Urban Vault caught up with Dorset, UK based emcee ISAIAH DREADS to ask him some questions about his music, collaborations and inspirations

Representing Dorchester, eloquent emcee Isaiah Dreads definitely puts the South Coast on the map! Isaiah has recently torn it down at the Link Up stage at the Great Escape festival and performed at Glastonbury for the second time already in his short career. Through his relentless determination, at the age of just 15, he pitched himself as a local talent to the organizers at Worthy Farm who let him grace the stage and three years later at the age of 18 he was back to shut down Glastonbury again. Starting the year by dropping a legendary ‘Fire in the Booth‘ with Charlie Sloth, he demonstrated his intricate lyricism and impeccable flow which fascinated further tastemakers and highlighted his role in the shifting culture of the UK underground scene.

What is your name?

My name is Isaiah Dreads.

Where are you from?

I’m from Dorset.

How old are you?

I’m 18 years old.

How long have you been making music?

I’ve been making music for 12 years now.

How many songs/albums have you released to date?

I always made mixtapes for fun when I was younger but they weren’t official or anything. I made an EP called ‘Retro Boy’ when I was 15 and 2 mixtapes since then ‘Nothin but a mixtape’ and ‘Lights Turn Green’.

Can you tell us about your new song/album, the background and inspirations behind it?

I’ve released several freestyles recently and have been enjoying that. In this culture it’s sometimes much better to put out a freestyle track/video without a hook and a bridge. Sometimes a track being too polished can take away from the honesty of the lyrics etc. Each of them were just inspired from things I see daily.

How have you ended up in the music industry?

My older brother also raps and I started doing music after being inspired by him.

What do you think of the music industry in 2016?

I think music in general is in a really good place right now…especially Grime music, it feels like its being appreciated the way it should be.

What have you got planned for 2017?

For 2017 and every year after that I plan to just keep making music and improve my writing. Over the next year I want to work on my production a lot more too.

What inspires you when you make your music?

I get inspired by the craziest things to make music…I can listen to a rock album and want to write a grime song. I like to listen to the genres of music I don’t make, it helps me switch things up a bit.

Who have you collaborated with so far in your Career?

I have worked with Saskilla, C4, Preditah and also done work with Westy and Audio Slugs on recent freestyles.

Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?

I’d like to work with Wiley, Jorja Smith, Shakka in the future.

What’s your favourite track at the moment?

My favourite song right now is ‘Crazy Dream’ by Tom Misch and Loyle Carner I think. Everything about it is sick, especially for summer.

What do you do when your not making music?

When I’m not making music I usually just chill with friends. I go to the beach a lot because its nearby and probably my favourite place to be aside from the studio.

Facebook or Twitter?

Twitter > Facebook.

In a few words sum up your thoughts about Urban Vault and what we’re trying to do?

I think it’s sick that Urban Vault are supporting so much/so many types of music.

Thank you for your time and may you carry on making dope, fresh music….

www.facebook.com/IsaiahDreads/
https://twitter.com/isaiahDreads
https://soundcloud.com/isaiahdreads
https://instagram.com/isaiahdreads/