Last year, Canadian rapper Madchild was forced to cancel his Australian tour at the last minute due to that dreaded bane of international artists: visa issues.
With those issues sorted, Madchild announced a rescheduled tour in support of his recent album, ‘Silver Tongue Devil’. Joined by Adelaide MC, Mastacraft, Madchild fans can look forward to the rap legend belting out hits both new and old.
First up, what were the visa issues that cancelled your last tour?
Unfortunately my work visa was flagged, so it wasn’t ready in time for me to make the trip. I finally got the approval, but it was too late so we had to reschedule the dates. I hate to disappoint the fans, but the legal red tape made it impossible for me to make the last tour. My paperwork and visa are ready to go for these tour dates in April and I couldn’t be more excited.
With all that behind you, are you looking forward to getting back to Australia?
Australia is one of my favourite places in the world and the fans there are some of the most passionate hip hop fans that go crazy at shows. I shot two music videos the last time I was in Australia: 'The Jackel' and 'Tom Cruise' and they show how beautiful the area and people are.
Who will be joining you on the road for the Australian tour?
I'll be touring with Mastacraft, who is a dope rapper from Adelaide. We did a track for his new record called 'Elephant Man' that came out incredible. Looking forward to seeing him tear it up every night before I hit the stage.
What can fans, both old and new, expect when they come to the shows?
You will get a mix of both old and new tracks, but all the fan favourites that you want to hear. I will also be performing a couple new tracks off my new studio album that is coming out on Battle Axe in 2016.
Will you get much free time when you’re here?
I’ll try and enjoy the beautiful sunshine and sights when I have some downtime, but when I’m there I’ll be recording and shooting more music videos: so I won’t have a lot of time off. For a guy like me, with an addictive personality, as you know, it’s best to be super busy. Like, hectic busy. I own a vape business, I record and tour more than 200 days a year.
Coming from a golden age of hip hop, and having worked with some of the biggest names in the game, what is your opinion on the new and emerging hip hop and rap artists?
I think it’s great. There are so many branches to the tree now. Now we have music for the clubs, turnt up stuff. I can’t deny it: I’m a fan of that kind of music. I really enjoy listening to it. We've got new guys coming up like: A$ton Matthews, Vince Staples, Action Bronson. Kendrick Lamar: who’s one of the biggest rappers in the world. Drake: who IS the biggest rapper in the world. These guys all care about lyrics. They’re spitters. They’re beasts.
So I’m perfectly happy. As long as that continues, I’m happy: and I have no problem with people rapping like they’re in Grade 3 with the turnt up music. As long as other rappers are having just as much success killing it lyrically. I love it! But it’s not what I listen to to get inspired.
Because I make a very different type of music. I think it’s important at this point not to change lanes. I’m known for what I do, and that’s lyrical superiority as well as high-energy, honest music that people can wild out to, people can relate to. I have the most amazing, loyal fanbase, and I think it’s mainly because I’m super, super honest in my music.
What’s the biggest change you’ve experienced in the industry since your career began?
Just the whole shift in the industry from digital to physical. When Swollen Members was starting out the only way to hear a record was to go into a shop and buy it. Now you can hear any artist's full record online weeks before it ever hits stores. Also the way people consume music has changed. People used to buy one record and live with it for months and it would sometimes be two years in between records.
Now fans are asking when you are gonna record a new album two weeks after you release something new. I had fans that were asking for a new record within weeks of 'Silver Tongue Devil' coming out. Fans are constantly bombarded by new music and they have instant access to all of your music at the click of a button on Spotify and other streaming services. You have to be constantly on the grind touring and releasing new music to keep people's attention.
Do you have a message for your Aussie fans before you get here?
Thank you for all the support and I can’t wait to see everyone at the shows there in April.
Madchild Tour Dates
Thu 28 Apr - The Small Ballroom (Newcastle)Fri 29 Apr - UTS Underground (Sydney)
Sat 30 Apr - Fowler's Live (Adelaide)
Wed 4 May - The Triffid (Brisbane)
Fri 6 May - Amplifier Capitol (Perth)
Sat 7 May - Warehouse 4 (Melbourne)
