DON’T try and put your finger on Harrow duo Black Biscuit’s sound because 21-year-old musicians Raks and Littlen do not want to be pinned down and labelled.

“We want to express ourselves in our music and be quirky; not stick to one genre,” says Raks. “As artists, we left room to grow in terms of our musical expression. When we need to move on to something else we’ll be able to because we haven’t branded ourselves.”

Raks is from Harrow Weald and Littlen hails from South Harrow and both are studying business management at the University of Hertfordshire which should stand them in good stead for promoting their material.

Borrowing from reggae, funk, house and grime, the pair have hit on a fresh witty approach to rapping with Raks low boom adding the bass to Littlen’s cheeky patter.

Black Biscuit co-write all their songs having started out as MCs on the underground scene. Moving in the same circles since they were in Year Four, the duo have been working together for the past four years.

Raks says they started out entering talent shows and playing at raves around the country because there weren’t many opportunities to play on the local scene.

“When we first started we went out of Harrow into London, Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester. We’ve found when people find out about you it will get back to your area anyway.

“There’s not a lot of support in the Harrow community for young musicians save for Scratchy J at the Royal Oak, we’ve played there several times and he puts on lots of local bands.”

Taking things into their own hands has paid off for Raks and Littlen but it hasn’t been an easy ride. Songs such as Beamer, Benz or Bentley and Make Doe testify to the hardship black artists can face on the road to success but they’re not bitter laments - all retain a feelgood factor. Other tracks from their recent mix tape Crunch Time (available now to download for free on the Black Biscuit website) are definitely upbeat, especially last year’s club hit Who’s Skanking the Hardest and their latest tunes Get Busy and the soon to be released We’re Fly.

“We have our own studio and everything really is down to us being determined and working hard to be honest. It gets hard sometimes but if you want it you have to work for it.”

Black Biscuit have also made a video for Who’s Skanking The Hardest featuring some unique dance moves which they taught to friends and people walking down the street in Harrow.

“Put your hands in the air, move them forward, bring them back to your face, now show them that you’re fly” goes the song and it’s evident the happy vibe is shared by all concerned.

Raks tells me their next video for We’re Fly will be shot this Friday for release at the end of the month.

“For this one we’ve got models and a TV crew. Littlen and I are football managers of an all-girl team and their are these comedians managing the opposing team of girls and we’re using our personas to distract these other ladies.

“Being fly in your persona means it doesn’t matter if you don’t have money or a big car you can still get up in morning and feel good inside.”

Word is getting out about Black Biscuit. Their latest gig at Koko in Camden drew a crowd of more than 2,500. So how did they come up with the name?

“It’s a variation on the saying ‘the darker the berry the sweeter the juice’ only for us it’s the darker the biscuit the bigger the crunch.”

Black Biscuit play Tottenham Carnival this Saturday. The parade starts 11am at Eade Road and the festival starts noon at Bruce Castle Park.

www.blackbiscuit.co.uk