Frogman invites you into the eerie world of Pond Scum, his first solo offering.
The charismatic and comedic Sydney emcee has been prominent on Sydney’s hip-hop scene as a member of the Beastside clique, and now he’s fresh off the release of his murky and moody solo EP, Pond Scum. To bring the seven-track release to life, Frogman is taking over the intimate Chippo Hotel for a hometown launch this Friday, November 2. He’ll be joined by Prospecta, Beastside colleagues Panani Boys, and The 3G network.
Ahead of the gig, we chat to Frogman about the evolution of the Australian hip-hop scene, his solo creative process, and what to expect this weekend:
Pond Scum is your first solo body of work. Why now to drop your own solo EP?
It’s been a near two year process, slowly working on this album. From being a solo artist before linking up with the lads in Beastside, this was always going to be a reality for me. I have been working on my beats for a number of years and it was only a matter of time before i wanted to flex over a whole project.
How did you find the creative process of working alone, when you’ve spent years in a hip-hop mega-group of sorts?
It’s certainly different, to be honest with Beastside, the boys usually do a lot of the heavy lifting. I just come in and try and write some bars that will make the audience laugh, or produce a beat to find that the lads have a whole track written on it. But overall hooks are a mother fucker, so on the EP I kept things simple by focusing on the wordplay and the beats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtgSKJkIfR4
Tell us about your beat-making process too… what emotions or atmosphere were you trying to convey on the EP?
Look, if you listen to the album from start to finish, you probably won’t want to hit the club like what most other artists got going on at the moment – but the beats really shaped the general theme of the EP. I started off wanting to do four tracks in similar style to Ethereal from Awful Records, but it ended up being a seven tracker on an ominious swamp music tip by the end of it. Dark and misty, eerie and synthy.
How does that tie with the lyrical themes?
The beats definitely set the tone for the lyricism, whether or not the verses are directly related to the chorus or not. But for the most part I just like writing random bars. Much of the same non-conceptual style that Beastside is known for has rubbed off on this album. So in a sense, the general themes are just standard rap debauchary mixed in with a slight comic approach to young adult life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5REGoD-RKcg
You’ve been active for a couple of years now, with some of your early appearances on channels like HustleHard. How would you say the hip-hop scene locally has changed, and where do you think it’s going to head from here?
You would have to be hiding under some sort of rock to not see how the game is changing, there are a lot of new artists paving the way who are bringing a lot of energy whether its in the trap, grime or boom bap genres. Trap artists like ChillinIt, Triple One and Huskii are showing everyone that you can be succesful in this game if you work and consistently put out dope shit. But the main thing I’ve noticed is there is now many more sub genres within Australian rap that are starting to blossom and grow. That’s some dope shit, find your lane and bowl nothing but strikes and you will get a roll on.
What would you say is the single most underrated track in Australian hip-hop history?
Man….theres some absolute burners out there both past and present, but for a bit of a left field answer, I can’t go past ‘Mad Blunted’ by Resin Dogs featuring Queensland’s finest, Lazy Grey. Just a proper blaze track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNHcsy-C_kc
What can we expect at your upcoming EP launch? Tell us about the lineup that you’ve curated.
It’s going to be a loose night from start to finish, that’s for sure. Firstly, we got the young gun Prospecta fresh off a two year hiatus. Word is he’s been cheffin’ it up at some of the finer dining joints in the city. He will know doubt bring that youthful exuberance and rapid flow he is known for. Then there’s the world famous Panini Boys (Rich Black & Bill Medley) serving up some locally sourced artisan delights, so expect delicious cold cuts and tasty treats.
Then finally, ‘Who Knows’ reps The 3G Network on main support. These gents have been so impressive, I froth their dark boom bap style and keep an ear out for their punchlines, there are plenty of them. The Blue Mountains is no doubt, still a hotbed for rap talent. I’m gonna be bringing up a lot of features, so expect a full blown rap extravaganza.
What’s Frogman hoping to receive for Christmas this year?
Wouldn’t mind some sort of life long subscription to Zooper Doopers. They pretty much helped me write the whole album. Or if not that, 7-11 should sponsor me on some snack adventures. Nobody eats snacks like the Snack King.
What’s on the cards for Frogman and Beastside as we head into 2019?
I got some other projects in the pipeline, most notably a few tracks with my main man Tenth Dan. Other than that, you can expect another solo EP in 2020 and Beastside will have a full new LP dropping early 2019. I can confirm it’s our best work yet.
