Luton superstar N3 talks about his cypher experience, musical dreams and rap influences.

We've got in touch to speak with Luton rapper N3 to talk about his influence in Luton, potential setbacks from being in his town and we get really into his childhood music, his influences and where they came from. Be sure to check out N3 over on Instagram, check out all of his music, including the cypher and be ready for all new music this year.

N3, could you please introduce yourself for all of the new people tuning in that may not know what you're about.

Yo, I’m N3, a fifteen year old rapper from Luton, been making music from around 205/2016 but only started taking it seriously in 2020.

What does music mean to you, is it a side hobby or is music your life?

Music’s been with me through all my life, from a baby I've always been listening to music, I got into rap when I was about five ‘cause of my mum, she was playing Kenrick Lamar in the car and I was like ‘yeah, i like him, I like him’. I’m thinking all these guys are doing it so why don’t I do it too, so when I first started doing it, it started off as a side hobby but I feel like now, music’s actually become my life, you know what I mean? I don’t see myself doing anything else that isn’t music related.

Can you remember your favourite artists growing up and are they the same artist you still listen to now?

Yeah, honestly they are, like Kenrick Lamar, Eminem, J Cole, NWA, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg. A lot of these old school, 90s rappers. I used to listen as a child and I still do now, those songs and those artists for me, are timeless. I feel like the same way my mum put me onto Kendrick Lamar, I’m gonna be putting my child on to whoever’s been pooping.

Your music’s very American heavy, do you think Americans do it better than here in the UK? What’s one thing Americans do best and one thing the UK does best?

Now that question… That’s a good question. It depends really on the time because I feel like in the 90s, like American Boom Bap, like that rap sound, I don’t think the UK could have been touching that. I don’t know because in the noughties, American rap was still doing it’s ting but that’s when grime first started to properly come about. That’s a hard one, I don’t think I can answer that I won’t lie, I don’t think I can answer that, ‘cause I don’t think the Americans do it better that the UK but at the same time I don’t think the UK do it better than the Americans, if that makes sense.

Do you have any favourite UK rappers?

Quite a few still, you see me, anyone that knows my music knows that I take more of a grime influence than a drill influence. Yes, I rap on drill beats but I’ve got a very grimey sound about me and that must come from the artists I listen to like Chip is my favourite UK rapper of all time really. I’ll say Chip, Dave, Nines, Scrapz, Ghetts, J Hus and that’s really it from like the real rap/grime and all of that type of side there. Then all of the newer drill sounds, I’d say definitely like Loski, I look up to Loski quite a bit and Krept and Konan, they’re really doing their ting.

You’ve got a proper good taste in music, if someone asked you to describe your music, what are you telling them?

I would say mixing the old school with the new school, so like from what you’ll really hear - you’ll hear like grime on drill from me, so expect the fast, jumpy riddims you’d hear on grime song on a drill beat. That’s basically the best way I can describe my music, from what you’re hearing at the moment. From what I've got in my locker, I’ve got a lot of things that can completely contrast that statement, but for that, you’ll just have to wait and see.

Is growing up in Luton holding you back musically?

Honestly, yeah, I do believe that living in Luton is holding me back musically because, it’s not that it’s not a very talented and diverse town because it is but that’s just it, it’s a town and London’s a big city with more chances to blow. But at the same time, the fact there’s less chance to blow in Luton makes me stand out more, instead of me being another one of these London rappers, I’m a Luton rapper from a small town, it’s part of my come up story in a way. The way I see it, it’s like a gift and a curse type thing, trying to do music from Luton

Putting Luton on the map for sure! Musically, what did 2022 look like for N3?

2022 was a very good year for me honestly, I had a couple good live shows, had a few studio sessions and I can never overlook the BL@CKBOX cypher, that’s my biggest achievement to date, when I got that message from them, I was elated. I feel like 2022 was just the start of what’s going to hopefully be a long and prosperous career for N3

Talk me through the BL@CKBOX cypher, how were you feeling that day when you got home from filming it?

Okay so, the cypher now, obviously throughout the year, my main goal the whole of 2022 was to get on the BL@CKBOX cypher. My whole thing was just, everything I do, I need to make sure they see it, then they started doing a couple lives on Instagram, so I’m making sure I was there, jumping on every one and then after I’d always repost, show love and say thank you for putting me on. Everyone was saying I was gonna make it on this year and I didn’t want to believe it because I didn’t want to jinx it. You know what I mean, I can be quite superstitious like that. Then, I think the thing that actually confirmed it for me, before they even messaged me saying that I got on, was that they asked me to jump on their live. They messaged me and were like they’re going live on TikTok, telling me to come on and spit some bars, so I was like yeah, they’re really starting to notice me and take me in.

