Hip-hop artist and Triple J Unearthed winner Remi makes his way to the Byron Brewery as part of his national launch of RAW X Infinity. He spoke to us about his journey thus far…
Remi, how has winning Triple J Unearthed back in 2013 helped you broaden your reach?
It’s hard to tell how the award itself has impacted on our career. It’s more about the radio play Triple J has given us. We wouldn’t be able to tour interstate with out it so we’re incredibly thankful for the support.
As a hip-hop artist did you expect such accolades? Does hip-hop get overlooked sometimes in Oz, in comparison to other genres?
Not at all. Awards and music don’t really go together, because it’s a subjective thing. To one person our music might be the best shit on Earth, to others the worst. As a result the biggest accolade we could ever receive is fans, without sounding to cliché!
On a local level Oz hip-hop definitely doesn’t get overlooked; however, internationally it definitely does.
As a lyricist what do you look for when you are writing?
I look for the shit I know about, because that’s the only stuff I know how to write. Anything that I think sounds cool, or any topic that resonates with me is what is most likely to come out in the music Sensible J, Dutch and I make.
How important is your persona and the whole package to your lyrics and what you present?
It’s not really. I definitely rap just to rap a lot of the times, but that’s just flagrant poetry. The message behind our tracks with meaning is way more important than any persona.
How would your mother describe you?
Cool.
A lot of your content is personal. How much do you give away of yourself on stage or throughout your work?
As much as is necessary. Hip-hop is all about being real and connecting. The only way to do that is to give as much of yourself to the music as you can. Our songs such as Ode to Ignorance, off RAW x Infinity, which tackle issues such as the racism in this country, have a lot of personal references in them. A lot of it’s hard to hear; however, that’s what makes the song powerful so I have to perform it live no matter how controversial it is, because that’s music.
Who are the hip-hop or musical artists who have influenced you?
The Roots, Common, Mos Def, Thom Yorke, Andre 3000, J Dilla, Slum Village, Stevie Wonder, Flying Lotus etc.
Who are the artists that you aspire to work alongside or collaborate with?
The Roots, Common, Mos Def, Thom Yorke, Andre 3000, Stevie Wonder, Flying Lotus etc.
Tell me about RAW x Infinity.
It’s our second album. Compared to our first album Regular People Shit it’s much more mature content-wise. Musically it’s quite vast, covering a bunch of different genres, while still coming in under the bracket of hip-hop. You can get it from iTunes and bandcamp www.remi1.bandcamp.com.
What should we expect for your Byron show?
The unexpected, fun… and a megaphone. Expect a megaphone.
Catch Remi at the Byron Brewery on Saturday. Go to ticketbooth.com.au for tickets.