The Hip-Hop scene is as diverse as it is large. There are dozens of sub-cultures within the genre ranging from “backpack” or nerd rap, to “horrorcore” with stops everywhere in between. Ugly Duckling sit at my favorite stop along the way making what I would call straight party Hip-Hop. No tales of being shot or shooting, Cristal and Bentley’s or anything for that matter relatively serious. They make tracks about dance styles and good times. And it’s this exact style that has forged the bond between the Australian Scene and this group. Duckling hits our shores mid July with an entire album full of new material to blow up stages with. MC Andy from the crew took some time in between visa applications to have a word with me.
Ugly Duckling is a famous Aesop fable, why did you decide on this moniker for the group?
When we first set out as a band in 1993, we really felt like we didn’t belong. We grew up in long beach, California and the main music was, and still is, gangster rap. We were surrounded by Dogg Pound wanna-be’s and small-time thugs and we were feeling a little out of it. Dizzy dreamed up the name and we thought it was good because that way we could show people that we were unashamed to be different. Also, we’re not the most handsome bunch of guys you ever met.
Have the three of you competed in the battle circuits of your chosen elements?
All three of us have been deeply involved with hip-hop culture for about 20 years. Diz and I started rapping when we were in grade school and Einstein has been record-digging since the late-80’s. Long Beach is a very racially diverse town so we were all able to soak up urban, black music. We were very lucky to come up during the early years because we were exposed to the fundamentals of the music. We still try to use that experience in everything we do.
What equipment do you use from the ground up in creating your albums?
We’re pretty simple actually. Most of our equipment is wax. We sample with an akai m.p.c. 3000 which begins the process. After we have the elements that we need, we record the music, vocals and scratches on to 2-inch analog tape. Most of the production time goes into buying and listening to thousands of records to find the best stuff. We also take a lot of time trying to come up with interesting lyrics.
Out of those what are you favorite pieces?
Our DJ young Einstein has a bunch of milk-crates full of records that have strictly drum breaks. It’s quite amazing really because good ones are so hard to find. Funky drum loops are the foundation of Ugly Duckling music. Without those, we got nothin’. That’s why Einstein is world renown in the record Collecting community.
The samples you’ve used aren’t exclusively funk/jazz based, what sounds do you look out for when digging?
We are very ecclectic. We love bossa nova, psychedelic rock, children’s music…we’ve even used a high-school marching band record. Drum breaks usually come from early, 70’s rock records so we always have an eye out for those. But the bottom line is that you can make good hip-hop out of almost anything if you know what you’re doing.
The worldwide scene seems to have been recognizing the Australian scene more and more with the latest collaboration from the UK’s Taskforce and Melbourne Mc Pegz. What is your take on the Australian Scene?
It’s obviously growing. When we visited two years ago, the enthusiasm was amazing. I think Australia will be a great place for the future of hip-hop because there’s not that much to complain about down there, and rap generally has too much complaining. We’re scared that Aussies are getting so good because pretty soon they’ll have no use for us.
We have a constant battle over here with the US/Australian accent; does a similar debate occur there with your different ethnicities?
I think that people should never be afraid to be themselves. No one should have to pretend that they have a different accent or that they’re from a different place or social circumstance. I see so many young, white rappers pretending to be angry and tormented and it’s really quite silly. I don’t want to hear about unimpressive, domestic struggles. I just want to see something creative and interesting. Regardless of the accent, mate.
With your second full length album just dropping what can we expect from you as a group in the future?
It’s really all up in the air for us now. We hope that people really like this record but we know that we could be finished at almost any moment. This business is rough. But that being said, as long as we’re operating as ugly duckling, we will do our best to create interesting, good-spirited, funky music.
Are you doing work with other crews?
We usually don’t work with anyone because we like to have our own, signature sound. But, we did just do a song for a b-side with hip-hop legend Grand Puba. He is one of our favorites and we love Brand Nubian so we looked him up and made a special exception. The song came out pretty cool although it’s hard to listen to yourself rapping when you’ve got a legend on the track. I sound so stupid compared to the grand-man.
Anything else you’d like to speak on?
Thank you everyone for your support. Don’t be afraid to taste the secret!
Check out Ugly Duckling on their Australian tour:
July 16th – Canberra, Holy Grail (BUY TICKETS)
July 17th – Perth, The Office
July 18th – Melbourne, Prince (BUY TICKETS)
July 19th – Sydney, Gaelic Club (BUY TICKETS)
July 20th – Byron Bay, Splendour in the Grass (SOLD OUT)
July 20th – Brisbane, The Zoo
July 22nd – Adelaide, Minke Bar
Their new album Taste the Secret is out now!
