Enigmatic rapper and producer Wesley Bishop makes music that matters. Whether writing over soulful electronica or woozy R&B, the 25 year-old who is known as A2creates considered compositions bound by a sense of mystery, introspection and a streak of vulnerability.
To listen to A2 is to take a surreal journey through sensual soundscapes often unexplored; this is make-out, make-up, break-up music set to a rhythm and tempo of A2’s very own. This is cinematic music that has something to say, and A2 says it beautifully, with a subtlety rarely found within such obviously killer, yet brilliantly understated, pop tunes.
Raised in Croydon, he points out the manor made the man and the musician. “I’m inspired by my estate,” he says, slowly, of his influences. “My area and my environment definitely pays a part in who I am and the music that I make. My music is also based around conversations that I might have with a girl, or my mum, or my friends. I take pieces of a conversation and subliminally drop it into a song.”
2016 is shaping up to be the year of A2. He’s clearly a highly determined individual keen to make his mark on music in his own way, and on his own terms. “I want to be known as a master of my craft, and I want to create moments,” says A2. “A lot of people don’t seem to make music for the right reasons, or in the right way. I do this 100% for the love of music and art – that is what separates me for everyone else.” A2’s artistry isn’t about chasing views, likes and retweets, it’s about crafting a career within the creative realm that can last through generations. “This is about authenticity and longevity. Everything I do is about the passion that I put into it.”