With his new album 'Shadow And Shinings' slated for release next month (10 September), Aussie hip hop OG Drapht has dropped another taste of the record in the form of hard-hitting rage anthem 'Problem Here'.
Drapht will also embark on an eight-date national tour next month that will visit Margaret River, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Geelong, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Gold Coast."You can expect your old mate, backed by a high energy, six-piece live band of friends, and we'll be playing 15 years worth of bangers," enthuses Drapht.
Featuring fellow Perth artists, rapper Complete and hip hop punk Eli Greeneyes (who also produced the track), 'Problem Here' finds all three venting about every-day situations. "It was the last song written for my album," Drapht says.
"I had just bought my dream house in the hills of Perth, and the week I moved all my stuff in – planes started flying over.
"Then I found termites in the roof, snakes in the backyard, and to top it all off I have a toddler at home and I decided to throw a puppy in the mix just for some extra excitement. It was all a tad bit stressful!"
With a hooky melody, nostalgic beats and clever production 'Problem Here' is an instant sing-along; the song's music video, which is equally entertaining, was filmed and directed by Complete and Uncool Sam from Drop Shot Media.
"This clip was loads of fun and super easy to make," admits Drapht, "as we just focussed on bringing the lyrics to life within the house where the initial idea came about. Thankfully the termites and snakes weren't living there anymore."
Three years removed from his previous studio album, 'Arabella Street', 'Shadows And Shinings' is a 15-track adventure through the human psyche. "This album to me has been one big purge and a reset for the most part," Drapht says.
"It kind of feels like it's meant to be slotted in just after my 2011 release 'The Life Of Riley'. Some song ideas had been following me around for eight or nine years, with others only being a few months.
"For the most part I owe finishing it to the isolation period in 2020. I had a lot of time to reflect on the identity and the relationships that came with making music.
"I found a lot of peace in letting go, going back to what I knew worked and concentrating on the people who truly matter. . . I worked with a heap of killer guests and friends on this project.
"There's a lot of cathartic venting within the subject matter, but in all, it was the easiest and most enjoyable album I have made to date. I truly believe this is my best stuff."
'Shadows And Shinings' is out 10 September. Pre-order it.
Tickets to the tour are on sale.
Drapht 2021 Tour Dates
Fri 3 Sep - Settlers Tavern (Margaret River)Sat 10 Sep - Jack Rabbit Slims (Perth)
Fri 17 Sep - Fat Controller (Adelaide)
Sat 18 Sep - Night Cat (Melbourne)
Sun 19 Sep - Barwon Club (Geelong)
Fri 24 Sep - Solbar (Sunshine Coast)
Sat 25 Sep - Woolly Mammoth (Brisbane)
Sun 26 Sep - Miami Marketta (Gold Coast)
