Mayday talks all things 'Awful Lotta Birmingham' and more!

There aren't many artists who understand the game like Mayday does. He is one of the best examples that this scene has of an artist defying the norm. He's dropped numerous projects this year, all to a high standard, and is dropping his biggest one yet.

Awful Lotta Birmingham feels like a real culture shaker, a landmark for the grime scene in Birmingham. There's a variety of grime sounds for the listener to take in, all of which show Mayday's versatility with ease. But most importantly, it also acts as an important form of documentation of the 0121 grime scene (as it says on the tin). 100% Birmingham. With a stacked feature list, Mayday does a fantastic job of showcasing the best of the best whilst also making sure he maintains his presence amongst the elite MCs he has on his project, with fantastic lyrical performances throughout.

I think he's somehow managed to have my favourite song of the year again (2023's Italy took that crown) with Monzo with Stretch DCM. I'm realising whilst writing this that they're both Jersey club influenced, with this year's offering going for a mellower vibe, but still has the energy that packs a punch with both MC's lyrical offerings. The 04 JBL remix is the pinnacle of this album and exactly matches the message behind the title, with a 8-bar rally track that has enough greeze to leave you pulling screwfaces all the way into next week.

This has no other option than to go straight into my album of the year contenders, and will probably come out on top. It's exactly what I look for in grime albums. There's so much variety here, there's moments of introspection which I love, and moments of classic grime made modern. Mayday has also done really well with the tracklisting here. It feels like you're being taken on a journey through Birmingham itself, which is exactly what you want and need from a project like this. It stands out even more to me because I'm usually quite critical of hearing too much of an album before it comes out - as quite a few of these were singles. However, the way the album is organised gives each track a fresh listen.

I caught up with the man himself to hear more about the process that went into this, and you can have a read below:

When did you have the idea of making a 100% Brum Town project?

I put a heavy focus on building horizontally this year and with that the mandem started doing a lot individually. Before I knew it I had 3 local collabs in like 3 months. The idea initially spawned then but I didn't really hone it into what became ALB until like late summer.

What was the turnaround on putting the album together and what difficulties did you run into?

Maybe a month. I'm a big fan of following up. I also make it easy as possible to work with me and take care of 99% of the process which in turns makes it easier for the artists to not have to worry about anything besides getting their verses to me.

Any collab thing is difficult because everyone has their own thing going on, there was people who it didn't line up with who I wanted on but couldn't, so maybe a deluxe is due.

What makes ALB stand out in your discography?

This is the statement piece (so far) in my catalogue. ALB isn't just my thing, it encompasses all the great stuff the Brum man are doing right now. I just needed a representation of that for the long game. So when you look back, everyone who was doing something at that time, there was a project to tie it all together. ALB will be bigger then me as the message of ALB will last a lifetime.

It's also the start of change. This will be the initial catalyst/reference point to be like 'AH, THAT is when it happened'.

I've mentioned in my review that the tracklisting is crucial to this project sounding so good. How important was it to you when crafting the album?

Very. I released a lot of singles (obviously before I had the idea of making it a project) so I had to sit and sequence the project correctly. Not top loading it or all the solo tunes at the bottom. Just a solid 33 minute listening experience from start to finish.

If people had to take one thing away from this project, it would be:

THAT THERE'S AN AWFUL LOTTA BIRMINGHAM STUFF GOING ON RIGHT NOW AND THE FUTURE IS NOW, THE PRESENT BRUM GUYS ARE THE FUTURE, ALB IS JUST THE FLAG IN THE GROUND, DAY ZERO, UP ONLY FROM HERE.

One thing that I've always found fascinating about you is that you seem to repel the saying 'quality not quantity' and instead provide a lot of both. How would you respond to that?

I like making music but I don't have a vault. Dying with 1000 songs is not a flex to me. I make, I release, I repeat. Catalogue grows, more shots you shoot, more that land. A lot of stuff captures a time period and I'm not a big fan of expressing a feeling I had 5 months ago today because I don't feel like that anymore.

I'm also doing it because as a fan of the previous generation, there just wasn't enough music to dive into, even more so with the rise of streaming, a lot of projects just aren't on there.

When you check my stuff out, you've got the Airdrop series, Complete The Mission, ALB, Slowgress, there's enough songs to find your favourites and join the journey.

You've had major success this year, in particular going viral with the infamous Canva bar. What would your advice be to other artists and creatives that want to maximise their potential?

Whatever you want. There's no rules, it's music, it's meant to be fun innit. I can give you the same ingredients and we will make two different dishes. Understand why you want to do what you do, then just double down on that and pivot when it makes sense to. You got one chance, make yourself proud and make it count.

We both document grime music, you in particular focus on the Birmingham scene whereas my focus is more general. What do you think the balance is between putting your area on the map and making sure that you are recognised in Birmingham, and making sure that work is done across the country and beyond?

Work. I just do the work innit. Bare people, bro I just work, there's nothing more to it. Outreach, being easy to work with, intentional with who I reach out to, or just fly to in some cases. I want this. I'm going to make it happen. There's no-one more passionate then a Brummie innit. We are 0121 and we'll let you know, so it naturally is part of the music. The ecosystem is growing from the innovation I'm doing in real time. So just gotta keep foot down and setting the pace.

What is next after such a big release?

Maybe an ALB deluxe. I got the 0121Korea project I made when I was in Seoul to drop. Few features. So again, just more work.

Also, what happens to me if I use the dreaded photo software that starts with a C?

Can't say that here lad, that's not my call to make.

ALB!

Make sure to stream and purchase the project here, and check out Mayday's newsletter that documents the 0121 scene by clicking here!