Welcome To Your New Fave Hip Hop Column - pRhymeTime: Australian Eastern Standard Theory

Whether you’re a listener, fan, artist, manager, producer or closet Akon fan, it’s no surprise that hip hop isn’t a stranger to competition for the attention of the Australian music industry. Our genre differentiates from its competitors however, as hip hop values authenticity, truth, opinion and creativity. It’s not always pretty (as if truth ever is) and sometimes mainstream artists only further our “barbecue, beers and babes” stereotype we swear we’re different from. Whether you’ve been down with the scene from early 1200 Techniques or have just discovered the new Remi rap jam, music is a narrative of a voice, opinion and story that relates to us in our individual rights. As a listener, or from a broader sense an audience, it’s very simple to judge what you do and don’t like. To condemn a track within its first 15 seconds or for some of us to openly ‘diss’ an artist is something we’re all guilty of in our (Hilltop Hoods appropriately named) "hip hop tastebuds". Critique is invaluable in development when used constructively, however at times it’s important to question how the artist or music is presented to you.

For independent, breaking and even established artists, navigating the media and how they portray you and your brand of music comes with its complexities. How do you reach your audience? How do we appeal to the tastemakers and what happens if they don’t believe you’re the next best thing?

Sitting down with N’fa Jones (1200 Techniques) on a Tuesday morning, I ask him if he ever fit the marketable mould. "There should always be room for difference. Sometimes it’s timing, sometimes you don’t have the support you need. Maybe they just straight up don’t like you, but when you get it and they give you the spotlight – you fuckin' run with it man.” And what about when they shut you down? What if they’re not interested in what your music has to say?

"There’s only so many minutes in a day, man. There are how many (mainstream) radio stations? The issue is there is only one main one! We’re clocking up to a population of 24 million and there’s just one!? Now that’s not their fault, they gotta target their audience, but for someone to get played: someone else doesn’t get to eat."

Having the support of mainstream radio is crucial for a career in terms of expanding reach and awareness, brand building, networking and exposing your music to the masses, so to fit a formula of a trending genre, do we shape our music to what’s hot?

"Man you gotta have a life. You gotta be happy, you can’t expect anything. Make music because you love it, not because you think they will." At this point if you’re unaware of who N’fa Jones is, look him up. If you’re listening to any kind of Australian hip hop nowadays, somewhere along the line, you have him to thank.

"We were just three guys that loved the artform. We got involved in it. We helped build the fucking scene. We got to work with people that inspired us! We worked with Ghostface Killah (Wu-Tang Clan) and delivered our dream. I’ve made tracks with Roots Manuva and Mr Yoshiaki (Black Eyed Peas) and I got no mainstream love for that, none at all."

So how does one defend themselves against compromise? How can young MCs find success in an industry that’s possibly unbalanced to begin with? Pause on that… are you thinking about the unjust title of unbalanced or questioning the definition of ‘success’? Either way, as long as it’s your opinion right?

"When an individual doesn’t like my track, that’s cool. I didn’t write it for you, I wrote it for me. I’ll think about their opinion and take it in but obviously that track just wasn’t for them. When a review is constructive in its criticism and they actually nail it, that’s fine. I get embarrassed, I think oh shit! But when they blatantly miss the mark on what I was trying to do, of course it can be hurtful and I’m left with a bad review that you can’t make people un-see." Jones’ tracks speak a story of timeless relevance. Of experience, storytelling and wordplay unrivalled by new-school rappers. Jones goes on to tell me about his recent support tour with fellow label artist Remi – were you worried you weren’t getting mainstream coverage then? "Firstly Remi might be the best punch-line rapper Australia’s ever had… maybe next to Suffa (Hilltop Hoods). It’s the patterns, the cadences," Jones says. "I don’t care if I was getting love, Remi’s my boy he deserves every bit of praise!"

But Remi is also quite provocative in his content. His addressing of social issues may be controversial in its address but when married with a carefree attitude and persona it can be deemed a marketable formula. Don’t misunderstand that Remi is by far one of the greatest rappers this country has seen in his own right (with an ‘unfuckwithable’ flow). The question is, how do you ensure your product is ‘marketable?’ Why does mainstream media put pressure on rappers (or more generally artists) to fit this unspoken mould?

Jones puts down his latte. "None of it matters man. Just do it for you. That’s what’s authentic; being you. I’m working on a new project called Cool Out Sun. I’m learning to figure out what works and what doesn’t, like everyone else. Half of being an artist is being experimental and sometimes what my friends and fam support me on isn’t what takes off… I’m going back to what I like. What I think is hot and what I want to write about. I’m careful about what I put out. You have to be careful, name yourself and your brand before someone does it for you. Music is a full time job. You gotta have a life, be happy, make money, find a balance and do it properly. Find someone that knows this maze and ask them what they think, but make sure you’re ready for their response."

After hearing a small taste of Cool Out Sun, I can tell you; one of Australia’s most prolific MCs isn’t just back, he’s always been here - redefining the mould. Fingers crossed Cool Out Sun reaches our ears this summer!