IllyAfter announcing a national tour celebrating the ten-year anniversary of his fifth album Two Degrees, Melbourne hip hop icon Illy (aka Al Murray) is looking back to move forward.
The rapper-turned-singer has established himself as one of the leading performers in his field – and he’s got the trophies to show for it. Two Degrees has proven to be just as popular as when it first dropped, with the Brisbane show already close to selling out.
Featuring the hit singles Papercuts and Catch 22, the record was his first of two consecutive ARIA #1 albums and still resonates almost a full decade on.
The five-date run will see Murray and his band perform the album in full, as well as hit songs from Cinematic and The Chase, across Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, and Brisbane this June and July. For a guy who released four albums in five years, while touring relentlessly and studying a law degree, it’s no surprise that he’s become one of the country’s most successful artists.
We caught up with Murray to talk everything from Two Degrees and the current state of Aussie rap to making friends in the industry and going independent.
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“I feel like the people that it’s meant something to probably can answer that better,” Murray says when pressed about what makes the album timeless, “but I do know I stand by every track.
“Every album that’s ever come out, I believed in enough to put it forward to be received by the public and critiqued. It was the first time that I was close to really pushing myself as a songwriter while believing that I knew what I was doing.”
Given that it was Murray’s fifth attempt and came fresh off the back of the hugely successful Tightrope, there was no doubt that what followed would be his best work yet.
“The songwriting, the choruses, what production needed to sound like, my delivery in the verses; there’s more singing on Two Degrees than there was at any point before that,” he explains.
“It was just being more equipped to make the sort of songs that I wanted to make from the start of my career, but just hadn’t been able to yet.”
Grammy award-winning producer and longtime collaborator M-Phazes, who has also worked with the likes of Eminem and Amy Shark, is largely responsible for its impeccable sound.
“Phazes is a genius,” Murray gushes. “I think he’s the best hip hop producer that the country’s ever produced and I think his best work in Australia was on Two Degrees.
“So I was the lucky beneficiary of having been mates with him for a decade at that point and it’s as much his success as it is mine because his fingerprints are all over that album.”
From a technical perspective, each track was clearly workshopped tirelessly to get them to a point where they could easily translate to a live setting. The breath control allowed for tight flows with memorable lyrics, and the singalong hooks from a number of guest features contribute to its repeatability ten years later.
“There was no consideration for that at the time we were doing it; we weren’t thinking that far into the future,” he admits. “But similar to where my self-belief was at that point, I think Phazes was really coming into his own.”
As it turns out, the fans aren’t the only ones who think Two Degrees is a flawless album. However, it’s important to note that Murray considers it a time capsule of where he was in his career at that point in time. So, is there anything that he would change if he could do it all over again?
“No, dude! There were maybe 18 months between Cinematic and Two Degrees coming out; we turned it around quickly,” Murray explains. “I think the one thing that I would change is the follow-up to that, which was The Space Between.
“I maybe left that too long because we were touring so relentlessly, I was overseas, I was in a lot of sessions. And then COVID happened.
“Maybe the song order?” he adds, laughing.
If rearranging the tracklisting is all you can suggest when looking back on your work, it’s safe to say that you’ve probably done your best. Murray and his band will be playing the whole album on tour, which includes at least one song getting its live premiere.
“A lot of the tracks we wouldn’t have played since 2017,” he details. “The one track that we never played live was Lightshow and we’re gonna give that a run out for the first time. The only reason we didn’t play it wasn’t because I didn’t like the song, but because there’s just so many fucking lyrics in it!
“When it’s a high-energy set – I was a heavy smoker at the time – I just didn’t have the breath control to get through it. But we’ve done it in rehearsal and I can manage it.”
With Papercuts and Catch 22 since becoming live staples, this anniversary set will be a great opportunity to shine a light on some of the deep cuts on the album. The monumental title track and powerfully introspective Truce are sure to go down a treat.
“I love Truce. I have played it before, but it deviates sonically a lot from the rest of the album. Playing Forget It, I don’t know if I’ll ever make a better intro track to an album – and for a live show, it was always a blast to play. And honestly, Highway, the outro track, is great.”
