Living by their motto: "Success is a must, Failure is not an option", Croydon collective WKBREED (standing for Well Known Breed) have been storming the underground music circuit with their hard hitting grime to afrobeat tunes and electric energy on stage!
We caught up with members: Smooth Peckz, Unorthadox Kings and Robyn Cho to get the latest!
SDS: How are you doing, how's things?
WKBREED: Yeah, we're doing good you know, honestly doing good.
SDS: So tell us, what have you been up to?
Cho: My routine hasn't really changed at all, to be honest. I'm a care worker so, I've just been going to work, eating, coming home, going to work, eating and coming home. That's about it to be honest.
King: On my side, still working my nine to five, but also working on some projects - some mixing and mastering. We've created new content as well, editing videos and editing new music that I'm going to be putting the team.
Smooth Pekz: Still writing music. I've been doing a lot of Instagram Live freestyles, just doing a lot of things and being productive. We're making new music you get me! This summer, I'm telling you! Vibe man. But just trying to stay positive in this hard time.
SDS: Can you give us a little teaser, when can we hear this stuff? Can you give us a date, maybe?
King: Yeah haha, so there are new projects coming, we're just working on the artwork right now for a track that Pekz and Cho are actually on at the moment. Not only that, we've got a group one to come after that one as well! Some really, really good bangers coming soon!
Cho: So my track that King's talking about is called 'Truth'. Trust me, it's coming out soon enough. There will be a lil preview on Instagram!
Smooth Pekz: Yeah, 'Truth' is the next banger! We got a couple more bangers after that!
SDS: How do you all know each other? Tell us your story from the beginning!
King: I think the best person to tell the story should be Pekz because I met Pekz and Pekz introduced me to Cho.
Cho: Not gonna lie, I was sitting here thinking rah... Imma wait for Pekz to talk! He’s the king of all introductions!
King: Remember, he's the one who starts the shows and is like: (imitating Pekz) "Ahh Wagwarn people! What you saying?" Hahaha!
Smooth Pekz: Alright guys, stop gassing me, stop gassing me man! I just give everyone transferable energy! What you put out there is that you get back init, you get me…
I was in a team before this called WK, me and Cho were in the team. Me and King met each other while I was at work and then I brought him into the team. Obviously, it's always been us three but everyone else kind of just dropped off, that's kind of how it happened.
"We were so many. We came from the bottom. Success is the must not time for the floppin. I never quitted."
We just kept on pushing forward, from 11/12 people we went to 3, had to switch up the name, new brand - WKBreed, obviously - AKA: Well Known Breed.
SDS: How is it different from being in a group of 11 people to a group of 3? How long have you guys been making music together as the group WKBreed?
Smooth Pekz: I would say three years we've be making music for now. When me, King and Cho do a tune, It's just organic! We'll be up in the room and just doing our thing. But with those guys... you know, I don't even need to name their names you get me - the guys behind us - it wasn't organic! It was always like.. you know, survival of the fitness. We went from 11 to 3. That's how it went.
Success is a must, failure is not an option, quitters never win, winners never quit. And that's all three of us rolled up into everything. I'm proud of the trials and tribulations that we've been through.
Cho: Yeah, the team that was in before was called Wolf Klan. Going from 11 to 3, to be honest for me it is better. It's like, everyone gets heard, things get done, ideas are put properly. We were the ones who were always dedicated, always down to work, always down to do it, always down to listen to each other and create something together. Really and truly it's good that it's just us now because that's how it is. That's how it gets done. We work well together, we get stuff done. Survival of the fittest.. It's true. That's what it was.
SDS: Out of the three of you, who do you think is most likely to 'fangirl' over a celebrity/artist they adore the most? Who do you think would react the worst if they were to meet their idol?
Cho: That's a tricky one, that's a very tricky one. Hmm... I reckon if King was to meet his idol, he would try act all cool haha. He'll be flippin' out! He'll be hyping up but then try and act cool at the same time! But then pekz is this guy that gets nervous at random times like we've all seen him on stage, how to introduces tings and everything he's calm! But at these random little times this guy will get so nervous and just like shut down! Just silence hahaha.
King: I think everyone would be calm and collected! I think we usually get nervous at first, but as soon as we just get into it sort of thing or get into our mode, we actually, you know, do whatever we need to do.. BUT, it does depend on the actual artist, depends on the person, you know somebody we proper idolise.
I say both of them would do the worst and I'd do the best though! Haha!
SDS: We've got two very conflicting answers there, Pekz, what's your final verdict?
Smooth Pekz: Let me say something here, let me correct the whole ting here, IT'S KING! All the way! But it's okay if he wants to say us, you get me. Sometimes you got to take one for the team! Haha.
You man are my idols though! You see, man gets so nervous around you when we go on stage because I don't want to let you man down! I don't worship any other artist. I might think they're the hardest but man feels my team bruv! My team is the hardest!
Cho: Yeah.... Until he meets Snoop Dogg! Hahahaha!
SDS: What have been your favourite shows?
Smooth Pekz: I would say personally, O2 Academy Islington. O2 Academy Islington twice! That was the icing on the cake for me!
Cho: My favourite shows were: The SeeOur7 show at The Front Room in Croydon. That show.. rah.. That show was good! The energy was amazing! And then the first O2 show. Ooooo, with the confetti cannons! Listen, it's just the energy! It's just something about the way the people vibe man, it just gets you and you lose sense of where you are. You don't even realise you're on stage, you're just in the music doing your thing. It's amazing!
King: The first time we went to O2 Academy Islington. It was bad! It was on fire! There's no taking away from that. Second, for me, was definitely the SeeOur7 show as well. That one was just amazing man. Then there's another one that we did and there was a live band.... it was baaaaaad! It was a live session and we were just going in! The drummer and everyone was just doing their thing! The MOTS show, that's the fourth one. There were good clips of us and the crowd was just amazing. There was one in Wallington and we were doing one of our afrobeat songs.. It was live, the ladies were dancing, guys were dancing - whinning and everything.. 100% love that one.
SDS: What is your favourite WK Breed track?
Smooth Pekz: To this day, it's gotta be 'Croydon Up In Da Room' for me man! "Croydon be my city yeah yeah, Croydon be my city yeah yeah" Croydon's up in the room.
Cho: Yes! 'Croydon Up In Da Room'! There's something about that song.. its just the energy every time we all perform it, it just brings energy to us! I don't know what it is. I really like 'Trendsetter' as well to be honest and a couple of new ones!
King: My favourite song has to be trendsetter because it's just so deep. Whenever we perform it live it's just so deep. Everything about it's just like.."Trender trender yeah" I like that one! Yeah, 'Croydon Up In Da Room' is bad as well!. The new ones that we have, they top all the others because back then, I think it was more of a thing where we were trying to find our sound. Coming from another team with so many more ideas, thoughts and opinions, we've condensed it and we're getting to our sound now - WKBreed sound. . We're only growing and literally we're just stepping into boundaries that we've never gone to before. Especially with the new tracks that we have now, they're so relevant.
Cho: I totally agree King. We're coming towards our sound, we've condensed everything, stripped away all the rubbish and we're finding something that works. It's a vibe! I can't wait!
SDS: Can you sum up Croydon in three words?
WKBREED: Ones To Watch! As a borough, we are the ones to watch. We're on the come up and success is a must. We've got so much greatness coming out of Croydon whether it be music or successful millionaires. So, ones to watch, that's our three words.