Wordplay Magazine Issue 1

JaeLanMySpaceSpotlight

ISSUE 1

Delinkwentz Nation

FreeE-ZINE

YOUR

Front cover: Photography courtesy of Jakub Dammer

Special thanks to: Transit Clothing, Mercure Perth, DJ Joe Black,

Dialekt, Alex Ford, Sandy Petrovic, Bronwyn Clark,

Cameron Myles, Jason Xa

Photographers: Jakub Dammer, Nancy Bahbah, Sarah Bahbah

Contributing writers: Justine Macdonald, Rochelle Soliman,

Lauren Barrett, Matthew Majka

TABLE of

Music Review360 | Grand Corps Malade

03

06 12InterviewThe Delinkwentz Nation

Myspace SpotlightOur pick

CONTENTS

JaeLanPressure’s on

04

INTRODUCING

Published by:

In association with:

Lauren BarrettAssistant Editor

Kathrine ButlerCopy Editor

Neema Shogun BagherzadehWordplay Facebook

Boz YatesLead Designer

Tricia RayEditor-In-Chief Colosoul Group Inc.

Barui Gankgang NthobatsangMarketing

To whet your appetite for his debut effort, Falling & Flying,

which will be released sometime later this year on Soulmate

Records, 360 has recently made a short mixtape called

Please be Seated available for free download. The mixtape

is basically a six track collection of remixes of artists such as

B.o.B, MGMT, Lisa Mitchell, Broken Bells, Ellie Goulding and Tinie

Tempah. Please be Seated also features a guest appearance

by fellow Soulmate Records star Pez on the remix of the Broken

Bells track The Ghost Inside. How much you’re going to like

this mixtape will depend on how much you like remixes, but

you should definitely check out 360‘s remix of the Lisa Mitchell

track Coin Laundry (retitled Do You Have a Dollar?) which

transforms the original into a meditation on the substandard

treatment that both war veterans and the homeless receive.

If you’re interested, you can download a copy of Please be

Seated here: http://www.360music.com.au/

Cypress Hill fans who have been waiting for their return to

the music scene will not be disappointed with their newly

released album Rise Up. Rise Up is the hip hop crew’s

eighth album.

The record is full of uneven tracks, fusing hip hop and rap with

a way out rock sound. Even though the songs are scattered,

it’s still got the same old Cypress Hill feel to it. Songs on

the track range from an old skool hip hop sound to guitar

induced, head banging beats. Collaborations with Pitbull

and Marc Anthony give prove that Cypress Hill can re-invent

themselves time and time again. Their ability to include rock

without loosing their hip hop trademark is worth mentioning.

For the die hard fans who have been with Cypress Hill since

the beginning, don’t worry there’s something on the album for

you too. Just turn to track No. 7 on the record titled K.U.S.H. As

I said, the album will not disappoint!

360: Please Be Seated

Cypress Hill: Rise Up

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wordplay | issue one |p.3

JaeLanPerth Hip-Hop artist JaeLan has just finished recording

his LP Moment of Silence, due to be released in mid

September. He describes the record as a “positive

jam”, with the main message to motivate people to

be greater than what they are. The LP is a balance

between commercial and underground, he says. “I like

to make records people can dance to, but at the same

time I want to make something they can get a special

meaning from.”

Musically influenced by Tupac, Jay-Z, Mos Def and Lupe

Fiasco, JaeLan says this new record best reflects his

personality. He recorded his first LP Above status quo in

2003, which he says was a very commercial, more pop

flavoured record, but decided not to release it. “I felt like

I wasn’t being me,” he says.

So he started again from scratch and the result is

Moment of Silence, a record which he says is more his

style. “Not many people listen to underground music

but that’s the music that best reflects me and I have

to make the music that’s true to myself,” he says. It’s a

tough road trying to make it as a Hip-Hop artist in Perth,

because the Hip-Hop community is fairly small, he says.

