​ARCHIE ROACH
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Aboriginal folk musician Archie Roach is a legend. He is a Yorta Yorta man, from Mooroopna.
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His first record, Charcoal Lane, recorded in 1990, won two Aria Awards, a Human Rights Award and went gold in Australia. Throughout his long and successful career he has become a household name and performed with legendary artists such as Leonard Cohen, Rodriguez, Paul Kelly, Bob Dylan, Joan Armatrading and Patti Smith.​
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Interview with Isaac Hogarth, March 28, 2018.
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Q.What can you say about groups such as A.B Original? What do you think they are doing for Indigenous recognition, and in the fight against racism?
A.A.B Original is doing a lot of good work in the fight against racism. They are taking a stand against any racist behaviour, in particular people wearing black face. They are great advocates for human rights, in particular those of the First Nations community.
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Q.Since you began on the music scene how has Aboriginal music evolved and changed through the years?
A.There are more First Nations artists now than there was when I first started and there’s more variety of artists, not just protest singers. There are singers that are singing about life, still reflecting on who they are and their culture, especially the younger ones, like Baker Boy who is doing great work with hip hop, introducing Yolgnu language into hip hop which is a first.
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Q.Do you like Rap?
A.I like Rap, especially if people have something to say like A.B Original. And it’s not just what they are saying politically it’s what they are doing with young people like when young Samara was racially vilified at a shopping centre for not fitting the Frozen Princess image and the work Adam Briggs and Trials have done through the Archie Roach Foundation with Uncle Jack Charles and myself at Parkville Juvenile Justice Centre with the young offenders.
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Q.After talking to and interviewing rappers, there’s a common theme that their songs either empower themselves, their Indigenous listeners, or both. Why do you think music, and in particular rap, does this?
A.For young people it’s their music. A lot of young people can just get up and freestyle and just rap words to a rhythm and not necessarily have to sing.
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Q.Reading online, there seems to be somewhat of a disparity between the Aboriginal youth and older generations about hip-hop. Hip-hop can be seen as promoting sexism, drugs, violence, and breaking the law, and it is especially perceived like this by the older age demographic. What is your opinion on hip-hop, is it a positive step forward or not?
A.It’s a positive step forward. Gangster rap is nonsense; a lot of it is sexist and involved with drugs. Hip-hop in Australia today is saying more positive stuff.
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Q.Your Song Took the Children Away struck a chord not only within the wider Aboriginal community but also nationally. It got incredible recognition with 2 ARIAS. Rapper Adam Briggs made a sequel of it. How do you feel about rap as a genre being used to talk about this topic? Is it an appropriate continuation of your own song and its message?
A.Yes of course it is. It’s a sequel to my song, Took The Children Away and it’s about the children coming back. It’s about positive role models that our young people can look up to.
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Q.Why do you think music as an art form fosters change in people’s minds and causes conversation, more so than other art forms?
A.Music is so much more accessible than other art forms. Listening to the song has a lot to do with the melody and the lyrics and rap has lots to do with both.
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Q.How do you see hip-hop affecting ignorant and stereotypical opinions amongst non-Indigenous Australia?
A.A.B Original’s song Reclaim went viral. Non-indigenous Australians embraced the song because they were also ready for change. There will be some people that never change their negative and stereotypical thinking but rap music affects younger people who are looking for someone better and different and who want a more united Australia.
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Q.What has music in general done for you, as an Aboriginal man? Has it empowered you, strengthened a sense of pride.
A.Music has certainly empowered me. I have always been proud. Music has saved me and keeps me going.
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Q.Do you believe contemporary Indigenous music, such as rap, is its own genre? For example, if a rapper is Indigenous, is his genre then ‘Indigenous Rap’?
A. I believe that rap is a genre but not that Indigenous rap is a separate genre. Rap is a genre and some First Nation artists perform rap.
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