Following a string of popular releases, Perth hip hop act Tobias has continued an impressive year to date with his latest single, Orange and Teal. It’s another level up for Tobias, who has paired his animated and electrifying delivery with upscaled production and the slick vocal melodies of fellow local rapper Cloud Dstrct on a featured verse. BRAYDEN EDWARDS spoke to Tobias to find out why this track is just a sign of more big things to come for the 22 year old and his crew.
Congrats on the release of your new single Orange and Teal. How do you feel this new track is different from what you have released before?
Thanks! I feel over the last year or so my production’s levelled up a tonne. I spent so many hours during the lockdown watching KennyBeats’ twitch stream which had so much knowledge to gain from and have been applying it all to the new music which to me sounds like more realised versions of previous music I was making!
For those that haven’t listened to your music before, what artists do you feel have been most important in shaping your style? It feels as though your sound stretches beyond just hip-hop…
Michael Jackson has always been number one for me. I’ve always tried to emulate the way he performs and the versatility he had. I’m also a massive fan of Childish Gambino for similar reasons, he so effortlessly glides between genres but still keeps it very Gambino which I admire a lot.
And what about locally, who has helped you bring these songs to life, either in the writing process or in the studio?
Sheldon Yeoman (FKA Tyler Rivers), my recording engineer, has definitely played a major part in all of my recent and upcoming releases. He and I have developed a really good process that works well for me and always pushes me to try new things and make every song as rad as it can be.
It seems there a lot of young Aussie hip hop acts coming through at the moment that are really changing things up in the scene. Who do you feel is leading the way in Aussie hip hop these days and are there any names we might not be familiar with we should look out for?
I mean it goes without saying that YourBoyMars is on the brink of something huge, he has the look, the sound and is just genuinely such a nice guy and I don’t see things slowing down for him at all. I also have to shout out my brothers Cloud Dstrct and Dinje. We’ve all been making music together for time now but something in the air tells me that there are some big plans ahead for all three of us.
What’s next for you for the rest of the year and beyond? Any live shows or more new music in the pipeline to look forward to?
Oh yeah! So my third mixtape I Never Wanted To Get My License (Side A) comes out on the 22nd of October and so the week before on the 16th we’re doing the launch at The Bird where you’ll get to hear all the songs, and skits, live for the first time! I’ve been working on the project for the last year or so and it has a little something for everyone on it so I’m super keen to see everyone going hard at the launch.
