"What I do is not straight up UK hip-hop," decrees Mr. Hectic and he's right. 'The Truth' is in fact the next logical step - a kind of beat orientated think tank that incorporates everything that is good about urban music with an added element of reality as framed by his own perspective.

Born Simon Jawahall some twenty - three years ago, a young Mr. Hectic began writing lyrics off-the-cuff when he was still in primary school and under the guidance of his older brother became involved in a number of local projects including the renowned Raw Materials community music courses. Before long, he landed a job at Canalot Studios where his exposure to modes of music production became more frequent. But all the while, Hectic's own interpretation of music and style of writing was also coming together too. " I always thought of myself as more of an observer," he continues. " I grew up in quite a big family. My mum used to listen to soul and soca while my step-dad was more of a dub/reggae kind of guy. Meanwhile my siblings were into more modern stuff like hip-hop and jungle and the fact these different genres of music brought so much pleasure to them was more inspiring in itself than the actual music." Away from the Jawahall household, Hectic also began developing an appreciation for mainstream rock-music citing names as Pink Floyd and U2 as points of interest and identifying the equal amount of validity they possessed.

No Suprises then to find 'The Truth' is informed by all of those elements and leads to a unique and brilliantly progressive body of work that boasts eclecticism and cohesiveness in the same breath. Although cuts like 'Mr Hectic' and 'To The Manor Born' are built around the kind of  solid, steadfast hip-hop beats that he could churn out for England, Hectic is not overly keen to put all his eggs in one basket. 'Spread Love' and 'Sixth Sense' both spin a Latino vibe thanks to a trumpet sample and a distinctive flamenco guitar figure respectively whilst the likes of 'As 4 I Have U' and 'Discovery' feature more of a calm, rare-groove soul feel which serves to balance out the album perfectly.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Hectic professes to using as few samples as possible out of respect for the artist but with such a vast and varied musical vocabulary, it's obvious that he has little need to stand on the shoulders of those that inspired him. Lyrically too, Hectic's powers of observation offer another point to relate to no matter what the musical style happens to be. " It's not like a diary or anything, but it does incorporate people I've met and seen. I was sixteen when my mum died and I had to fend for myself pretty much which was harsh because I'd never taken out a bag of rubbish up till then, let alone paid rent. I had to get used to not eating and walking huge distances but I never looked for pity because I saw plenty of people going through the same problems." During this time Hectic found himself on a creative streak and continually strove to combine his thoughts with his love for music even when the hunger pangs reached levels that were difficult to bear. "You don't think about it at the time, you just try to get through it and I found it easier to get through the week if I had a track down so I channelled all my energy and anger into recording."

The notion of  'keeping it real' is one that artists regularly aspire to but rarely achieve. In fact, it's one of those phrases that is used and misused to the point of meaninglessness. How 'real' is it to talk about mansions, cars, hoes and guns when you don't even have enough money to catch the bus or when you don't even know when your next meal will be? The experience of struggling with life's difficulties is one that is encountered far more widely than that of basking in opulent fortune. With that in mind, it isn't at all hard to understand why Hectic has decided to call his first album 'The Truth'. "I'm not a gangsta," he explains. "I do have lot of respect for American artists like N.W.A for example, but it's completely different set of circumstances over here. That's why I relate to UK hip-hop a lot more because it refers to situations that I'm familiar with instead of talking about guns and all that madness. I've a far more grounded perspective than that and so, I'd like to think that no matter who I play my music to and no matter what kind of music they prefer, they'd still be able to enjoy it and take something from it." It's not uncommon to find someone so young with such high and improbable ambitions but by judging by his first efforts, it sounds like Hectic has already achieved them. And that's the truth.

Hardeep Phull. (NME)

“Have a listen – it will restore your faith in UK hip hop” - Tip Sheet.

“This time the predictions of big things are more than justified” – London Metro.

“A Brit-rap KO Ya’ll”  – The Face.

You may listen to Mr. Hectic under free MP3, MP3 news.

In case you want to find out more, go to Mr. Hectic's own website.