There’s a sort of hip hop renaissance happening in Brisbane, with a fresh generation of MCs and producers raising their voices above the rabble.
Artists at the forefront of their movement; artists like Gallus. Launching himself in 2014, Gallus has made significant headway in the industry since.
In January this year, Gallus dropped his latest single, ‘Lionheart’, which came about as a collaboration with producer Ealing. “When I first wrote the song I wanted to approach it organically instead of trying to emulate what I was listening to at the time, which was a lot of southern hip hop,” Gallus explains.
“I was doing a lot of those songs but it wasn’t fulfilling enough. I got hit up by Ealing, he sent me the beat and I thought it was pretty cool and I could see something with it. So I took the dive.
"We didn’t meet, he sent me the beat and I worked on it and sent it back to him. We did a back and forth for about four or five months until I actually met him.”
Gallus admits ‘Lionheart’ was a gamble for him at this stage of his career, but one that ultimately paid off in terms of showcasing his talents as a performer.
“When I was working on the song and showing it to my close friends they said it was good, but I didn’t know how other people were to receive it. So when I released it and got a massive response, it was pretty cool.
“It still hasn’t sunk in even though it’s been two months. It’s opened up a new door for me creatively speaking; when you take that plunge and it works out well, it’s a sign that you should keep doing that.”
As an Australian hip hop artist representing his local scene, Gallus has drawn criticism for rapping with an American inflection. “People were too, not even critical, but ignorant in a way,” he says.
“Who cares about stuff like accent and everything? Why don’t you just listen to the song instead of being all up in your feelings? People like that just listen to music to make up for lackings [sic] in their own life.”
Gallus is currently working on new material for what he plans on being an EP due for release this year, although he says he’s uncertain of confirming a definite timeline. “To be honest, I’m not too sure myself,” he laughs, “but I am working on a project that’s coming out this year. It’ll be an EP most likely, and there’s a single coming out very soon.”
Having released his debut single ‘Versatile Apathetic’ in 2015, and with the early success of ‘Lionheart’, Gallus is well-positioned to take the scene by storm.
This month he takes the stage alongside Midas Gold, Rari and Z Lewis at New Globe Theatre in Brisbane for the ‘Crooklyn’ show. “I feel like I always knew that I could make music,” he says.
“I never had a problem with that, but I think it was just about learning what to make or how to make it. It’s weird to describe. I released ‘Versatile Apathetic’ in 2015 and it did well and after that I released a couple of EDM songs that I rapped over, not quite covers. They did really well, so I said to myself that I’ve got it, but I want to work on it.
"So I’m getting out what I want the world to hear; real music, I want it to be authentic.”
Gallus performs at New Globe Theatre (Brisbane) 18 March.
