This weekend, Sydney will host two of hip hop’s true legends when Wu-Tang Clan and Nas perform at Qudos Bank Arena.
If they had any free time before their show, they’d only have to head west to find some of the finest up-and-coming hip hop artists in the country doing their thing.
Right at the forefront of this pack is The 046, who formed in the suburb of Claymore, about 50km south-west from where Wu-Tang and Nas will perform on Saturday night.
Before even releasing a full-length album, the four-piece – made up of three cousins and one childhood friend – started to build the type of online following that instantly garners notice: The 046 racked up hundreds of thousands of streams with barely any press or recognition over the last few years, purely based on the power of their presence and rhymes.
And then the group finally dropped their debut album, Rhythm & Gutta, last month, and it’s a record that feels set to take them to the next level.
Ironically, while they surely respect their legacy, The 046 would probably prefer that some West Coast rap icons were visiting their town this weekend instead of Wu-Tang and Nas.
Rhythm & Gutta presents a cool sound the group call “Aus-Funk”, inspired by American G-Funk pioneers like Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Tupac.
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On the album’s second track “Still G’s”, for example, they smoothly riff on Dr. Dre and Snoop’s classic hit “Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang”. The 046 rarely hide their predecessor’s influences, but it makes their Aussie-brand of hip hop and funk all the more fun.
Elsewhere there’s the blistering “Keep Up”, an ode to their long journey to the top and the many obstacles they’ve had to overcome. They’re a group keenly aware of just how difficult it can be to break into the Australian music scene.
Following the release of their debut, and as they look forward to a massive national tour in August, Tone Deaf caught up with The 046 to find out more about one of the most exciting rising hip hop groups in the country.
The 046’s Rhythm & Gutta is out now.
Tone Deaf: First of all, congrats on the album! Rhythm & Gutta really is one of the best Australian hip hop albums of the last few years. How have fans reacted to it?
The 046: Thank you, appreciate that! We’ve been getting so much love from our all our fans on the album. It’s really just a blessing, not many people believed in us so to have released this album and seeing all the love we’re getting, not just in Australia but also internationally, is crazy. We’re humbled and grateful for all the fans showing love.
What I really liked is that you don’t hide your hop hop influences in your sound. Who did you all grow up listening to? Which hip hop artists inspired you the most?
Growing up we were surrounded by old school R&B and old school rap but what really inspired our sound today was the subgenre G-funk which consisted of artists such as Nate Dogg, Warren G, Snoop Dogg, Tupac and Biggie. We can proudly say we pioneered Aus-Funk that was inspired by all of these American G-Funk artists.
Growing up in Western Sydney, how big a part of your life was hip hop music?
Being raised in Western Sydney hip hop was a huge part of our lives. It was a part of the Western Sydney culture, and also being a Pacific Islander it was always around us from a young age. Even as younger kids in our Samoan culture going to loku (church) played a big role in it – we had to sing and perform at Sunday services.
You’ve been bringing in big numbers on streaming platforms for a while now – even Rhythm & Gutta has been raking in thousands of listens in a few weeks. Are streaming figures and commercial things something you give much attention to?
Yeah, of course we pay attention to all the numbers and commercial parts of it. As artists we’d be lying if we said we didn’t, but the numbers isn’t a make or break for us. Even if we were only raking in half or even less numbers than we are now we’d still be making music, that’s how devoted and meaningful this is to us.
Who came up with the album title?
Like I said we were heavily influenced by the American G-funk artists and that included Snoop Dogg. His 2004 album title was R&G Rhythm and Gangsta so we were inspired by that album. Also the word Gutta – most people might think we mean the literal gutter in the street but we use it as a metaphor, another way of saying hood or ghetto.
Between the four of you, who usually handles what? Is the recording process a completely shared experience?
There’s no specific roles when it comes to making the music, so when we do go to the studio we all put in the work. We help each other out and always hype it up so we can have a good atmosphere so it makes the work exciting. Kymza, Ronza and I are all cousins and Jizza is our childhood friend so it also makes the process easy, we all bounce off each other.
You’ve got some sweet collaborations on your album. How was it working with the likes of Say True God??
Say True God?, in our opinion, is one of the best emerging artists so we are over the moon to get him on the album. Our sounds definitely complement each other.
I wanted to get your thoughts on Aussie hip hop as a whole – how strong do you think the current scene is?
We think it’s real strong, and continuing to grow at a rapid rate. And we know local collaborations between artist will definitely be a key factor to help continue to grow the scene as a whole, that is why R&G is all the local artists that we wanted to work with. Also a huge shoutout to the OGs Kerser, Nter & Fortay, they definitely paved the way for all emerging and artists in this country over the recent years that are bringing the voice of real struggle and the streets’ voice to the mainstream.
Even if it is strong, what do you think makes The 046 stand out? What’s the unique flavour you bring to the scene?
When Aus rap first started to get international recognition it was mainly drill, but we never really listened or resonated to that style of music. Like we mentioned earlier it was always G-funk music we listened to growing up in Western Sydney, and we know it is a core element of our sound and brand. We are definitely establishing a strong engaged fanbase who are inspired by our lived experiences.
Do you think Western Sydney hip hop still doesn’t get the national respect it deserves?
Compared to when it first started, I think we’re getting more recognition and respect in the scene.
Your fanbase has grown so independently and organically. What are fans like when you meet them?
We always have time for our fans, we try our hardest to give back with these bangers on bangers. The majority of our fans we do meet when we are out are younger so it means a lot to have all these younger kids that are inspired us. It’s still crazy when we do have people come up to us in public and ask for a photo or even just recognise us and say hi, we’re beyond blessed with the fan base that we do have.
Are you looking forward to the national tour? What does an The 046 live show look like?
Yeah, we’re definitely looking forward to this tour, it’s a dream come true for all of us. We can’t wait to be able to see the love that different states across Australia have for us. When we perform live we keep it authentic, we want the crowd to feel like we’re partying with them not just watching us.
Any particular town/city you’re keen to play?
I know it’s my home but I’m most excited about performing in Sydney. It’s always good to bring it home and the love we get from our own city is just different.
And what do you have planned for the rest of the year? Chill out time after the album and tour?!
I can’t give too much away but just know our work rate will still be unmatched and there will be more shows. There will be no chill time, for not long at least because we love what we do and it doesn’t feel like work. This is what we’ve always wanted to do from a young age so there is no chill time we’ve got so much more to showcase.