“It’s pretty hard because there’s not really a big fan

base and there’s not many venues that hold a lot

of Hip-Hop shows for artists, so there aren’t a lot of

opportunities to showcase your work.” But he says

that this is also the reason he has been able to get

exposure. “You get noticed quickly because there’s not

many people doing it.” The only way to make it in the

industry, he says, is to make people listen to you.

“It’s about networking, building up contacts, you gotta

just go out on your own,” he says.

After playing shows at Perth clubs such as Eve,

Metropolis Fremantle, Metropolis City and The Deen,

JaeLan now plans to travel over east, then to New York

and LA to do some shows. It’s been a long road for

JaeLan. “Hopefully it’s starting to pay off.”

by Rochelle Soliman

I like to make records people can dance to


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Tell me about the Delinkwentz Nation, what are you guys

involved in? Where are you guy located?

The Delinkwentz Nation is located in Melbourne (a.k.a Burn City).

The Delinkwentz started off as a Breakin crew, but now is involved

in and practices the 4 Elements of Hip-Hop: Bboyin, DJing,

Graffiti Art and MCing. I’m living in Perth at the moment but I’m

planning to move back to Melbourne. We operate mostly from

Melbourne. We have crew members in Brisbane and Adelaide,

(myself in Perth), Japan: Tokyo, and South Korea: Seoul. We also

have crew affiliations in Philippines: Manilla and Cebu.

How did you get involved in Bboying? What interested you

about it?

I was in High School the first time I ever got a glimpse of Bboyin.

It was a live performance (seeing anything live always has a bigger

impact on you) held at lunch time in the gym. I got interested

immediately, I never thought you could make your body do such

cool things, toprock, footwork, freezes, power-moves. Who would

have thought that a dance would be created where you spin on

the floor, or dance by crouching on the floor stepping and what not.

Also all the girls were cheering for this one cat breakin, I was like...

hmmm haha

You work with the indigenous hip-hop projects, what are

your goals and what do you wish to achieve with the

indigenous hip-hop projects?

The Indigenous Hip-Hop Projects (IHHP) is an amazing company, we travel all over Australia

using Hip-Hop as a medium to convey health messages and provide opportunities for

youth. Our goals in IHHP is to celebrate the fusion of traditional Indigenous culture and

Hip-Hop, facilitate workshops that provide performance skills, leading up to events with

performance, community strengthening, community educational and health outcomes.

IHHP promotes self expression through movement, music and art, boosting morale and

confidence and promoting positive social behaviors in remote communities. Every time I

go on tours with IHHP I achieve all the above. It is a very rewarding job and I’m very happy

to be a part something so special.

How does choreographed Hip-Hop differ from a breakdance routine?

Interesting question, I don’t believe there is a difference. Choreographed hip-hop or

breakin routine. It is all choreography, which is a predefined set of movements. We just

do choreography within our own dance forms, whether you break or hiphop.

In choreography, you attempt to appear exactly uniform with the person next to you.

Breakin routines/choreography might have more physically challenging movements,

but choreographed hip-hop movements may be mentally more challenging. Both

are difficult. There is however a sub-category that Bboy’s have pioneered. It is called

Commando’s. This is used in a Battle context to strengthen the overall run from your crew.

The Bboy presents an introduction of moves to bring the other person in when battling.

Giving a walk-in-whilst-the-other-person-walks-out effect.


Before the Hip-Hop stereotype of bling, cars, woman and weaponsHow big is the Australian Bboying scene?

The Bboying scene in Oz is quite large, with regular competitions,

jams and performances taking place in the capital city’s. The Oz

Bboying scene is made up of about 30 major crews (established

crews that have been around for 5+ years) who actively battle/

perform/cypher in their own city or go interstate/international. Then

there’s a whole lot of up and coming crews who are developing

and bringing their own flavor into the scene and representing

which is awesome!

Who are some of your influences?

