Dj Bonez - Ninja Art
He has one of the most impressive lists of production credits in Australian hip hop. With beats for international and local acts such as Hilltop Hoods, Mystik Journeymen, AceyAlone, Abstract Rude, Savage, Grand Agent, Pegz, Muph 'n Plutonic, Mystro and Hyjak n Torcha’s Drastik Measures album under his belt.
Now Bonez has branched out further adding some smooth Aussie flavour to present LA MC "Omni", which also features UK’s Blade (on the smoking single “The Hot”), Motion Man, Belgian vocalist Monique Harcum and many others. DJ Bonez presents Ninja Art.
We got to ask him a few questions...
SF - A little bit about yourself for those uninitiated….
BNZ - Just a simple boy originally from Sydney’s inner west suburbs who got involved in this rap stuff in all it’s forms and decided to keep at it as the game seemed very easy and natural for me to keep pursuing.
SF - So how has Melbourne been treating you?
BNZ - Melbourne has been a fanstastic change of pace for me the past 2 years now, loving the night life down here the most I think, and the people are more chilled out as well, but at the same time needed to change the scenery for myself so I can focus on my career and have fun doing it as well.
SF - Do you think you’ll stay awhile?
BNZ - Oh for show! I actually have been wanting to move down here for a while cause I used to come through to play pretty frequently every year and heads used to always say “when you moving c#%#t ? so yea here I finally am dam it.
SF - Better sneakers in Melb huh?
BNZ - To be honest, from what I have seen even from back in the day when my mate used to come here to visit family, he used to always come back with kicks you’d never see anyone sport in Sydney. Then again these days no matter were you live, you can always get your hands on virtually anything online now so yea.
SF - So what do you think of the whole “if you’re Aussie you should rap in an Aussie Accent…” thingy…..and why?
BNZ - Well, if your going to represent yourself in any form of entertainment you pretty much have to stay true to yourself in order to have people respect you for it. Coming out as something your not can make people switch off very fast and some take it to extreme levels unfortunately. But also you have to understand another aspect which comes under as entertainment as well, that’s how them heads see it to be and also cant escape the US slang due to the fact that since we all have been young we have been listening and watching American culture and way of life so all those songs we sing along to we sing it back in a US slang don’t we? Of corse that’s ok right, but when it comes back to doing it from were you reside you might look a little foolish. Funny how actors who play roles in movies don’t get criticized for acting something their not though, music for some reason has always had a much more powerful effect on people in the sense of what is fake and what is real.
SF - Vinyl vs. CD’s…? The future?
BNZ - Records vs. digital… hmmmm man I started with wax, I’ll end it with wax.
Unless you can take it to the next level by customizing your own remixes and playing them whilst mixing them would be what I would do instead of downloading songs most of us have heard a million times anyway and playing bad quality mp3’s and do the same job you can do on wax.
SF - The Top Ten tracks of all time are…
BNZ - Oh you putting me on the spot, a question like that I can spend years trying to determine the answer but if I were to take a stab at it, they would be:
1. Roy Ayers – We live in Brooklyn
2. Lou Donaldson – Just for a thrill
3. Miles Davis – Doo bop song
4. Rakim – Know the lenge
5. James Brown – The Boss
6. Buckshot Lefonque – Music Evolution
7 .Talib Kweli – The Blast
8. Anything from Little Brother
9 .Anything from the Roots
10. Run DMC – Run’s House
11. Pete Rock n CL Smooth – Reminise
12. Common Sense – I used to love her
13. Lords of the Underground – Here come the lords
SF - That was 13. I guess you aren't supersticious. So if hip-hop didn’t exist, you would...
BNZ - Have a social life !
SF - Where can we find you behind the wheels of steel in Melbourne?
BNZ - Very rarely now, sort of stoped doing the club events and mainly focusing on recording at the moment, but usually there is a one off big event that goes on for me to rock so check your local street press or online.
SF - Who would you like to abuse?
BNZ - John Howard and the guy who cancelled Arrested Development.
Thanks Bonez!!!
Ninja Art is in store now. There is also an EP on vinyl.