What's better than your favourite rapper going on tour? When they bring another of your favourites with them.
Rapaport has been making waves in the Australian hip hop scene for 15-plus years, with his introspective bars laid over beats inspired by grime, jazz and soul, mixed in with drum breaks that hit and reverb electric lines.
When he decided to tour his new 'Rap Major' album, he wanted someone by his side who inspired him, and his eyes turned to Mr Rhodes.
"I started connecting with Mr. Rhodes when he moved to Sydney during the scholarship, through a mutual friend called Jannah Beth," Rapaport explains.
"We did one gig together at the Gasoline Pony. I'm touring my new album, and when I was looking around at who I was inspired by, I thought Rhodes could be really fun to work with. The vibe works with Rhodes' keyboard player, singers and DJ and my live music, it's a natural fit."
Mr Rhodes is a founding member of Teddy Lewis King, now making soulful, future hip hop with a powerful edge.
With previous support slots alongside Winston Surfshirt, Horrorshow and Illy, Rhodes will have you considering life's deepest thoughts before hitting you with a thumping beat.
"I played a bit of saxophone in Year 4," Rhodes shares on his musical beginnings. "Then I started rapping around 15, and producing at 18, but it's been a lifelong run. It just happened, it wasn't a conscious decision.
"I was suspended from school and hanging out at the youth centre. Mitch, who I still make music with, was in the studio there and he said, 'I'm making a song. Get in there and just do something.' And that's how it started."
"I started playing guitar in Year 8," adds Rapaport. "Then started rapping around Year 10. I started playing in bands around the end of high school.
"Hendrix and Led Zeppelin were the first things that really got me on guitar, and in Year 9, I started my inroads to my hip hop journey with Rage Against The Machine and Beastie Boys."
"Mine was T-Pain, I love T-Pain," Rhodes shares his influences. "Once I started doing music and studying it, I discovered Mos Def and Kanye and Drake. I had so many random mixtapes lying around. There's a world of influence."
By creating a hip hop fusion for their shows, Rapaport and Mr Rhodes outline the sizzling buffet of music that is on offer.
"Both of us have a real clear and individual approach to making hip hop and connecting with the crowd in terms of musicality," Rapaport states.
"The crowd can expect a welcoming connection and community through hip hop. It's 'souly' too. Rhodes' beats are big and pumping, and mine are jazzy with a rock, grunge edge."
"I think our diversity connects us as well," Rhodes adds. "We both have hip hop as the basis, then I skew a little electronic and Rapaport more jazz. The grounding is hip hop, that's what we love and the place we all gel."
When they were coming up, both rappers fought hard to find their places and build a community.
They discuss how younger generations can follow an easier path to a creative empowerment.
"My day job is running the First Nations music programme at Northern Rivers Conservatorium in Lismore," Rhodes shares.
"I think there's a line of access to spaces and equipment, but regionally, there's not a lot of community access to creative spaces.
"Things like those are gonna enable kids, and shoutout to Lauren from triple j Unearthed who put out a resource about modernising the Australian music curriculum.
"For First Nations kids, it's about being able to see [blak] people and hear [blak] people. You're not gonna be able to do the thing unless you see someone that looks like you or sounds like you, or has the same experiences as you."
Rapaport follows on: "Across the board, the access and the support for different aspects of music is important. I'm studying jazz at the Con and we have discussions about the number of attendees who went to private school.
"It's not an equal playing field because of the cost of music lessons, which might be $20,000 over a kid's childhood. Parents in low socio-economic families can't afford that.
"There's not enough access to musical education, but hopefully it's changing with efforts to create opportunities."
The duo leave by sharing their dream collaborations. "The rapper that I'm super inspired by at the moment would be R.A.P. Ferreira, he used to go by the name of Milo. That would be a dream," Rapaport says.
"Prince, full stop," Rhodes emotes. "The track doesn't even have to come out, I just want the experience of being in the studio with Prince."
Rapaport & Mr Rhodes 2026 Tour Dates
Fri 30 Jan - Trocadero Room (Sydney)
Sat 31 Jan - Hamilton Station Hotel (Newcastle)
Fri 6 Feb - Timbre (Lismore)
Sat 7 Feb - Mirrorball Ministries (Brisbane)
Sun 8 Feb - Hotel Brunswick (Northern Rivers)
Fri 20 Feb - The Bird (Perth)
Sat 21 Feb - Settlers Tavern (Margaret River)
