Example (b. 20 June 1982 as Elliot John Gleave) is a British rapper formerly signed to The Beats record label. His pseudonym arose due to his initials forming EG, a common abbreviation for "for example".

Biography

Born 20 June 1982 at West London hospital in Hammersmith, Gleave attended All Saints Primary School in Fulham High Street. He later went on to attend ADT College, Wandsworth (now Ashcroft Technology Academy). Gleave has claimed in interviews that the main reason he started rapping was due to his introduction to Hip-Hop through albums by Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg – the latter's album purchased primarily for "the cool cover art". Aged 15, Example entered his first rap battle at a house party in Shepherds Bush and in his own words "completely destroyed a useless wanker and a fight broke out so [he] sprinted home" ^[1]. In 1992, he won Royal Mail Poet of the Year, winning his school a new computer. In 2000, Example attended Royal Holloway University, London to study film directing. While at University, Example started garage MCing to make some money. It was during this period that he met Joseph Gardner AKA Rusher, the producer with whom he would later go on to work with. Example and Rusher made a concept album in the audio booth of the University film department which included the track that would go onto be Example's first white-label vinyl release, "A Pointless Song".

After graduating in 2003, Example moved to Australia for a year where he "did lots of landscape gardening, decorater and work on scaffolding, met a loada idiots with mullets, learnt a lot about [him]self and BBQs, grew [his] hair and learnt to surf on [his] last day in the country".^[1].

Career

Early career and "What We Made" (2004–2007)

After moving back to London, Example decided to pursue a career in music. After releasing three singles through his own label "All The Chats", including the original 7" version of "I Dont Want To" in January 2006, Example received attention from Pete Tong, Zane Lowe and others at Radio 1. Example also caught the attention of people at four major record labels – perhaps most significantly Mike Skinner (of The Streets), owner of The Beats label.

After signing a deal in April 2006 with The Beats, Example put out a response to Lily Allen's No.1 hit "Smile" entitled "Vile" and received Radio 1 airplay from Zane Lowe, Jo Whiley and Chris Moyles. His first 'proper' release on The Beats was "What We Made" in November 2006, the video for which was filmed in Chernobyl, Ukraine (see below).

Example's second official Beats single entitled "You Can't Rap" was released in March 2007, followed by a re-release of "I Don't Want To" on 11 June 2007. "I Don't Want To" was followed by the single "So Many Roads" (famously sampling The Carpenters "We've Only Just Begun") which eventually turned out to be the opening track on Example's full-length studio debut. After the demise of The Beats label at the end of 2007 Example self-released his next single "Me + Mandy" on 10 March 2008 through his original imprint All The Chats. The video for "Me + Mandy" was shot over 4 days and nights in London, in over 30 locations with over 40 extras. Impressively all this was done at a cost of just £1000. It was directed by Example's friend Henry Scholfield who also made the promos for "Who Needs Sunshine?", "Vile", "You Can't Rap" and "I Don't Want To" and the video went on to win "Best Low-Budget Video" at the VMA's that year.

In February 2008 Example also tried his hand at stand-up comedy as part of BBC2's The Culture Show. Mentored by English comic Richard Herring, Example spent six weeks writing and practicing his own stand-up routine which culminated in his first ever stand-up show in front of 60 paying customers in a Covent Garden pub. A week later he appeared on the bill under Richard Herring, Phil Jupitus and Harry Hill at the Lyric Hammersmith – interestingly Example had performed in the same venue ten years earlier whilst a student at ADT College. The full 13 minute routine can be found on youtube under the title "Example Does Standup"

"Won't Go Quietly" (2008–present)

Example has discussed evolving into a new genre in his blogs, describing his new work as "Dysfunctional Electro-Pop". It is rumoured that UK producers Herve, Chase & Status, Calvin Harris and MJ Cole will contribute also to the project, although this is only based on them each appearing in Example's MySpace top friends since the announcement of his new album, and its new musical direction.

Example recently released the first single from the second album, called "Watch The Sun Come Up through Data Records, which has proved to be moderately successful in the UK Singles Chart, entering at #20 and in its second week of release rised to #19. The single spent 4 weeks in the Top 40 and Example has talked recently in the press and on radio about his follow-up single "Won't Go Quietly" and his high hopes for the track building on the success of "Watch The Sun Come Up"

The second single from the album: Won't Go Quietly was released on 18 January 2010 and entered the UK Singles Chart at #6 on 24 January 2010.

Discography

Albums

• What We Made (2007)
• Won't Go Quietly (2010)

Mixtapes

• We Didn't Invent the Remix (2006)
• What We Almost Made (2008)
• The Credit Munch (2009)

Singles

Film making

Whilst filming a promo video for his track "What We Made" in the abandoned city of Chernobyl in northern Ukraine, Example also filmed an 18-minute documentary in the ghost towns he visited and their deserted schools, hotels and funfairs, many of which still remain exactly as they were when they were abandoned after the infamous disaster 20 years ago. "I don't think anyone who's been here can be for nuclear power," he said, looking around at empty cots and babies' gas masks in a disintegrating schoolroom near Chernobyl. "I've read stuff recently about how we're only ever going to survive if we make nuclear power available, but you just think: why would you want it to happen after seeing this?"^[2]

References

External links

• Example official website
• Template:MySpace-music
• Chernobyl Documentary (Windows Media)
• Chernobyl Documentary (Quicktime)
• Example MTV Interview