Off the back of his MGK national support run, Missouri native honestav shares one of his most potent singles to date.

One thing we learned about honestav is that the alternative rapper is about as authentic as they come. Within 10 minutes of being in the same room as him, you immediately get the impression that he is a straight shooter – there’s not a word that comes out of his mouth that feels filtered through the normal PR-infected artist fluff that we’re so used to. The man is the real deal.

It’s that raw style that his fans have clearly fallen in love with. Amassing millions of streams and millions of followers on socials in just a few short years, his listeners have come to expect, well… honesty. Tracks like ‘I’d Rather Overdose’ and ‘Growin’ Pains’ showcase his ability to reach into the depths of his emotions and somehow wrap them up in a tidy melody that sticks in your ears for days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnxoa7ni8Ho

On Friday, he dropped his latest single, ‘Bad Guy’ – one that has already become a fan favourite in his live sets – and the news that his second EP Sweet American Boy is arriving in June. Sit tight, and in the meantime, check out our interview below where we chatted with honestav about Australia, his favourite food spot and that time he blew it with MGK…

What’s your impression of Australia overall so far?

honestav: It’s clean. It’s beautiful. The fans here are very respectful. They’re not that respectful in the States… I also realised the government’s rooting for you here. They’re not trying to get you to lose. I went to the casino and they made me set a limit. I was like, “What the fuck is this? How am I going to spend my life savings tonight if I’m setting a limit?” So yeah, it’s been great. I love Australia.

What were you playing in the casino?

honestav: The slots. But you can only do like a $10 max bet at this casino I went to. In the States, dude… they want you to spend a lot of money there, but not here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWkvpy29pRY

Is there anything you’d like to take home with you from Australia?

honestav: Tim Tams. I’m going to take home some Tim Tams. That’s what I want to take home. Not to be corny and cliché, but I learned a lot here. Not physical things, but I’m taking home a lot more knowledge, low-key. I feel like I grew a lot in the last 15 days as an artist.

What was that? Just from MGK, watching him?

honestav: Yeah, dude. Just watching Kells do his thing and be who he is. I just didn’t do good at my show. For the first time ever, I was on the internet and people were being so mean. And I cared for a second. It was probably a good 24 hours where it fucked me up. Then just talking to Kells and going through the motions, I learned a lot about myself and a lot about the internet. I think it did me really well.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen on the tour?

honestav: I can’t tell you that. But the beaches are beautiful here. I saw a grey kangaroo too. That was weird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0oQQaQ-Kk0

Tell us about that first meeting with MGK because I know that’s a pretty iconic story.

honestav: So I’m 20 years old. I’m with my boy Breezy and his little brother T. At this time, they’re huge MGK fans. They’ve got EST tatted on their arm, which was a movement that Kells started. And they take me to this concert. I’m 20, so I can’t drink yet. And we had seats in the nosebleeds, way up in the nosebleeds. So we were sneaking down to the bar. My buddy was 21, so he was buying two drinks and I would sneak down and grab them. Then I’d walk them up to my seat and set them down, then come back and he’d get two more so we’d all have beers.

I go put the beers up and then I’m coming down to meet him again and I’m like, “Where’s Breezy at? I can’t find him.” And I look into the pit and Breezy’s in the mosh pit. He had jumped the fence and got into the general admission pit. And he’s looking at me like, “Come on in.” And I’m like, “What the… no way.” And he’s like, “Just come on.”

So I hopped the fence, we’re jumping around, hanging out, partying, and the security guards noticed we jumped the fence and they come get us like, “You guys gotta get out of here, man. Sorry.” It was towards the end of the show. While they were walking us back, we were like, “Yo, let us go back to our seats and grab our stuff.” They’re like, “Okay.”

While we were doing that, we saw this door side stage. We saw the band walking out and we were like, “Yo, the band’s right there.” Breezy looks at me and he’s like, “You want to go back there?” And I’m like, “Fuck it. Let’s do it.”

So we hop on stage after the show and run side stage through the back door. You’ve got to go through a whole building. People are looking at us funny and we’re just acting like we work there. “Oh yeah, I’m going to get the door.” “Grab the cart.” “HDMI.” Just talking like that.

We get to the back and the whole band is there by the tour bus, smoking and passing joints. I walk up and I had a joint rolled and I’m like, “You guys want to hit this?” They’re like, “Yeah, sure.” And I’m like, “I have hella weed at my house. Huge party. Everybody’s going to be there.”

Every five minutes I’m like, “By the way, huge party at my house.”

