Words by Christopher Kevin Au //
I remember the first time I heard Raj Mahal on his Neva Safe EP.
It’s music that smacks you in the face and commands attention, like a flurry of fists flying out of the speakers at blistering speed. Raj’s music is uncompromising and unlike anything else coming out of the country right now: He barks with primal ferocity, over a sharp bed of pulsating electronic beats that could soundtrack an illegal warehouse rave. It’s a lethal concoction that’s seen Raj pick up momentum as an imposing force on record, and an equally assertive presence onstage.
Raj’s situation is unusual in that he originally hails from Boston, and relocated to Sydney to rap after connecting with local go-to producer, Domba. He’s since also become a member of Bodega Collective and Savour The Rations, which include like-minded rappers like Kwame & Gibrillah. With his recent release of a more mellow freestyle clip, we chat to Raj about his move to an unfamiliar country, his growing love for Australia, and lots of American football:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbr04VBr64c
You’re in an unusual position in that you’re originally from the States, but now rapping in Australia. How does it feel to move from a country dominated by hip-hop, to one where it’s still an emerging music scene?
It’s fresh start man. I’m not one to back down from any challenge, so it forces me to stay on my toes and always be on my shit. A lot of people ask me why I came here to do this, and I just tell them that it’s just a necessary move I needed to make to find myself not only as an artist, but as a human being. I’ve learned a lot from moving here alone; with no money, or without any blood relatives, so walking on thin ice keeps my eyes on the prize.
How did you originally connect with your producer Domba and when did you make the executive decision to move to Australia?
Back in 2014, my boy Natty went to uni with a dude named Nick Aquino, who went to high school with Domba. Natty hit me up one night saying that he wanted to introduce me to his friend Nick from Sydney. At the time I was watching Summer Heights High and Angry Boys alot, so I was interested to hear about his upbringing in Australia. Natty threw a party at his house, we got fucked up and learned a lot about each other. Nick told me that he had a friend who made beats, so I told him I rapped but I didn’t really see a future in it at the time.
Fast forward a few days later, he links me Domba’s Facebook and I sent him a friend request. I was skeptical at first, because in my head I’m like “What the fuck am I doing messaging some random ass nigga in Australia about some damn beats?” But I stuck with it, and Dom sent me a beat right away and we built a strong relationship very fast, releasing multiple tracks between 2014-2016. During that time, he kept asking me to come out to Sydney but I was like “fuck that,” because I just could not afford to make a move like that at the time. But I dropped out of school, didn’t really have much ambition for anything else, so I said “Fuck it, I’m going to Australia!”
Hands down the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Shout out Natty Ward and Nick Aquino for becoming friends.
Do you remember the first Australian hip-hop song you heard? How did you feel about it?
It was ‘Take You To The Movies’ by Bangs. We used to play that shit at work all the time at work back in Boston.
What are some of the things about Australia that are confusing to you as an American?
The metric system, and forgetting that I’m in a foreign country so I have look the opposite way when I’m crossing the street. When I’m at the gym, I look like the biggest dumbass trying to figure out how heavy 30kgs is. There was an adjustment period when I first came here, but that’s part of survival, you sink or you swim. Nothing else to it.
Tell us about your creative and personal relationships with Bodega Collective?
I’m managed by Bodega, but they mean more to me than this music/business shit. We eat together, we live together, and we struggle together. No man left behind. They’ve stuck by me when the shit hit the fan and help me stay on my feet. I love every single person in Bodega and they’re invited to the family cookout when we’re all able to go to Boston for a holiday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn_xi8EGDXY
We hear that you played some American football in your time. Imagine that Bodega Collective become a football team – who is doing what on the field, and why?
Yeah I did and I fucking miss being able to tackle the fuck out of someone to blow off some steam, now I do that by jerking off and chain smoking ciggies all day. I played defence, because that’s what real niggas play, so I’ll break it down from that side of the ball. Let’s say we running a 3-4 defence, 3 down lineman, 4 linebackers, 2 corners, and two safeties. Good for applying outside pressure for stopping the run and making the opposing quarterback make ill advised decisions because we blitzing that ass all day and making him eat the dirt.
The three people I would have up front is Myself, Patty B, Tom. Defensive line is my natural position so I’ll stick with that and Patty B is stout with strong legs so he’ll fuck shit up. Tom is a tall fucker so he’s got the size and length to do some damage in the trenches. My four linebackers would be Dom, Jourdan, Seba, and Peter. Dom and Seba in the middle, because Dom has crazy attention to detail when it comes to music and you need that from your middle line backer to analyse each and every formation to disrupt the offence. Seba is wild as fuck especially when he’s drunk, so I know he’s a dawg that’s down to get his hands dirty and stuff the run. Jourdan and Peter are my outside backers. Those are the dudes I look to when I need some crazy shit to happen. We blitzing these two all game, making the offence panic because Peter loves to scream and yell and has no fear of pain. Jourdan is a dawg as well, he’s tall and played soccer growing up and used to be a swimmer and practiced jiu jitsu for a little bit. That means he got the footwork, hand speed, and stamina to make some big plays when he’s not smoking bongs.
