The Tongue

After dropping his debut LP Shock And Awe in 2007, The Tongue has continued to solidify his presence locally with a couple of outstanding mixtapes: Redux and more recently, The Tongue Is Dead. The pair showcase a robust versatility as well as fleeting moments of experimentation said to be the cornerstone of The Tongue’s ensuing follow-up LP due in 2010.

What’s been going on in the land of The Tongue since your debut album? What’s changed?
Well I’m a better rapper than I was and that’s through doing lots and lots of shows I would say. I guess just getting better at the craft and all aspects of it from performing to organising to being a bit more disciplined. Shock And Awe took me almost a year to make whereas these mixtapes generally take me three months so hopefully I’ll just keep getting faster and better at it.

What did you see as the advantages of bringing out another mixtape at this point in time as opposed to an EP?
It’s a mixture of things. I want the next album to be a bit more experimental. I want it to be pretty different from the other stuff. So for me, the mixtapes are a chance to show off my straight rhyming skills basically. Also the mixtapes are much easier for me because the number one problem I have in the creative process is finding instrumentals that I like. I think there’s a lot of good beats being made in Australia but they’re not exactly what I like or what I want to do. It’s been a bit of a struggle becase a lot of the best producers are really busy, really expensive or live far away so there’s a lot of problems. The mixtapes are a way of staying sharp, to get better at music you’ve got to keep doing it, like a boxer going back to the gym.

The mixtape obviously takes its cue from De La Soul’s second album. How did you see the concept as fitting in your career right now?
I just thought noone in the Australian hip hop scene has died yet. In the States there’s Biggie and Pac, Jam Master Jay, a lot of great artists have died and you see what happens after they die, people actually stop and pay attention to them and realise the amazing talent. Biggie seems to be more celebrated and appreciated now than when he was alive. I’ve always wanted to do a concept record but worried a little about restricting myself too much. Then this idea came along and I realised I could have fun with it…I can do a rap from heaven, I can have Urthboy doing a eulogy for me, I can have my Dad narrating the first skit. I also liked the idea that it would say ‘The Tongue Is Dead’ in a lot of publications so people would spin out.

You seem to have approached this mixtape in the same manner you might with an album. Is this the way you see it?
Yeah. A lot of dudes, when they do a mixtape, they have a book full of raps that they haven’t used, maybe not even songs just verses and the just find a beat to rap over. That’s cool but there should be more to it than that if you’re going to respect your listener. You want to make it as entertaining as possible so yeah, I do try to approach the mixtapes like an album-a variety of styles and songs-actually making songs, not just spittin your 16’s that your not going to use otherwise. My mixtape is my best shit at the time, not my left over shit.

“…A lot of dudes, when they do a mixtape, they have a book full of raps that they haven’t used, maybe not even songs just verses and the just find a beat to rap over. That’s cool but there should be more to it than that if you’re going to respect your listener…”

The Tongue Is Dead obviously features covers of previous songs. What are you looking to achieve in your interpretations? What’s your philosophy on it?
Well it’s two things. One is to show my respect to the originators. The reason I pick those songs is because I think they are classic, amazing tracks in most cases. The other side is, I meet a lot of dudes on tour who have this very strange approach of ‘fuck American hip hop.’ They think it’s wack, they think Jay-Z is wack, they think Lil Wayne is wack, they think most American stuff is shit. Hopefully people will hear stuff like Imagine and go back to the original Dre and Snoop track and realise it’s a great song. I’m hoping people will hear some of the tracks I’m referencing and go check out where they’re from. Hopefully it will be educational.

There’s a strong anti-authority stance on The Tongue Is Dead. What do you see as the drawbacks of modern policing?
I think fundamentally you have to look at the type of people that decide to become police. I thought about it at one point, that might shock a few people but it’s true, I thought about becoming a cop. Then I realised I don’t agree with half the fucking laws they’re paid to enforce. I’ve protested against various shit, that’s our right to say we don’t agree and we should not be stopped or silenced in any way. I’m not saying everyone at protests are a perfect angels but I saw people pepper sprayed, beat down, girls trampled under horses and it’s just like there’s no need for this shit. With APEC, they came into Sydney and just completely shut down the city, all these roads and cops everywhere and helicopters in the fucking sky three times a day. You just start thinking ‘hang on a second, this is just a private army for these guys who claim to be our government.’ I don’t think Malcolm Turnbull is in any way qualified to be the next prime minister, he’s a multi-millionaire and he’s never spent any of his personal money helping other people, he doesn’t seem to have any great ideas for this country, he’s just a dude who wants to be powerful. The police are just going to do whatever he says. If he wants to bring George Bush to town, feel like a big boss and shut down Sydney and the cops are just going to do it then how can you respect the cops? If they’re not going to question the orders they’re given then how can you respect them? The rights they got through the terrorist stuff is just crazy, they should not be allowed to do half this shit. They should not be able to detain you without a charge and say that you can’t contact people, that’s fucked.

