The Dirtbox Kings recently took the time to answer 10 questions with Skae. Skae caught up with Loko 1 and Banga from the crew to find out what their influences are and what they have coming up.
1. Let?s start by getting to know the Dirtbox Kings and who they are. Can you tell me, who is in the crew, what they do and the crews style.Loko 1: Smokin Jodes and Jimmy the Hand turn the tables while Banga, Dave, Monk and Loko move the crowd. Jodes, Jimmy, Banga and Loko dig the crates and loop the breaks.
Banga: Our style? Straight up preposterous. Redonkulous, even. Not old school, not new school but break fool and pull on the get busy tools type stuff. Does that make sense? No? Good.
2. Who has been the major influences on the Dirtbox Kings from both yesterday and today?Loko 1: Influences are too many to name? From obscure funky albums to the who?s who of hip hop golden era legends, from B-grade and porno movie stars to leftwing revolutionaries... They all play a part. But, ultimately in a crew like ours inspiration comes from within. Every time a crew member makes a dope beat, drops a fresh cut or kicks a killer verse, the others go back to the lab and try and out do them. Friendly brotherly competition fuels our flames.
Banga: Public Enemy, Ice T, Geto Boys, Juice Crew, Native Tongues, Parliament Funkadelic, Sly & The Family Stone, James Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Max Roach, Daly Wilson, Galapagos Duck,
3. Many of the members of Dirtbox Kings have been in a few crews over the years making hip hop. So how you guys all come together to form the Dirtbox Kings.Loko 1: It was a casual and organic meeting of the minds. We met, we drank, we smoked, we talked hip hop and ended up hanging out. We had too many beats, rhymes and cuts in our collective creative banks to not do something together. All of us have been around long enough to know when something feels right so we took it from there.
Banga: A handful of songs became an album, which then became a lifestyle choice.
4.Dirtbox Kings seem to be hitting the live scene hard at the moment. What can we expect from a Dirtbox Kings live show?Loko 1: Lots of funky break laced tracks, plenty of turntable action and 4 hype MCs who attack the stage like it owes them money. Up tempo and down to earth, raw sounds delivered in a professional package.
Banga: The DJ's getting as much props as the MC's. Also, even though we got them Dirtbox Kings joints on us, we don?t really like to do the whole ?Hey, be sure to grab a CD? thing. Capitalism be running the rapitalism sometimes.
5. If you could support any artist in the world on a world tour, who would it be and why?Loko 1: Cold Crush Brothers.... Cause the shit they done 25-30 years ago sounds better than half the shit done since, and everyone has stolen from them, so it would be good to get close to the source of it all.
Banga: Daly Wilson Big Band, but in the 70?s when they were sponsored by a cigarette company. That looked as enjoyable as it was corrupt, perfect for a crew like us.
6. The 'hip hop scene' in Sydney has changed over the past years. What do you see as the major changes and are they positive?Loko 1: It?s from the bedrooms and backyards to the backstreets and community centres to the internet and mainstream airwaves. People can now have a career in hip hop whereas back when we began you never imagined that. At the same time, the community of the local scene is the same, just a bigger family and a lot more work for those that want to chase the dollars, a lot more outlet for those who want to be heard and a lot more people to compete with. It?s what people in the 80s and 90s worked to create.
Banga: The lack of places to play gigs at is pretty disturbing, but I think that's the case for all genres. There?s really no regular nights showcasing local hip hop, which is a shame. On the plus side, a couple of new record stores re-opening in new locations should provide a bit of infrastructure. That?s right. Infrastructure in this motherfucker.
7. What can we expect next from the Dirtbox Kings? Are you guys working on a new album?Loko 1: We already got a bunch of tracks recorded. The first CD was us testing the water, this next one we're doing bombs in the pool!
Banga: It should be available in a digital format probably early next year. We always got new stuff ready to go. We?re not real good at the marketing/business side of things, but making beats seems to go alright. In fact, we suck at the business side.
8. Your at the pub and need a feed. What is your counter meal of choice?Loko 1: Wack MC?s.
Banga: My food money has unfortunately been squandered on new old records. Got some dope ones, though.
9. Do you guys call your girlfriends Dirtbox Queens?Loko 1: Only when we want to get let out to go play in the lab...
Banga: Monk calls his many girls that cause he can't remember they real names. No shots fired.
10. Lastly, thank you for taking the time for this interview. Would like to give some shout outs to those who have helped you along your way.Loko 1: Shouts anyone who bought our LP, attended our shows or supported our stuff. Also, big ups to R Type, Robbie Randle, Sean Carter, Mr Clean, Sereck and BE, Lui, Chemical Imbalance, Redbak, Look Up and PK Crew.
Banga: Big props to DJ Skae and Sub C records for putting us on, too.
Skae