Fast forward a couple months, September, that’s when I got the message and I was so hyped ‘cause ironically, I was talking to my boy, Str8 DB, that was also on the cypher like the day before saying ‘yeah, have you applied, because we both need to get on’ and I was like ‘yeah, I’ve applied’ and then when I got that message I was like oh my god, I was so excited but I didn’t want to tell anyone as of yet, I want to contain it so it could be more of a surprise.

Fast Forward now to November, that’s when we actually shot the cypher and it was good just being there, meeting all these people I’ve never met before but I’ve known, like Str8 DB, I’ve been talking to him since the start of 2021, and that was my first time meeting him so that’s like my brother. TSLagga, we were speaking earlier on like 2022, Shakes, I met him a couple times prior but this was my first time where we were rapping together, Saint, Tino - everyone that was there, it was just good vibes, meeting people and networking.

As I left now, I’m like ‘yeah cypher, really good vibe, long day’ . It was a good maybe like four five hours recording, it was a long time. On the way home, I started to doubt myself like did I really do the best that I could. Even to this day now, I feel like I could have done better but that’s just me init, I’m a perfectionist. The cypher was really good, I had my moments, I had my ‘big man bars’ moment and my little ‘murderer’ moment but yeah. I’ve always got to big up BL@CKBOX for putting me on, even afterwards, they recently collaborated with Chicken George local to me and they wanted me to perform, big up BL@ACKBOX every time.

Are you crazy, your murderer bar was the coldest on that cypher, hands down, have you listened to it back in full since it’s been released?

I appreciate it man, I appreciate it. Yeah I have, admittedly I have the whole cypher on my playlist on Spotify ‘cause it’s on all platforms. I listen to the cypher and there was a time where I didn’t believe it and I’d just listen to myself on the cypher, thinking like that’s actually me alongside all of these talented artists. But yeah I have listened back to it in full, I’ve watched the whole video a good amount of times.

The way I’ve listened to it more than anything else this year so far, it’s mad. Would you have changed anything if given the opportunity to do so, or is it perfect for you?

That’s a good question, the only thing I’d probably really change is maybe my lyrics and my beat selection, ‘cause there was this one beat, like a salsa drill type beat, produced by KayB who was also on the cypher, he was cold himself I can’t lie. I regret not jumping on that to be honest, after the cypher I was listening back to the beat and I’m like ‘omg if I’d jumped on this’. If I'm being honest what happened, had happened and it’s doing really well so maybe that was just how it was meant to be.

What does 2023 look like for N3?

I can't really speak a lot on what’s going on this year but just know, for N3, 2023 is looking very, very promising. So I advise that you sit back, relax and enjoy the ride, you know what I mean. Keep posted and you already know man, this year's takeover man, N3 2023.

Let's talk about dreams, what’s your dream music goals, where do you want to be in the next five years?

The next five years I’ll be around 21-21 so hopefully, I wanna be like one of the main heads in the rap game, I wanna be like where Dave is right now, I wanna be where Central Cee is right now. I want to be that role model that young rappers, like how I am right now, can look up to and be like this is who I want to be like.

It’s all so achievable, do you have a dream collab? Someone you’d LOVE to be able to work with.

My dream collab would probably be Chip, Krept and Konan from the UK, even Ghetts to be honest, especially how I referenced him on the cypher, to get a song with him, that would be really cool. In America, I would love to get a collab with people like J Cole, Anderson Paak. I love their music and I feel like if I had the time and studio with them, we’d come out with an absolute banger.

Do you have anyone you would like to shout out? someone that may have helped you, one of your mates, someone you think is hard, anyone you like.

You know what, I do still, I gotta shout out my boy Str8 DB man, my brother, shout out the whole of BL@CKBOX, everyone that was on there, all doing their ting. Shout out my boy CV, Doctor Box, I’m gonna miss out a lot of people here, but my bad. Shout out my mum as well, come on now, shout out my mum mainly. Thanks to God as always. Yeah man, shout out everybody that’s been here my whole music career, from 2022 to now man, it’s only the start my people.

Appreciate your time and energy throughout, big up you man.