Tony Bontana has a wellspring of styles at his disposal. The rapper and producer, who is based in Birmingham, UK, is as comfortable over a FearDorian beat as he is over a blast of pulled-apart boom bap. A sense of musical experimentation and thoughtful lyricism is at the heart of his sound. The artist’s prodigious output continues with My Name, a record that comes out tomorrow, but Bontana was kind enough to let us drop it on Nina a day early. We recently caught up with the rapper, email-style, and asked him some questions about the new record, his beat selection process, and some of his early influences growing up in Birmingham. Read it, and listen to My Name, below.

Tell us about My Name.

Tony Bontana: My Name is the natural successor to my 2024 album L’Humanitè, following the passing of my mother in 2023. The album is about my life post the initial wave of grief. 

Growing up in Birmingham, what were some of your early experiences with music? When were you first exposed to underground hip hop?

One of my earliest memories with music is waking up early in the morning to watch Kerrang/Scuzz on the TV. I remember Bullet for My Valentine, Trivium, and Gallows being particular standouts which got me hooked on heavy music and wanting to dig more into that world. My first exposure to underground rap was in the late 2000s/early 2010s when ASAP Rock, Odd Future, Mac Miller, Black Hippy, etc. were all starting to take off. In Birmingham there was a Group called The Oddysee which made it all seem real to me, they changed my life. Shout out to SHAYK, Dan Oddysee, Sigmund, and Joe Corfield. They inspired a generation in Birmingham. 

You put out music at a pretty fast rate. Do you ever get writer’s block? 

I don’t think it exists. I just think you’re either inspired or you aren’t. Inspiration hits me from so many different places. “Battered Chips,” for example, so I’ve always got something to write about.

How did you link up with FearDorian? You two have good chemistry. 

I’ve been a fan of Dorian for a few years—we recently connected over a mutual appreciation of each other’s art and from there it made sense to work on something. Dorian makes so many beats when he sent the pack it was like Christmas for a nigga like me. I hope to keep it going! 

What is your general beat selection policy? You go over a pretty eclectic array of tracks, how do you know what is right for you from the stuff you have to pass on?

It’s all about feeling. If the beat’s “right,” the words just come naturally for me, I don’t even need to think too tuff, it just happens. Those are the ideal ones. Sometimes I have to sit with something for a while, weeks maybe even months, but I try to avoid those as much as possible and focus on the ones that come naturally. Still trying to find a balance with that I guess. 

How did you come up with the idea for the Sunday Service project?

I made it part of my routine to go to the studio every Sunday. The project started to form naturally, and once the songs were there, it just made the most sense as those sessions really felt like church for me.

Are you excited about the state of British rap right now? Who are some of your current favorites?

10000% I have always been excited about British Rap. Right now Novelist, Shayk, Jadasea, PREM, John Glacier, Manny Noir, Leo Sierra, Jayahadadream, and Unruly are the ones who really make me excited about the future. Also gotta shout out the producers Kabuto, Sustrapperazi (also a dark horse rapper), A-Bluntz, Eahwee, Ladè, they all pushing amazing sounds right now. (It’s sick because a lot of the rappers I named are also some of my favorite producers too.) 

What do you like to do when you aren’t writing, recording, or thinking about music? How does Tony Bontana unwind?

Honestly at the moment the gym has been holding me down.