VCCLOTHING.COMAnybody who knows their Aussie Hip Hop knows that the quality and
quantity of decent artists has exploded in the past few years, bringing
an array of new sounds from around the country. There is a new
generation of crews unfolding, and in Brissy you can catch a decent
hip hop show every weekend. One of the most memorable is
the Allegiance, with MC's Coops and Biotic, whose messages range
from the deeply spiritual to the revolutionary, with some banging
party jams thrown in for good measure.We caught up with the Allegiance to find out where they’ve come from,and where they're headed. real editor best profile tools real editor best profile tools
WHAT GOT YOU INTO HIP HOP?BIOTIC: I grew up listening to live bands like R.H.C.P, R.A.T.M,S.O.A.D, Pantera, Nirvana etc and I think I was due for a timely change,it seemed like almost overnight I started seeking out more rap.I started with US, now I mostly listen to oz. hip hop.COOPS: Before I first picked up a mic I was always into writingwhether it be short stories or poems. It was a good way toget shit off my chest at a time when I hadn't yet progressed it intorhyming and lyricism. Eventually it evolved with a tempo,a beat or a melody in my mind to coincide with it, so I hit up anopen mic competition in 2004, which I won and I got to record my first track.HOW DID YOU GUYS MEET?BIOTIC: My mate Doobs actuallyknew Coops from a young agebut I was at Manfreds (PNB) andCoops noticed my girlfriend at thetime and re-introduced himself. Iput 2 and 2 together from what Doobs had told me, I put 2 and 2together and introduced myself. COOPS: I'm sure it was at one ofthe wednesday night hip hop shows in the valley around 05-06.We met through a mutual friend Doobs who's father played seniorfootball with my dad in the early 80's so I'd known Doobs for years.We organised to do a colab track, 1 track turned into 2 and itsnowballed from there. So anytime one of us were doing a set the other would be involved in a couple of tracks. As we began recordingmore tracks it made sense to work together seeing as we were pushing forward at a similar pace as solo artists.INFLUENCES?:BIOTIC: Informer (By Snow), Regulators(Nate Dogg and Warren G) Dangerous Minds (the movie)Necro, Immortal Technique, music in general, life in general,all the good, bad, easy, difficult situations ive been in with familyand friends, weed, nature, all the little things I findinteresting.COOPS: 2pac, Bob Dylan and Bill Hicks would be top 3off the top of my head. I'm influenced positively and negativelyby everything i hear and see around me. 9/11 has been amajor influence on me. That single event got me asking alotof questions.WHAT ARE THE MOTIVATIONS BEHIND YOUR RHYMES?:BIOTIC: At first I found it fun and easy to be able to pick up apen and any old scrap of paper and write a rhyme for free,anytime, anywhere. These days I still just want to havefun with it, but things are definitely more serious with gigs etc.My goal is to stay motivated and pump as much qualitymusic as possible.COOPS: In the year or so before i first got on a stage i wasbecoming really fed up with bullshit I'd hear on the radioand see on tv. The same playlists and over-exposure of certainartists on commercial radio gave me the shits, so instead of justbeing pissed off about it I thought I'd put my 2 cents in andtry to put a voice out there for people that believe in what Ibelieve in, which could range from anything from day to day lifeto politics, the industry to, whatever. The same goes for today.FAVOURITE GIG?BIOTIC: Fresh Till Def and Nurcha, but I love and rememberall the open mics. The first Source club on Ann St wasmy first taste of live rappin on the open mic in 03 – And winningthe Babbleon battles on Australia Day.COOPS:: Fresh Till Def. The whole night had a great vibe andthere was heaps of VC heads in attendance. real editor best profile tools real editor best profile tools
GROUP HIGHLIGHT:BIOTIC: Uber gig was sick, and Fresh Till Def but the QldRollerblading Titles at Morayfield was fuckin inreal whenEl Sammo and Milne ripped it up doing stunts on theirmotos during out set – Cheers boys, mad shit!
COOPS: Doing a set to open up for Muph N Plutonic at theGold Coast was pretty mad. But pretty much every timewe get up on stage and perform in front of people readyto have a good time, that's a highlight for me.FOR THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW VISIT WWW.VCLOTHING.COM
