The 23-year-old Melbourner is a fast rising hip hop sensation back home and will be dropping into this sweet east London haunt to show exactly why he is one of the hottest tipped bright new things. He’s toured the world with the likes of Joey Bada$$ and legends De La Soul, and nabbed himself a UTriple J Unearthed Artist of the Year award too in 2013 before going stratospheric this year. If you haven’t got on the bandwagon yet, it’s not too late. Grab a copy of his new album Raw X Infinity, and get down to this free Dalston show to check him out in the flesh.
We grabbed a chat with the man in question ahead of his London gig…
Your style has been described as “unique style, rhythmic flow and an honest delivery” but for those who haven’t heard you yet who would you align yourself with musically and who were your influences?
It’s always hard to align yourselves with anyone, but our goal is to be like a modern A Tribe Called Quest, a mixture of fun shit and serious shit over raw arse beats. You’ll have to tell us if we’re succeeding though.
How’s your tour been going? What’s the highlight so far?
The tour’s been pretty live so far. Shows are always a highlight, people have been getting especially wild. But we had the Australian Independent Records awards half way through the tour and we were lucky enough to take home Best Independent Hip Hop Record so I’ve gotta be honest and say that has been the major highlight! We’re just tryna reach as many people as possible and that kind of shit helps….a lot!
What are you looking forward to in 2015?
We’re in the process of building a pretty loyal fan base, and that’s been the most exciting thing so far. Next year is full of plans to get overseas as much as possible, to build an audience in Europe and possibly the States, as well as releasing our third album at some point mid next year.
Tell us how it felt when you heard you had won “Triple j’s Unearthed Artist of the Year”…
Awards never feel real when you get them, so it was just a huge trip. When they told me to give a speech I just swore into the microphone heaps whilst saying how ridiculous it was. Sensible J always says it’s ironic that I suck at public speaking but can rap! It’s pretty crazy that a national radio station like that has not only taken a chance and played our style of music, but awarded us for it. Thank J’s.
What inspires you when it comes to writing a new song? And how long does it usually take you until you’re happy with it?
It’s all dependent, I mostly get inspired by situations or talking shit with my friends about what’s going on in the media and other ridiculous shit. Sometimes when you can finish a song and the whole moment you wanted has been caught in the first take. But a lot of times I try to push my own boundaries and as a result there’s a lot of shit that will never be released ‘cause they’re wack.
When: October 29 / 8pm
Where: Birthdays, Dalston, N16 8BJ
Cost: Free
Tube: Dalston Kingsland
Web: birthdaysdalston.com
What do you hope people will feel when they listen to your music?
I hope they feel…it. Haha as in I hope however they interpret the shit that it speaks to them. That’s the best thing about rap, that people can find their own meaning in the songs. However I do hope when they hear sensible j and dutch’s beats that they feel neck pain.
Will Melbourne always be your home town or could you ever see yourself in London or LA?
I hope to be some sort of transient gypsy for the time being, I wanna visit as many places as possible via our music, maybe we’ll get caught up in somewhere amazing like Berlin or something in 10 years and end up staying there haha #PipeDreams
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully flying round the world with a band playing shows to people who appreciate our music. That’s the reason we got into this, the dream.
