Ill Inspecta out of Stuttgart dropped his debut single "Funeral" over Germaican Records' 'Typhoon'-riddim in April 2004.

Since January 2004 he and former Backyard Crew member Bobby Buster have been working on tunes with the Germaican Crew. They performed at shows like "Riddim A Mi Yard" with Spectacular, the "Link Up 2004!" Festival with Gentleman and Dr. Ring-Ding and the Splash! Festival in Chemnitz/Germany. November 2004 saw their first shows abroad together with Germaican mastermind Pionear and bredrin sound Bassrunner from Vienna with club gigs in Austria, Hungary, Switzerland and Serbia & Montenegro.

Also in November Bobby Buster's & Ill Inspecta's solo singles on the famous 'Cure'-riddim - alongside new tunes by Capleton, Vybz Kartel, Lukie-D and Wayne Marshall - were released in Jamaica through the local Germaican division Germaican Records Jamaica.

Their first combination "All A Di Gal Dem" on the 'Messer Banzani'-riddim was chosen to be one of the tunes on "Shining Stars Volume 3". The video for the song, shot at Leipzig's monthly "Hotta Fire" Bashment shows clearly the way: the Ladies dem come for and for all the real Rudebwoys dem represent!

Busy year 2004 was for the Germaican Scout pack followed by the "Shining Stars Tour 2005" with 15 shows in January and February in Germany, Austria and Slovenia and the "Germaican Roadshow" from late March to May in Serbia, Poland, Denmark and of course Germany. The upcoming release of Germaican Records' latest collaboration with Germany's best dancehall outfit Seeed, the wicked riddim 'Rodeo' is the right time to catch up with Ill Inspecta, whose very fine tune "Madd Paper" over it can be downloaded free for a limited time through the link in the 'Rodeo' review.

Q: Where and when were you born?

A: I was born in Leiden in Holland(!) on the 8th of january 1978. My mother is French and my father Austrian. We moved to Stuttgart in Germany when I was 2 years old. That's were I was raised basically.

Q: What are your main musical influences?

A: My musical influences are dancehall of course, hip hop, Latin music, arabian music and RnB.

Q: How did you start your musical career?

A: I started playing accordion when I was twelve or so. I didn't like the pieces I had to play so I started to learn guitar when I was sixteen. I learned stuff like blues and jazz then, but mainly flamenco pieces. At the age of 19 I founded a multinational hip hop group with a couple of friends. I tried to rap in French, Patois (a very intuitive version of it) and German. At that time I didn't have no access to the up to the time dancehall.

Q: How did you get into dancehall?

A: In 1998 we performed at an underground party in Stuttgart and met the "Blessed Love Sound", they liked our style and so we hooked up with them. They gave us their newest mixtapes for free and so I was provided with the newest dancehall tunes. That was a dream come true for me because I loved the music from longtime but never knew where to get the music and who the artists were. From then on I concentrated on sharpening my Patois skills and step by step moved to only doing dancehall.

Q: What made you decide to do your tunes in patois, and not in German, which has become so en vogue in Germany?

A: It never was a question for me which language I wanted to use. I carry a deep love for that language and very badly wanted to learn use it. So I did and still do. It's krazy the kind of energy and and pressure you can transport over Patois. German dancehall lyrics never really interested me for myself. I like what Pierre from Seeed does though.

Q: What's the Matt Paper moniker standing for (also used on the 'Nasty Dawg'-riddim)? Especially now that your tune on Seeed's 'Rodeo'-riddim is called "Madd Paper".

A: We were on tour in Austria and on our way to the studio where we were going to voice "Heartis'" on Bassrunner's 'Burning'-riddim. On the way there I got hooked up on the phrase "krazy papers" often used by hip hop dudes. I changed it into "madd paper" and kept saying it all the way to the studio. As you maybe know we then used it in the Intro of "Heartis". A few weeks later I did the dubplate on the 'Nasty Dawg'-riddim for Pionear and his Far East Sound. We had the idea of doing this news reporter ting in the intro custom made for the next event he would play. We thought is was funny to use "Matt Paper" as alter ego because I was so hung up on "madd paper" on the last tour. And as you can hear by listening to my new tune on the 'Rodeo', I am still.

Q: Will the release on another label (in this case Bassrunner) of "Heartis" over 'Burning' remain an exception in the near future, and Germaican Records remain your home-label, or are there more releases on other labels in the can?

A: There is more coming up on the Bassrunner label and I am happy to voice for any other label who can provide a badd riddim. But, Germaica is my home-label. I am a Germaican Records artist. Any voicing on any other label always is courtesy of Germaican, you see't?

Q: How did you team up with Pionear?

A: I sent a 4-track demo to Germaican Records. Pionear liked it and sent me the Funeral-riddim (i.e. the aforementioned 'Typhoon') to voice a layout. So he could see what I could do on his riddim. He liked it and invited me to come to Leipzig and voice the riddim. That must have been in 2003 or something. That's how the work started.

Q: How important is it for you to have the opportunity to record combination tunes and do shows together with Bobby Buster instead of being your own, or is it just coincidence and fun as long as it lasts?

A: I see myself as a solo-artist basically. Still I enjoy the possibility to voice combination tunes with Bobby and also to team up on stage which was part of the Germaican Scout Project. But I also really want to develop as a solo-artist. Man haffi versatile, you know?

Q: "Aphrodite" as Terence 'ill over the one-off 'Zorba'-riddim is in my opinion one of the funniest non-Jamaican slackness tunes, any plans of becoming the 'German Vybz Kartel' as far as slackness is concerned?

A: Yo give tanks, you are one of very few people who really seemed to have listened to the lyrics, respect. I am defintely influenced by Vybz Kartel cau him a wicked artist and lyricist. I also always enjoy slackness tunes. But I would never try to become the German so and so. Firstly cause I is I and secondly me nah German you know. Europe a gwaan.

Q: Well, it's even better than that, not only Europe gwaan a Europe, but "Kriss Like This" has been released on Germaican Records JA. Does that spark any hopes of conquering the Jamaican dancehalls, especially since you have these great 'Germaican'-riddims as a backing available, featuring numerous Jamaican top-notch stars?

A: It would be a great honour for me if JA Sounds would play my tunes of course. And I am proud to have me likkle release ova deh so too. Still, we are mainly aiming at Europe at the moment.

Q: I've seen you and Bobby Buster perform at Germaican Link Up! 2004, and was impressed by the show back then, how have reactions on the Germaican Scout Roadshow this year been?

A: Give tanx, happy you enjoyed the show. All the reactions on the tour have been very good. We always give 110% minimum.

Q: Time for my final question already, is there an album release in the can?

A: Watch out fi a likkle suppn in fall...

Thanks Inspecta for taking the time for this interview, hope you'll keep making tunes like what we've heard so far from you for us to enjoy, and we'll keep hearing from you!