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Killaqueenz
Launch Of The Sistarhood
"Even though there are a lot of females missing from the hip-hop industry, or they’re not represented in as many ways... Like, we see them represented in the videos but they’re not represented in the forefront. So, for us, we just do what we do, how we do it – whether we’re chicks or not. We’ve just got to do it to the best of our ability. Not just do it as good as the guys, but do it just as tough as them and there’s no excuse." Killaqueenz
Confession: There are few Australian albums that I've been
anticipating, the way I've been anticipating this debut effort from the
KillaQueenz, SistarHood. As a radio presenter for a women’s
arts programme, I get particularly excited when I’m able to witness
first-hand the kind of talent, high-energy and genuine class that these
ladies possess in abundance. I recently caught up with the KillaQueenz
duo, Kween G and Belizean Bombshell, while they were briefly in
Melbourne town launching their debut LP.
So, you blend so many different genres into your music – like reggae, dance-hall, electronic and, of course, hip-hop. What are you listening to now, what influences you, musically?
Kween G: Everything. Definitely, Black Milk has been around for a minute. Artists, artists, artists...
Belizean Bombshell: Buff1. There are a lot of artists that influence us, but they don’t necessarily influence our style. You know, with our backgrounds, we try to bring that out as well. To be unique and to portray our own unique style. People go and do the same thing that all hip-hop artists have done. In all hip-hop history, you trace it back, it’s been done. What we’re trying to do is bring out something different, with the Caribbean, with Sweaty Wet, the bass... We want to get people moving. Pump it up! Just feel that vibe, that’s all we’re trying to do. We’re not trying to repeat anything.
KG: It’s also about creating something for everyone. Not just for the hip-hoppers, or the dance-heads, or the house-heads.
BB: It’s universal.
KG: Something for everyone.
Pretty much every one of your tracks is the kind of track you have no choice but to get up and dance to. Do you ever write slow-jams? Would you write slow-jams?
BB: That could be the next album! Definitely we want to push something different each time, because we could always build that other side of us that we haven’t brought out yet, or shown everybody. But right now we just want to keep people moving and happy, because there’s so much bullshit happening. You know what I mean? You’ve got to keep people moving and feel like, ‘KillaQueenz made my day!
You recently went to the States, after you went to Belize, how do you feel Australian hip-hop is being received in the States? How were you received?
KG: It’s very quiet, I think, overseas. Even in Australia it’s struggling. It’s hard for everyone to know Australian artists. We kind of went, “Ok, well if New York is feeling us, then that’s it. We can do this, we’re ready for it.” And when we got there and people looked at us like, ‘Australian rap chicks, what you going to do?’ But, when we supported Smith and Wesson, we managed to get the crowd moving. That was our one shot... For us, to be in that position, we just had to take advantage. That has inspired us to go back. Even when we were in Belize, we promoted the hell out of it. We went on heaps of radio shows and we had these flyers going around, passing them to people about our show. And that place got rammed! Jam-packed! Just the best vibe.”
Tell me about doing a gig in Belize.
BB: Well, being a Belizean girl, I’m just a hype person. I always like to have that fun vibe. Being from Belize, that’s what it is, you know. That carnival, fun vibe and meeting someone who has that same mood and vibe that I have, it’s a blessing. Just being partners and going to Belize and ramping it up and doing what we do best. They loved it and embraced it. They want to hear the album so I’m trying to send it over to them.
You’ve travelled to some amazing places to perform – where are you planning to travel to next?
KG: The closest place that we’re going to travel to in the near future is the Torres Strait Islands, which we’re going to on the 8th and 9th of May. It’s pretty exciting, because it was actually hooked up through this promoter that we’ve been working with. He heard that our album was out and heard, through word-of-mouth, that it was getting a good response. So he asked us if we wanted to go to the Torres Strait Islands – yes! – bang! Definitely for me, as far as Australia’s concerned anyway, I would love to go to more places like the Torres Strait Islands. Parts that are missing out on what we, in the city, get to see. I think that’s very important to grow. To see what’s out there.
I can’t imagine too many artists venture to the Torres Strait – Have you been there before or do you know much about it?
BB: I’m thinking water and beaches, basically another place like Belize – but it’s in Australia.
KG: It’s definitely tropical. The only thing that I know about it is more to do with the history side, as far as Australia is concerned. It’s deep actually, it’s really deep.
What places are on the wish-list of where you want to go?
BB: I want to go to London!
KG: Jamaica.
BB: Japan.
