One’s a hip hop DJ turned producer from New Zealand who’s best mates with Zane Lowe. The other is a south London grime MC who has a habit of making people utter the words ‘What did he say?’ Both are called P-Money. Rajveer Kathwadia and Danny Walker go straight to the bank with the pair to find out who’s going to change their name first... images by Carnegie & Conway
“Don’t worry about it, it’s a set up,” UK spitter P Money brushes off RWD’s queries as to why he has dressed to almost match his New Zealand namesake who adds, “We planned this before we came.” Hmmm... we turned up today thinking we were gonna witness a fight to see who would claim bragging rights for the moniker, but instead P and P are acting like they’re best buds. Let’s see if we can stick our noses in and change all that...
RWD: So P Money meet P-Money... fight!
P-Money (NZ): (laughs) Nah, we’re cool man. Actually I wanted to learn some stuff about you, like what’s the name on your birth certificate?
P Money (UK): Paris. That’s what the ‘P’ stands for. My full name is Paris Williams
P-Money (NZ): That’s crazy we have the same initials. My name is Peter Wadams. So we’ve got even more in common. What’s your date of birth?
P Money (UK): 8/04/88.
P-Money (NZ): For real? I’m 10 years older than you mate. 25/02/1978.
P Money (UK): When did you start calling yourself P-Money?
P-Money (NZ): For myself it was in around ’98.
P Money (UK): For me it was 2000. At secondary school.
P-Money (NZ): Was it a name that you adopted for yourself or were people calling you that already?
P Money (UK): I was calling that myself already cos that was my motive from young. I just always wanted money. In school I would always come in with something new and people were like ‘P, you’re made of Money!’ What about you?
P-Money (NZ): I was trying to find a name for when I was DJing. Someone called me Cash Money as a joke in reference to DJ Cash Money from Philadelphia. I thought ‘He’s got the coolest name’, and he’s a dude who I aspired to be like, so I just took P from my initials and that’s how I got P Money. So it’s kind of a nod to Cash Money as well as a nickname.
RWD: So when did you guys find out about each other?
P Money (UK): A couple of years ago, but a lot this year. I’ve been getting emails saying ‘I need that tune’ and I’m like ‘What tune? It’s not my tune!’ And then people will be ringing me saying ‘Oh you’ve got a video on TV’ and I’m like ‘No I haven’t’ And then recently I put a video on there and everyone’s just getting mixed up.
P-Money (NZ): Oh that’s really shit right?
P Money (UK): I’ve never found it annoying except when people are bugging me for the song and it’s not even my tune!
P-Money (NZ): Is it frustrating cos they don’t understand the obvious differences between the sounds?
P Money (UK): Yeah! But I don’t find it annoying that we’ve got the same name cos I’ve seen about six different people called P-Money. But you’re the only one who has stood out and I’ve seen doing stuff, and I’ve actually heard songs by.
RWD: We’ve noticed that when you Google ‘P-Money’, the UK one is at the top of the list.
P-Money (NZ): Really? I come up first back home. Maybe it’s sensitive to which country you do the search from?
RWD: What about the other P Moneys? Are they gonna come through?
P-Money (UK): Nah, they don’t stand a chance. No chance.
P-Money (NZ): It’s too late for them. If you Google ‘P-Money’ then only us two will come up.
RWD: P-Money (UK), have you ever thought about making a tune called Everything and stealing some of P-Money (NZ)’s download hits?
P Money (UK): Yeah I was like ‘Shall I just put my name on the PRS’?
P-Money (NZ): Don’t worry we’ve already got that locked. But it’s funny cos isn’t your mixtape called Money Over Everyone? Cos I had someone at home who’s a grime fan say to me ‘I just got sent your CD man’ and when I saw it and I was like ‘Nah man what are you talking about?’ So your record’s getting serviced back home so that’s a good thing right? People know about it.
P Money (UK): Yeah. Sometimes I get emails from places like New Zealand and Australia saying they can’t get hold of my music, so occasionally I’ve sent people stuff. So I did kind of know that there were fans there.
RWD: P Money (UK) What do you think of P-Money (NZ)’s song Everything?
P Money (UK): I actually like it. I’ve heard it a few times and seen the video a few times and I always wondered, ‘Is it him singing?’ Cos people said he was a producer, so I was confused. I do like the song though.
P-Money (NZ): Well it’s not me singing. It’s a young cat from back home called Vince Harder. I’ve always done hip hop and then I started branching out and working with singers; I did a song with Akon which was really popular back home, but it wasn’t until a couple of years later that I found a singer who I actually liked. So Vince and I have done a lot of music together.
RWD: So what’s next for you guys?
P Money (UK): I’m currently recording tracks for an EP I’m releasing which is gonna be followed by an album titled Duality. There’s no release dates yet, but it’s mainly explaining the two sides of my life; doing music and what’s outside of it.
P-Money (NZ): I’ll be following up Everything with another single in the UK and then working towards a new album for next year. It’ll be in that vein of dance music with a hip hop influence. So expect cool breaks, samples and good vibes. Predominantly I’m working with my Kiwi artists, but we’ll see who else I can get in terms of international guests.
RWD: We know a really good MC from over here called P Money?
P-Money (NZ): Yeah I’ve heard of him. I saw him on YouTube! But, who knows? I think we need to hear more of each other’s music, but he seems like a really nice guy. That just ruins your whole story doesn’t it? No tension, no controversy.
P Money (UK): Yeah they wanted a fight.
RWD: Who us?!? No way!!
P-Money (NZ): Yeah they were trying to set us up!
P Money (UK): What you don’t know is before we come here we planned it all out.
RWD: A few of your fans have been going back and forth online though...
P Money (UK): Really?
P-Money (NZ): Yeah every third comments on the Everything video is someone debating who’s the ‘real’ P Money, so I just leave it up to them.
RWD: It’s jokes. Check it out...
P-Money (NZ): Yeah there’s people from the UK asking ‘Where was P Money on this song?’ They’ve watched the whole thing waiting for you to drop a 16 bar or something.
RWD: If you did a track together, what would you call yourselves?
P Money (UK): Just P Money.
P-Money (NZ): I like P-Money Ft. P Money, cos then depending on who’s working the record you can pretend that you’re the main artist!
MySpace.com/mcpmoney
MySpace.com/pmoneymusic
Horror Story
RWD: What’s the scariest horror film?
P Money (UK): The last thing I watched was The Orphan and it weren’t really a horror. It wasn’t scary, but it was just mad.
P-Money (NZ): When I was a kid I watched Friday The 13th a little bit too young. I was scared for weeks!
RWD: If you were the villain in a horror film, how would you kill your victims?
P Money (UK): What a question!
P-Money (NZ): The first thing that popped into my head was dissolving people in acid or something.
RWD: The Dissolver!
P-Money (NZ): That sounds like a really unsuccessful movie title right there!
