​BIRDZ
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Nathan Bird (Birdz) comes from Katherine, Northern Territory. He is a Badtjala and Juru man.
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Nathan Bird has released two full-length albums, 2013's 'Birdz Eye View', and 2017's 'Train of Thought'.
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Interview by Isaac Hogarth, February 26th, 2018.
Q.What has hip-hop in general done for you, as an Aboriginal man? Has it empowered you, enabled you to spread awareness of issues, etc?
A.It’s definitely empowering. Specifically the element of rap music - it’s always been such a strong method of self-expression for me. I feel fortunate to be able to connect with people through music, I see it as a privilege and something that I’ll always be thankful for.
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Q.In terms of talking about current events, emotions, and hardships that face Indigenous people, why is rap particularly effective?
A.I think it’s because there’s no boundaries or any real rules when it comes to expressing your truth through rap music. We tell it how it is - uncut. I’m forever grateful to pioneers like NWA for that freedom.
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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 this?
A.To be honest, I don’t think that’s always the case in every Aboriginal community. When I first started rapping and really wanting to do something with it - my elders in Brisbane were the first to support and encourage me to keep going. They saw the potential early on and connected with what I was saying because they could relate to the message. Rap might not be their favourite genre of music, but my elders have always shown support and believed it to be a positive step towards self determination. My father was the first to give me constructive criticism - he said if you really want to do this then make sure you’re the best at it. That’s the best advice I’ve ever had. My experience has always been a positive and empowering one.
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Q.Can you tell me a bit about your popular song ‘Ego’? What is it about specifically, what was your goal with it, etc.
A.Ego is speaking to the Australian music industry and mainstream listeners - kind of like the whole put the medicine in the candy type of analogy. Like most of my music it touches on subject matter that’s more than often labelled taboo - Australian history, injustice and the ongoing disenfranchisement of Aboriginal peoples - but the music and flow of it is pretty upbeat and most consider it to be a fun song to listen to. I love performing it. I think I achieved what I set out to with it - people seem to really connect with it and that’s all I can ask for really.
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