First and foremost my crew Notorious Delinkwentz! They are a

huge source of inspiration for me, we vibe and learn off each

other. Michael Jackson without a doubt, James Brown, Frosty’s

cereal aahah

What music do you prefer to breakdance to?

I love Bboy music. Funk and soul from the 70’s, Jimmy Castor Bunch,

Michael Viners Incredible bongo band, James Brown, Johnny Pate,

The BlackByrds, Bob James. Rap HipHop from the golden era late

80’s early 90’s: Eric B & Rakim, Lords of the Underground, Blade, Das

EFX, Nas, Nice and Smooth. I could go on forever so i better stop. If

you don’t know these artists yet, go get at them, these artists are the

foundations and extensions of what Hip-Hop music is REALLY about.

Before the Hip-Hop stereotype of bling, cars, woman and weapons.

How has breakdancing evolved over the years? How have you

adapted to the changes?

Breakin has evolved dramatically over the years. The dance

has gone through many phases, from different trend moves

each few years, to the mindset, to new foundational moves.

I can only explain the evolution of the dance since I first

started dancing. When I first begun dancing, it was in an era

where blow-ups, originality and power-moves were a huge

focus. It was like, who could do the craziest most original

blow-up movement/freeze/contortionist freeze.

Or, the most amount of spins, or the longest power-move run.

Nowadays, there has been a huge shift and focus on the

music, and taking the dance back to its roots, which for the

most part was overlooked by a lot of people. It has helped

refine dancers and given a more complete understanding

of this dance.For me, adapting to these type of changes has

helped me become a better all-round dancer. As long as

people don’t get swept up in trends, then they will add their

own individuality to this art. Originality stands alone always.

Before the Hip-Hop stereotype of bling, cars, woman and weapons

Have you ever competed in any bboying major competitions?

If not, do you plan to compete or would you like Notorious

Delinkwentz compete in the future?

Yes, there has been quite a few major competitions in Melbourne

we have taken a part of and also won. Our biggest break through

as a crew came in 2008 when we took 1st place in the Victorian

State Bboy Championships. Another great experience came at

the end of 2008 when we travelled to Japan, Osaka. We entered

an event called “Be.Bboy” there was 52 crews that entered, and we

made top 16 which was very exciting. Australia Represent!

Where has Bboying taken you? Can you make a career out of it?

Bboying has has taken me places a never dreamed I would

be. First of all I never thought I would ever become a dancer.

I started dancing when I was 18, so I was already self-

conscious enough haha, but Bboying and HipHop culture

has given me a sense of identity and confidence that I

can do anything I put my mind to. I have been fortunate

enough to travel and tour to nearly all corners of Australia

with IHHP, create a dance crew from scratch, represent with

the Delinkwentz interstate and internationally. It’s truly been a

Blessing. You can make a career out of dancing/bboying. It

can be hard at times, but if your passionate and ambitious

about anything you do you can make a success out of

yourself, Smart decisions, being in the right place at the

right time, and surrounding yourself with the right people

who are there to support what you do is a huge help.

What advice would you give to aspiring bboys?

Don’t forget to have fun when you dance! Be open minded

and reasonable to what people have to say. Be confident in

anything you do, but Never think you’re better than someone,

be Humble. Eat heaps haha

What information would you like give to people who are

interested in taking some of your workshops or classes?

Breakin/Bboy & Bgirl classes are fun and interesting, learn

some cool moves, vibe with other people. It’s a social thing.

It’s for both BOYS AND GIRLS! We need some more Bgirl’s

representing. Word! I’d like to Thank WordPlay Magazine for

this opportunity, much appreicated.

Shout out’s to my crew Delinkwentz, The Perth Bboy Scene:

Systematic, Zou Rock, School of Hip-Hop, West-Coast represent!

Melburn City! The whole Oz Bboy scene.

by Matthew Majka

Come down and have fun! Check out the classes @ The School Of Hip-Hop: 236 Railway Pde, West Leederville Thursday nights 7pm until 9pm.


