Cobra
By Richard Haugh
Jacob Aldridge, aka Cobra, hails from the village of Reydon, near Southwold. He grew up listening to handed down copies of early 90s hip hop and it was a love of this music that led to him becoming a performer.
"I became more socially aware when I was 16 and started to write my thoughts down on paper, almost like a diary," Cobra said. "I eventually started to rhyme these words and put them together.
"I've always been into urban music and was influenced by Tupac Shakur, Dr Dre and people like this.
"I started to think more about song structure and how important choruses can be in people's minds and stuff. Before I knew it I was writing structured songs - verse, chorus, verse, chorus - and went from there.
"I write about things that mean something to me and that have happened in my life and I also like to write about things that people can easily relate to. A guy wants a girl for example - everyone's going to go through that situation in their life so it's easy to relate to, relationship type things."
Jacob's stage name Cobra is the result of a several-times removed reference to wrestler Jake the Snake, and also stems from a long-running kinship with snakes in general. It's a name which he hopes will one day be on the lips of record label execs.
"My main goal since I started was to try and make a career out of making music. I'm a very, very ambitious person and always aim as high as I can. It's not about the money or fame - it's just my love for music.
"I can't imagine anyone else wanting it as much as I do."
For Cobra this passion for music is dominating his spare time and eating up most of his finances. But his dream of making it in the music business is all the motivation that's required to see him through the day job as an apprentice carpet fitter.
"I hate my job but I'm working to make money to finance my music situation. I have to work for three hours to pay for one hour's studio time.
"I'm at work constantly during the week but as soon as I get in that door I'm changed and in the studio, doing what I want to be doing."
On Let Me Be With You, for example, Cobra comes up with lines such as "your man's a sick animal, take him to the vet's now" and "I can't afford those expensive holidays but with a little bit of luck you ain't fond of planes".
"People want to have a little bit of fun in there so I try and bring that in to almost every track," Cobra explains. "I think the humour is something that has to be mastered - there's a line you don't want to cross.
"In Let Me Be With You there's two or three funny punchlines which I don't think is overcrowding it too much."
In November 2008 Cobra put the finishing touches to a new three track demo which he hopes will attract interest from within the UK urban music scene, which he admits is dominated by acts from the capital.
But Cobra's hoping his unique selling point, that of a rapper with a Suffolk accent from a seaside village, will help him stand out.
"I think a lot of the UK urban scene is based in London and that's not really me. That's why I think I'm different and I don't think there's any artist out there who sounds like me - I'm not mimicking anybody.
I think my new demo is good enough for me to forward to record labels and other radio stations to get my name out there and make things happen.
"I'm looking for the right deal. I've been offered a couple of little bits and bobs here and there but it's not really about the money."
Cobra's hoping for eventual success, but in the short term he just wants people to take a listen to the music he's worked so hard to produce.
"Hopefully songs like Judgment Day could appeal to an older audience. That song is about life and death, which everyone knows about and everyone experiences.
So there are songs and parts of my music that everyone can relate to.
Even in Suffolk.
Even in Reydon."
