INTERVIEW: GUMBO Music Are Here To Shake Up Australian Hip-Hop
GUMBO Music. Photo by Kai Godeck.
If you ask American-born, Australian-based hip-hop duo GUMBO Music, hip-hop in Australia’s too friendly. The pair have just released their debut EP, This Is GUMBO, and it’s proof that when two powerhouses come together, they can inspire each other to even bigger heights.
The tape is full of hard-hitting bars, challenges to other rappers, and beats that’ll have you bobbing your head. It’s no surprise, therefore, that the pair are just as charismatic and boisterous when being interviewed. They’re not afraid of calling out those around them - after all, they treat rapping like a competition, and they’re aiming for nothing less but first prize.
I spoke to Nate Wade and Kev Hannibal, the two members of GUMBO Music, all about the tape. I also asked them about how the Australian hip-hop scene compares to America, and what needs to happen to reach those heights. You might get hungry for Gumbo after reading this interview, and while their music can’t cook for you, it’ll get the heat going - that’s a guarantee.
Ben Madden: Firstly, can you introduce yourselves and your music?
NATE WADE: Nate Wade and if it's Hip-Hop you're looking for, you came to the right place.
KEV HANNIBAL: My name is Kev Hannibal and my music, if I had to put it in words, is Hip-Hop Soul. I tell real stories with my music that are so vivid you can close your eyes and see everything I’m saying.
You’ve both made music solo – what drew you towards deciding to start a collaborative project?
NATE: Half the budget, no cap [laughs]. It's healthy for us, steel sharpens steel. Competition keeps us on our toes.
KEV: I always wanted to do a group project to see how it would come out, but before COVID I was doing a lot of acting and music at the same time as working a full time job and raising my daughter. I didn't have time to sit down with anyone and get in the studio. I worked around my time. When COVID hit, everything stopped for me and Nate and I started to talk about doing some music. We got in the studio and it was organic, and it turned into what we have now.
This Is GUMBO is set to be an introduction to your dynamic as a duo – what do you think will surprise people about the EP?
NATE: How the beats and songs are rocking from start to end. It's like real gumbo -- a little touch of everything with secret ingredients
KEV: The EP has so many different feels, but the main thing is we are really rapping. We’re taking it back to the essence. The sound of Hip-Hop and rap is nothing like what we’re doing right now. We’re giving people the feeling that’s missing from the genre.
I want to know a bit about the recording process – was it easier or harder having a second opinion to bounce ideas off for the music, and did it change how you both approached making music?
NATE: It actually made the process faster. We got the concept, put our verses together, and it was easier because you wanted to deliver as strong a verse as each other. That gave us the ability to do the back and forth rhymes so effortlessly.
KEV: The process wasn't hard at all; it was a lot easier to be honest. I was doing half the work. Some songs Nate would have hooks and beats already, and just needed a verse from me. That was amazing. I'm used to doing two to three verses, picking the beat, making the chorus and concept.
How do you think your strengths play off each other, and do you think your music made together is better than your solo music?
NATE: Our strengths compliment each other, so if you hate my verse you could love Kev's, or vice versa, or hopefully love them both. Music made together or our solo projects: everything is fire, you can add them all to your playlists!
KEV: My strength is I come serious and straight at you with my lyrics, while Nate comes in with a witty, passive aggressive funny style. I think it's better [than solo] because we’re catering to different but similar audiences. Our styles are different but the essence, the core, is real Hip-Hop. I'm bringing that 90s to 2000s NYC Hip-Hop, and Nate’s bringing the southern roots Hip-Hop feel from the same era that's missing.
You both have moved to Australia from overseas – what was your initial perception of hip-hop culture in Australia, and do you think it’s changed since you first moved here?
NATE: It's changed tremendously.The music industry is still somewhat in denial regarding how mainstream the music is, and how it is molding a generation of artists making noise that the labels wish they could make for them. I hope our peers all get the opportunity to blow up around the world and make a living from their music.
KEV: When I first moved here, it was very low-key. I think I could name about 11 rappers making noise? It was almost impossible to book shows in venues as a rapper without a band. Nowadays, everybody is a rapper or artist. It's grown like wildfire.
Do you think hip-hop in Australia is approached in the same way it is in the US, or are there things people are doing differently that’s holding the growth of hip-hop in Australia back?
NATE: They’re two totally different worlds, so I don't think you can apply the same approach to them. Music publicity is a powerful machine in the U.S., Australia doesn't have anything close to that. People are doing great at growing the culture here -- music, rapping, DJing, art, graffiti, fashion, trends, etc -- but ultimately it comes down to numbers. All of Australia is equal to Texas, in terms of population. That's just one state in the U.S. obviously. But with the blessing of streaming and socials, artists can now tap in with fans all over the world. I'd say don't subject yourself to one region; the world's ears love good music, and Hip-Hop is leading all lanes.
KEV: It's starting to be approached in the same way now that artists are making noise from here. I'm watching a huge shift going on right now; I can't even explain it. It’s growing so I can't say it’s being held back. There are still a lot of people trying to be someone they’re not, but that will show over time in the music and in the person.
Do you see rap as a competition, and if so, do you have any words for the other Australian rappers who might think they’re the best in Aus?
NATE: It's definitely a competition all the time -- friendly or unfriendly. The best? [laughs] That's cute. Ain't no best because there ain't enough success, and that's a fact.
KEV: Hip-Hop is a competitive sport no matter how you lay it out. I don't know about other artists, but I feel I have no competitor but myself. I have to challenge myself to get better with each verse and project. That's all I care about.
READ MORE: Thursday Sessions - 3rd of December
Finally, what are your next few steps, both personally and music-wise?
NATE: Shit, I'm ‘bout to smoke this blunt after answering all these questions, that's a fact. On the music tip, get ready to premiere our EP on December 4th, This Is GUMBO.
KEV: My next step is more acting, more music, and a play based on the series of solo EPs I created.
You can follow GUMBO Music on Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here.