We had a Q & A with Ozzie from the Hip Hop Chip Shop, Manchester’s coolest untraditional fish and chip-hop crew around – in fact it’s the ONLY chip-hop crew around!
You’re obviously hip hop fans, when did you decide to merge that with fish and chips? We are indeed, I had the idea in 2010, I couldn’t really believe nobody had thought of the name before. Unbeknown to me it was actually mentioned in a song lyric from a satirical rock band from Birkenhead called Half Man Half Biscuit. It took 4 years of saving the pennies before we were able to get it all off the ground.
Favourite hip hop artist (we had to ask)? A Tribe Called Quest are certainly up there gunning for top spot, these days I listen to a lot of instrumental hip-hop artists like Eric Lau, Freddie Joachim, Suff Daddy, Apollo Brown etc.
Who designed your infamous Trailer? It was a very last minute decision to design the trailer like a boom box. Originally I had the idea of trying to make the trailer resemble a Bronx skyline, I’m so glad we had the change of heart. I’ve been a fan of artist Stanley Chow for a while, he had a picture of Eminem with a boom box in the background. I approached him about using the image and thankfully he was a true gent and agreed. With the help of Henry Roberts at Instadesign in Sheffield and Digi Revolution in Sale, the design was made into a reality.
Do you actually rap? Oh no. It’s actually illegal for me to attempt rapping in the UK.
Do you sell your t-shirts and branded material (we all want T-shirts at Sugarvine?) We have sold a few tees in the past, we’re going to be launching a lot more branded material this year. Watch this space.
How did John Snow like your chips? He seemed very happy with them, he drew quite the crowd. A man of the people. A beacon of honour and integrity. He was genuinely interested in what we were doing asking lots of questions.
What is the best festival or music event that the HHCS has attended? I’d say Manchester Food & Drink festival last year was my favourite, it was tough graft but a lot of fun. It’s my hometown so we had such a huge amount of support from friends and family in the area.
Where do you see HHCS in 5 years’ time? We’ll have a few sites across the UK and Europe alongside the trailer. I want to grow rationally and logically, we’re really ambitious, it’s a worldwide brand.
If you could serve up a B.I.G Fish Dog with Onion Blings to anyone who would it be? A homeless hungry person. Somebody that genuinely needs it.
Last but not least. Where do you like to eat out? I’m really good at not spending money. I don’t have many pennies to spare outside of my monthly survival budget as I put it all into the business, but if I do end up parting with my cash I have, it’ll probably be a takeaway pizza from Godfathers Pizza in Salford. I’m not very glamourous. Ha-ha.
Ozzie, Luke & Holly have set their sights on a more permanent development since the huge success of their pop up trailer blazing hip hop chip shop debut a couple of years ago. From music festivals and weddings to corporate events - not forgetting the John Snow Incident (Yes that’s John Snow the Channel 4 news presenter). Their NO Beef approach seems to be an award winning combination of hip hop nuance while making people of a certain age ‘giggle with nostalgia’ while stuffing their faces full of sustainably sourced coley, chilli onion blings and phat triple cooked chips - AKA the Feastie Boys sample box. Personally we really want to try the newest addition “Shell L Cool J” a Louisiana spiced crab cake, battered smoky streaky bacon, homemade coleslaw & brioche bun….It's something like a phenomenon…
Word on the vine has it they are planning to set up shop later on this year in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the guys are keeping shtum right now but we will keep you posted as soon as we hear. If you can’t wait that long then find them at the Friday Night food Fight - B.E AT Street at The Great Northern Warehouse or to find out more contact the Hip Hop Chip Shop Here
