Birdz On Breaking Down Racial Barriers With Music

pRhymetime is coming to you from the glorious town of Kyoto in Japan this week. After being on holiday for the past week, I’ve squeezed a couple of hours in to speak with an artist you should all by now be aware of - Birdz.

After earning airtime on triple j with single Rise, scoring slots on St Kilda Festival and The Hills Are Alive, the MC very kindly ducked out (sorry there won’t be too many bird-related puns, I promise) of the studio to chat about what’s looming over the horizon.

"My main focus is to share something that Australian music is yet to hear."

With the huge success of AB Original releasing the brilliant album Reclaim Australia, the Bad Apples crew are making a hell of a splash - what’s the 411?

The Bad Apples family have had a huge influence on the Aussie hip hop scene with the release of AB’s album (which dominated the charts, won them the AMP Prize and is now getting a beautiful vinyl picture disc release this Saturday for Record Store Day), Philly & Nooky touring and dropping new singles. How has that influenced your creative process?“Peace People, I'm Birdz - a Badtjala Murri who grew up in the Northern Territory and is currently residing in Melbourne. My music is a reflection of my experience and my family's story; our past, present and future. My main focus is to share something that Australian music is yet to hear - my story.”

“Over the past year, I've learnt so much about the different processes involved in creating an album and really just tried to let creativity take its natural course. As a result, I’ve accumulated around two album’s worth of material and now it’s just about making sure the songs I choose compliment the story I want to tell. It’s important to me that the stories I share, and the messages within, are just as strong as the music behind them.”

In the event you haven’t heard Birdz’ recent singles, he is unapologetic in his ethnicity, history and personality. It’s such a unique opportunity to have a direct narrative and therefore insight into a life completely different to your own. In the past I’ve intentionally addressed some horrendous circumstances of racism and inequality, particularly in the treatment of Indigenous people; the media cover it, we have some heated chats at the local watering hole and then we move on. Are we really going to wait until January 26 to have that chat again? Why does no one fix a bridge until someone falls off it?

“Unfortunately it’s nothing new. Attention spans are only getting shorter, and more conveniently so if they feel it’s something that doesn’t affect them personally - despite the fact that all Australians are implicit and in some way or another continue to benefit from the dispossession of Indigenous peoples.

“I think that privilege is deafening."

I think one of the first things that people should be aware of is that Aboriginal peoples are not solely responsible for educating White Australia on the how/why/when/where we are oppressed - that in itself is a form of oppression. Too often it’s labelled as ‘Aboriginal history’ or the ‘Aboriginal problem’ - it’s Australia’s history and these are Australian issues, therefore everyone has a responsibility and a role to play.”

I find it so inspiring when an artist uses their platform for positive change, political or otherwise. After travelling this past week I’ve been questioning what ‘being Australian’ means to me. It’s so incredibly frustrating that heritage merely relates to where we were born. Is privilege the issue or is the message of indigenous people falling on deaf ears?

“I think that privilege is deafening, hence why our message and story continues to be silenced. It’s rare that we’re actually listened to and afforded the overdue respect to lead in our own affairs. This is exactly why it’s a constant ‘one step forward, two steps back’ type of relationship. It’ll remain this way until we have Black control over Black affairs and real investment in our communities that moves beyond band-aid solutions.”

The chorus of Black Lives Matter deals with police treatment of Indigenous peoples. “They killed a 14 year old and there’s still no hear-no-see-no/I fear that there will never be no justice for my people,” Birdz says. The fact that he and his people feel this way (and we simply brush it off) makes me feel sick.

“I think racism exists in all aspects of our society and is a reflection of Australia’s current political climate, which continues to be influenced by the nation’s violent and unresolved history. I also think that the music industry and its audiences are definitely showing signs of being ready for different stories, though. You can see that with the success of AB Original - they’ve kicked the door down - now it’s up to artists like myself, Nooky & Philly to walk through it.”

The content in Birdz’ songs is abundantly important, and he still manages to be musically interesting and creative (plus, the dude got skills for days!). So how do we get people over this “it doesn’t concern me” shit so that all lives matter? 

"All lives can't matter until Black lives do – unfortunately, the alarming rates of deaths in custody and the removal of Aboriginal children from their families tell us otherwise."

"It’s not far away and I can’t wait to share it.”

Birdz has dropped three singles off the upcoming LP and informs me the new single is “just around the corner”, featuring fellow K-Town representative and talented singer-songwriter, Serina Pech.

“This is my first album so I have a lot to say. I guess in a nutshell, it’s the story of my beginnings. It touches on how I grew up and my family’s story as well as speaking to more recent experiences of becoming a father, signing to the Bad Apples Music family and so on. I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with some incredible producers including James Mangohig, Dazastah, Jaytee, Trials, Joelistics, so you can expect bangers! Bangers and Truth [laughs]. We’re approaching mixing stage at the moment so it’s not far away and I can’t wait to share it.”

Catch Birdz at Newstead Hip Hop Festival next weekend and Groovin' The Moo Bendigo in May.

Check out theGuide for all the details.