Wolverine (WA)

March 17th, 2009 | By YouDee

Rugged rhyming is something that can be relatively rare in the Aussie scene. Wolverine alongside statesmen Clandestien are examples that Aussie rappers can rhyme on the raw tip and do it well.

Your style is definately a lot grittier than most Aussie rap at the moment. Have you consciously kept your style raw?

Not consciously, but I do like that style.I always spit from the heart and give a 100% in the booth and anyone who’s heard me in the studio knows i’m really loud, I’ve got a booming voice. I can’t hold back, I let it all out, it’s my therapy.

What artists would you quote as influences of your style?

Early 90’s is what I grew up with N.W.A, Geto Boys, Public Enemy, Biggie, Nas,Kool G, Wu, Cube But as I grew Necro, Non Phixion, JMT, Cage, Mobb Deep.

Give us some insight in to your personally hip-hop history. How did you get in to hip-hop and what have you done building up to this point in your career?

It started about 87 listening to hip hop,I started writing around 90 and learning the basics. I used to spit over keyboard loops and record it on a tape deck. I recorded a lot of bedroom demo’s,entered battles,cypher’s and just freestyling were ever possible. I started doing live shows around 2000 and radio shows and started looking for a producer I met BIOS around this time and began the first album The Wait is over which took four years to release. Around 2004 I met up with Rob Shaker and Squared and we formed the group Figures of Speech during this time shaker help me release my album and then we released the FOS album Roll of the Dice we did a ton of gigs and got distro through Obese Records. Its taken almost another 3 years to release the maestro mixtape due to recording over 100+ songs for

my next album.

What would we find in your cd player right now?

There’s always Jedi Mind Tricks and Mobb Deep in there but also AOTP, Ill Bill, WU, Outerspace, Snowgoons, Tomahawk, Bunks, Strut and lots of other random stuff.

What is your favourite era of rap and why?

Defiantely early 90’s it was just really exciting and real,you could tell it was from the heart and they weren’t as concerned with making money.

What do you think of the current direction of Australian hip-hop as a movement?

Positive as far as its spreading its wings and people respect and recognize the scene. When I first started you where dreaming if you thought you could get a gig locally,the rock crowd wouldn’t let you,you had to put on parties ect. Negative in theirs to many mc’s rythming the same,sounding the same and too many mc’s dropping albums to soon. They need to learn the craft,the history and get your flow tight before releasing albums.

What artists would you like to work with on the local, Aussie and international levels?

Locally: Strut, Trem, Bunks, Tornts, Bigfoot, Delta etc

Internationally: JMT, AOTP, Apathy, Black Poet, Snowgoons, Ill Bill man I could go on forever.

Have you heard much of the Brisbane scene? What Brissy artists have you been impressed with?

Yep, U.D.,Techtonyx, L Flows and Verb Ill, Matty B, Lazy Grey, Coalition Crew, 750 Rebels a lot of dope stuff coming out of brissy.

For those that haven’t had the pleasure of being exposed to your music, how would you describe your style?

Raw street battle storytelling waking heads out of there sleep hip hop.

What projects have you got on the boil. Having just dropped your mixtape what can we expect next?

Tons of projects in the works the next is The Summertime Vibe(which I produced 3 quarters of) which is a funky party album perfect for those summer days drinking,partying and hanging with your mates. Then the Maestro album,which me and shaker are producing with a few big collabs on it,raw insightful street rap.

Then there’s the Wolfman album which is one of my alias think JMT,tornts,lc styles brutal angry street rap. A new alias Charlie Jones album which will be that old school boom bap wu tang type style. A new crew Biologik and a horrorcore album,I’m a big horror movie fan,that’ll be more for the die hards who like that style.

There also be a reissue of The Wait is over and an unreleased material album. I also do film scores so something may come out with that plus a heap of collabs. HAHA I’m a Busy man.

Are there any plans for a trip to Brisbane at the moment?

Definately heading to brissy in the near future as well as a oz tour probably either just before or after teh Maestro album is released around april 09.

Anything else you’d like to add?

You can’t tame the beast, afew promoters and heads have been sleeping on Wolverine for a few years now, But i’m being unleashed from my cage and things are gonna change.

Check out my product and listen to tracks here:

www.myspace.com/wolverineperth

www.myspace.com/wolfbeats4sale

www.myspace.com/thesummertimevibe

www.csarecords.com

And thanks for the interview and the exposure.