M-Acculate Tells His Story & Reveals Aspects Of His Creative Music Process
Intro:
Today, we have the talented M-Acculate, an underground Hip-Hop Artist from West Yorkshire, England, UK. Before recording his own records, he spent years in the battle rap scene honing his technical ability. Not only has his solo career been flourishing, but he’s also a member of the recording group "Lucifers Apostles" & an official member of the Hidden Road Studios roster. M-Acculate’s recent albums “Pavor Nocturnus” & “Ballads Of A Bastard” showcase his extraordinary skillset. Before reading our full conversation & learning more about M-Acculate, you should follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube & X.
Meet: M-Acculate
Me: Greetings! What originally got you started making music early on at the beginning of your career?
M-Acculate: It kind of came natural. As a kid, I loved poetry and had a 'way with words' so I was told. Not just cocky and mouthy, I had a habit of taking words that rhyme others wouldn’t notice. Not the simple, basic stuff. At 13-14, I was introduced to Hip Hop and the art of MCing and it just seemed like, “This is what I’m meant to do.” For years I never pursued it, and I still don’t in a sense of trying to break into the Industry. I just make music as I enjoy doing so and have a huge passion for Lyricism and Hip Hop Music.
That mindset is what keeps the music sounding pure! And, how would you describe your current style of music for new listeners reading now?
Lyrical. Very lyrical. I’m a wordsmith. You will catch some punchline or metaphor, double entendre you missed before every time you listen to my albums. I pride myself on technical writing. I don’t think it’s always captured because my accent and delivery are very raw but, I don’t fake accents and voices to fit the mold. As far as change, I’ve always stayed true to that style but have grown and developed more in terms of delivery and aggression. I formed a group with two of my good friends Rez & Uncle Bungle. We go by the name 'Lucifers Apostles'. We gel well as we are kind of outspoken, with no filter. We don’t have boundaries. We do a lot of Horrorcore which some don’t like but it’s a subgenre of Hip Hop and it’s no different to watching/making Horror Movies or playing violent 'shoot ‘em up' video games. We don’t actually worship the devil, it’s just creative output.
Furthermore, what was it that led you to choose your current stage name? Has it ever changed at any point in your career?
That story goes waaay back (and shows my age) It was about 1997, I was a teenage stoner. My Dad collected vinyl, I would use his vinyl sleeves to roll joints on. I picked out one one day, it was Madonna's The Immaculate Collection. I started coming up with words/combined syllables that rhymed with Immaculate and as M is my first initial (Matthew) I wrote something like 'Material for girls, I got them 'Mad on the' M-acculate one's collection. It stuck from there 'M-Acculate' was born. Before that, I was 'Double MC' (Which was corny as shit).
While working in the studio, is there any specific producer, artists or engineer you tend to collaborate with?
I’ve collaborated with way too many to name. I did a series from around 2015 to 2019 where I put out 3 Volumes of my 'Underground Rising' albums where I collaborated with dozens of MCs & Producers from all over the world. It was fun but could be a burden at times, chasing up people who asked to get on a song and then were slow on delivering vocals. Nowadays, it’s mostly Lucifer’s Apostles, especially Uncle Bungle, he has produced pretty much everything I’ve done over the past few years. Honorable shout out to Marcus too (Markie4Eyez Illternal beats) he has produced s bulk of stuff for me and I dare say there will be more. and my partner in rhyme Hidden. Hidden is from Texas. Like several thousand miles from me but we first collaborated about 10 years ago after a chance online meeting. We did verses for each other’s albums. Since then we have done 3 joint E.P.s, and 4 compilation albums similar to my Underground Rising albums (Hidden Underground volumes 1-4) showcasing the Roster of his label that I signed to back in 2018 and features from many others.
We also put out a full joint album 2 years ago. The synergy and chemistry are just crazy. We have songs where we are literally rapping line for line, finishing each other’s sentences, we would sit up online chatting, writing these back and forth, and the way they came out, it’s like we recorded right there together. So yeah, we mostly do tracks together now, and as and when we feel the song needs another person(s) we will mutually pick the right MC(s) and give them a deadline to have it done.
That sounds awesome! Do you remember the first song you've ever made? If so, what was it like & how does it compare to your latest/best releases?
I do. I still have demos of songs I made, I think the oldest is from 1997-98. If I can get it to still play and find a way to lift it from Cassette tape to digital, I may use some of it as skits or something in a future project. Me and one of my oldest friends (word up Facetious) we used to rap into a Fisher Price toy karaoke machine with a Microphone wedged between two speakers. We had to buy rap singles that had the Instrumental on. We actually had a genuine shot at getting somewhere but we were teens. Dumb, drinking, smoking, and rapping mostly to impress girls and hype the party. If only we had known then what the Rap Game would evolve into..... Yeah, we probably would have still got drunk and high, to be honest.
And outside of music, do you have some hobbies or talents most fans wouldn't know about you?
Not to label myself 'One Trick Pony' but Rap is about it. I used to draw a lot and write in other ways (sketch shows, comic books, etc) as you get older, you get less free time. What I did get, I dedicated to music. Besides that, I cook, watch wrestling and Marvel flicks, read comics, collect weird stuff, watch documentaries on architecture, aliens, and murder, visit Foreign countries and I sometimes get really drunk and bring the Party! That’s pretty much me in a paragraph.
That sounds very well-rounded! And on the topic of music again, how would you describe the perfect studio setting & experience for the readers?
In all honesty, it’s me, a bottle of Rum, and no disturbances. I work best alone. Since Covid hit, my spare room became my home studio. Ideally, i’d have all my frequent collaborators with me but they mostly live far away or Overseas so I put the work in solo and let the magic of the Internet do the rest.
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far during your journey?
I would have to say remaining loyal to it. I’m an old-school head. Loved Hip Hop since 1993, and wrote since 1995-96. Rapped for nearly 3 decades since. It’s appalling, embarrassing, and painful to see what’s become of our culture. It’s awful. All this 'mumble rap' or whatever. That’s not hip-hop, they don’t rap. They make weird little noises. It needs its own Genre/Label. We used to be an alternative to what’s on the radio, now the entire charts are mostly rap-based/tinged.
Is there any advice you would give to someone else considering getting into music?
I’d just say, calm your expectations. Once you get used to the notion that Music is most probably not going to pay your bills and become your career, you’ll either fall in love with your passion to create because it’s truly within you or realize it’s just a phase and move on to something else. Either way, be true to yourself, do not try to conform to the masses, and make what you think people want to hear.
And finally, any upcoming releases or future plans for your career that you're comfortable sharing?
Me & Hidden will soon start Recording an EP over beats by a Ukranian producer named KD The Stranger, I’m pretty confident there's one last Lucifers Apostles album to come, I've two-three other solo projects to see me through 2025 and I’m pretty sure that “All She Wrote” then. I said on a song on this latest album, “In Rap this is the final year of my workers permit' kind of sure I’m sticking to that, I’ve said all I have to say. Time to find the next challenge.” Though if anyone sees this and wants to collaborate, a verse for something, etc, Get at me. There‘s still a little oil in the tank.
