Aussie hip hop has long been a catch-all term for any hip hop music made by Australian natives. However, in recent years the scope of locally birthed hip hop has become too vast to fit underneath one umbrella. Hailing from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, Joel Rafidi is one of the new rap crop who feels no affinity with Aussie hip hop’s archetypal acts.
“Yes I’m Australian and I create hip hop, so it’s Aussie hip hop in that sense,” he says. “But you can’t really compare it to any other Aussie hip hop that’s out there from any other artist. There was always that friction, people saying, ‘You’ve got to rap in a 100 per cent Aussie accent, every single syllable, every single word.’ I can’t really say that any Australian hip hop artist has really inspired me that much.”
Earlier this month Rafidi released his debut record Phases. While many of his countrymen spit lyrics in a tough ocker brogue over boom-bap beats, Rafidi pairs his earnest rhymes with US-influenced pop and R&B production. This makes sense when you consider his major influences.
“2pac – All Eyez On Me. That album was what really dragged me into hip hop,” he says. “Then from there, the creativity of Kanye. There’s no arguing that he’s really made hip hop so much more accessible for everyone, in terms of his production and the craziness that he’s brought to the table.”
A quality that’s shared by these noted influences is that they’re not only good rappers, but they’re also esteemed pop songwriters whose work surpasses the limitations of genre. Phases was preceded by thesingles ‘Do It Again’and ‘I’ll Be Good’,which are concerted attempts at pop crossover success.
“It’s important for any artist to get radio airplay and have those singles out there, as well as the raw stuff that’s true to you,” says Rafidi. “I’m not prejudiced about music whatsoever, on any level. My genre is Frank Sinatra/Tupac Shakur, in my opinion. On a melodic level, if it sounds good to me I’m going to run with that.”
Even though the record contains some commercially friendly tunes, Rafidi doesn’t disguise his own personality. In fact, he’s been working hard at developing a unique lyrical style since a young age.
“I really discovered hip hop when I was 14 or 15 years old,” he says. “I was always shy growing up and it was a way for me to distract myself, writing down lyrics. Then from there it was just putting my rhymes down to beats and recording myself on GarageBand and just going back and forth and criticising myself.”
The solace that Rafidi found in rapping soon evolved into a committed creative pursuit. However, despite major success for the likes of Hilltop Hoods, 360 and Illy, Australians attempting hip hop are still liable to run into resistance. Rafidi admits that his hip hop expedition hasn’t been all smooth sailing, but steadfast self-belief keeps him on track.
“I was at Wollongong University three to four years ago doing a commerce degree and I was like, ‘I fuckin’ hate this, I don’t want to be here.’ Something struck me where I was like, ‘Music’s what I have to do.’ It’s the only thing that really makes me happy. I just said, ‘This is what I’m doing and I’m going to do it and nothing’s going to stop me.’
“From the moment that I decided I want to do music forever, my belief has been unwavering. There’s nothing else in the world that I could ever imagine myself doing. The only opportunity is for me to keep doing it and keep getting better and keep creating.”
Phases out now through MGM. Catch Joel Rafidi atTatler on Thursday September 25/ The Brass Monkey on Thursday October 9.
