“It’s been a great way to engage in a mature conversation about politics and race in Australia,” he says. “Sometimes, when people haven’t heard of me before, they don’t necessarily listen to hip hop. As much as that’s a part of me, I think putting yourself forward in a conversation is really important. These issues I discuss, they’re human issues. A discussion is a great way to build an introduction. 7.30 worked really well on both sides of things – it served as an introduction to my music to people who hadn’t heard it, and it served as an introduction to my perspective and my politics to people who might only know the music.”
Of course, for every contemporary and fan singing Singh’s praises, the Sikh rapper has also had to deal with more than his fair share of online abusers and comment-section trolls. He remains incredibly calm when discussing the topic of his detractors, but there is an obvious weariness and exhaustion that says more than anger ever could.
“We live in a society with a real diversity of opinion,” he says. “It’s interesting when you’re discussing something like the issues of racism with other people. For me, it’s something that I have experienced my entire life. It’s one of those things where people can respond by either listening to what it is that I have to say, or by talking over me, making their mind up about me before I’ve even said a word. Some folk just have that immediate agenda. That’s when you get people responding in a really harsh way. I don’t come from a place of anger or hatred – I come from a place of genuine love for community and for the country that I was born and raised in.”
Singh is currently on tour in support of Get Mine, a new single from L-Fresh The Lion’s as-yet-untitled third studio album, slated for release in 2016. “I don’t want to give too much away just yet,” he says about the follow-up to his exceptional 2014 album, One. “I can say, though, that I’m extremely excited about what I’ve been working on and have a great confidence in these new songs.”
As far as Get Mine goes, however, it’s more than enough to tide listeners over until the next record comes into play. Featuring the vocals of The Bombay Royale frontwoman Parvyn Kaur Singh (no relation), the song holds a magnifying glass up to the way people of colour and ethnic minorities are treated within Australia.
“The song specifically deals with race, and the video deals with the way that political language is used,” says Singh. “We’re living in very challenging times – there is a lot going on with the immediate community. We’re in an age where ideas and issues are so easy to access, and yet they’re so often ignored. If there’s something I want to get across with this song, it’s about starting to think more deeply – not just what we’re involved with, but about ourselves and how we respond to things. Let’s talk about how we fit into the grand scheme of things and what roles we each play as individuals. It begins with me – first and foremost, these songs are reminders to myself, as I know I’m far from perfect.”
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