In a recent post on his socials, after supporting local legends and close friends Hilltop Hoods on their sold-out arena tour, Murray shared his experience of growing up as a kid from the Frankston line in a scene that was still relatively underground.
A lot has changed since then, but possibly for the better, at least in terms of discovery.
“It was a joy, dude. I mean, I don’t know any different. There were so many opportunities in Melbourne to do open mics to get good, if you had the balls to do it,” he recalls.
“They might have just migrated online now, but you had to really be out there and doing it in the flesh back then.
“The Hoods had maybe just broken through with their first commercial album, The Calling, when I was coming up. They were always the gold standard for the genre, but they were still playing 700-800 cap rooms, so they were still finding their feet.”
Perhaps Murray was just ahead of his time, singing and making rap songs with pop sensibilities before it was adopted by his peers. However you feel about contemporary Aussie hip hop, you’ve got artists like Hilltop Hoods and Illy to thank for its ubiquity.
“There was this real sense of community,” he remembers. “Not necessarily all pulling in the same direction – I made more pop sounding stuff and other people did really underground hardcore stuff – but you’d be in the same rooms with these people and everyone was pushing forward Australian hip hop to become something bigger than it was at the time.
“It was really distinct and it sounded like nothing else you could find anywhere and people got around it.”
Perhaps what Murray is most excited about is hitting the road and catching up with some of the people who have been with him the longest. It raises an important question: how do you decide who’s worth keeping close in such an unforgiving industry?
“I feel like generally people show their colours if you give them long enough,” he explains. “I have a lot of people that I’m friendly with; it’s not like there’s any active beef, I’m way past that sort of shit. But when I’m in Melbourne, most of the people I hang out with I’ve known since I was 12 or 13 years old.”
It’s clear that he’s grateful both to be where he is and for those who have helped him get there. This mutual respect is most likely the reason for his longevity, not to discredit his hard work and undisputable talent.
“My experience with the music industry has been great, but I’m also able to keep it at arm’s length. I’ve seen a lot of people kind of lose track of themselves and attach too much importance to relationships within the industry, which are built on whether you’re of value to them or whether you can do something for them.
“I just want to make and perform music; I don’t give a shit about the industry side of things. It’s just about finding the people you vibe with and keeping that shit going strong.”
Murray has recently gone independent again for the first time in 14 years. If you subscribe to his newsletter, you will have seen how much fun (and stress) it has brought him to regain full control of his marketing. Of course, this has its benefits and challenges for somebody at his level.
“I left the label in August/September last year,” he recounts. “I only started working on the album in early January and it’s almost done; I’d say 75% done, just need to lock in a few features. But turning something around in four and a half months is, in my experience, impossible at a major label. It just doesn’t happen.
“My last album, Good Life, which I love, took three-and-a-half years. The Space Between, which got interrupted by COVID, was four years. The speed that you can move, being agile and nimble, is something that I think really matters now and major labels aren’t equipped to operate like that.”
Making a name for yourself and maintaining relevance has never been easier in the digital age, but it’s also led to oversaturation and a significant skill shortage. Evidently, doing it the hard way gives you the confidence to take matters into your own hands down the line.
“As far as what the downside is, the big advance that you get to make an album is a nice thing, so not having that. But I have a really good group of talented people that I’ve worked with for a long time who aren’t ripping me off and we’re able to work pretty well together.
“I’ve experienced no downsides, but I haven’t put anything out yet, so ask me that question once the album’s out. But right now, I’m loving it. I know as soon as this is done, I’m not working towards a release schedule; I can just put it out and I can get to work on the next one.”
Tickets to Illy’s upcoming Two Degrees 10th anniversary tour are on sale now.
Illy – Two Degrees 10th Anniversary Tour
Sunday, June 7th – 170 Russell, Melbourne, VIC
Saturday, June 13th – Freo Social, Perth, WA
Friday, June 19th – The Gov, Adelaide, SA
Saturday, June 27th – Manning Bar, Sydney, NSW
Saturday, July 18th – The Triffid, Brisbane, QLD
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
