Leeds rapper Weezy Jefferson: '˜The more skilful that I've become with my writing you can hear my message now'

Two years on from his last release Leeds rapper Weezy Jefferson has returned with a new EP, The Gift.

“Since my last project in 2016 I’ve pretty much been developing my sound, working on producing the music as well as writing the songs,” he says.

The first taste of the EP was a song called Only The Strong, which appeared last month. A collaboration with Conflict, its video was “filmed on top of the Accent [clothing store] building. “They do a lot of great work with emerging artists, supporting the local music scene,” says Weezy, adding he and Conflict were “introduced by mutual friends”.

The track Best Friend features Henna Angus, founder of Paramount Music which showcases Leeds’s grime, hip-hop and R&B talent, and Lady Sanity. “Lady Sanity is an amazing MC from Birmingham who has been doing really well in the last two or three years. She recently won a Rated Award, which is an award show hosted by GRM Daily.”

Weezy feels his songwriting has “become a lot more organic” in the last two years. He also feels more confident about tackling subjects he might not have done before. “The more skilful I’ve become with my writing you can hear my message now,” he says. “I’m able to express my perspective on different situations with more ease.”

With more material in the bank, Weezy is already looking at another release in 2019. “At the moment it could go either way whether it’s an EP or an LP,” he says. He’d been waiting until he had something that felt “more representative” before releasing something on a bigger scale, he says.

The EP is available to stream and download via Weezy’s website www.weezyjefferson.co.uk/thegiftep

With plans to play more live shows soon, he definitely feels like an artist on the up. “We’ve had great support from BBC Radio Leeds, 1Xtra and Radio 1,” he says.