Fashion is a statement. It’s also an attitude

and for a lot of people fashion is their

identity. Fashion and style is a constantly

evolving commodity and this has never

been as true as with Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop

fashion traditionally compliments the

confident and wealthy attitudes of Hip-

Hop culture, as seen with artists such as

Notorious B.I.G and P Diddy. But Hip-Hop

fashion is changing and merging with

a more mainstream style, incorporating

aesthetics of skater and punk. No longer

is Hip-Hop style defined by urban bling,

baggy pants, over-sized t-shirts and

hoodies. As Hip-Hop is a sub-culture that is

predominately visual then are artists that

are rapping but are wearing skinny leg

jeans still defined as Hip-Hop artists? This

is the dilemma facing Hip-Hop in the new

millennium, a dilemma which brings in to

question whether or not the sound or the

fashion makes up the Hip-Hop genre.

Traditionally dope Hip-Hop artists in the

80’s embodied a comfortable, urban;

bigger is better kind of style as seen with

Run D.M.C, and artists in the 90’s followed

suit. When one thinks of Hip-Hop the

immediate association is one of grills, J

heri curls, heavy bling and the bona fide

accessory of girls shaking their booty.

However Hip-Hop fashion is now so blurred

that this stereotyped attire that we seem

to identify with Hip-Hop artists is now not

so stereotypical. Skinny jeans, preppy

t-shirts and piercings have begun making

its mark on Americas Hip-Hop scene.

Some argue it’s setting a

new trend for the industry

whereas others say it’s just

a passing fad. Hip-Hop

artist Young Chozen says this new fashion

statement started occurring around the

time Neptunes/Pharrel and Lupe Fiasco hit

the scene as skater rappers. “They mixed in

the style they got from being skaters with

Hip-Hop fashion and from there it’s grown.”

The caps will never change, they will always be around in Hip-Hop

written by Lauren Barrett / photography by Nancy Bahbah and Sarah Bahbah / Model Jazlyn Gabriel

Hip-Hop is Making a New Fashion Statement

Merging the skater style with Hip-Hop style

are artists New Boys and Cold Flamez.

Taking Hip-Hop style to a new level, New

Boys have bought skinny jeans on to the

Hip-Hop scene, donning bright purple

and red colours. Although they have been

bagged out for not being genuine

Hip-Hop artists, they have created a

name for themselves for being unique

and daring to be different. Along with the

skinny jeans their attire also consists of

diamond plaid sweats, giving them a

preppy school look. The only symbolic

pieces of clothing which classify them as

authentic Hip-Hop rappers are the bling

and the caps. Hence here we have the

new revolution in Hip-Hop style-merging

mainstream punk onto the Hip-Hop scene.

Cold Flamez take this new style revolution

to a totally different level, incorporating

visible facial piercing’s to their look.

Without listening to their music, no-one

would distinguish them as Hip-Hop artists

because their outside appearance is so

typical to the punk scene. But once the

beats are playing one gets even more

confused. Rappers with piercings and

tattoos? No bling? Is this a new form

of Hip-Hop where a merging of genres

makes them stand out from the crowd?

Joe Nafajai, manager of Perth Hip-Hop

clothing store Skunk Wear says they simply

want to be different “These guys are trying

to change the traditional Hip-Hop style

and create something new and different,

which is risky because not everyone will

take them seriously as artists”. Joe agrees

that there has been a change in the

Hip-Hop style. “There’s definitely a change

to a couple of years ago, things aren’t as

baggy. The guys are wearing tighter pants,

and generally the look is more casual

than over the top”. But as much as the

fashion is changing there are some things

that will never date. “The caps will never

change, they will always be around in

Hip-Hop” says Joe. The sneaker and bling

obsession will always make anyone look

like an authentic Hip-Hop artist and it’s fair

to say they too will be around for decades

to come. Changes in the hip world come

and go, but I think it’s fair to say this

fashion trend is gaining popularity and

doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon.

