Underground Unit

After enjoying their performance at the FU Magazine launch party, we decided to meet up with East London based Underground Unit for a unique midnight photoshoot down Londons West End and find out more about this talented group of young guys.

How did you all get together/ where do you know each other from?
It all started from school where we were all introduced to each other and we was all doing different sort of music so we brought it together then we made it a band ‘Underground Unit’

Where did the name Underground Unit come from, Does it have a meaning?
Yeah it’s like we made underground music at that stage so we just thought we was an UNDERGROUND UNIT so that’s where it came from.

How would you describe your sound?
Unique very different just covering the things people don’t usually do.

Normally with big groups one MC will come out as a solo artist and bring the rest of the crew through, like what Nelly did with St Lunatics or Tinchy/Ruff Squad have you guys ever thought of doing that?
No for now we would like all of us to be established as a band there is no solo artists bringing through the team.

Your videos ain’t full of girls all skin out like stereotypical videos made by guys your age group why is this?
We don’t do it on purpose but our minds say no we ain’t doing it like how other people do it.
You guys all seem to be happy together and you all seem to look out for each other and kind of keep each other focused/in check. What do you think is the recipe for a happy band ( as there is quite a few of you) why do you think you all gel so well?

Because we try and be as real as possible to each other we can be in the studio and if someone has wrote a lyric that’s not tight we tell them ‘yo fam da barz not tight you have to hit the lab again lol’ nah man its just continuous jokes man there needs to be a relationship in a band or theres no point being a band really.

Poison was a very popular BellBivDevoe track back in 1990 now you’re all quite young, what made you decide to use this particular track?
It wasn’t planned at all we was all at silencer’s house and Silencer and Dafro decided to sample a track but it ended up being the BBD track that not a lot of people have done.

You seem to be doing well by yourselves, do you think you actually need to be signed to a major record label?
Nah not really because once you get signed its like they start to dress you up as puppets and they try and make you do things you don’t want to do and they could drop you any time.

Obviously you guys are going to be huge stars, a lot of people let money go to their heads and turn into monsters then end up like Amy Winehouse, do you think this could ever happen to you guys?
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! No way, even if we was millionaires we will still buy Asdas Cola lol trust me the majority of us are Africans us Africans like to save money you know. I don’t think we will be any different, still the same loud and noisy people you have now!

For more info on Underground Unit:

www.undergroundunit.co.uk

"Everyone stay safe and put down the knives its not only affecting the victims life but it’s affecting others. The pain they have to go through, its not nice! "-Silencer - Underground Unit

All photos: Natalie Applewhaite-Morgan