With his ‘How To Change The World In 15 Beats’ mixtape available for free download now, we checked in with Somerset spitter Zillwood…

You mention in your music that you have Tourette’s Syndrome – how does that affect your creative process?
“It makes the whole procedure with writing tracks and rehearsing easier as I am obligated to rap but not in a way that I don’t want to; but when I’m writing or spitting freestyles or verses I’ve just written when I’m walking down the street my Tourette’s and the out-bursts are fine, nothing comes out. So I keep spitting to stop my Tourette’s and it has had a great affect on my music in ways of rehearsals and just developing my vocabulary.”

Have you ever been stigmatised because of it?
“All the time I’m getting people start trouble with me on nights out – a lot of the time they just don’t believe me and some people are so ignorant they think because they’ve never heard of the disorder that I’m making it up… I mean come on, how thick must people be! It’s hard around cops when you don’t wanna say pigs, but you do and then you get nicked before explaining…”

How did you first hook-up with A-Z Style Beats?
“We hooked up through like the internet and YouYube. I was browsing producers and their beats, but I came across A-Z’s beats and they just really stood out from others and we started just trying stuff out with his beats and getting him to add my style to it as well.”

These days it’s harder than ever for new artists to break out and raise up their profile – what would you say sets you apart from other rappers?
“Yeah, I know you’re right, but I think my first mixtape out now for download is just my introduction to let people just hear me and my views. But I’m not a city kid or from a gang culture; I live in Somerset but am now moving to Plymouth and I’m talking about a lot more different stuff than other rappers, such as: Tourette’s Syndrome, how small town life ain’t that different to big city life, a positive perception on issues and negative on others, how small town thugs wouldn’t last a second in the London ends… That kinda stuff and much more.”

If money was no object, who would you collaborate with?
“Well I would love to spit a couple of tracks with Lowkey, man, he’s got it going and I would need a mental hot beat Baby-J.”

What else do you have coming up no the music tip then?
“Well my next mixtape called ‘Better Than Before: Vol 2′ is dropping at the start of 2010 – I’m working on it at the moment and I got some real hot deejays on it such as DJ Snips, Wizard and A-Z Style Beats. Just stay checking me out and stay locked on www.reverbnation.com/zillwood.

(Check out more on Zillwood in HHC Digital 004!)