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The
beginning.
I started
rhyming when I was 14. It was in the middle of the school
year and I saw people in my grade grouping and just battling
because there was nothing else to do. Everyone would watch
and enjoy it and take in the atmosphere and basically have a
good time. I tried it out for a little bit and felt I had
something going here. Then I started to rhyme as an outlet.
I felt that as being part of a minority group that I would
have a lot to say and a lot of things that people could
relate to, so I started to vent out what I though was worth
being said. I remember the first song I ever wrote was
called “World of Discrimination” and I wrote about how our
society was driven by discriminatory views. After a little
while I started to find new techniques and new ways to
write, new things to write about and the songs just kept
coming. Most of them were about things that I have
experienced and have seen with my own eyes. I started to run
short on beats and instrumentals so I began to make some
beats on the side and soon got into making instrumentals
that would support what I had to say. Now I make beats and
write rhymes simultaneously…still dropping rhymes that have
real sense and a real message about them.
The Name
L-Fresh
is one of two things. 1: an acronym for [F]orever [R]ising [E]xceeding
[S]udden [H]ardships, which is basically what I live by. 2:
The "L" is symbolic of power and bravery derived from
religious connotations of Sikhism for a "Lion”…gotta be
proud of who I am basically.
Improvements
I have
definitely improved since day one. It’s like starting out
with a new sport. After you continuously play and train you
become better at it. I was like that with hip-hop. Nowadays
I have a sense of variety about my music that I never used
to have back when I started. I used to just write and hoped
it would flow. Now I take the time to sit down and work it
all out, making sure it all fits and sounds the way I want
it to. I feel now I have expanded creatively as well. I try
to experiment with new sounds and new things and that way I
see improvement in my game. Also when you perform at
different places and meet different rappers and musicians
you pick up a few tips. I know now that I am more confident
when I’m on stage and I have developed into a performer
rather than being a rapper with a microphone in their hand.
But I’m constantly on the improvement wagon, trying to
become the best artist I can be.
Performances
I’ve had
a few performances in and outside of Sydney. My first actual
set was in my home city of Campbelltown at the annual
Fisher’s Gig, which is happening again this year so be sure
to check that out. I’ve performed at the Sydney South West
Hip-Hop show with my boys Triggah and his cousins Cedric and
Tanaka, which was at the Minto PCYC alongside other SSW
artists and groups like 24-12, NJE and The Planet Crushers.
I’ve been as far as Erina Fair to perform with my boy Crymz,
from Wollongong, for a couple of days, which was a good
experience, we got to extend our musical reach outside of
Sydney. Brighton Le Sands Novotel was another enjoyable
performance. I’ve also been as far as Dee Why to perform.
I’ve also performed alongside the Desi crew in Homebush
Stadium with my boys Triggah and Riaz. I’ve got a few more
performances coming up in September, which is in the
Liverpool District and this years Fisher’s Gig on the 18th
of November.
Influences and Inspiration
I got a
whole range of influences, mainly rappers I consider to have
dropped some of the realist music you will ever listen to
like Tupac Shakur, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G, Bone Thugs N
Harmony, Immortal Technique, Aaliyah, Talib Kweli, Akon, Big
Punisher and just any artist or group that drop music that
have real depth. I get my inspiration via a lot of things
really, not just music. What drives me to speak my mind a
lot is the history of our people in general and my people,
Sikhs. That moves me and makes me want to show other people
our story. People’s everyday actions inspire me like good
deeds that result in a positive action and emotional
circumstances. What also drives me to write is seeing our
youth of today steering away from our roots and leading into
a lifestyle that diminishes who we are as people. Through
seeing this I try to show that with a little bit of
education on our past, then we can understand and
acknowledge our people so that we can become proud of who we
are.
Future prospects
At the
moment I’m just trying to finish school. Unfortunately, the
music is kind of at the side and it’s killing me not to
spend a whole week on just recording songs and making new
beats or new rhymes. After school, I want to expand my music
in general through publicity and keep performing, keep
getting experience and just develop as an artist. I plan to
get started on future projects after school too, with an
album and promo cds, mixtapes and extended plays. At the
moment I have a Demo-Sampler CD that I sell after my shows.
I’m also developing a web page for the future, which will be
up sometime real soon. But my goal is to get my music out
there…to be heard basically and hope my message reaches
people and gets them to think about their situation, their
life and their society and hopefully offer a new perspective
of life to people through my music.
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