Chance The Rapper Surprised Fans At Lord Gladstone Over The Weekend

Guests at The Lord Gladstone on Saturday (Oct. 21) witnessed a magical surprise orchestrated by none other than the Grammy-winning artist, Chance The Rapper, who made a surprise appearance at the event to unveil 11-year-old rap sensation, Inkabee.

This exceptional surprise unfolded during the SXSW Sydney And 3% Present: Our People event, which was already shaping up to be a stellar evening for music lovers.

Proud First Nations artists, Nooky, Dallas Woods and Angus Field celebrated their first single as Blak collective 3% at their live debut and SXSW Sydney showcase, which also featured a powerful line-up of Australia's First Nations musical talents, including Moss, Barkaa, Dobby, Yung Brother, as well as Bars Of Steel legends Inkabee and FLEWNT.

“The Blak Era starts now,” Nooky told Purple Sneakers on Monday (Oct. 23). “Last Saturday’s show was a display of Blak excellence. It was 3% debut show and I’m proud we got to share that moment with Barkaa, Dobby, Yung Brother, Moss and Inkabee and Flewnt.”

He added, “Having Chance the Rapper drop in to gee up the crowd for Inkabee was mad. The whole event was a defining moment in 3%’s song line".”

It comes following 3% dropping their debut single OUR PEOPLE last week, which features a sample from an iconic Aussie electronic song: My People by The Presets.

3% enjoyed studio time in 2022, coming together with a name and theme that outlines their experiences making up just 3% of the Australian population. The trio works to explore the real-world issues facing the country’s Indigenous population, including closing the gap, reclaiming stolen land and Indigenous deaths in custody.

“This track already had a feel of resilience and survival to it. To be able to have this strong and powerful chorus push home our stories was amazing,” Dallas Woods said in a press release at the time of the single’s release.

“I tried to portray my verse in the same way they portray their rules and regulations, through fairy tales. My messages come from a very staunch part of my heart. I hate that we still have to fight but love that we refuse to stop. ‘OUR PEOPLE’ means that to me.”

Angus Field added, “As a raw and emotional explanation of what youth in incarceration means to us as a group, OUR PEOPLE from the start felt like a piece of me was being pushed into the lyrics. The chorus naturally came out as resilience and dominance from a staunch position. I wrote it from the point of view of my fellow band member Nooks, on the theme of changing the way for my future daughters.”

“Overall, this song is written to punch the listener in the face with a strong message and to make you sit down and listen. I’m proud to say I have been a part of the writing process and that I can tell a story of my people in this way to the rest of the world.”

In a lengthy statement, Nooky commented that releasing OUR PEOPLE is “surreal”. “When I first started making music as a kid there were a few songs that I always had my eye on to sample. The Presets’ My People was at the top of the list. I still spin out that we actually got their blessing to do it and make it official,” he said.

“This song is filled with so many emotions from the time of making it. Black kids were being portrayed in a terrible light by the media (nothing new there) but the coverage on Alice Springs was f*cking shocking! There were white people calling for martial law,” Nooky continued. “One c*nt said he would ‘take the little f*ckers out bush and they won’t be coming back’.

“I was seeing that type of shit everywhere and it was weighing heavy on me. Early referendum conversations were beginning to happen and I didn’t know how I felt about it. I could see all the marketing money being poured into it and again, there was so much bullshit out there, it was hard to sit with it to take time and think about what it could mean for myself and my people.”