| Q1 : How did you get your alias/rap name? |
| A member of my former crew (Fathom) used to call me 13th Son of December. It was in reference to my birthday and a riff on the long names that members for crews like Wu-Tang used to give themselves. |
| Q2 : What year did you first get into hip hop? |
| late '91. |
| Q3 : Who have been the major influences on your career to date and
how? (musical or other) |
| As a kid it was definitely P.E., Rakim, De La Soul, ATCQ, Nas. As I got older I started to read a bit of poetry and subsequently W.B. Yeats became a influence on the way I wrote.
As I got a bit older people like Buck 65 and Dose One influenced me to push myself outside of the square. Newer influences would be people like Blackthought, Questlove, J Dilla, Common, D'Angelo, Madlib, Erykah Badu - haha basically that late 90's Soulquarian stuff. Non-hiphop influences - Iron & Wine, Henryk Gorecki, Arvo Part, stuff like Cinematic Orchestra, Alpha, Bjork, Firekites. |
| Q4 : If you could perform or record with anyone dead or alive - who
would it be and why? |
| J Dilla - the guy is a genius. |
| Q5 : What countries and cities have you most enjoyed performing in?
Any interesting stories to tell? |
| Two of my most memorable gigs in recent years were both held at the Gaelic Club in Sydney. The first was doing support for Bliss & Eso at the Launch of "Day of The Dog" and the second was doing a Basic Equipment Crew support for Masta Ace. Both were played to packed houses and the vibe was immense. Nothing better than playing to a big crowd like that. |
| Q6 : Across your career to date, what highlights will you hold onto
till you die? |
| Deciding to go solo after my crew Fathom broke up and having the confidence to put out my first solo EP in 2000 (Always); making my first album in 2006 (The Hero; The Trickster) and then realising a new direction for it's follow up and seeing it through to fruition when it dropped in 2007 (Our Lives). These are achievements that I'll always be proud of, not only as an artist but just as important aspects of my life full stop. |
| 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? |
| On one hand I am nostalgic for that era, but at the same time, we have to keep moving forward and embracing new technology. There's so much available to us now that revolutionises both the way we make music and the way we distribute it. |
| Q8 : What advice do you have for young, aspiring artists
(MCs/DJs/Producers)? |
| Aim high. Aspire to be the best and work your arse off to make it a reality. The world is a smaller place now so we have to compete on a global stage. We need to ensure we are creating music that is viable in an international arena. Stay current and keep pushing this culture to evolve. I'm sick of hearing hip hop that sounds 15 years too late, Hip Hop has always been about innovation so lets not forget that. Know your culture's history, but look forward to the future. |
| Q9 : What one thing in your career you would most want to be
remembered for? |
| I just want to be remembered for making good music. |
| Q10 : What other activities do you enjoy doing when you're not making
music, rehearsing or performing? |
| Watching movies, reading books and comics, bushwalking. I'm a pretty simple kinda dude really. |
| Q11 : Why hip hop? |
| Cos there's nothing I've found that fits better. |