KG: Europe. Africa. Yeah, an African tour. That would be amazing.
Have you performed in Uganda?
KG: No, I haven’t even been back since I came!
BB: She’s been to Belize, but I haven’t been to Uganda with her. So that’s in the plan.
You’ve collaborated with many artists, including artists from the UK?
KG: Just one, Lady Chann.
Lady Chann features on the single, Double Up. Tell us about working with her.
BB: Basically, the way we met Lady Chann was through Mystro, who is also an MC from the UK. He’s tops. So, she came down with Mystro and was doing a couple of gigs at the Bondi Beach Road Hotel, which is in Sydney. We got introduced and we just clicked! That was a chick that we just clicked with. There are not many girls who can feel that same vibe. But we were like, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s go to the studio.’ Because we had this track from the South Rakkas Crew that we couldn’t get a hook for. So, we were trying to battle our minds and come up with something that met up with what everyone wanted. Basically, we just said, ‘Look, can you help us out with this one?’ And she just went in there and then, bang, Double Up was made. It was awesome the way we just met and went into the studio and made a nice track like that, you know.
Ok, now venturing back to when the KillaQueenz began. You were both dancers, and you met at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Were you dancing with the African Essence crew who now dance at your shows?
KG: African Essence is a different crew. They’re our girls. African Essence is like a movement. What we did was totally different. In 2000, I was in my own dance group and she was in her own dance group. We didn’t know each other. So, we met there, because there was a whole bunch of different African dance groups who auditioned to perform at the Olympic opening.
How long was it between meeting up and forming KillaQueenz?
BB: That was basically instant. How did it happen?
KG: We just met randomly. We had seen each other. I used to see Desiree [aka BB], but I didn’t know who she was. I just saw her sitting down once, so I went up and we started talking. That’s how it happened. We started exchanging information about what we liked and we both realised we liked rapping and hip-hop artists, and we liked rapping other people’s songs! [Laughs]
What were some of the songs, in that initial meeting, that you liked to rap?
BB: We were rapping to Tupac, Biggie, Lil' Kim. Back then, Lil Kim was the shit for us! We were rapping to a lot of stuff.
KG: Hardcore stuff.
BB: Yeah.
KG: Bone Thugs N Harmony.
BB: We were just a bit ruthless. We were bad chicks. Until we got serious to the point that we wanted to start writing. I can’t
even remember my first rhyme...
KG: I remember your first rhyme! [Laughs] But we won’t go there.
BB: [laughs] So, we started writing and we got to a point where we wanted someone to listen to it. So we got into the studio and they said that it was hot and it kind of started from there.
How do you find being two ladies in a male-dominated genre?
KG: We’ve kind of used the fact that we’re female to either hold back or to go power, or whatever. Even though there are a lot of females missing from the hip-hop industry, or they’re not represented in as many ways... Like, we see them represented in the videos but they’re not represented in the forefront. So, for us, we just do what we do, how we do it – whether we’re chicks or not. We’ve just got to do it to the best of our ability. Not just do it as good as the guys, but do it just as tough as them and there’s no excuse.
BB: Definitely. I say this to every female MC, you’ve got to have the confidence. If you’re going to be a female rapper and take it seriously, you’ve got to have the confidence and you’ve got to bring it! You’ve got to represent what you say. If you’re not going to take it seriously, get off the scene. It’s a waste of time.
KG: You’ve got to have something to say.
BB: But that goes out to everybody – not only females. If you want to be an artist, be an artist, and come out with it. We need real artists to come out and represent, and get that support – so that people can see that there’s real talent here.
In your gigs, are you trying to get across a message? If so, what is that message?
KG: There are a lot of different messages. We sometimes use metaphors, but some of our lyrics are straight up. We’ve got a song called Break the Rules to Get Paid. When you think about it, you might think that it’s promoting illegal business or something, but it’s not. Break the Rules to Get Paid is about, no matter who it is, everybody is doing something to get by. Whether it’s by the system, or not by the system. They’re getting by, and that’s what is important to them. It’s going out to people who don’t harm anyone, but it is out there. Whether or not we look down or judge somebody for doing it. You see it in the newspapers all the time – people getting busted for something or somebody has done this or that. Break the Rules to Get Paid is just representing those people, who maybe don’t have any other way and that’s the only way they know.
