Born Fresh is a Brisbane-based collective of hip hop heads who’ve gathered props around the world across the spectrum of DJing, MCing, production, beatboxing and b-boying.
Joe Ave – from The Winnie Coopers and Eloquence and Truths – is one of the group’s MCs. Ahead of their support of Ghostface Killah next month, he sat down for a cuppa and the following Q&A.
Can you tell us about the Born Fresh show you have been planning to unveil at the Ghostface Killah Brisbane show in December? You’ll have five on the mic, another ten on the beats, right?
Yeah, we are pretty excited about it. We are a massive crew, and even getting most of us in one spot is an event, let alone on one stage. We've put together a show that showcases everyone's individual talents, but also demonstrates how close knit we are as a whole.
With Tom Thum pre-recording his parts, will that dilute the live show at all?
Of course it would be better to have him there, but we've been pretty creative about the way we've included him. The heads will be impressed.
Playing to a home crowd must be pretty special... though does it add pressure to have friends/ loved ones in the crowd?
Honestly, I think it's just going to feel like rocking in someone's shed or something. Between the lot of us we will probably know everyone in the crowd.
Getting to support a name like Ghostface Killah... what does that mean personally?
Ghost stands out to me as one of the most consistent artists not only in Wu-Tang but in hip hop in general. He is a massive influence on me personally, but as a crew we definitely want to put in our very best performance to show due respect.
The list of acts the Born Fresh crew have supported is impressive... is there one that stands out?
I gotta flag that this is our first show as a full crew, but for me personally supporting De La Soul was pretty landmark. The first hip hop tape I ever copped was ‘3 Feet High And Rising’. Plus I got the homie Rolando's ‘De La Dunks’ signed by the whole crew that night.
The Born Fresh family is quite extensive... do you each follow each other’s individual fortunes/ careers?
Absolutely man, when someone has a launch or something we all get behind it. We are a family for real.
Brisbane hip hop right now... how is Boomtown travelling with the next gen stocks?
I AM D is definitely shining the brightest from within our crew at the moment; Tailor Made and Astro Travelers are some other relatively newcomers that I think are about to start making some serious noise. Brisbane has never had a lack of talent, but our exposure seems to be up and down over the last decade or so.
The Australian hip hop sound... it has morphed and developed (with some growing pains) over the last 10-15 years... do you see enough niche scenes to support a number of different sounds that can be termed Australian hip hop?
Yeah I reckon so. The cool thing about hip hop is it is open to different interpretations and forms. As long as it is dope and authentic people will get behind it.
You'll be playing at the Woolly Mammoth for the Ghostface show... as local hip hop heads you'll know it has been difficult to keep venues hip hop friendly... two things: any words for the punters attending the show? And as artists, it must be grand to have a new venue you can play in your home town?
Firstly, keep your tags and beef in the street. No one is going to give you props in this town if you get a tag in the dunnies or throw hands on the dancefloor. There is a time and place for that shit, and it's not at a show. Secondly, it's crazy the work they've put it in at The Woolly Mammoth. The guys behind that venue have already done so much for the local music and arts scene, and the fact that they keep pushing to improve the venues in Brisbane is nuts. All of Brisbane should be grateful and get behind them.
Do you guys have a pre-show routine you stick to?
Lots of thug hugs and guided meditation followed by some vocal warm-ups. Nah, just talking shit over dinner or something, we're not a cult. Yet.
You can sing a verse with any MC – past, present, alive, dead – who is it and why?
Nas and Remi on a Dilla beat. For me hip hop is all about feel and authenticity, and those three epitomise those two things for mine.
2015 for the Born Fresh family; what's in the works?
Hopefully a few more full-crew shows; we are in talks about some crazy ones at present. Then more releases and shows from individuals than there has been in the past four years. We are kicking things up a notch again. We've also started working on a crew EP, which should be ready early next year – it's sounding nuts already.
Born Fresh support Ghostface Killah at the Woolly Mammoth on Friday 12th December. The Born Fresh Collective have also been added to The Big Chill NYE line-up at the Boundary Street Markets.