Hip-Hop is Making a New Fashion Statement


Phatchance: Mantra could learn a lesson from

Phatchance who has decided to stream all the tracks

from his most recent effort, Inkstains, on his Myspace page.

Phatchance may be streaming his music for free, but it

probably won’t be for everyone as his music is darker and

has more depth than some other Australian Hip-Hop groups.

But if you like Hip-Hop that’s intelligent as well as being fun to

listen to, you could do a lot worse that listening to tracks like

Mountain of Glass and Battlescars.

http://www.myspace.com/mcphatchance

B.o.B: Maybe you haven’t heard of B.o.B yet, but with

his debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, about to

be released, you probably will soon. His MySpace page is

probably one of the best out there and a shining example

of how to promote a new artist. Not only does it allow you to

stream six of his tracks, including his new single, Nothin’ on You,

you can sign up to his mailing list and e-mail alerts, watch his

videos and read B.o.B’s latest tweets. Why can’t all Myspace

pages be this good?

http://www.myspace.com/bobatl

Hello and welcome to Wordplay’s MySpace Spotlight. With each issue, we’re going to shine

the spotlight on a handful of up and coming and obscure Hip-Hop artists’ MySpace pages

in the hopes of introducing you to some cool new music.

“MySpace page can really help a new artist introduce themselves to the public and build a fan base.”

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Mantra: In an age of declining CD sales, a high quality

MySpace page can really help a new artist introduce

themselves to the public and build a fan base. It’s a real shame

somebody didn’t tell Mantra this, seeing as how he is a recent

addition to the Obese Records label and released his debut

album in March this year. His page is well designed, but so far

there’s only one track posted on the site. Hopefully Mantra and

his management will post more than one track in the future.

http://www.myspace.com/mantrahiphop


Thundamentals: Thundamentals are from Blue

Mountains, NSW and released their debut album Sleeping

On Your Style last year, scoring minor hits on Triple J with

their tracks The Mash and My Lady (feat. Ray Brown).

Thundamentals list both Nas and Curtis Mayfield as their

influences, and the tracks posted on their page, including

my personal favourite, Move It Up, indicate they’ve found

a way to combine these two different artists and create

something very cool in the process. You can check out

them out on their myspace at: w

http://www.myspace.com/thundamentals

Wale: Wale may have released his debut record Attention

Deficit last year, but he’s actually been recording mix tapes

and working with people like the Roots. If you’re a fan of the

Roots, you should definitely check out Wale’s MySpace page

as you’ll probably find a lot to like. The only problem is the

seven songs streaming on Wale’s MySpace page are just

snippets, but you should still be able to get a pretty good

idea of the quality of Wale’s music by giving them a listen.

http://www.myspace.com/wale

J. Cole: Just like B.o.B, J. Cole is another up and coming

Hip-Hop artist who has taken the time to put a lot of effort

into their page. Cole’s page has plenty of streaming tracks

and videos and well as a regularly updated blog. Cole is

signed to Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation, and his music is pretty

similar to Wale’s, so if you’re looking for something new and a

little different, you might want to check out J. Cole.

http://www.myspace.com/jcole

Sareem Poems: Most people have never heard of

Sareem Poems, but it’s not because he’s a new artist. His

music just hasn’t received the recognition it deserves. But this

probably due to the fact that his music is a little bit different

to a lot of popular Hip-Hop; it has a strong soul and gospel

music influence. Fans of Mos Def should definitely take the

time to check out Sareem Poem’s MySpace page.

http://www.myspace.com/iampoems

Headstrong Company: Adelaide’s Headstrong

Company also released their debut in 2009, having spent

five years working on it. But fortunately for them, the group

have scored gold with their tracks, as each one is very

strong. It’s hard to pick a favourite out of their tracks, but

personally, Long Time Coming, sounds like it could be

a really big hit. If you’re a Hilltop Hoods fan, you should

definitely give Headstrong Company a listen:

http://www.myspace.com/headstrongco

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