BB: We look at both sides. Some people go by the book and some people don’t. It’s not easy. We try to get that message out. It’s not always about the hood, or gangsters or whatever. Everyone does what they do to get by. We talk about Woman Run Things, you know, strong independent women, mothers, sisters, aunties, any strong women. You’ve got to represent them. And that’s what we’re trying to do. Kick through the Back Door, we’re not trying to be violent. We’re trying to say that if you can’t get through the front door, or no one wants to let you through the front door and you have to find your own way – if the back door is there, go through it. Open it and let yourself in. Opportunities, success, everything in life - sometimes you’ve got to kick through it.
KillahQueenz new album Sistarhood is available now at all good record stores and is distributed through Grindin music.
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Kween G: Everything. Definitely, Black Milk has been around for a minute. Artists, artists, artists...
Belizean Bombshell: Buff1. There are a lot of artists that influence us, but they don’t necessarily influence our style. You know, with our backgrounds, we try to bring that out as well. To be unique and to portray our own unique style. People go and do the same thing that all hip-hop artists have done. In all hip-hop history, you trace it back, it’s been done. What we’re trying to do is bring out something different, with the Caribbean, with Sweaty Wet, the bass... We want to get people moving. Pump it up! Just feel that vibe, that’s all we’re trying to do. We’re not trying to repeat anything.
KG: It’s also about creating something for everyone. Not just for the hip-hoppers, or the dance-heads, or the house-heads.
BB: It’s universal.
KG: Something for everyone.
Pretty much every one of your tracks is the kind of track you have no choice but to get up and dance to. Do you ever write slow-jams? Would you write slow-jams?
BB: That could be the next album! Definitely we want to push something different each time, because we could always build that other side of us that we haven’t brought out yet, or shown everybody. But right now we just want to keep people moving and happy, because there’s so much bullshit happening. You know what I mean? You’ve got to keep people moving and feel like, ‘KillaQueenz made my day!
You recently went to the States, after you went to Belize, how do you feel Australian hip-hop is being received in the States? How were you received?
KG: It’s very quiet, I think, overseas. Even in Australia it’s struggling. It’s hard for everyone to know Australian artists. We kind of went, “Ok, well if New York is feeling us, then that’s it. We can do this, we’re ready for it.” And when we got there and people looked at us like, ‘Australian rap chicks, what you going to do?’ But, when we supported Smith and Wesson, we managed to get the crowd moving. That was our one shot... For us, to be in that position, we just had to take advantage. That has inspired us to go back. Even when we were in Belize, we promoted the hell out of it. We went on heaps of radio shows and we had these flyers going around, passing them to people about our show. And that place got rammed! Jam-packed! Just the best vibe.”
Tell me about doing a gig in Belize.
BB: Well, being a Belizean girl, I’m just a hype person. I always like to have that fun vibe. Being from Belize, that’s what it is, you know. That carnival, fun vibe and meeting someone who has that same mood and vibe that I have, it’s a blessing. Just being partners and going to Belize and ramping it up and doing what we do best. They loved it and embraced it. They want to hear the album so I’m trying to send it over to them.
You’ve travelled to some amazing places to perform – where are you planning to travel to next?
KG: The closest place that we’re going to travel to in the near future is the Torres Strait Islands, which we’re going to on the 8th and 9th of May. It’s pretty exciting, because it was actually hooked up through this promoter that we’ve been working with. He heard that our album was out and heard, through word-of-mouth, that it was getting a good response. So he asked us if we wanted to go to the Torres Strait Islands – yes! – bang! Definitely for me, as far as Australia’s concerned anyway, I would love to go to more places like the Torres Strait Islands. Parts that are missing out on what we, in the city, get to see. I think that’s very important to grow. To see what’s out there.
I can’t imagine too many artists venture to the Torres Strait – Have you been there before or do you know much about it?
BB: I’m thinking water and beaches, basically another place like Belize – but it’s in Australia.
KG: It’s definitely tropical. The only thing that I know about it is more to do with the history side, as far as Australia is concerned. It’s deep actually, it’s really deep.
What places are on the wish-list of where you want to go?
BB: I want to go to London!
KG: Jamaica.
BB: Japan.
KG: Europe. Africa. Yeah, an African tour. That would be amazing.
Have you performed in Uganda?
KG: No, I haven’t even been back since I came!
BB: She’s been to Belize, but I haven’t been to Uganda with her. So that’s in the plan.
You’ve collaborated with many artists, including artists from the UK?
KG: Just one, Lady Chann.
Lady Chann features on the single, Double Up. Tell us about working with her.
