
race courses.
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Gussie: "Asher and Smiley went to buy a car,
and they just heard this guy chatting about a
million miles an hour, you know what I
mean."
Peter: "Sometimes it depends how quick you
are. I've found a different style of riding the
same rhythm which brings melody into it.
What I mean...No I don't want to tell you
that, top secret(laughs). Alright this is 'Boby
Babylon' which has just begun to be played
in the shop above. Mow if you wanted to be
a classical MC..." Peter stops as the rhythm
changes to 'Won't You Come Home'.
"Now if Levi was riding the rhythm to that, he
would go 'Now me are big, and me are
hard, and me is massive and me are broad." If
he was styling to do a rhythm like that. If a
man wanted to think of style, it's the melody
you could do a complete lyrics out of it. I'll
talk to you again like after the music is out
and see what happen. I hope the people like
it. It's only love I'm dealing with anyway, it's
not going to change me."
And it didn't. Fashion released only a few
tunes by Peter, including 'Step On The Gas'
on a 12", and 'Me Neat Me Sweet' on the album
'Great British M.C.'s'[Fashion]. These
were very well received, and more would
have probably followed but at about the
time the LP and 12" were released, reggae
music went through one of its traditional and
dramatic musical swings. Part of this meant
that DJ's were out of favour and singers
were in. The ragga style left the UK DJ/MC's
out in the cold. When DJ's came back, it was
the Jamaican DJ's that were on top again.
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Still nothing ever gets wasted in reggae music.
It was green [environmentally] from time.
The fast style will one day return, that you
can be certain of. And when it does Peter
King hopefully will laugh when he reads of
some little youth claiming he invented it. Peter,
myself and now you know different.