Home » Interviews

Interview With Australian Emcee – Delta

Tags:

10 August 2004 No Comment

I’m backpacking through Australia and I’m on a search for hip hop and all I encounter are rugby crazy fans who want to witness the demise of the Springboks. But as my journey progressed I discovered an emcee who goes by the name of Delta. check the interview.

Delta give us your location, occupation and what hobbies you do besides checkin out Africasgateway?

Just chilling in Adelaide, South Australia, in my loungeroom. Watching Fox Tv digital recovering from a big weekend. Did an all ages gig with Andy Struksha (Obese Records) and it was bananas! I work full time doing music or related things. During the days I work in a second hand record store, and I dj and do gigs of my own music on weekends. As far a hobbies go, I go crate diggin, love 87 air maxes, makin beats, bombing and I like girls. 

I heard your music on the Straight From The Art compilation, heard you freestyle with the Atoms Fam, so where did it all begin?

My brother Sean got me into bboyin and hip hop culture in about 84. I have had my prized copy of the Beat Street Original Sound Track (vol 1 with the pink cover, but the yellow one is just as ill.. Battle cry) since I was bout 8. As soon as I heard rhyming start to elevate in about 87 with cats like Rakim, Kane, Kool G Rap etc.. I knew I wanted to be a part of the movement and put my own individual spin on the art of rhyme.

Your environment seems picture perfect. That’s what all the ex South Africans are telling me.

Australia is a strange place man, very unique. But We exist just the same as everywhere. Wealth and poverty, crime and labour, children and adults, knowledge and ignorance. All the necessary opposites and contradictions that humans seem to thrive on. I know that we live comfortably out here and that there is no way that we can compare our standard of living with you guys out there. So I celebrate the oz way of life and exploit our 
freedom as a prime opportunity to work on this music. I am inspired by everything these days man. Just hungry to spit. Even more as I grow older.

How big is the scene out there? Can you make a living off hip hop and what attention does the art attract over there?

Oz hip hop is outta control these days man.. heads are receivin national radio play, selling records like crazy. Mcs are always comin out the wood work, but not all of them know what the deal is. Me and my crew don’t really get involved in the politics or bs involved with the so called ‘scene’ we just do our own and keep workin on songs.

Some American acts like Necro got banned in Australia. How does this affect local acts or does it only apply to certain hip hop sounds?

Doesn’t affect us really at all. If Americans wanna bring out horrorcore hip hop on some hard core ‘slasher flick video nasty’ style of lyricism, then of course they are gonna be banned. I’d be more interested in seeing some artists confront these evil government figures who wanna use 18 year olds as machine gun fodder for their bull shit war. That is controversy.

Ok I heard you like travelling the globe as well you ended up doing shit with Vast Aire etc what was it like as a head from Oz and did you learn anything valuable that you could take back home?

All of the artists that I have met have made a difference to my growth both as an artist and as a person. From Mark B , Killa Kela, and the Scratch Perverts in the UK, to all the boys mentioned before from the States, all these people are incredible individuals, and I feel blessed to have met them.

When can we expect a full length release from you?

Soon as the paint dries.. keep an eye out for the PAPERWEIGHT ep which was recently reissued. 

You won the recent battle between Oz and Nz what was that like and give us a breakdown of the final round?

It was me vs Hyjak from Sydney.. two aussies in the final. It was fun. Anecdote from Sydney won this years oz vs nz battle which was held in nz.

From what you read on the site how does our scene appear to your foreign eyes?

It seems blatantly obvious that Suid Afrika is makin it happen.. big up to J-Bux man.. that kid is nice with the rhymes.

If there is one thing that you hate about hip hop’s current state what is it and what do you think can be done to correct it?

As I said before in response to the question regarding the banning of Necro’s LP in OZ.. I think that people need to start pushing the limits of lyrical subject matter beyond being angry, slanging crack, rocking jewels, girls and cars. Capitalism is definitely winning when mcs don’t even realise they have been fooled into selling the consumer lifestyle to the public through the medium of hip hop.

I never said “mate” once in this interview. Thanks for your time and the inspiration. Give me ya minds final thoughts?

I can’t believe that my music has reached Africa.. never would have expected that.. as a wise man once said.. bob’s your uncle mate. One.

RuSh 2004 shepabbles@yahoo.com

Submitted by: