I remember the exact moment I came into contact with Bias B’s Beezwax record – though I’m not sure of the year, most probably 1999. A few mates, some that I grew up with (sup Nug and Shwza!), and some that I met through hip hop (Nick, Loko One was probably there), had hooked up for one of our weekly ciphers in St Peters, inner west of Sydney.
We’d hungrily devour instrumental albums and rap all night – or Shwza would play his beats directly off the MPC. Bongs were smoked, beers were drunk, freestyles would steadily deteriorate as the night wore on. It was sick. There were no ambitions for radio play, nor live shows booked: it began and ended each night in one of our loungerooms. Usually Shwza’s cos he had the MPC and a champion bong. And he was lazier than us.
Most of the music we heard was played off CDs or 12” vinyl, and an Australian release was always prioritised. I can’t remember who brought it that night, but everyone was taken aback by the Beezwax artwork. An out of focus Bias B stood in the background with his hand gripping the mic in the foreground. It was all made to look like a still in a film reel. It could have passed for an international album as far as we knew. But truthfully, all I saw was a mad shot of a mic by a rapper from Melbourne. Shit was dope!
From the mellow straight talking of Let It Flow to the descending bassline (a staple ingredient in local hip hop for the last decade – ahead of its time) of The Rippa, it blew our fucking minds. It sounded like the most pro shit we’d heard. Then Gaseous Forms sealed the deal, it was exactly what we were doing: rowdy ciphers, only better and looking a million bucks on a professionally packaged album. I strongly believe this record and the late 90s era were the reawakening of local hip hop and getting things moving. Beezwax felt like progress. It was.
There are a long list of significant moments in local hip hop, ranging from the pioneering (Knights of the Underground Table) to the pivotal (The Calling) but truth be told, Beezwax was a little bit of both. It wasn’t the only one, but it saw in the new era that truly took off a few years later.
While it may not be a record I revisit often – it’ll will forever be one of the most important records in hip hop when people look back on the rise and rise of the genre in Australia. Just recently, Bias announced he was quitting after his latest record and his current tour will be his last. Well… damned if I’m going to wait for a better time to say it. Thanks Bias, for who you are and what you’ve done. You’ll forever hold a spot in our scene’s heart – in my eyes and in the context of hip hop in Australia, you’re a giant mate. And in language we can all understand: you’re a sick cunt.
_________
Bias B’s new album ‘Biaslife’ has just dropped through Obese. All his albums Beezwax, Been There Done That, Aerosol Era and In Bed With Bias are all available on CD and iTunes. Obese:http://www.obeserecords.com/store/cds.php?page=3
His Melbourne launch is also his final Melbourne show and it’s this Saturday July 2 at The Corner Hotel. He’s also in Adelaide July 29 at HQ. You should get there.
Follow Bias on twitter, he's quality: http://twitter.com/bias_b
