Ghostpoet Is Still 'Pinching' Himself Over Mercury Prize Nomination

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Fresh off his nomination for the prestigious Mercury Prize, Ghostpoet (aka Obaro Ejimiwe) is still pinching himself. Standing as one of the UK's breakout hip-hop acts of 2011, Ghostpoet's full-length 'Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam' has propelled him into the top tier of indie rap. Blending a lazy, dazed flow with the bit-punching electronica of the English underground, his debut is a concise synthesis of everything British rap should be.

The shortlist of nominated Mercury artists includes Adele, PJ Harvey, James Blake, Tinie Tempah and Metronomy, among others, with the prize being announced on Sept. 6. Spinner recently caught up with Ghostpoet to talk about his nomination, his favorite food and the concept behind his brand new video for 'Liiines.'

Mike Skinner named you as his favorite emcee at the moment. Will you two be working together now that the Streets are defunct?

We're working on a couple of things together actually. Lovely chap. Let's see what happens!

Are you a major fan of peanut butter and jam?

I am indeed! But it's got to be crunchy peanut butter on toasted brown bread and if it's jam then it's got to be raspberry. I'm just a little picky with these things.

How does it feel to be nominated for the Mercury Prize?

Amazing, crazy, mad, out of this world! [I'm] truly humbled to be associated with such a prestigious award alongside such fantastic artists, still pinching myself really ... still can't quite believe it.

Has the surge in popularity after the nomination affected your process at all?

No, I wouldn't say so. My simple mission is still the same -- to keep making music that I truly want to create, have fun with it all and, of course, keep my myself grounded. My Mrs. helps with that part.

How did you come up with the trippy video for 'Liiines?'

Down to the magic of director Nick Bentley! Nick bounced ideas at me revolving around the theme of writer's block and the frustration of having something to say with nobody quite understanding what you were trying to say. I know I wanted it to be an evolution from the first two [videos] but also to capture the essence of the track and I feel we achieved that.

Watch Ghostpoet's Video for 'Liiines'

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