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Music

We Interviewed Macka B, That Guy Who Went Viral Rapping About Cucumbers

There are still good and pure things in this world.
Daisy Jones
London, GB

Think of all the songs you listened to this week; on the bus, in the club, in your bedroom, out someone's car window. Now think about what those songs were about. Chances are – and this is based on absolutely no factual data – they centred on one of the following: sex, love, money or getting trashed.

There's a reason most songs are about those subjects: they are our driving forces, the reason we unglue our eyes in the morning, take a breath of new-day air and plough onwards with our lives. They are the reason we speak to each other, the reason our thoughts continue to flow and pretty much the only reason for continued existence.

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But maybe we've been restricting ourselves to those four depressing themes this whole time. Maybe life isn't just about fucking and getting fucked, in all senses of the word. Maybe there are other subjects that can get our juices flowing, get us pumped about being alive and inspire musicians to create with enough passion that will have us ugly crying on the sticky club floor at closing time because we relate so hard.

Enter Macka B. Earlier this month, the 56-year-old rap/reggae musician and generally wise human went viral with his track "Cucumber" – and its ensuing "Cucumber Remix" – in which he recounts exactly 15 health benefits of the frankly iconic vegetable in 50 hot seconds, rapping lyrics such as "95 percent water, kidney cleanser, great hydrator" and "another surprise, put a slice on your eyes / Take away the dryness, revitalise." He doesn't just rap about cucumbers though – he also raps about other fruit and vegetables (like pomegranates) and the vegan lifestyle, as well as other similarly conscious subjects like happiness and legalising marijuana. Through his conscious lyrics and deeply calming voice, Macka B makes you want to throw your vices in the bin immediately and feel the overwhelming spiritual embrace of Our Beautiful Planet Earth.

But who is Macka B, really? What makes him tick? How is he so deeply chill? In the spirit of investigative reporting, we gave him a ring and asked these very questions.

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Noisey: Hey Macka B. How have you spent your morning so far?
Macka B: Meditation. Drink my smoothie. Do bit of exercise. Write some lyrics.

What was in the smoothie?
That's a trade secret. There are too many things to mention. But there were berries, hemp seed, flax seed, salty roots… lots of things.

Let's chat about your tunes. How long have you been doing this for?
From when I was a teenager in the 70s I was into sound system, and then I gravitated towards playing in bands in the early 80s. The first record I ever did was in 1982, and it was a song called "Maggie's Letter". It was directed towards Margaret Thatcher and about how I could run the country better than her. I've always been into social commentary.

When did you start incorporating lyrics about veganism into your music?
Very recently. I've always spoken about food over the years, and I became a vegetarian when I was 16, and vegan when I was 41, and in 2008 I did a song called "Wha Me Eat" where I say all the things that vegans can eat because if you tell people you don't eat animal products they think there's nothing left to eat. But there are many, many things.

At first, I was just speaking about the benefits, but then I decided to put it into a rap, and ever since I started to rap, it just exploded and everybody seem to like it because it really catchy. Even if people eat meat, they start to smile and think about the benefits. I've seen a lot of sickness going around and the NHS is a mess, so prevention is better than cure.

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Do you think your raps might turn a few people vegan?
It might make them go towards healthy eating and think about what's happening to the animals… I just want to get them thinking and light that fire. Some people said they hate cucumbers, but when they heard the song, they went out and bought some and tried it again and they liked it. It's a mindset really – you can change the taste when you realise something is good for you. You have to look at your food like medicine, and not worry about taste all the time.

Your track about cucumbers popped off. Tell me, what is so good about cucumbers?
It's not just cucumbers. I've spoken about kale. I've spoken about okra. I've spoken about all the vegetables. But the cucumber is the one that took off for the people because it's so readily available and innocuous. One woman said to me, "my hair and my nails! I can make them grow now! I will keep drinking cucumber water."

You know, a lot of people, when they drink cucumber water and feel the energy rush that they get from it – like people who are tired from work, and take a glass of cucumber water – they instantly feel UP. Yeah, man, try it. You won't believe it. It goes straight to cells. It gives you a natural high. Just slice up the cucumber, put it in the water overnight, and then pour it out and drink it. You will be amazed.

I'm legit going to drink some straight after this conversation. How do you come up with the lyrics? They are extremely original and catchy.
I wake up very early, you see. I like to wake up with the birds because it's a very nice feeling, and at that time, there is a connection with the universe because most people are sleeping and it's just you and nature and the vibrations. The lyrics just come flooding at that time. Then I decide which vegetable I'm going to write about that day and the lyrics just come; I can't write them down fast enough.

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You strike me as a very positive human being. How do you stay positive? Do you ever get mad?
I just give thanks. I can see the greatness in people. There's a lot of negativity around. I personally believe that everybody is great and have the power inside of them to change the world. I always say, "be the change that you want to see." For instance, people who want to see more compassion, they have to be compassionate, and that goes for animals too. I don't even kill flies. I try to catch them and take them outside because they really want to be outside, you know? I always think positively. You can do anything. I feel calm like a river, like a stream that is running. A lot of people don't have time to be still. We're all on the same vibration, so when you are still, you can see great things.

I could do with some stillness. I saw on your Twitter that you made some weights and dumbbells out of vegetables, so that you can eat them after working out…
Yeah, we had weights made out of melon and cucumber, so we exercised and then ate them. We didn't eat the squash though because it looks so nice…

Yeah, fair enough… what music are you working on right now?
I'm working on an album. It's general things, about freedom, the mind, there are going to be some reggae ones and some food ones and natural herbs. It's something to look forward to. It will be ready for the summer time.

What's an important message you'd like to leave our readers with?
Try and be healthy and take care of yourself. You can't rely on other systems anymore. Live good. Help other people. Think positively.

Thanks Macka B. Have a great day.

You can follow Daisy on Twitter.

(Lead image via Youtube)