Sydney artist I.E. has just dropped his latest moody effort, ‘Favours Freestyle.’

Having been part of Sydney’s burgeoning hip-hop scene for years, I.E. has been steadily developing his craft into a cohesive sound alongside friends and collaborators like Manu Crooks and BLESSED. His latest offerings have brought forth a woozy brand of R&B with ominous, trap-influenced production, which he flexes once again on ‘Favours Freestyle.’

The track arrives today with I.E. reflecting on his career, clashes with major labels and recent shows performing alongside Canadian powerhouses Majid Jordan. We premiere the ‘Favours Freestyle’ below, and have a quick chat to I.E. about the track and what he future holds for the promising, well-rounded artist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLO79zJxjH8&feature=youtu.be

Congrats on your new single ‘Favours Freestyle’. In the song, you’re quite critical of major labels. What have been some of your experiences with major labels and lessons learned on the industry side of things?

Yeah, just understand what you’re getting yourself into. I’ve been mixed up in bad energy with labels in the past so I know how it goes, don’t get me wrong there are definitely labels that want to see their artist win, but some can get caught up & fail to understand the vision. I just work with my small team at the moment, which is how I wanna keep things for a minute.

You also talk about how you “pay respect to the OGs” – who are some of the pioneers that paved the way for you and your colleagues?

Every artist nowadays has that former artist that helped them pave the way (within themselves) to have the confidence to do music. I’m no different – artists like PND, Tory Lanez & Kanye were those artists for me. Along with the sonic instrumentation of artists like Amir Obe, FKA Twigs, Flying Lotus, Kavinsky… but for me the OGs I’m paying respect to goes far beyond the music itself. I’ll forever be infatuated by the work of the likes of Shakespeare, Aristotle & Plato.

You also say “I only roll with the squad” – who’s in the squad now and what have you learnt to keep your circle small?

The circle’s small nowadays – I’m usually just in & out of the studio with artists and producers like i.amsolo, Manu Crooks, Travy P, B.Wise, Blessed, The Kid Laroi, Anfa Rose & Matt Black. We’ve all been working on this together from the start, so I guess that’s the gang. Forever.

The track was produced by i.amsolo, what was the creative process?

Solo & myself share a wild chemistry, that kinda how the project came together. The process switches up overtime in whether I hand him an idea and he develops it, or if he sends me a beat. We live in the same crib with the set up her,e so the vibes are good when we create together. It just makes sense.

What’s on the cards for IE for the rest of 2018 and into the new year?

If we’re talking about the backend of 2018 then I think it’s fair to say that this isn’t the last time ya’ll will hear from me this year. And if we’re talking about 2019, then I think it may just be time to give the world my debut EP Road 2 Paradise… Maybe. Just maybe.