Bun The UK, Say 67, We're Going Global

It all started over pizza. When south London drill crew 67 found themselves in Milan, sitting at a table with a couple of Italian guys, it only took a few hours for them to end up in the studio working on a typically hard beat. This time round, an Italian producer called The Night Skinny was responsible it. He’d worked with artists on Italy’s growing trap scene before, and was putting together material for album Pezzi on which 67 (and the UK’s Paigey Cakey) would later appear.

Anyway, that album’s out now but what no one else has seen before is this new video for 67’s “On Tour” which we're premiering here. Shot on film around Brixton Hill, the video – directed by Joe Wilson and The Night Skinny’s manager Luca Giudici – follows the guys as they roam around the area and show you the sights while reminiscing about being on tour. "The UK gets boooring" just became the new tagline for these shit winter months, so thanks to 67 for that. Watch the video below, then scroll down for a chat we had with The Night Skinny about the story behind this collab, Liquez being a neighbourhood hero and, obviously, that pizza dinner.

Noisey: First, how were you and 67 introduced to each other?
The Night Skinny: My management and best man Luca Giudici brought them out to perform at his dope club night, in his hometown of Parma. So I checked them out and we finally got to meet in Milan: we had pizza together, broke the ice talking about Italian high-end brands and stuff [laughs]. We went in the studio right after and started working.

What was that process like, then?
That night after the pizza, we were like 12 people between them and some staff, and all went to the studio. Now, 67 have a very specific sound so they knew what they wanted. They asked me for an hypnotic but heavy beat, neither trap nor grime, so I interpreted it with my own style and samples. I played a loop and we all bounced ideas off that. Then Scribz took a couple minutes to lay down his verse and kicked it in few takes, and all the others pretty much followed right after. I still have videos of their sessions in the booth. It was incredible, and I’d love to collaborate again with more UK drill artists.

So after the studio time, how did this particular link-up then become ‘official’, in terms of making this a single?
Pretty much when we went to London to shoot the video. We were very happy with how the track came out and wanted to do it and come to the UK to film it. Once we were there we also decided to bring them right back to Italy, this past summer, to join us on stage at Red Bull Culture Clash alongside some of Italy’s biggest names in rap – people like Noyz narcos, Rkomi and Clementino.

Let's talk about the video. What was the main storyboard or narrative?
We were inspired by typical UK-style street videos but wanted to flip that idea in our own way. We planned everything from a distance with co-director Joe Wilson and then scouted for a location the day before the shoot itself. We shot everything on film and played with different formats, to make it look cinematographic but still raw. We just wanted to document where they come from as young artists and show it to people from our country; really, to say we are not that different.

What was the shoot itself like?
It was my first time seeing them after the session, so it was good to link up again. 67 were very welcoming and showed us around their neighbourhood, helping us finding the best locations. I think they realised that we were serious about all of this, and trusted us.

Which memories stand out to you from the shoot?
I loved the fact that shooting was more like being in “a day in the life of 67”. I remember at some point during the shoot we attracted a crowd of kids and it was like being part of their neighbourhood for a bit. One little girl fell off her bike and Liquez stopped the filming to go help and take her to her house nearby. They really were like the big brothers of those kids, taking care of their people you know? Oh and we ate some fire fried chicken.

The 67 guys are known for putting on an amazing live show. How do you feel your beat helps feed into that energy?
I think it really came out organically, from the combination of our traits. I would say their sound is dark and gruff and I like that combination myself. I just gave them the deadliest and most sinister beat possible.

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