It was over a decade ago that a young school student by the name of Remi Kolawole was introduced to a professional hurdler for the Victorian Institute of Sport. N’fa Jones was there on a visit to Kolawole’s school. Rather than get excited by Jones’ successful sports career or his frontman duties with Aussie hip hop group 1200 Techniques, Kolawole was concerned with only one thing.
“They asked [the assembly] if anybody knew who this guy was, so I threw my hand up in the air and I was like, ‘That’s the Tim Tam genie!'” A reference to Jones’ role as the wish-granting genie in a Tim Tam commercial.
“Everybody lost their minds. I still remember N’fa’s face to this day; it was like he was saying ‘All right. You got me, you little grommet’,” says Kolawole.
Fast track to the present day and after an ironic reunion in the studio through producers Sensible J & Dutch, Jones has become both a mentor and a sparring partner to the 2013 Triple J Unearthed Artist of the Year.
“Our relationship now is very similar to the first time that we met,” he explains. “We just take the piss out of each other, even if one of us is pissed off or frustrated we’ll just come in and do a low blow just because it’s funny.
“But then at the same time he’s probably one of my favourite rappers and musicians in this country,” he adds.
Finding his way into hip hop thanks to a college bet, Kolawole is something of a natural talent. His combination of singing, rapping, realistic lyrics as well as his signature party vibes – as found in the hit Sangria from his debut record Regular People Shit – are all great foundations for his next anticipated DIY effort Raw X Infinity.
“This whole new album, including the single Livin’, is basically like a social commentary, except it’s not meant to be negative. It’s just like a real version of everything, not sugar-coated,” he explains.
“At the end of the day we can get whoever we need on the phone and they will work harder,” he adds, regarding his choice to DIY the release.
“You can’t really call the head of a major label and be like ‘Hey man what are you doing tonight?’ because he will just be like ‘Man, I don’t give a fuck about you, Bruno Mars has just played the Super bowl and he’s making us millions of dollars!’”(CD)
Feb 14, Goodgod Small Club, 53-55 Liverpool St, Sydney, $15+bf (18+ only), moshtix.com.au.