You’ll be supporting Pharoahe Monch on a couple of the legs in his upcoming tour here. What has been the most memorable live show you have played?
At the start of the year I played with Public Enemy, that wasn’t the craziest show I’ve done but their album Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age was one of the first hip hop albums I ever bought. So for me to be supporting them was this weird, come full circle feeling. After that night I thought ‘wow, maybe I don’t need to do anymore hip hop, I’ve done enough, if i quit now I can say I’ve opened for Public Enemy.’ But then again, if I had of stopped there, I wouldn’t be supporting Pharoahe now. Playing with Dizzee Rascal just after he had a number one in the UK-that was a hype show as well. Big Day Out was another one because that was something I went to a lot as a kid, to actually be on the bill was crazy.

You seem to be pretty creative with your hustle with Shock And Awe having received partial government funding. What schemes have you got going on to keep the funds up?
Well you can make quite a lot of money from mixtapes. I can get 1000 pressed up for around $1200 and then if I sell them at shows for $10, I’ve got nine grand. Selling 1000 mixtapes is not the easiest thing to do and it’s not going to happen in two weeks but the with Redux, we got rid of 2000 copies and had 8000 downloads so that’s 10 000 people hearing a mixtape. So you can start to see how it’s really useful, especially with album sales going down so much. I’m always hustling one way or another, you’ve got to, nobody’s going to do it for you.

So you definitely think it’s paramount to be creative business-wise in a declining industry?
Yeah you can’t rely on just being a good muso anymore, you have to have your facebooks, twitters, myspace. You have to make sure your show is dope. You have to hit up the right promoters, get friendly with them. You have got to be a complete management team.

Besides the new album and the Pharoahe support, what’s on the agenda for the next few months?
I’ll be playing Peats Ridge Festival, doing a few shows with Astronomy Class as hype man. Next year will just be buckling down with this album basically, continuing the search for beats. I’ve got some cool stuff already but hopefully I’ll have the record more or less done by the first quarter of next year. Hopefully going on an overseas trip after that.

www.myspace.com/thetongue06

N’Fa-Cause And Effect

Bias B

In terms of execution, Bias B’s latest album Aerosol Era would have to be the best Australian release of 2009. It’s a potent documentation of the trials and tribulations of Melbourne yards in the late eighties and early nineties. A true king of the scene, Bias has shunned widespread appeal in favour of presenting a poetic snapshot of graffiti culture with utmost integrity. Aerosol Era encompasses every inherent facet of graffiti in an amazing collection of 12 tracks.

At which point did you decide upon compiling a concept album?
It has been something i have wanted to do for a while now. My graffiti days were the best years of my life and I’m always catching up with old mates reflecting on when we were young and out of control. I grew up with Duet and Puzle who I still see often and they were putting the Kings Way book together which really brought back the golden memories. We were calling each other to get all the info correct to make sure it was spot on. They helped me with some paint colors and crew names and they would call me for some old Hurstbridge knowledge. I started putting it to paper and 5 months later I had an album finished. I wanted it to be straight up Melbourne and to write a piece of history which will teach the new comers where the roots of the culture began.

Did Aerosol Era enhance your appreciation for the place of imagery in your lyricism?
I think that there is so much imagery and energy within the Graffiti culture that it all just fell into place. I’ve always been someone to try and create an image for the listener and tell a good story so with Aerosol Era it was really easy to bring up those memories and create an album that captured the feeling of those early days. You had to live it to really know what it was like but the younger guys still feel it so that means a lot to me.

Fresh Flavours has all the elements of a nostalgic track recounting past dalliances with the fairer sex. Is this the impression you were going for?
No not at all. I began by writing down all the colors I could remember. Then I was speaking to Duet and Puzle to get some more but tried to keep it as only the colors I used. I grouped them into brands such as Touch-Up, Killrust, etc and then worked out what rhymed with what. When those combos ran out I started going with colors that began with the same letter. When I used to rack paint I would come home and just stare at all the colors. It was like you could taste the colors. That’s where the Fresh Flavours title came from. Stocking up on the paint gave you a feeling within that was on the verge of love so I can see where your question is coming from.

Aerosol Era also makes highly effective use of sound effects. Did you have this in mind from the outset or was it something you figured with producers on the go?
It was the idea from the start. Train rocks, boom gates, the rattle of the tins. Most of them were recorded in one night with Mixa. He borrowed some equipment from school and we went out on the lines. I ran up and down the tracks, jumped fences, threw bags of paint on the ground, recorded dogs barking and hit up some fencing with the bolt cutters. I wanted to make it as real as possible and think I pulled that off.

Right at the heart of the hook for Style, there’s a couple lines: ‘y for the youth of yesterday’ and ‘y for the years that pass by.’ Do you think this is the essence of Aerosol Era? Progression and acknowledgement? Romanticising the golden days?
The years and youth passed is definitely the essence of the album. I believe history is the most important thing in anything you do. Learn where it came from before you try to take it further. At the time I don’t think anyone realised how big the graffiti culture was. We were just living it at the right time in the right place. I would give anything to go back to 88-89 for one more day. The days may be gone but the memories will never fade away.

