Words by Christopher Kevin Au
Earlier this month, we were pleasantly surprised when local rapper Manu Crooks dropped a video for ‘Blowin Up’ – which already stood as one of our favourite songs of 2016 since the audio was uploaded back in June. What’s more, the clip was premiered by powerhouse music publication The FADER.
It’s a colossal feat for an Australian rapper to receive such international spotlight, but it’s indicative of where the local scene stands at the moment: It’s been awhile since hip-hop from this country has sounded so confident, and ‘Blowin Up’ is just one of the gems that has caused a stir in 2016. With co-production credits going to Dopamine, the song’s weeping beat is truly alluring, with delivery from Manu Crooks and Miracle to match. Rising singer JOY – who you might know from those haunting Drake covers – also makes an appearance in the video.
We spoke to Manu Crooks to break down his latest single and where he’s planning to head from here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXraNbqyBOw
Getting ‘Blowin Up’ premiered on The FADER is a huge accomplishment. How did this come about and what has the reaction been like?
We knew we had a dope record on our hands, but didn’t expect The FADER to pick it up and plug it the way they did. I got mad love for Sarah Chipman for telling the peeps over at The Fader about the music. It’s definitely exciting to see an international blog show love.
Lyrically the song seems to take aim at some of your critics. What are some examples of the obstacles that you’ve faced as a rapper in Australia?
I mean good music will always speak for itself regardless of what critics say. I focus on the music not so much on the obstacles.
Dopamine and yourself cooked up a pretty insane beat for this one. How did you guys craft it? Do you find it easier to write bars when you’ve been involved in the production side of the song?
Dopamine pretty much oversees most of the records we make, whether its mixing or just an idea of how to go about certain sounds. With ‘Blowin Up’ I started of with the sample and a bit of the drums – it was hella fast when I first made it, then he came in and was like “Yo you should slow that down, it’ll give it a crazy bounce.” He sat down for literally five mins, then bang, history was made!
Where did you film the music video and what was the concept behind it?
The ‘Blowin up’ video was filmed in Sydney, mostly in Alexandria to be specific. No real concept but you definitely catch a vibe when you watch the clip. We basically just thought of dope scenarios to shoot, and we shot it.
JOY also made a cameo in the video, while you also collaborated with her on ‘Run’. How did you guys initially connect and are there any plans to work with her again in the future?
A good friend of mine JD was initially working with her doing some production & writing stuff I believe. She came down to our studios one time, met her and ever since we been with the shits! Multi-talented gal that one. She can play like every instrument and produces her own shit too! It’s unreal. Yeah we definitely got some joints sitting in the trenches. Who knows, we might drop a project outta nowhere when we feel like it.
‘Blowin Up’ is a taste of an upcoming EP you’ll be releasing soon. Any other information you can give us about that release?
I most definitely wanna have all unreleased songs for the EP. ‘Blowin Up’ may or may not end up on the EP, but regardless, the project is going to be one to look out for early next year. In saying that, I’m gonna release new music before the project drops.
What’s on the cards for Manu Crooks for the rest of 2016?
More music, more shows and more life.