My two corners are Lauren and Kymie. They make sure the wide receivers don’t catch any passes and gain a lot of yards. Lauren has an athletic build and is a tough gal who don’t take shit from no one. One of the most hardworking ppl I know. Kymie is always on Instagram boxing and shit she’ll fuck a nigga up if she has too. She’s short, but she ain’t short of might and strength and you can count on her to make big plays as she already does with her music.
My two safeties are Gibrillah and Dan. You need your safeties to relay and communicate with with the entire defence because the see the entire field. Gibrillah don’t let shit phase or get past him and he’s athletic as fuck. Quick with a solid frame, he’ll deflect passes and run up to tackle anybody with the ball their hands. Dan aka Kuya Bob gets down and dirty. He’s hands down the most responsible person in Bodega and I admire the fuck out of him. At the free safety position you need to be extremely intelligent, able to call out anything that would give the offence leverage so we can stop them, and have the ability to have fun and make big plays at any given moment. That’s Bob, Kuya Bob. He makes sure we’re taking care of business, pumping out content, and not being idiots. Big Boss Bob.
You recently played a show with Triple One and we hear you have a collaboration coming up. How was that experience?
Man, I love my Triple One dawgs. Whenever I’m around them it always ends up with me waking up in the Inner-West at some random house, hungover and and scat as fuck. They love to get fucked up just as much as I do, but they’re also one of the most genuine dudes I’ve met since I came to Sydney. The day I came to Newtown to get in the studio with them was the beginning of something special. Australia ain’t ready for us to takeover. They’re not just dudes I make music with, they’re my brothers and I’ll ride for them any day of the week.
A lot of your songs use dark production from the electronic/dance realm. Where does that influence come from and how did you learn to rhyme on those kinds of beats?
Domba and I are dark people. He’s my best friend and my brother. Wherever I go, he goes, and there’s no way around that. We find inspiration from pain and struggle because we’ve been familiar with that our entire lives. We ain’t trying to give you this PG-13, radio Disney bullshit that the Australian higher-ups in the music industry seem to only shed light on. We don’t compromise who we are as beings and as creatives, ever. We have a strong sense of self and worth and that will never break.
We listen to a lot of Death Grips, Ho99o9, Nosia, Mefjus, Slipknot, Eprom, BONES, Freddie Gibbs, Danny Brown and Zelooperz. We’re trying to make the most ignorant and tribal music possible. I never actually learned how to rhyme on these beats, it just happened. And it’s the most liberating feeling when we continue grow and expand with the sound that we’ve created. We don’t make music, we make movements, and the world will see that very soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9N1JmAa2h4
Your latest freestyle takes a more traditional hip-hop approach. Tell us about the track?
One day I was with my brother Tom from Korky Buchek (who recently dropped a fire track called ‘Wanna Know’ by the way) and we were trying to make a track on the same vibe as ‘435’ by Tyler the Creator. My aunt Darlene told me to spit some real shit one day, so I went to the studio and we came up with this. A lot of people think I just get on the mic and scream for 2-3 minutes and go about my day, but I actually got bars for that ass too, don’t sleep now. Jourdan always tells me to make a track to show these motherfuckers that I ain’t nothing to play with. He sees me as the best rapper in Australia and wants me to show it.
Name five humans who are ‘TOO RARE TO DIE‘ and explain why?
Alexander the Great, because I’ve always had a weird fascination with him and the Macedonian empire as a kid. Arthur Morgan from Red Dead Redemption 2 because he’s one of the realest niggas in video game history, he made me shed some tears when I beat the game, shout out Rockstar. Jacob Best, the founder of Pabst Blue Ribbon, my all time favorite beer. If he was still alive he would be invited to the family cookout. Believe you me, no doubt about it. Willam J. Reilly, the founder of New Balance, my all time favorite shoe. I’m a Boston boy and the headquarters was right down the street from my apartment. I got like 15 pairs between here and back home. I’m hoping to get that endorsement one day.
And last but not least James Harrison, former Pittsburgh Steelers player. I idolised this dude so much as a young football player because he was full of grit and grind. One of the hardest hitting players in NFL history and he gave absolutely zero fucks about anyone in his way. I apply his playing style to my music. I’m trying to cause damage and hit the world with the most violent and hard-hitting music to date.
What’s on the cards for Raj Mahal as we head into 2019?
I’m working on an full length project at the moment, about 15 tracks. Got about 14 done so far. This album is gonna be very personal and dark because it’s just an expression of what my life has been for the last few years. It’s gonna talk about my past relationships, my self-destructive tendencies, coming across fake ass, snake ass niggas and much more. Just raw, gut-punching shit. I also got a bunch of shit coming out with my brother I Digress, who is one of the craziest producers in Sydney.