Is there a slight contradiction on Racked That in a sense of a magician never revealing the method or did the desire to tell a great story win out?
Racking techniques were never the secret only the spots it was racked from. Same goes with yards that could be painted and different ink mixing techniques. The knowledge was handed down to the younger writers but the whereabouts of the paint, markers and easy spots to paint were kept quiet as long as possible.

“…I’ve had some older writers tell me they felt like crying and had tear in their eyes while listening to Aerosol Era and reminiscing…”

Do you think racking and graff go hand in hand?
In our days definitely. These days it would be much harder. Paint cost too much to buy and the thrill of stealing it was the same as going out and using it bombing. It made you feel so alive.

What was it about the Mobb Deep original that compelled you to cover Temperature’s Rising?
I have done many covers over the years and its always the same way they come together. I’ll be listening to something and start making up lyrics as a joke. I changed Temperature to Tempera-the most popular marker of the late 80’s-and visualized it as raising my drink to someone. My Tempera’s Risin’. Putting up a tag in respect of falling kings.

Are there certain songs on the album that you would be inclined to listen to, say, when looking through collections of photos from the past?
Definitely Melbourne Memories. Most of the old guys wouldn’t even need a photo album. You can sit there and visualize the works of the artists in your head. So many classic walls and trains that got painted and styles that got created. It started as 3 verses. Then I added number 4 which was 16 bars. Then I went back and dropped another 8 in between the 12th and 20th bars and even then I have left many names out. Even today more names keep coming to mind. That is why I kept it 86-94. Maybe 94-onwards could be another track itself. Even then it will never end. If anyone got forgotten I’m sorry. Only so much I could put into one song.

Were there any particular musical releases that inspired and spurred on the creative process behind the album?
Not really but I wanted to include The Escapes Of Futura 2000 somewhere in there. That was a classic track from Futura 2000 produced by the Clash back in the 80’s and a track that writers the world over could relate too. For anyone that doesn’t know he was one the kings from New York in the 70’s and 80’s and is still very productive. I used a cut from it on Aerosol Era which ends the track really nicely. “I saw names everywhere, style color and flare, I knew I had to join in, I knew my answer was there.” From the outset I wanted everyone involved in the album to be a part of the graffiti scene also. The only exception being Miss Brown who is Decider’s wife so she just scraped in to fit the criteria.

Do you think the geographical references littered throughout Aerosol Era are paramount in shaping this candid account of the graff scene?
Yes definitely. Melbourne was known as the New York of Australia and had the best writers in the country. It was very important to give the geographical references so people knew where I was at and can go back today say “hey I’m on platform 10 Richmond station. This is where all the kings hung out”. Or stand outside 301 Flinders Lane and look up knowing that that was the head quarters for the transit police and where many graffiti careers ended.

What’s the reception to Aerosol Era been like? Have you received much feedback from writers in particular?
Before it dropped there was the usual outcry from toys saying why are you doing an album about graf. You don’t paint anymore. That’s toy. How many panels did Bias ever do bla bla. The thing is I wrote this for the kings and the writers I grew up with in the golden era of Melbourne graf. When I get people like Dskyz USA, Puzle and Tame DMA telling me how much it means to them to bring back those memories-that’s what its all about. These are the people who made me love the culture so much and in turn made me the person I am today doing what I love today. I’ve had some older writers tell me they felt like crying and had tear in their eyes while listening to Aerosol Era and reminiscing. That is 10 times more important to me than getting radio play or making money. Its giving back that feeling the older generation gave me. So it didn’t matter what the toys said. I wrote this one for the kings so I didn’t expect the toys to understand.

What’s your favourite track off the album and why?
I would almost say Militant Mind State because of the beat and the samples. I think it catches the vibe well. And is different to everything else on the album. No. 1 pick though is Melbourne Memories. I impressed myself by putting that together. It’s only names and it may alienate many fans who don’t know the people I’m talking about but its about the structure of the lyrics that make it my favorite. I think I pushed myself a little harder on this album and the response has been awesome. I have not actually seen or heard a bad review yet. Thanks to everyone who picked it up. I hope it gave you an deeper insight into the best years of my life growing up in Melbourne City.

www.myspace.com/bias_b

The Tongue…Is Dead

It’s the business…cop it here: www.thetongue.com.au

1. The Funeral
2. Can It Be? ft Joyride
3. Crazy ft Joyride
4. Let Us Live ft Jane Tyrrell
5. MVP
6. Hate Waiting ft Blades
7. DJ Skoob Interlude
8. Universal Mind Control
9. Terrorist Hotline
10. Run ft Dazastah
11. Ghost
12. Imagine ft Ozi Batla and Joyride
13. Sunday
14. Urthboy’s Eulogy
15. Heaven/Outro

edit: this is copping some serious rotation.