BB: Basically, the way we met Lady Chann was through Mystro, who is also an MC from the UK. He’s tops. So, she came down with Mystro and was doing a couple of gigs at the Bondi Beach Road Hotel, which is in Sydney. We got introduced and we just clicked! That was a chick that we just clicked with. There are not many girls who can feel that same vibe. But we were like, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s go to the studio.’ Because we had this track from the South Rakkas Crew that we couldn’t get a hook for. So, we were trying to battle our minds and come up with something that met up with what everyone wanted. Basically, we just said, ‘Look, can you help us out with this one?’ And she just went in there and then, bang, Double Up was made. It was awesome the way we just met and went into the studio and made a nice track like that, you know.
Ok, now venturing back to when the KillaQueenz began. You were both dancers, and you met at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Were you dancing with the African Essence crew who now dance at your shows?
KG: African Essence is a different crew. They’re our girls. African Essence is like a movement. What we did was totally different. In 2000, I was in my own dance group and she was in her own dance group. We didn’t know each other. So, we met there, because there was a whole bunch of different African dance groups who auditioned to perform at the Olympic opening.
How long was it between meeting up and forming KillaQueenz?
BB: That was basically instant. How did it happen?
KG: We just met randomly. We had seen each other. I used to see Desiree [aka BB], but I didn’t know who she was. I just saw her sitting down once, so I went up and we started talking. That’s how it happened. We started exchanging information about what we liked and we both realised we liked rapping and hip-hop artists, and we liked rapping other people’s songs! [Laughs]
What were some of the songs, in that initial meeting, that you liked to rap?
BB: We were rapping to Tupac, Biggie, Lil' Kim. Back then, Lil Kim was the shit for us! We were rapping to a lot of stuff.
KG: Hardcore stuff.
BB: Yeah.
KG: Bone Thugs N Harmony.
BB: We were just a bit ruthless. We were bad chicks. Until we got serious to the point that we wanted to start writing. I can’t
even remember my first rhyme...
KG: I remember your first rhyme! [Laughs] But we won’t go there.
BB: [laughs] So, we started writing and we got to a point where we wanted someone to listen to it. So we got into the studio and they said that it was hot and it kind of started from there.
How do you find being two ladies in a male-dominated genre?
KG: We’ve kind of used the fact that we’re female to either hold back or to go power, or whatever. Even though there are a lot of females missing from the hip-hop industry, or they’re not represented in as many ways... Like, we see them represented in the videos but they’re not represented in the forefront. So, for us, we just do what we do, how we do it – whether we’re chicks or not. We’ve just got to do it to the best of our ability. Not just do it as good as the guys, but do it just as tough as them and there’s no excuse.
BB: Definitely. I say this to every female MC, you’ve got to have the confidence. If you’re going to be a female rapper and take it seriously, you’ve got to have the confidence and you’ve got to bring it! You’ve got to represent what you say. If you’re not going to take it seriously, get off the scene. It’s a waste of time.
KG: You’ve got to have something to say.
BB: But that goes out to everybody – not only females. If you want to be an artist, be an artist, and come out with it. We need real artists to come out and represent, and get that support – so that people can see that there’s real talent here.
In your gigs, are you trying to get across a message? If so, what is that message?
KG: There are a lot of different messages. We sometimes use metaphors, but some of our lyrics are straight up. We’ve got a song called Break the Rules to Get Paid. When you think about it, you might think that it’s promoting illegal business or something, but it’s not. Break the Rules to Get Paid is about, no matter who it is, everybody is doing something to get by. Whether it’s by the system, or not by the system. They’re getting by, and that’s what is important to them. It’s going out to people who don’t harm anyone, but it is out there. Whether or not we look down or judge somebody for doing it. You see it in the newspapers all the time – people getting busted for something or somebody has done this or that. Break the Rules to Get Paid is just representing those people, who maybe don’t have any other way and that’s the only way they know.
BB: We look at both sides. Some people go by the book and some people don’t. It’s not easy. We try to get that message out. It’s not always about the hood, or gangsters or whatever. Everyone does what they do to get by. We talk about Woman Run Things, you know, strong independent women, mothers, sisters, aunties, any strong women. You’ve got to represent them. And that’s what we’re trying to do. Kick through the Back Door, we’re not trying to be violent. We’re trying to say that if you can’t get through the front door, or no one wants to let you through the front door and you have to find your own way – if the back door is there, go through it. Open it and let yourself in. Opportunities, success, everything in life - sometimes you’ve got to kick through it.
KillahQueenz new album Sistarhood is available now at all good record stores and is distributed through Grindin music.
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