Late in 2016, Melbourne super-rapper Illy, aka Alasdair Murray, enjoyed his first-ever #1 album with Two Degrees - home to the hit Papercuts, featuring Sydney's Vera Blue. A year on, he's still touring behind it. Today, Murray is well into a massive regional run with his drummer Ben Ellingworth and DJ Patty, and describes the experience as "pretty intense". In October, the triple j fave will join Sprung Festival, the Gold Coast hip-hop extravaganza. Then, come November, he'll headline a Melbourne concert as part of A Weekend In The Gardens.
Many are under the misapprehension that Murray hails from Frankston, which is stigmatised as a seedy seaside suburb. In fact, he grew up in a professional family closer to town, albeit on the Frankston railway line. "I think it was a lot more dangerous when I was coming up than it is now," Murray notes.
A law student, Murray debuted on Obese Records with 2009's credible Long Story Short. However, he'd score his commercial breakthrough with a third foray, Bring It Back, which won the Best Urban Album ARIA. Yet Murray gradually veered away from Aussie boom-bap. Two Degrees, his fifth album, is emotive, electronic hip hop produced by old ally M-Phazes. Aside from the multi-platinum Papercuts, it takes in the jaunty smash Catch 22 (with UK vocalist Anne-Marie, of Rudimental fame). Murray himself occasionally sings. Aptly, the title Two Degrees was inspired by Barack Obama talking to podcaster Marc Maron about making incremental progress as US President - steering society like an ocean liner. "I feel very fortunate," Murray says of his own recent achievements. "I worked my arse off to get to this point but, even then, it's never a guarantee. So, when good things happen, you have to really appreciate it." He admits that, with every album, "there's always a little bit of anxiety" arising from the pressure. But success is affirming. "I definitely feel the most self-assured that I've been with the music that I'm making."
Murray is already contemplating his sixth record. "I haven't had the ability to make too much music this year, because we have been touring so much, but I've got a few demos." This summer, he'll likely attend festivals "as a punter". "Most of my summer will probably be spent in a dark studio, either here or overseas, working on new music."
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Beyond those artistic endeavours, Murray has emerged as a canny businessman with his label, ONETWO discovering Tom "Allday" Gaynor. He's unperturbed that the Adelaide post-rapper has polarised Australia's hip-hop scene, exposing generational rifts. "It happened with me when I was a dude coming up," Murray recalls. "There was an older generation who sort of pushed back against the music that I was making, saying that it wasn't hip hop." The controversy is petty, often focused on Gaynor's indie-kid image. "I had long hair before Tom did," Murray laughs. "I've been in that spot." Murray now screens out such chatter. "You can get caught up in that shit really easily." But ultimately, it's about the tunes. "If the music is good, I think everything else is kinda insignificant."
