Zeo Zeonardo is an enigma who admits he prefers to ask the questions rather than answer them. He seems to open up when discussing things non-Music related but which somehow stem back to his music making process. However, listen to his music and Zeo is extraordinarily verbose through his lyrics which flow like currents. His music is admittedly on the dark side and very personal. Zeo, although a little guarded is warm, affable and incredibly humble.

Producer and rapper Zeo's latest video 'Wolverine 2' follows previous tracks ‘My Face’, ‘Liars’ and, of course, 'Wolverine'. It is brutally dark in tone, as is a lot of his music, and exudes raw, undiluted energy. Zeo really flexes his lyrical muscles with frenetic wordplay. The title could be a nod to those Marvel influences, but it also plays on the name of Zeo's hometown of Wolverhampton as well as a metaphor for his superpowers as an MC.

We discuss inspirations and if Zeo sets time aside to write, "No, I have to be inspired to write" he says, and "Marvel films are inspiring me". So naturally, we discuss Black Panther. He adds, "it's a really good film. Visually there is nice scenery and I imagine it when I'm making a beat." Zeo admits he used to watch Anime, "but I'm not so into that anymore. I like superhero films, although I couldn't properly define what inspires me."

What is 'Wolverine 2' about? Zeo says, "When I wrote it I was trying to get across the message that I was fed up of people that are really exposed and out there but not making the effort at what they do. Then there are people that are actually really good at writing lyrics but don't get the time of day. Some people call it moaning." He sounds more frustrated than anything. The music video was shot on location in a sparse desert and Zeo admits, "We wanted a break so went to Cape Verde. I wanted something with an open space and it was great because it looked like nothing was there. It's so easy to do a video in Cape Verde compared to London, no one stops you filming there." He says, "I didn't put much thought into it, normally I do plan with my videos and find it hard to write a song if can't picture a video, but we didn't for this one."

And what are the challenges of being in the music industry in this day and age? "Getting heard by people. You make something you feel is quite good but it doesn't get the response you want so it demotivates you. Being heard by new people, I still haven't got the proper answer for that. I also struggle to find the time and be motivated." Things have changed with the digital age, he comments wistfully, "years ago I had to make CDs and go to carnivals to hand them out, back in the day. Now there are new people (making music) every 10 minutes."

Zeo Zeonardo's music is quite dark, but I wonder if he would ever think of changing direction and release an Afrobeats song or something more uptempo one day. "Never, never, never with Afrobeats!" he chuckles, "I don't like gospel music either." He says, "I listen to a lot of world music and try not to listen to UK rap and grime". I point out that world music can be lighthearted and he replies, "The happiest I get is still quite dark".

Does Zeo have any advice for people at the beginning of their music making journey? "I wish I had stayed consistent all the time. I was making music for a while and then didn't and that hasn't benefited anybody. I took 2 years out and should have kept a flow of music coming out instead of having a break unnecessarily." What stopped him? "I went to uni and that distracted me a bit. I was working. And also I just didn't want to."

When he's not writing Zeo teaches young people how to make music, "mostly teenagers between 11 - 16, we show them an alternative way to make music, how to make beats, music lyrics, creating a youtube channel because a lot of people don't know how, different ways of promoting, setting up performances - we show them how its done."

A question that flummoxed Zeo briefly was when I asked who would play him in a film about his life and I got an unexpected answer. "Leonardo de Caprio, he can come across as quite mysterious but quite serious".

So what's next for Zeo? "For the future, I'm planning to do my own show and as many performances as possible. I also have 2 festivals lined up."

One thing’s for sure, Zeo has found his niche with his music which is deep and dense British hip-hop at its finest. Thank god there are more Marvel films on the radar.

Find out more about Zeo Zeonardo here.