Words by Christopher Kevin Au // Images by Gabriel Gasparinatos //
From the subtle, unsuspecting South Coast town of Nowra, Nooky is making a lot of noise.
“Nooky isn’t likely to jump on the bandwagon,” the rapper’s biography reads. “He is more likely to steal the bandwagon, do doughies up and down the Main Street before cruising back out to Nowra to fire bomb it.” It’s an abrasive description, but when we saw Nooky perform at BIGSOUND – barking raps while shirtless and walking onstage to a WWF theme song – it made crystal clear sense.
The Yuin man is set to release his debut album on Bad Apples Music, the Indigenous record label founded by Briggs, in the near future. As a precursor, Nooky dropped his single ‘Black Future’ back in July, a rousing and unapologetic celebration of black excellence. Nooky will be performing the single live at his upcoming birthday bash, hitting Botany View Hotel in Sydney come October 12. There, he’ll be joined by Bad Apples colleague Birdz, Sesk & Luxury of the TrapRunners collective, and fellow emerging talents Tasman Keith and Kobie Dee.
Ahead of the gig, we caught up with Nooky to talk about professional wrestling, his favourite fast food, and Australia’s Black Future. See the top quality banter below:
You recently played at BIGSOUND. How was that experience? Meet any interesting characters up in Brisbane?
BIGSOUND was a vibe! There were a few times I ended up shirtless on a bar, getting my Coyote Ugly on. I’m pretty sure I met a giant octopus who said he was Henry the octopus’ first cousin, twice removed. But for real, I got to kick it with some dope peeps… the Triple One boys smashed it, hung out with Klasik for a minute, and got to chop it up with some of the local blackfullas up there. I was looking for Gordon Tallis to get a pic for the ‘Gram, but was unsuccessful in my conquest.
You’re also still riding high off the release of ‘Black Future’ – what do you hope that listeners will gain or learn from listening to the track?
That song is an ode to Indigenous excellence, our past and our future. The song is about having the heart to stand for something and the gurras to fight for it, and I got them King Kong joints.
What are some of the steps you think the Australian government should be taking to build stronger relationships with the indigenous population?
Umm… They should maybe give us our land back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_j3OxwqKbY
You’ve also made your love of professional wrestling quite clear. Who would you like to see become the next WWE undisputed heavyweight champion, and why?
Bobby Boucher! I wanna see him open a can of whoop ass on Captain Insano aka Big Show for the tittle in a buried alive match, with Stone Cold as special guest referee! Because it wasn’t nice when Bobby offered his services as an experienced waterboy, and Big Show laughed at him and called him a virgin.
Which wrestler has the best theme song of all time?
All the Attitude Era theme songs are bangers! Stone Cold’s would be the favourite for me though. Undertaker’s used to put the fear of god into me, his entrance was mad scary. HBK, Vince McMahon, HHH and Chris Jericho all get honourable mentions from Big Nook.
Who’s one person you’d like to put in a Crippler Crossface?
Man, that was a mad move! There’s a few… Chucky the Doll because he scared me a little when I was young, and I’m man enough to face my fears. Captain Cook, because fuck that guy, but top of the list would probably be Tony Abbott.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_m6i9IPxvs
How do you think growing up in Nowra has shaped you as a person and as an artist? How would you describe the community there?
I was Nowra Youth Centre sting pong undisputed champion back in the days! And I’m more Nowra than all three of the Maccas we have there, bet ya that. I’m a reflection of my community and my family, straight up, I wouldn’t be the man or artist I am if I didn’t grow up there. I wouldn’t have these stories to tell or the voice to tell them if it wasn’t for home.
Growing up there gave me a real sense of pride, pin-point focus, photographic memory and a no fucks given attitude! It was also the place I learnt how to walk on water, make a flamethrower with a deodorant can and ordered my first XL coke from Maccas. I got mad love for the 2541.
You’ll be throwing a birthday bash soon at the BVH. Tell us about the other artists who’ll be playing alongside you on the night?
Yeah, they’re not bad. Birdz works hard, that’s my Bad Apples brother. Sesk and Luxury have been holding it down for a minute, Sesk is my cousin. Tasman Keith is also my cousin, I produced a bunch of stuff on his debut EP Mission Famous. Kobie Dee is also probably my cousin and the kid is dangerous!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbV1HVPydzk
How old are you turning and what do you see for the year ahead? Any goals that you’d like to tick off?
I’m turning 82 in dog years, about 16 and a half in the head, and maybe 28 in real life or 27, I can’t remember. Goals I’d like to tick off would be to drop another single before the year’s out, another one would be to drive through Nowra and hit all the fast food joints! Last I checked we had three Maccas, two KFCs, two Subways, one Oporto, one Hungry Jacks, one Dominos and one Pizza Hut. Easy.
What gifts do you want for your birthday?
I don’t want a lot – Just a pony, a Clem’s chicken dinner pack, Agent K’s original neuralyzer, the Eminem Jordan 4s, a beat from Dr. Dre, one of Mankind’s socks, Facetime with Arnold Schwarzenegger, an ARIA, a feature from Cardi B, Chubbs from Happy Gilmore‘s wooden hand and a shoutout from Lil Tay on Instagram. That’s all really, I enjoy the simple things.
What’s on the cards for Nooky for the rest of 2018 and into next year?
A lot more Clem’s dinner packs and a shitload more devon & chip sammiches, cuz! But for real, me and the brother Solo are planning world domination and we have estimated it would take about a week to conquer with our combined efforts.
