BECCA DUDLEY – ( DEADLY CEO/ MTV UK HOST/ BEATS1 RADIO/ REGGAE DJ)
KILLA KELA: I want to say from the jump that I would consider you my female equivalent in Reggae music. You’re a presenter for MTV uk, beats1 radio, hoxton fm and not to mention your own platform, Deadly. You definitely have a passion for what you do and for street culture. What inspires you?
BECCA DUDLEY: Yeah I really do love what I do. I grew up on reggae, it was a massive part of my childhood. I have a mixed family. My mum’s Jamaican and my dad’s is German. I grew up on a lot of black music. I went to Jamaica for the first time about 15 years ago and I just fell in love with it! That’s where I heard dancehall for the first time. I came back from there and was just like wow, this is this is the world that i want to pursue. I want to be a part of it.
KILLA KELA: Jamaican music is the root of so much isn’t it?
BECCA DUDLEY: Jamaican music is literally the catalyst of so many subcultures and genres it’s mind-blowing. It’s crazy how it’s just this small tiny little island and its had such an impact on the entire world and so much mainstream music.
KILLA KELA: Talk to me about presenting.
BECCA DUDLEY: I’ve been presenting for ten years now at MTV UK. I honestly didn’t think I would last a year there because I hadn’t had any experience before. I just kind of went in blindly and they usually switch up presenters real quick. Every year I’d panic that I was going to get cut and then I just kept staying. It’s been it’s been pretty amazing
KILLA KELA: What’s your secret to not getting cut and sustaining?
BECCA DUDLEY: Truly I don’t know but I think kindness has a lot to do with it. I think if people enjoy working with you they will keep you around. I just get along with people and I’m not hard at work at all. I’ve worked on all sides of the camera and I know what it takes. I’ve made some really good friends over the years and I love it. It’s never been a chore. I’m just still in there like with big puppy dog eyes, like oh my god this is so fun!
KILLA KELA: You did some modeling too, is that right?
BECCA DUDLEY: I went to uni and studied fashion styling and photography and got my degree. I got scouted to do modeling during that time. I was also assisting stylists, writing for a fashion magazine and working in personal shopping.
KILLA KELA: How did you turn your love for music and fashion into a career in presenting?
BECCA DUDLEY: Music was always something I loved but presenting never crossed my mind. I was going down the fashion route but I was self conscious, which isn’t ideal for a model but, it was through my modeling agency that I got my MTV screen test.
I really didn’t think I’d be good but I got it and was every day doing the news, events, red carpets and interviews.
KILLA KELA: Who was your first interview with?
BECCA DUDLEY: Nicki Minaj, and I had no idea what I was doing.
KILLA KELA: Craziest dub plate you’ve ever been given to and by whom?
BECCA DUDLEY: Kabaka & Damian Marley, pyramid. I asked Kabaka to do me a dubplate from his album Kontraband. It’s so sick. I honestly was running around my house like oh my god!
KILLA KELA: How do you balance your presenting career with all you do in music?
BECCA DUDLEY: I’m still working on the balance of it all. I have the commercial side which is MTV, I also have a radio show on apple music. I get booked as a DJ sometimes on commercial things as well. But then there’s this reggae side that I put my heart and soul into and all of my spare time. I’m just trying to push the music as far as i can but, I’m working on just building up both things and then i hope that one day they can really come together.
KILLA KELA: What’s the future?
BECCA DUDLEY: I’m just spending a lot of time working on my music platform. It’s basically like a place for interviews, live sessions, and documentaries. A place that you can go to just to find out about current Reggae music. I have a playlist and we’re always just dropping loads of new content. I feel like there’s a bit of a gap or there has been a bit of a gap in the market in terms of video content for Reggae and Dancehall. I feel like there’s a lot of outlets and platforms for rap music and grime and the like, but I haven’t really seen that for Reggae so that’s what I’m doing with Deadly. It’s currently a video platform but I really do want to grow it into events, into a fashion brand and grow outside of reggae and dancehall as well and expand into other genres. I have big plans but because it’s just me it takes a really long time but you know we’ve had cool interest from brands and the general public. I love it!
KILLA KELA PODCAST: BECCA DUDLEY
On this episode of the Killa Kela Podcast we go in-depth with MTV’s Becca Dudley. We are discussing her love for reggae, her career thus far including her start on MTV, Beats 1 radio, and her new reggae platform Deadly. This girl is on fire and you don’t want to miss this inspiring chat. This is Becca Dudley’s Podcast! ENJOY!!
NEVERMIND THE BEATBOX – WITH BECCA DUDLEY
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BECCA DUDLEY HERE:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccadudley
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeccaDudley
Deadly: https://linktr.ee/DEADLYofficial