Being involved in the industry that long does have an effect on an artist though, as Ty goes on to explain how it’s affected the motivation behind his art, in quite a positive way. “It has changed, it’s increased. I was a MC with an interest in music, now I’m a MC/Producer with an interest in composition, sound and lyrics.” This, coming from a man who says his inspiration to start rapping largely came from “My Aunty Felicia’s birthday party, around 1979/80, where I got up and break-danced in front of my parents for the first time. Everyone was cheering, but they were scared as hell!”
Ty’s new EP has a title that, while appearing simple, is deceptively complex on reflection. His explanation of it is equally evocative. “I’m hoping that A Kick Snare And An Idea becomes a term to highlight the fact that a particular type of person, makes a particular type of music. It’s almost like a nickname for what people do, especially if you have any hip hop enthusiasm for production. It’s what everybody does.” It’s this thoughtfulness that makes his lyricism so engaging, something that is particularly highlighted in the track Like You Never, featuring the line ‘I love the music but can’t see where it’s at.’ When asked to expand on the line, he explains that these days “You become a hater automatically if you question the validity of something you belong to, when in fact, self criticism is essential for existence in any genre of anything. I think that due to technology changing, and new opportunities being availed to us as people, certain traditional, fundamental assets are being swept to the curb, such as, an appreciation for beats as something actually being created, rather than something to just rap over. Songwriting and recording has become a casual process and lacks the detail and precision that it was once afforded, hence, mixtapes have spoiled rap musicians attention to detail. Artists used to have to find their own beats and make those famous, now they rap over already famous beats.”
Although renowned as being a great live performer, Ty seems to struggle to explain exactly why that is. He simply states that he doesn’t really know “What the rest are doing and can’t really comment. But, I don’t think that me being a great live performer should separate me from others, it’s what we’re supposed to do.” Adding to this, he describes what the Melbourne audience can expect from his upcoming tour. “Expect me to run out of breath and lose weight on stage, rocking for you guys!”
BY NICK SWEETPAH
