Amongst many UK musicians and producers spilling over into the United States, BXKS is a rising rapper from Northampton looking to shake the world. Raised in Luton in an artistic family of Jamaican heritage, the fresh face to hip-hop is no rookie to slick bars and witty punchlines that’ll quickly grab your attention. BXKS, formally known as Beks, eventually unveiled her 2020 debut under the new moniker with records like “Packed In!” and “Work Like.” Instantly the emcee set herself apart through unique flows and her love of animé woven into her visual story too through the project artworks.
2021 saw the release of BXKS’s debut project, Full Time Daydreamer, an 8-song offering that boasts a lone feature from KISH!. It contains fan-favorites such as “Tulisa Freestyle” and “Must Feel,” but also cemented her name in the alternative rap space. Fast forward to now, she unveiled her latest project, Hack The Planet. With pre-release singles such as “Bones 2 Pick” and “Menace,” BXKS’ rapid ascension in the underground scene comes full circle with never heard before records and a bubbly personality that gravitates new fans towards her music.
We had the pleasure of talking with BXKS about her new mixtape Hack The Planet, dream collaborations, and advice to her younger self to name a few topics. Read below!
Talk to me about the title, Hack The Planet, what does that mean to you and how did you come up with it?
So the project name, I’m a big fan of movies and anime so I wanted it to sound like a movie. That’s kind of where the name came from and just hacking the planet in regards to hacking the airwaves and making my sound be heard more than the first tape.
Prior to the project, you put out singles like “Bones 2 Pick” and “Mean Amount”—how did those two set the tone for the new mixtape?
I feel like they don’t really set the tone, those two songs are the only ones that are quite similar to each other. One of the first songs on the project is called “The Kids” and it sounds completely different. There’s a mixture of stuff on the project.
What are your biggest inspirations musically?
These days, I’ve been listening to Larry June, I just got into him. Mostly I just like Skepta, I listen to a lot of him. There’s a lot of up-and-coming artists coming to the scene and dropping stuff. I don’t really watch other people, but apart from that, it’s not overwhelming.
I love the creative direction of the project and its pre-release singles, tell me about the animated universe you’re creating through your singles and mixtapes.
I always wanted to incorporate animations in my artwork, maybe in some videos soon. I want most of my artwork to be animated, and maybe a short film. That’s something I’m working on next year for one of my next projects. A few underground artists do it but it does always look cool.
I feel where most artists would typically wait a bit, you quickly followed up with a new project just months after Full Time Daydreamer—what gravitated you towards putting out music so soon?
I’m very quick at writing songs and I thought it would be a good idea to keep the momentum going by dropping two tapes in one year. As soon as the year is up, probably around February, I’m going to drop another one. It probably won’t be as long, just a few songs, but yeah. When I first started making music, I was getting categorized as a drill rapper and I didn’t like so I took a step back but I haven’t really stopped since 2020.
Who are some artists you dream of collaborating with in the future?
Yeah, Skepta! He inspire me to be a rapper, I didn’t know how to rap until I watched his grime sets. I didn’t know how to rap at all in 2016 so he’s the only person that I have plans to do a collab with.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your younger self?
I’d probably just say keep doing me. I feel like the reason why people are into me is that I just make my own stuff and I don’t try to sound like anybody else.
Elsewhere in music, check out our interview with Atlanta songstress Bahja Rodriguez!
