FFO: NE-O – No.1 Hater

Newcastle’s NE-O unveils No.1 Hater, the second single from his upcoming self-produced EP (which will be launched with a show at Little Buildings on Friday 7th November). Created with Nifty Struggle at The Radge Tank and backed by Youth Music, the track explores the tension between self-doubt and ambition, wrapped in Geordie slang and backed up bouncing beats, pitch-shifted vocal samples, and vinyl scratches that make for a satisfying two-minute listen.

Here, NE-O tries to encapsulate the sound of his latest single using three other tracks…

Kidwild: Indecisive – Is It A Crime

I was listening to this song a lot when I came up with the idea of No.1 hater. I wanted to make an introspective song that highlighted my mental ups and downs as an artist but still keep it catchy.

Tinie Tempah: Pass Out

This one might seem obscure because on the surface it’s not that similar, especially lyrically. But when you deep it, both Pass Out and No. 1 Hater blend elements of rap, grime & electronic/drum & bass to produce a hype track in the end. Plus Disc-Overy was my favourite album as a kid.

⁠Pozer: Malicious Intentions

This was the original inspiration for the instrumental when I started producing it. While the themes in Pozer’s track are very different, the key things that I wanted to take from it were the jersey drum pattern and the serious atmosphere of the instrumental.