| | Q1 : How did you get your alias/rap name? | | I wish the answer was more interesting but honestly it's just a high school nickname, derived from my last name. In high school I was a DJ and went my DJ Boltz, when I made the move to MCing, the name just stuck! | | Q2 : What year did you first get into hip hop? | | I remember in grade 5-6, I first heard about hip hop. It must have been about 1990, I got some dubbed cassettes of Public Enemy, Ice-T and NWA from some kid in my class. As soon as I got home I changed the labels on the cassettes so that my parents wouldn't know what was on them. I became a big fan of Ice-T, and I recall begging my parents for days to let me buy his album 'Power' on vinyl, which wasn't the easiest task considering his then-wife was half naked on the front cover. Finally they caved in! | | Q3 : Who have been the major influences on your career to date and
how? (musical or other) | | Personally, it would have to be 5 people; my mum and dad, my wife, Breach, and myself. My parents laid the foundations for who I am, my wife always inspires me and pushes me to be the best I can be, and Breach and I inspire each other because we always challenge each other and give each other honest feedback which every MC needs to hear. If Breach, or my wife, think something I've written sucks, they're not afraid to tell me- unfortunately a lot of artists are surrounded by mates and yes-men who are too afraid to pull them up when they're below par, and at the end of the day, that's only hurting the artist's development.
Musically, I'm inspired by a wide range of artists; I listened to a lot of bands during high school and studied music which gave me an appreciation of time signatures, keys and tone etc. But hip hop wise, I love Jay Z, Royce, Lupe, Supastition, Kanye, Pharoahe Monch, Wu Tang, 2Pac, Eminem… Lupe's last album was great and really inspired me to be more creative and think outside the square. The time I'm most inspired though is when I just get home from a local gig, I can't stop thinking about what I've just seen and thinking 'I need to do more of that' or 'I can do that better than him'. It's seeing other artists and having that healthy competition with them that keeps me hungry. | | Q4 : If you could perform or record with anyone dead or alive - who
would it be and why? | | Well I would have said Royce a year ago, but I actually got the opportunity to record with him which was a dream come true. Next on the list would probably be Jay Z. I just think the guy oozes personality and swagger. It sounds like he writes the most complicated rhyme schemes, but sometimes they're so simple, it's just the way he flows them and articulates his words that makes them sound so unique. Other than Jigga, I'd love to work with Lupe and/or Supastition. Locally, I've got Drapht on my radar at the moment, so if you're reading this, call me!! Ha ha. I would say he's the most interesting MC in the country at the moment. There's a certain mystery surrounding him even though he's dropped 2 LP's, you never know what he's going to do next. The fact that his new album is predominantly produced Trials proves that. I can't wait to hear that! | | Q5 : What countries and cities have you most enjoyed performing in?
Any interesting stories to tell? | | - | | Q6 : Across your career to date, what highlights will you hold onto
till you die? | | Number 1, is just the fact that I've played a part in releasing two records to date (and more to come). The A-Diction EP, 'To Be Announced' and my solo record 'The Wishlist'. Only another artist can know how good it feels when you first get your CD back from the manufacturers and you hold it for the first time; look at the front cover, look at the track listing, glance through the booklet, check for printing errors (ha ha) and just realise that all your hard work has come to this. It's finally finished. You get a similar buzz when you see your album on the shelves for the first time. It's amazing. Other highlights include doing a track with Royce, performing alongside Supastition and finally, seeing a punter in the front row of a show rapping along to my lyrics for the first time. | | Q7 : Vinyl and analog have played such a massive part of the
development of hip hop, how do you feel about the shift to digital? | | - | | Q8 : What advice do you have for young, aspiring artists
(MCs/DJs/Producers)? | | Be yourself, accept criticism and don't take it personally if someone isn't feeling your music, practice, practice, practice, always record and re-record your songs and listen to them repeatedly until you're ready to record your final version, don't be afraid to be creative, and most importantly, make music for yourself; if you like it, chances are someone else will. | | Q9 : What one thing in your career you would most want to be
remembered for? | | I don't think I've had my swan-song just yet. Looking back at 'The Wishlist', I can now see that there was flaws with that release. There are things I would like to change about it, re-record, re-think etc… and I think to a certain extent every artist feels that way about their work when they look back on it years later, but I honestly feel with the album we're doing at the moment, the A-Diction LP, it's gonna be as close to perfect as possible. Breach and I are recording it at our own pace, without a deadline, we're choosing all the beats ourselves, arranging our own cuts and hooks etc, so you know that what you're hearing is 100% A-Diction without any outside influences whatsoever, and we've promised each other that we won't release it until we're absolutely happy with every single line in every single track. I really think the A-Diction LP will be the start of something pretty special. | | Q10 : What other activities do you enjoy doing when you're not making
music, rehearsing or performing? | | I'm an absolute basketball nut, if I'm not playing ball, I'm watching a game on ESPN, playing NBA Live '08 on X-Box or looking at live scores on NBA.com! Ha ha. Other than that, I enjoy watching movies, going to nice restaurants, chilling out with friends, having a barbeque, watching the footy on a Friday night with a few beers and some good friends, reading, traveling or checking out Melbourne's many cafes. Keeps me pretty busy! | | Q11 : Why hip hop? | | The short answer would be because I sucked at guitar!! But I think the real reason is because I identified with hip hop from a young age. I don't know if it was because I was an only child, that might have had something to do with it. I'm a very empathetic person, I think I was first drawn to hip hop because I was intrigued by the stories of poverty, hardship, struggle and having the strength to overcome. It wasn't until later in life that I started appreciating things like lyricism, multi-syllable rhyme schemes, metaphors, similes and word-play. It's great to hear an MC that can combine intricate wordplay with a genuine story-telling ability. It's pretty rare to have both. Thankfully, I still haven't lost interest in the genre and it's been about 20 years since I first copped those Ice-T and NWA cassettes from the kid in primary school. It's the anticipation of hearing another classic hip hop LP that keeps me thirsty for me. People say there's a lot of bad music out there at the moment, which isn't necessarily untrue, but it does make the good music sound extra good when you finally hear it! |
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