Maundz fans haven’t heard much out of the Melbourne MC since his debut LP, ‘Mr Nobody’, in 2010. But since then, he’s kept busy working on his second release, ‘Zero’.

“It's about 20 tracks deep and I put a lot of work into it so hopefully it all comes to fruition now,” he says.

'Zero' is the first release of 2012 from hip hop collective Crate Cartel. Produced by Wik, the album features an impressive list of contributors including US rapper Action Bronson, plus locals like Drapht, Brad Strut, Bias B, Vents, Sesta and, of course, Crate Cartel.

“It feels excellent, personally speaking,” Maundz says about being a part of Crate Cartel. “I'm sure anyone would say this about their crew but I think we're one of the strongest crews in the country hands down. They're all a bunch of talented dudes so, you know, it’s good to be working with guys that have such a great worth ethic.”

With an impressive list of artists he’s already worked with, Maundz says he'd love to collaborate with Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah. “Man I'd love to do something with Ghostface Killah — I'll see how that goes. But you know, anyone who's down to make good music really. I don't care about names just as long as the track comes out nice, that's all I'm worried about,” he says.

The release of 'Zero' heralds the beginning of a busy period for Maundz and the Crate Cartel. “I'll be touring this album, no doubt. We're bringing out a 12” later on in the year, so we'll be keeping busy. There are more film clips on the way; the next film clip is for 'Maundzilla', which will be created by the Full Clip dudes. We'll just be promoting this as much as we can,” Maundz says.

“I think the Australian hip hop scene has come pretty far along over the years, so seeing my peers go out and get theirs has sort of pushed me to get some of what they're getting. I just want to be the best that I can be.”

‘Zero’ is out now through Crate Cartel and Obese Records.