Retaining the title Invalid, Defron’s debut EP arrived in late July. Ahead of next weekend’s launch show, Beat speaks with the 26-year old about the winding path that brought him here.
“I spent five weeks in Brooklyn last year as a respite from working on the EP,” he says. “When everything got lost, the engineer said I could jump back in and re-record everything, but I was super doubtful about the project anyway. So before I went back into it, I took a break.”
Given the EP’s second single Montblanc (feat. Niamh) recently peaked at #5 on the triple j Unearthed hip hop charts and #22 on their overall chart, Defron’s decision to take stock has proved beneficial.
“I had some money set aside and it worked as an inspirational holiday – taking a lot in, going to a lot of New York underground hip hop and slam poetry,” he says. “I actually saw Michael K. Williams from The Wire at one of these things. He got up on stage and started rapping Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Lower East Side was where that whole scene came from, and the Nuyorican Poets Café was the historical spot – all the big people went through there.”
During his stay, Defron was surprised to discover several parallels between the New York and Melbourne music scenes. “It’s not too dissimilar to our [scene] which was super helpful,” he says. “I’ve been attending open mics in Melbourne since I was 18, and the atmosphere was very similar. The turnout was also similar, which is great since New York is huge. Melbourne’s starting to get that way. I really see Melbourne starting to knock on the door in terms of not just culture but also how much culture there is, along with cafes and things.”
Along with creative inspiration, one of the biggest things Defron took away from the trip was how to present himself as a brand. It’s one thing to know you’re talented, but convincing everyone else is an entirely different battle.
“The thing that being around New York taught me was how other artists hustle, how to push themselves. The thing that’s both endearing and very annoying is that there’ll be rappers on street corners flogging mixtapes, really in your face. The thing they’ll do is they’ll say, ‘Here’s a copy of my mixtape, here’s a gift… but I need a donation. I can’t give it for free,’ which isn’t how a gift works. They grift. They hustle. It’s inspired me in terms of being able to push yourself.
“I got to meet some people who were affiliated with big names. One guy called Final Outlook who’s associated with Joey Bada$$, his music was really cool. I told him I really liked his stuff, he was selling tapes. I didn’t have any money, but he whipped out a card with all his information – and that’s something that I do now. For years people would say to me, ‘I really like your stuff,’ and I’d say, ‘My name’s Defron, look me up on the net’. Nowadays I hand out a card with all my Spotify, Bandcamp and other info on it and they don’t have to buy anything. I’m doing that as an in-between to what all the hustlers do on street corners and how music works here.”
BY THOMAS BRAND
