"Creeper" is one of the most iconic instrumentals to come from grime. Made in 2002, the Danny Weed and Nick Cage production helped to define a sound that was a far cry from the fluffiness of UK garage. "From the moment it came out, it was one of the tunes you'd hear Slimzee drop on a Pay As U Go set where you'd think: 'I need to go Rhythm Division tomorrow and get that," says music video director Risky Roadz.
Nearly 15 years later, Risky was inspired to educate new fans with some of the biggest hits from the early years, and re-imagined the epic "Creeper" as an eerie nightmare haunting the East End. After getting the okay from Danny, Risky told us that "'Creeper' was at the top of my list, because the tune's echoed strings are so creepy! It birthed the idea of phobias and nightmares; the whole horror genre is so fun to do and allowed me a lot of freedom."
Risky, who created the renowned DVD series Risky Roadz, has turned his early success into a career as a highly-rated video director, plus delivering new visions of grime directly to its fans via a number of YouTube series: Grime Worldwide, VIP, and now The Rootz. While he's more used to shooting MCs spitting straight down the lens, the mini movie for "Creeper" features tarantulas, snakes, and terrifying clowns. "I had to overcome a pretty big fear of spiders," Risky tells Complex, "but before filming the tarantula, I made sure that I held it first. It was kind of a life-changing moment for me [laughs]."
This new series, The Rootz, sets to see more classic instrumentals brought to life and potentially some hit singles, too: "I'd love to do a few vocals. The one I'd love to do most is D Double E and Jme's 'Serious Thugz (Thuggish Ruggish)', but let's see what happens."
