Birmingham rising star Tana has revealed the video to single, Ride & Clutch Part 2 featuring Aitch, M1llionz, JB Scofield, and Unknown T. Ferociously bubbling on the underground, shutting down shows, radio and live alike this track sees the newcomer really flex his lyrical and melodic capabilities. With his own unique take on UK drill, making it something unique to him with the Jamaican flair he infuses his tracks with, the Birmingham native and grandson of “Sir Coxsone Dodd” one of the founders of the legendary Studio One label and reggae itself is just getting started.
Tana, how was the process of writing Ride & Clutch Part 2 with Aitch, M1llionz, JB Scofield, and Unknown T under current circumstances? Did it somehow influence the way you create?
I wasn’t that hard as I had already created it. I feel everyone felt the energy and flow that I brought to the first track and they all wanted to be a part of it. Even though we are all facing difficulty during these times It was surprisingly a smooth process. I had each verse back within the hour of everyone confirming. I think that showed me how special this track is and how excited everyone was to get this off the ground.
Two locations in Birmingham everyone should visit to better understand the local culture?
Coxsone Lounge – My family pub. Made to honor my grandad’s name, Sir Coxsone Dodd. It’s a great place to go to. It’s a great atmosphere there and a nice mixture of Black, British and Jamaican cultures all in one place. The drinks are always flowing and the food is the best in town. Another place I would say is Soho Road or Erdington High Street you haven’t experienced Birmingham until you have been there If you know about Brum you know what it’s like in them places.
Could you narrate your first meeting with Jaykae?
When did I first meet Jaykae….I remember I was with Depz at his album release party for “2 REAL”? At these times I just got into music and I was still up and coming. I was under Depz’s wing a lot as we grew up together and he invested time into me. Round them times, Invasion Alert was massively made up of different MCs. Jaykae believed in Depz and started to take him under his wing. Naturally, Jaykae took me in as I was Depz’s friend and continued to show me, love, from there. As the years have passed he has helped me a lot so “Salute to Jaykae!!”
What role the Invasion Crew collective played in your personal and creative development?
To be fair, I think I joined Invasion at the wrong time. At the time, there was a lot of breakdown in the group and it didn’t do as much for me as I thought It would due to that. We had some sick times before this got rough. What it did do was inspire me to be a better artist and better myself. When I joined, I didn’t have the hunger and got a bit complacent within my role and sat back around other MCs. I did learn a lot from being around everyone in Invasion and It taught me to work hard on myself and create something I can take forward and not have to rely on man.
What are your plans for 2020?
Drop a lot of music and show people the new sound I have been working on. Release music
consistently this year and become an even bigger name in my city and slowly take over nationwide. I want to continue to prosper by sharing my life story. I have a voice and I want this to be shared and used to promote positive messages and become and positive figure and not lose myself and focus on the reasons why I started making music. My focus is not just music goals. I want to do a lot of youth work and help the youth to change their positions. This year has already been an important one for me and I want to make sure I finish it strong and set myself up.
Watch Ride & Clutch Part 2 below: