Pez is a noted figure from Melbourne’s hip hop underground, and those in the know will already be familiar with his fine work on the mic as part of Forthwrite with fellow wordsmith 360. But now it’s time for this MC to strike out on his own: Pez has just dropped his debut LP A Mind of My Own, which includes the anthemic Festival Song that’s already getting a hammering nationally on Triple J.

It’s already looking like A Mind of My Own will be making a massive impact even in the face of stiff local competition from newcomers like Horrorshow and Spit Syndicate, as well as veterans like Bliss N Eso, Muph & Plutonic and The Herd. Aussie hip hop is a happening thing in 2008, and it looks like Pez won’t have any trouble staking out some turf of his own. ITM grabs him for a few words on his way up.

First off, for those who your name may be new too, how did you get into hip hop and progress to wanting to become an MC?

Well as ridiculous as it sounds, I actually got into hip hop at about age 15 or 16 when I flicked onto an episode of NYPD Blue on TV! It was right at the end of the episode and they had a rapper performing a song live which I just fell in love with instantly. I kept watching the credits and it said “special thanks to The Notorious B.I.G”, so I went on the computer and found everything that I possibly could on him, then bought his albums that week. He’s been my favourite rapper ever since and was the biggest influence as far as making me want to rap myself. I love some 2pac, Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas and DMX as well but Biggie was definitely the one who got me into hip hop… That then progressed onto me wanting to become an MC myself at about age 18 or 19 when I injured my knee and couldn’t play basketball anymore (which was my original dream) and needed something else to put my put my energy into. It turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me and I’m forever grateful that it did!

You were best known prior to the release of your LP as one half of ForthWrite with 360, how did you and him form the group? Will there be any ForthWrite projects released in the future now you both have solo albums out?

I met Sixty when I was about 17 and moved teams to Ringwood for basketball. He was in the team under me because he was younger, but we got to know each other because of our shared interest in hip hop. Then over the next two years, my knee started playing up and he had an eye operation which stopped him from playing all together, so we started focusing on music instead. I didn’t know anyone else who rapped, so it gave me someone to develop with and once Sixty heard my music he wanted to go in a different direction to what he was doing with Unkut, so it made sense for both of us… We’re working on an album now, so I think you’ll see something out around mid next year if everything goes well!

Did you ever feel kind of trapped in the shadow of 360? There always seemed to be a lot of hype around him due to his battling, signing to Unkut etc, was there ever a worry you would become just a sidekick as an artist and did that make you work harder to succeed?

I wouldn’t say trapped in his shadow but there were certainly some people within the ‘scene’ who didn’t really pay me much attention. It was never a worry though, because I always knew people from outside the scene who liked my music and not other hip-hop, so that helped me keep perspective on what I was trying to do. I wasn’t trying to make a standard hip hop album to please ‘scene’ people, because I don’t only listen to hip hop. I listen to lots of other music too, which I wanted to come through in the music I made. Also, I was working on music with Matik before I met Sixty, so he was always there in the background to remind me of our goal and keep me on track, because he shared exactly the same vision as me. A lot of the ForthWrite stuff was kind of experimenting and having fun, which was great coz it helped bring me out of my shell a bit, but I always knew I had a lot more to me, which people hadn’t seen yet and when they did, they would see what I’m really capable of.

How do you feel about the end product you have now released? Are you happy with the product and is it an accurate representation of you as an artist and person?

I feel really happy with the final product that I’ve released. It took a while to get to that point! Haha. But I’m finally there. It feels like a pretty perfect representation of me at this point and everything leading up to it, which is all I ever wanted for that first step. I wanted it to feel like it encapsulated that period of my life and I think that’s what we did.

Through your connections with the label and in general the wider hip hop community you would have had access to a wide array of producers, why the decision to work purely with Matik? Was it seeking cohesiveness of sound or were you just that impressed with his talent?

I think it was the cohesiveness of the sound and his talent! Matik has a sound which is so original and like a trademark, so if I try to put other producers’ beats next to it, they just seem out of place and not up to the same level… Plus it just felt like it was meant to happen, I mean we went to school together and didn’t really know each other, but after we left, I heard word that he was making beats and he heard that I was rapping, so it all just sort of fell into place.

Your tune ‘The Festival Song’, could you have timed it any better in terms of release date for maximum radio exposure? It looks like you have a hit on your hands that you are going to be performing live for a long time, is this a good or a bad thing? Also how do you remember the details of what happens at a festival to piece together the song?

Yeah I know! I didn’t really think about it as I was making the album because I was having a hard time just finding someone to put it out at all! But as it kept getting pushed back further and further in the year, it turned out to be perfect for the single and a blessing in disguise… I think it’s a good thing no matter how you look at it. Because being on an independent label with a small budget, if I didn’t get radio play, I’d have a tough time getting anyone to even know I exist! So yeah, it’s really lucky that it turned out that way and people have taken to it… We went to New Year’s festivals two years in a row. So with all of the great memories, it made it very easy to recreate it.

You have a heavy use of multi-syllable rhymes, yet they are all saying something, do you think too many artists are technical for the sake of being technical and was it important to you to avoid that?

Yeah definitely, most rappers just fall into the same boat with their style and I can’t stand it. With me, I wanted to make sure that I mixed it up a lot and listened to how the beat made me want to rap, rather than just have a set delivery that I use on every song, like a lot of other rappers do. That should be the whole point of the beat, to make you adjust and tell your story in a different way, with different flows, otherwise what’s the point? It just gets boring.

There is a fair array of subject matter covered on the album from conspiracy theories to tributes to your mum, do you think fans will be surprised at the depth you offer? Was it important to you to show versatility and depth to avoid being pigeonholed as a singular style of artist?

It was definitely important to me because I have all of those sides to me. I’m not just always funny or always sad. I’ve felt a lot of different ways at different times and been through a lot of different emotions in different situations in my life, so I wanted to express those things for my own wellbeing and also just to mix it up creatively. I’m sure some ForthWrite fans will be surprised but that’s cool, this is me.

In a year that has seen debuts from the likes of Horrorshow, Spit Syndicate, Mind Over Matter, 360 and yourself, what makes your release stand out from the pack as a must purchase?

I think it’s something new. It has an original sound and is trying to push the envelope a bit as far as flow and subject matter goes. Plus, I think it’s suitable for general lovers of music, not just hip-hop heads.

When you look at the hip-hop scene do you see it as a viable career path? Are you at the stage where you are looking to become a full time musician or would you prefer not to have that pressure to produce?

I think it’s definitely a viable career path if you can get to the top, which is what I’m setting out to do. I feel like I would never be happy just working a job, so there’s not really any other option for me, this is what I want to do with my life for sure. I’d love the pressure to produce because that’s what I’ll be doing anyway and it would mean people actually care enough for there to be pressure for the next release!

Pez’s A Mind of My Own is out now through Soulmate Records.