“When you put a record together like that, it’s more of an 18 month plan, two years almost,” Briggs says of Sheplife. “At the same time as releasing it, you’re working on the next project. Since the point of releasing Sheplife it’s been nonstop, doing a stack of different stuff I never planned for – writing comedy for ABC’s Black Comedy, starring in Cleverman, a new drama out on the ABC this year. As well as touring, writing articles, being more of a spokesperson for the stuff I truly believe in. When you’re as opinionated as I am, you have to be comfortable. I can’t voice an opinion then run and hide. I’ve grown up in a pretty strong family, I’ve never been scared of voicing my opinion if I believe it to be true.”
Whether it be lyrical bombs, wry stage banter, or writing for comedy, it’s evident Briggs is a funny guy. It’s a hell of a tool when trying to convey a message, and Briggs wields it well. “I think humour plays a great part in levelling the playing field. Humour is part of all parts of life. Even the greatest dramas have humour in them. That’s human nature. Being able to laugh about stuff is therapeutic.”
The force of hip hop has rightfully resonated across the globe, to the extent of predominantly shaping Brigg’s formative years in the rural Victorian town of Shepparton. “Hip hop, it was just the coolest thing at the time, growing up in the ‘90s and early 2000s as a teenager. My favourite things were hip hop and action movies. It was the ultimate, the right amount of danger, the right amount of cool. You couldn’t avoid it in the ‘90s, either. At the time, I thought it was just because I was cool. But the whole idea of it being a positive black movement as well, which spoke to me, even if I didn’t realise it at the time. All the symptoms were there, but there was no diagnosis.”
Brigg’s style is very much his own, formed by a broad amalgamation of influences that blend west and east coast greats along with shades of Australian hip hop.
“When I first started, I always just made tracks to impress my mates. As you grow as an artist, the whole thing is making better tracks, being a better artist. It’s about baring yourself in your writing, testing your abilities. Whether I was trying to write a story track, like what Slick Rick did, or trying to write battle rap like Big Pun, have some real style and flow like Biggie, or passion like 2Pac. I wanted to have that aggression, like Ice Cube. Each artist I had on heavy rotation played a part in developing my style. I tried to borrow from all these guys.”
Now based in Melbourne, Briggs’ relationship with Shepparton is a curious one – understandable one for anyone who has relocated from a small town into the city. “Each community is going to have its own special concoction of issues and problems to make up the fuckin’ tapestry that is Australia. But, police are still killing blackfellas in jails, and they’re still getting away with it. As long as that’s going on, not a lot’s changed. It’s easy for people to throw their hands up at what’s going on in the world, but if you look at your own backyard, you can see police are still killing black people in jail. That’s something that should be addressed, baby.”
BY LACHLAN KANONIUK
