He’s been asking for a hoverboard for months now, with little success and if he could ask for any other sci-fi paraphernalia his second request would be a teleportation machine, because “it’d be sick. I’d be able to do a whole tour in a week, you know?”
It’d certainly help, as Seth Sentry has been a busy boy in the last few months. Since releasing his debut album This Was Tomorrow, he’s played showcases at SXSW, appeared on American TV, played the Triple J One Night Stand, and he’s currently on the road with the Groovin’ The Moo tour.
Not bad from someone who has outed themselves as lazy.
After performing at the Austin, Texas industry conference in March, Seth won a Twitter competition through the Dorito #bold stage. His prize was the opportunity to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live and a supporting slot for LL Cool J’s tour of the US. A pretty spectacular effort for his first trip overseas.
On performing for Jimmy Kimmel, the Melbourne emcee says it was surprisingly relaxed, “it was stressful at the start, just ‘cause of the magnitude of it. But once we were there – the way we were treated, it was really nice.” The situation could almost be mistaken for an intimate show, with the stage and crowd that was set up for them, except of course that it “was beaming around millions of American televisions.”
Following those triumphs, it was straight back to Australia for Triple J’s One Night Stand, explaining that there was little time for a break as the regional visit “was the very next weekend after landing. And from there it’s kind of Groovin’ The Moo and my own tour and then… back off overseas again.” “They’re the people that are buying the music… It’s just talking to people that are kind of interested in your music. It seems natural to me.”
The rapper’s rise coincided with the release of his debut album last year , and two songs off that album – ‘Dear Science’ and ‘Float Away’ – were voted into strong positions on Triple J’s Hottest 100, and on top of that he was named Channel V’s ‘Artist of the Year’ for 2012.
There has been a growing amount of support for Aussie hip hop, with artists like Seth Sentry, 360, and Bliss N Eso reaping the benefits. Seth explains this growing support is a result of support through fan-drive platforms like social media. His ‘Artist of the Year’ gong is, to him, like a “big social media popularity contest,” adding that “the fact that Australian rappers are winning the open categories of music like that is amazing.”
Seth Sentry is renowned for his laidback, genuine attitude, something that comes across easily in his presence on social media. The ability to interact with fans is something he feels comes naturally.
“Well I don’t really know any other way to do it,” he proffers. “They’re the people that are buying the music, they’re the people who are connecting with the music.” He doesn’t feel that it’s pushy self-promotion, but rather “it’s just talking to people that are kind of interested in your music. It seems natural to me.”
Working with friends is also something that he feels comes organically, instead of doing collaborations just for the sake of it. He’s done songs with fellow Melbourne rappers Pez and 360, as well as Sydney duo Horrorshow.
Another type of collaboration that Seth has undertaken is getting rapper Grey Ghost to direct the film clips for his two singles. The slightly off-beat videos were the result of the two’s shared sense of humour, “we like shit to not be too polished and nice looking. We like it to be a little bit awkward and stuff, you know?” he explains.
Grey Ghost had previously directed a few film clips of his own, as well as the Xavier Rudd clip for ‘Bow Down’, with Seth joking the director-come-rapper was “just one of those annoying dudes who’s just really good at everything.”
Some of the influences the Melbourne artist has cited include American gangster rap, particularly Wu Tang Clan and a lot of material from Rawkus Records (who helped rappers like Mos Def and Talib Kweli rise to prominence). He also named Brooklyn rapper, Aesop Rock as a “massive inspiration” forming strong listening habits while putting together his album.
Seth’s also been fortunate enough to catch a lot of the artists that have inspired him over the years in the live setting; at least “all the rappers that are alive… I’ve generally had the chance to see them by now, which is a great feeling.” He admits the four year gap (between releases) may have been “part being lazy and part being super, super analytical with my music.”
It might be surprising but The Living End was also a source of inspiration for Seth Sentry. The Aussie rockers were among the first gigs he ever saw, which pushed him to become a performer himself.
“That was such an awesome live show and they looked like they were having so much fun,” he recalls, marking it as a deciding moment to pursue a career in music.
He describes his writing style as quite slow, which would explain why there was such a break between The Waitress EP and This Was Tomorrow. He admits the four year gap may have been “part being lazy and part being super, super analytical with my music.”
Noting his awareness of the slim chances in getting to release a debut, he “wanted it to be the best album it could be and it just ended up taking a lot longer than I thought.” Thankfully, he’s already at work on a second album, which shouldn’t require as long a wait from patient fans.
As far as his string of touring this year, Seth didn’t confirm if his NERF gun would be making the rounds with him this tour, preferring to keep it as a surprise.
There’s no need to worry about injuries though, he says, recounting a show in Newcastle when he accidentally hit a kid in the eye with a dart; “but I mean they are soft so it’s fine… he didn’t seem to mind.” And at another show in Canberra when a punter got him, with a sticky dart that stuck to his face while he was midway through a verse.
It’s probably something best not to try and repeat , but if you do feel like shooting Seth… with some questions, he recommends taking a look at his YouTube Channel (MrSethSentry) where he is running a series called ‘Questions With Seth Sentry’. Always the generous rapper it would seem.
This Was Tomorrow is out now through Inertia/High Score Records, read the Tone Deaf review here. Seth Sentry begins his national tour this Thursday and plays Groovin’ The Moo’s final date in Bunbury this Saturday in WA. Dates and details below.
Seth Sentry 2013 Australian Tour Dates
Tickets on sale now from sethsentry.com
Thursday 9 May
Breakers Bar, Geraldton WA (18+)
Friday 10 May
Villa, Perth WA (18+)
Saturday 11 May 2013 – Bunbury WA – SOLD OUT
Hay Park
(off) Parade Rd Bunbury WA 6230
Sunday 12 May
Newport Hotel, Fremantle WA (18+)
Thursday 16 May
The Gov, Adelaide SA (AA)
Friday 17 May
The Forum, Melbourne VIC (18+)
Saturday 18 May
Ding Dong, Melbourne (U18)
Friday 24 May
Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW (AA)
Saturday 25 May
The HiFi, Brisbane (18+)
