Recorded over a six-year period, ‘Hip Hop Up Your Ass’ is the debut album courtesy of Sydney-based rapper Matt Xander. From the infectious and hard-hitting opener ‘Jumping The Shark’ to the somewhat playful ‘Karen, Shut Up!’, it was a record that just hit all the right notes!
Wanting to know more about the brains behind the music, I was stoked when Matt agreed to an interview! Taking us through the unlikely story behind ‘Happy With Crazy’, some of the artists he’s currently been listening to, and which three albums he’d take with him to a deserted island, please give a big welcome to our new friend Matt Xander!
Hey Matt, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us! Let’s kick things off with an easy one…Who is Matt Xander and when did your love affair with music begin?
Matt Xander is a reflection of all of us, with some razzle-dazzle. A mirrorball to society if you will.
Right from the get-go I remember enjoying nursery rhymes and pop songs. I guess I never really grew out of it. Music is like my Manchurian agent trigger phrase, as soon as I hear it, I become a different person.
Congrats on the release of your debut full-length album! I’ve been jamming ‘Hip Hop Up Your Ass’ pretty hard if I’m being honest. How proud are you of the record?
Being the professional, serious artist I am, I’ll walk right by the low-hanging fruit of jamming hip-hop up your ass pretty hard. It won’t even get a mention.
I really enjoy the album. I hope others do too. I see it as a fun, substantive piece of creativity that can help you express a full range of emotions from sadness and self-doubt to anger and ecstasy.
It’s been a long time in the making and gone through many hands in the process. A couple of particular people to thank. Without GhostAttacK it doesn’t get off the ground and without Cory Blight, it doesn’t get finished.
Now, this is a toughie, and possibly like asking you to pick a favourite child, but which tune of yours means the most to you so far, and why?
‘Wargy’ always makes me smile. It’s a song that can bring us all together. It’s an industrial hip-hop epic that lyrically sits somewhere between Team America and Rammstein, linking war, sexuality and spoofing on world leaders. Like many songs about war, you could place it in any time period and still have it remain relevant.
‘Happy With Crazy’ is a track that really stood out to me, and not just because of the perfectly executed Jethro Tull sample. What’s the tune all about?
An unlikely origin story, the song spawned from a scene in the Adam Sandler film Big Daddy. Not my usual source of inspiration but there’s a scene where Sandler tells the kid he can wear whatever he wants, who then dresses in something like cowboy boots, sporting equipment and a cape. It’s a cheap visual gag, a throwaway moment, but to me, it was true freedom of individuality and self-expression without external influence. We’re all unique and it should be embraced. It’s also fun to say swear words.
‘Karen, Shut Up!’ is a track that I can see having worldwide appeal. What makes it so deceptively powerful beneath its somewhat whimsical exterior?
‘Karen’ has taken on a life of her own. She’s taken over my TikTok and I can no longer control her. Everyone has come face to face with a Karen and we all want to tell her where to go. Karen lives in a world where opinion trumps fact and the customer is always right-winged.
But whilst our antagonist in this song is entitled, unempathetic and illogical, there is a type of Karen I feel sorry for. The kind that has been let down by companies ripping her off over a long period of time, then hiding behind their lowest-paid employees. When customer dissatisfaction becomes the norm, perhaps it’s time to look internally, rather than to put up a sign asking customers to not get angry.
If I stole your cell phone and opened Spotify (or your streaming service of choice), who would I see under your recently played section?
Thank you for going through Spotify and not other areas of my phone. Saved us both a bit of trauma. Some good friends of mine Beyond Dope released an album recently so that’s getting heavy rotation. Grizzly The Hermit is another that just dropped an EP. I get a lot of inspiration from my contemporaries.
Outside of that, Placebo’s ‘Live in Europe’ album is receiving a lot of earbud time. Brian Molko would be one of my favourite lyricists. The influence is not necessarily immediately apparent, but it’s there if you look deep enough.
Alright, Matt – desert island time! You’re allowed to grab 3 albums before being stranded on an island. Which do you choose?
Metallica – ‘Kill Em All’ – Astute observers will notice my album title ‘Hip Hop Up Your Ass’ is a reference to Metallica’s original name for this album, ‘Metal Up Your Ass’.
Tool – ‘10,000 Days’ – Tool’s booklets are big enough to build a boat.
The Beach Boys – ‘Surfin’ U.S.A’ – Because you can’t survive a desert island without a Wilson.
Thanks so much for chatting with us Matt! Not to get too dark or anything, but what would you ultimately like to be remembered for?
I‘m just trying to bring people a little joy. Whether I’m remembered or not isn’t important.
