B Wise On The Toxic Masculinity Within Hip Hop Culture

It’s always a pleasure when I get onto the Elefant Traks roster for pRhymetime. For years they’ve been delivering some of the most charismatic hip hop artists, all with their own unique styles and flavours. After a huge 36-show tour with Thundamentals, B Wise somehow managed to fit me in to his frightfully busy schedule.

“Oh, the Thundas tour was awesome, man! I’ve never done a rural tour and this one was really extensive, a whole bunch of places I’ve never had the opportunity to see before which was beautiful. It really gave me the opportunity to tighten up the show and perform new music which was dope.”

While I’ve discussed the heavy burden that touring can have on an artist before, this MC has already done 50 performances this year and it’s only July! So the concept of creating new music, still performing shows and having a normal life seems somewhat unfathomable to me…

“Well the hard thing is juggling writing and recording as well as touring, you know? ‘Cause time management can get really complex with finding time to hit the studio, be on the road concentrating on shows, trying to have something of a social life… it can especially be difficult if you’re feeling uninspired. So having that down time to just chill and relax is really important. To me, I find writing quite relaxing, so while I guess it is work, it doesn’t feel like it to me,” he retorts.

“I set up blankets and pillows in the cupboards of hotel rooms and record!” he continues to chuckle. “Just to get down an idea or experiment with something… normal life can be a bit all over the shop at the best of times but you just make it work, you know? When you’re touring and away, you’re in a particular headspace, you’re also aware of the fact that you will come back to ‘normal life’ eventually and so still being able to have an outlet is really important.”

Wise has dropped three stunning singles already this year, each offering a positive take on just how he views the world. I’ve been going through his back catalogue and from track Smile on EP Semi Pro (inviting you to do just that), to his newer work such as (Like A Version cover) Under The Bridge, you’re able to accompany the artist on his journey to his newfound corner in the Aus hip hop ring.

“I make music from feeling and experience. So if I’ve gone through something, or had a particular thought on an experience, that’s why it’s on the song. I think that my approach is quite versatile. That’s what Flex On was, I wanted to show that I have the ability to adapt to any style or sub-genre. I like to try and keep my story consistent, but the delivery is where I really feel creative.

"The production also has a huge part to play; it’s like the mood. That mood is how I get colours off the song and guides me in how I’m going to direct my delivery. But also I gotta be in there with the producer working with them, making it from scratch. Man, I’m in the studio four or five days a week, I live across the road!” he laughs.

After Kanye’s recent exploits in the new release model of seven tracks, I wanted to get the rapper’s take on whether this was genius or ignorant. Are these bite-size releases what we want? It’s confusing to think whether we’re listening to a long EP or a short album.

“I just think it’s adapting to the current scene. I don’t think I’d call it an album… people have different attention spans today so while previously you might listen to a 12-track album, maybe even a double album with 19-20 songs, but that’s not the way it is anymore - especially with things like streaming.

“I mean even for a single, you’d make it three minutes and 35 seconds ‘cause that’s how radio would want it or that’s how it fit into pressing on a record, but times have changed now. There are two-minute songs that have millions of streams! I think it’s cool, it’s adhering to how we consume music and I’m down with it… I’d also point out, when singles do so well for example, why give a whole 12-track album? Why not space it out a little bit? You can make it tighter, concise, clearer, plus it gives us more music in the background, so we can continue delivering new stuff. That in turn, creates longevity. You can go on Instagram and watch a 30 second video clip and be content watching it that one time! It’s tough to adapt to cos you want to put everything into the art, but sometimes less can be more too.”

So, given that our attention spans do continue to waver, is there even any worth continuing to make this video clips? They can be costly and time consuming, and YouTube certainly doesn’t seem to have the following here in Australia it does overseas…

“I think video clips are absolutely still valuable. I’m introducing myself to the world and that story is just as much visual as it is audible, I want to show the whole picture. I want to be an innovator, I want to be original, and giving you the full product of music or even art, includes visual elements.”

I still find it confusing to grasp we’re such complex people yet can apparently no longer cope with giving our undivided attention for three-minutes… I wonder if we can still expect artists to continue being advocates of positive change when as listeners/viewers we can’t even sit through the entirety of their song…

“Well there’s not one way to do it, and there’s also a lot I’d personally like to affect change on. I have a lot of feelings and a whole lot of opinions as a musician. For example, when you listen to the song The Key, people thought the underlying topic of the track was a girl or a woman needing love when really, that song was about depression in a sense. When I said, “Let me start it with a question/Are you ok?” that was in context to how I was feeling at the time, I suppose I was trying to start an important conversation around something that was actually quite dark.

“There are some really big issues in Australia and discussing them is so important to me. The ones that get under my skin are racism, bigotry and discrimination… To have a voice creates a platform for me, and I’m going to build that platform so I can speak for the people that want to be heard.”

I think there’s also a real conversation to be had around masculinity in this country. As men, we need to recognise our privilege and really start trying a little harder. I think there’s this toxic masculinity we (intentionally or otherwise) seem to condone that doesn’t really give opportunity to growth and development of our next generation. 

“Well what is being a ‘man?’ I mean the way I was raised was to walk tall, be confident, proud and tough and all that. But I don’t think that stereotype fits the planet we live in anymore. A man is sensitive, thoughtful and respectful and being “tough” simply isn’t a trait necessary in our culture. There’s absolutely a real toxic masculinity in the hip hop culture that says bravado and arrogance is appealing. How did we let that happen? Equality should be a given right yet we’re still here fighting about who gets what… I think the times are changing, voices are being heard and we really need to listen not just yell over the top of one another…”

Wise words from a wise rapper, if I don’t say so myself. So, what can we expect next from one of Sydney’s finest?

“I’m leading up to my debut LP, a whole body of work which I’m super excited about. And it ain’t seven tracks neither!” he laughs. “It will definitely be dropping this year and I’m just excited to share it with you all.”