Long story short, the guitar player pulls up. There’s nobody at my house. He brings a girl too, by the way. She’s sitting on the couch looking around. We’re in a two-bedroom sketchy apartment. I had a table that was five foot tall with no chairs, so we’re all just standing around listening to music.

Then Kells pulls up. He gets out of the car, looks at my house and goes, “Nope.” Then he hops back in the car, slams the door and leaves.

Then I meet him six years later and I’m in his house. He asks where I’m from and I’m rolling a joint on his couch like, “I’m from Missouri.” He’s like, “Dang, Missouri. I’ve been there before. Actually, some sketchy kid tried to rob me there one time.”

And I’m like, “What happened?”

He’s like, “After the show we pulled up to this sketchy house. He said he was going to sell me weed…” and he’s like, “I just left, bro. That place was sketchy.”

And I was like, “Dude, that was my house. We weren’t trying to rob you. We were just trying to hang out.”

And he’s like, “No way.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq43FrpXGQs

Now you’ve established yourself as an artist and made a bit of money, what does that freedom mean to you?

honestav: I’ll tell you dude, the best thing about money is just being able to eat whenever you want. I used to think money meant cars and houses and cool clothes, but it’s really just being hungry and getting food straight away.

My stepmom called me the other day and said, “You got a gold plaque. You’re finally a real artist.” And it hurt my feelings because the gold plaque doesn’t make me a real artist. I’ve been a real artist the whole time.

Having followers and money doesn’t magically fix your brain or your relationships. I still have a hard time making my bed some days. But it is cool to finally be respected and talk about music freely now.

What’s the best food you’ve eaten in Australia?

honestav: Mr. Wong. Banging. I love duck and plum sauce. I tried ordering duck in New Zealand and it just did not hit the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSJQRfY2cgA

You’ve had some pretty well documented personal tragedies. Is music your main outlet for coping?

honestav: Yeah, dude, it’s definitely how I cope. Music is definitely how I cope with things.

The reason I’m vulnerable in my songs though — when my brother died, two days before he died, I was at my friend’s house and it was 3:00 AM. I knew my brother was going through it. I woke up in the middle of the night and I felt just so weird and I was like, “I have to go home. I’m worried about HIM.”

So I went home. It was 3:00 AM and I go inside and I see my brother on the couch nodding out. If you’ve ever seen somebody nodding out on drugs, it’s the worst feeling ever.

And I remember thinking to myself, “Tell him not to kill himself. Say it.” I remember telling myself, “Just say it. Just tell him not to kill himself.” But I was like, “Oh, he would never kill himself. This is my older brother and he’s tough. He would never kill himself.”

And then two days later, he killed himself.

The reason I talk about everything openly is because I feel like if I don’t, something bad’s going to happen. It’s not because I want to be some open book and I want everybody to know that I’m hurting, but I feel like if I don’t say it, then something bad’s going to happen.

I remember having an MP3 player that I stole. And I remember, for the first time, whenever things were going on in the house — my brothers fighting, or my parents fighting – putting on over-ear headphones and just feeling like, “Yo, oh my God, I can just focus on this song.”

And I used to listen to Stan by Eminem every time somebody was fighting in my house. I would put on headphones and listen to ‘Stan’. So I think that’s where it started.

When did comedy come into the mix?

honestav: I’m just a funny guy, man [laughs]. I never was like, “Oh yo, I’m going to do comedy.”

What happened was my friends were telling me, “Bro, you need to download TikTok because that’s how your music blows up. Everybody’s blowing up off TikTok.” And they told me that for like two years and I would be like, “Dude, you’re so lame.” It just wasn’t me.

And then I downloaded TikTok and I realised it’s not just a music app — people were making jokes. So I started making jokes and I got a paycheck. And when I got the first paycheck, I was like, “Oh my God, my cell phone just gave me a paycheck.”

So I was like, “I’m going to do this every day, all the time.” And I quit my job.

That’s why I started doing comedy – because it was making me money and I love being funny. I just love laughing and I like other people laughing and shit, but I was never like, “Yo, I’m a comedian.” Because I’m not.

@97honestav #fypシ ♬ original sound – Av

What are you most excited for over the next year?

honestav: I’ve got an EP coming out next month called Sweet American Boy and I’m really excited for it. For the first time ever I focused on making it feel like a complete piece of art instead of just a bunch of songs.

I’m touring again in August, which I’m stoked for. But honestly, I can’t wait to go home tomorrow, drive on a road with no paint on it, smoke a joint and see a cow outside. I just can’t wait to breathe fresh air again.