When it comes to making it in the creative industries, today’s youth have never had it so good. We live in an age powered by social media, where you’re as fit as your last selfie and your popularity is measured in quantities of likes. Insta fame is the name of the game, and you only need internet access to play it. But whether it’s the kids queuing for the latest Supreme garms without really knowing why or those whose Instagram account reads like a blueprint for being anything other than one’s true self, where there is authentic creativity there is also fraud. Here to sort the wheat from the chaff, to unearth and nurture those cool young creatives with the realest, rawest talent is brand new collective Something to Hate On.
Headed up by model-musician Raff and his two best mates Dan Mould, and Max Clarke, Something to Hate on is a creative platform that’s all about youth empowering youth. From throwing exhibitions and events to creating merch and music, the aim is to source, showcase and celebrate some of London’s finest young artists operating on the underground scene, the kind you won’t see in wanky art galleries or signed to stuck up labels. Essentially it’s a club for all things cool and everyone’s welcome to pitch in. Ahead of their big launch, we meet the boys to find out how it’s all going. Haters are always gonna hate, so why not just embrace it?
What’s the idea behind Something To Hate On?
Something To Hate On:It’s a creative platform to showcase and celebrate London’s youth and underground culture. Of course it’s not just London, we’ve recently been in New York, Milan and Paris but since we’re all London boys we really want to show off the talent found in our city. The idea is to be throwing regular exhibitions/events and appealing to creative people who have a genuine interest in being surrounded and immersed in a variety of arts (music, fashion, etc). We’re also hoping to turn it into an independent label so Raff can release his own music and source musicians to manage.
The idea was born in early summer 2016 – I think really we were inspired by how many amazing talented people we knew and we wanted to start something that would attract other likeminded creative. One of the most exciting things so far is how it has brought artistic people together, letting us share ideas and bounce off each other to make some really cool shit.
We really like the idea of young artists showcasing other young artists if that makes sense; it feels more natural than a lot of the promotion you can see at the moment. We’re all 20 year old boys who want to stand for something and show what we love, why not start sooner rather than later?
What’s the story behind the name?
Something To Hate On: There’s so much hate in this generation, powered by social media, comments and likes – you have to accept that with anything positive and popular comes hate, it’s just part of life. As a collective of talented artists who all get their fair share of hate, the name is really embracing that.
What makes it stand out from other creative platforms?
Something To Hate On: There are some great creative platforms around right now and in the last couple of years I think music and fashion, especially in the underground scene, have started to really find something true and very inspiring. However, I do think we stand out in one big way by bringing all of these creative disciplines together. Music, art, film, lighting, fashion – they’re all amazing expressions of talent and when they are combined and collaborated you get something really special, which is what we want to achieve.
What does it take to be a part of it?
Something To Hate On: To be honest we want everyone to ‘be a part of it’. If you’re talented and driven we want you on board. Even in the short time since we launched we’ve all been crazy surprised by how many emails we’ve had from young artists. It takes doing something like this to really understand how many people are out there with no way of getting noticed. In so far as being on the core team, that’s pretty locked off for the moment but who knows in the future.
What do you stand for as artists?
Something To Hate On: As artists we think it’s just very important to be passionate about what you do and stay true to yourself. Never try and push anything or try too hard to recreate something.
If you could collaborate on a creative project with anyone in the world who would it be and why?
Max: Boiler room. They have a great platform which has remained relevant for years now, plus they produce some cool merchandise so I think a joint event/collab on some clothes would be wavy.
Raff: Know Wave, I love their radio station and their merchandise. Besides that, I’d love to collaborate with a few producers and/or musicians, whether it’s getting a producer to jump on a track with me like Sir Spyro or myself jumping on a chorus of an artist like Diggy Simmons who me and Dan spent some time with in Milan. I also have mad respect for Jamal Edwards, the way he built his kingdom is impressive.
Dan: Maharishi would be unreal, I have so much respect for Hardy Blechman and I think the way they make clothes suits our style a lot. He’s also the master of embroidery and I’ve been messing around with designs recently that we could never make ourselves.
How do you feel about the state of the creative industries today?
Something To Hate On: We’ve been lucky enough to attend some great high-end showcases and events where we’ve witnessed what we believe to be iconic brands. As well as being immersed in a young and up and coming vibe around London in the music and fashion scene, there’s also good older mentors that are always open to us youth asking them questions, people like Tremaine, who we’ve noticed places a lot of emphasis on the youth. It’s nice to know that the older creatives are tolerating the new young bucks rather than shunning their ideas. Overall the creative industries are in a good state as I think there’s a great balance between old trends and new relevant incoming ideas.
What’s the best thing about being a young creative today?
Something To Hate On: The technology we have at our disposal. Social media has not only allowed us to connect with more talented people than would otherwise have been possible, but also collaborations become so easy. If we have an idea we can just FaceTime someone in another continent and ask what they think. It’s a fun world to live in. On top of that social media is a great way to promote your upcoming events, new song releases… you know the deal.
What do you hate on most?
Something To Hate On: People that aren’t true to themselves or put on a huge act. People on the scene that couldn’t dress themselves without labels and have no style. People that queue up for Palace or Supreme and don’t really know why. I think a lot of people these days become the labels they wear and forget that the person underneath is much more important. Above all it’s important to be true yourself and what you believe in!
How would you describe your generation in four words?
Something To Hate On: AMBITIOUS, ACTIVE, UNDERESTIMATED, OPEN-MINDED.
What are you working on at the moment?
Something To Hate On: We’ve just come back from shooting a load of mates in our first “HATE ON” hoodies and “SEUELEMENT NOUS” long sleeves for our first drop, which sold out in a couple days. Now we’re planning our launch party, which will be in March, working on new clothes, making sure all our artist installations, pieces and surprises are ready so that the night will be unforgettable.
Raff: On top of that I’m recording some stuff at the moment, and we’re filming some short videos that will all be released together on the site. Whilst Max and Dan are busy working, coming up with ideas and working towards creating 1/1 higher quality garments, steering away from prints on hoodies. So don’t sleep!
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Luc Coiffait
Raff Law is signed to Tess Management