Have a break, grab a sandwich and spend some time with Melbourne rapper Eloquor as he discusses his fourth studio album, ‘Lunch’.
Written mostly during many lunch breaks at his day job, ‘Lunch’ is the follow-up to Eloquor’s 2015 album ‘The Don’ and celebrates his tenth year in hip hop.
With three singles already released, the record has garnered both praise and criticism for its brash and often unforgiving treatment of the issues it covers, starting with lead single ‘Working Class’ in which Eloquor vents about the trials of everyday battlers.
“I had some people hit me up and actually give me a lot of hate for that track,” he says. “That I’m a dickhead for being jealous and that I need to reflect on my thoughts and the stuff I’m saying.
“Even with my ['Lunch'] album cover I got quite a bit of negative feedback on that as well. The actual album cover, I’m standing on top of a woman. I guess maybe I need to be a bit more careful with what I say and what I put out there but fuck it. I just do what I want.”
That ‘I do what I want’ attitude has served Eloquor well in his career, establishing him as a fierce lyricist and fiery live performer. Yet at the turning of his first decade in the hip hop game, Eloquor says he’s come to realise life’s not all about him, a humbling notion he raps about on the single, ‘Not About You’.
“It’s the opposite of a bragging rapper,” he explains. “So much rap is ‘I’m awesome, I’m the shit, I’m the boss, I’m the king’, and that’s cool. I think people relate to that because they want escapism and to feel like they’re that sick c#nt that doesn’t give a fuck.
“So I went the opposite [way] and spoke about how I’m not that important and not that big a deal and neither are you. We’re all just a drop in the same ocean and I guess growing up in the past I used to think I was pretty special, but as I got older I realised that I’m actually no better than anyone else or no worse. I’m just another person and I guess that’s what that song reflects.”
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Despite the hard-hitting and unapologetic verses of the first two singles, on third single ‘Chat’ Eloquor divulges a deeply personal part of his life, opening up about his work with at-risk youth.
“The video clip for ‘Chat’, I’ve got ex-students of mine and the clip has one ex-student I wrote the whole first verse about,” he explains.
“So the first verse was me thinking about him and he’s on the video, which I’m really happy with, and he’s turned his life around so it’s really special to have him on there. All the kids [featured on the clip] are kids I’ve worked with as a teacher or as a youth worker and they’re all kids who have come good.”
However, for each success story Eloquor has been a part of the sad reality of his day job comes part and parcel with its own share of tragedy and grief. The underlying message of ‘Chat’ speaks to the importance of reaching out for help as well as being there for someone who needs it.
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“I went to a couple funerals for students last year and the year before because of suicides and ODs, so it’s all pretty real,” Eloquor says. “A lot fall through the gaps and sometimes maybe all you have to do is give them five minutes, have a chat and have a coffee and catch up, or just let them know that option is out there.
“There’s always someone out there you can have a talk to if you need it and it’s not that bad, there are options. It’s a bit of a hope. I wanted to give them a bit of hope. If a kid’s feeling super shit-house, just [give them] a bit of hope that they can always call someone.”
Though the album was released in March, live shows are yet to be announced for ‘Lunch’. Eloquor says he is keen to get the new songs out on the road for a live tour, but will only be performing locally for the time being. “I want to do a launch I just haven’t planned one,” he says with a laugh.
“I’ll probably do a launch at Revolver; I’ve done nearly every launch there. I just haven’t planned it yet. I’m supporting a mate of mine soon at one of his shows and I’m doing a few little shows around Melbourne, but I’ll have to [plan] the big launch.”
‘Lunch’ is out now.
