Crime and Punishment 2011- Exclusive 2nd Interview!

(l-r) Dan,?,Joey, Alex (Joey's Fiancée)

The following interview took place on Saturday 30^th January 2016 at Uprawr in the Asylum.  It was probably around 1am and everybody involved was pretty hammered, yet surprisingly coherent. What follows has been edited down a bit. It began with me shouting “ B -TOWN BLOG COMING ATCHA LIKE A RAPTURE!!”  My first question was to their bearded screamer, Joey Sniper: 'Now that you are getting married will the marital bliss and happiness there in going to stop you from getting angry and screaming at people for a living?' To which he replied, 'I wish I was married to Morrissey.' Dan is a bit of a character to say the least and his surreal drunken ramblings made up the bulk of our discussion. 'With Joe’s lyrical content, he draws a lot from movies and stuff like The Notebook, where everyone’s happy ever after, so I actually despise him and that’s where the lyrics for Sequel came from, but it's all good, it's all tight. 

Joey: That and Meat is Murder

Dan: Morrissey is Murder!

Joey: I also really like a Mcdonalds Burger aswell.

At this point some Random geezer starts shouting about how Tupac and Kurt Cobain aren’t dead, Dan politely told them to go away. This obviously gets us talking about Skepta. 'You know the thing about that’s not me is that in that song Skepta says "Sex any girl, boy that’s not me". But to sex something doesn’t mean to have sex with it, but to identify it’s gender. So what he’s really doing is hanging around going, yep that’s a girl… that’s a girl"

Dan: I think Skepta is god and nothing he can do is wrong, that’s my end of that question.

Me: What’s Scared of the Dark about?

Dan. Scared of the Dark is the darkest song ever written. It’s about being in that really dark space. Joe and Glitch write their own lyrics but I came up with the chorus. That song to me is like looking at that really beautiful girl over there and being like, Why am I never good enough for you, I dress really well, I go to the gym, I eat like a fucking rabbit, stuff like that. Scared in the dark is the best song ever written, if you disagree then I am sorry but you have not listened to Extra Hour. That was the best EP of 2015.  If you guys don’t like Extra Hour then you guys need to go home and research, fucking lyrics! I am still not a goat! Next question!

Me: Why do you keep insisting that you’re not a goat?

Dan: I refuse to answer questions on this matter. Next question!

Me: Whatever happened to the Bantorious DAN?

Dan: I don’t know who that is! Next question!

Me: Why do you have all these girls after you?

(Dan bursts out laughing): It’s the fringe man! I made fringes sexy again, I’m not even going to dispute that. Like the reason so many girls are like omg he’s a rapper he’s so tight, is like. I am no looker, I haven’t got 4000 chains, and I’m not hanging out with Timbaland.  I’m just a guy with feelings and a fringe, and they can appeal to that. I don’t know why that’s really a thing.

Me:  I want to join your band!

Dan: Were not looking for guitarists right now, we're keeping it as a family. We’ve got a guitarist in house. He does the shit behind the scenes. We’re not really keeping it a movement like that. It’s me Joe, and Jake on stage screaming and Jason on windows media player, cutting it all out but he’s tight, he’s sick. We don’t need a live band, fuck that shit!

Me: All the best hip hop groups have really defined personalities. Like in Wu Tang Clan, you had RZA, GZA, Old Dirty Bastard, and in NWA, Ice Cube, Dr Dre and Easy-E. Do you think Crime and Punishment 2011 have that same dynamic that makes them special?

Dan: 36 Chambers was one of the best albums of all time! Don’t cut that out! 36 Chambers was one of best albums of all time! Obviously Joe brings a lot of influences to the table from his shouty music about his feelings, and Jakes really into stuff like Rizzle Kicks and all that shit! I really like shit like Odd Future and Skepta. I think it’s a really massive combination of influences, and I don’t think any of us try to resolve each other, in any respect. I just think it’s us bringing those influences to the table. If Jake brings a verse I’m like yeah that’s cool. If I write a verse he’ll be like that’s too blatant, you need to add some more metaphors in there. There’s definitely personalities but I don’t think there’s anything to really define it. It’s just shit like that. I’d like to shout out to Joe, his beautiful fiancée and his massive beard.

Joey: I like balloons.

Me: If I get a fringe can I get laid too?

Dan: No! Next question!

Me: This one is for Joe, did you get the beard before you met your fiancée or afterwards? Because I want to know if having a beard is a good way to meet girls or not.

Joey: I came out the womb with a beard, I was more beard than man, before I was a man with a beard. But yes it will help you get the ladies…. The ladies with the beards…

Me: If you had to start beef with any rapper, who would it be?

Joey: Frank Sinatra!

Dan: He’s not famous but there’s this guy from my ends called Young Ken and he’s so shit. He sounds like Young Thug on Paracetamol. Fuck that guy! I’d probably go for him but at the same time pick Kanye West or someone like that.

Me: Why did you release Extra Hour for free?

Joey: Because it’s not worth people paying for! It’s fucking shit!

End of part 1*

*Part two may or may not come sooner, depends how much usable stuff I can get from the other tapes. 

Hear their shit at  https://crimepunishment2011.bandcamp.com/