Part of the local hip hop scene since the early 2000s with The Serenity, West End’s Nick One evokes the gangsta lifestyle so prevalent within the genre. Now he’s preparing to support The Godfather Of Hip Hop.

Paint a picture for the readers; who exactly is Nick One?
Nick One is that dude who rocks up to your party with a car full of bitches and unplugs the DJ’s shit and smashes you with the illest hits.

You produced Verbill’s latest EP, which won the Best EP at the recent Ozhiphop Awards. You must be chuffed with that result?
It was good to see our hard work recognised. Now I just gotta kick back, relax, and wait for the cheques to roll in.

What other production work do you have in the pipeline?
I got a sick gangsta track comin’ out from a Bronx rapper called Bigfoot, and I'm gonna make my own rap album, plus an instrumental EP. Prolly make some Hostile Takeover tracks soon.

Your approach to production; do you bring that classic hip hop sound to the table? 
Yeah, I just try to find some rare shit and chop it up with some fat drums behind it. I wanna learn how to make trap and dubstep next. Holla at me DJ Butcher.

Give us a few lines about West End and what it means to the local artistic community?
West End is a sick little community with all these different people doing shit; playing flutes and shit. Kebabs errrywhurr.
You’re on the bill to support Afrika Bambaataa — what was your first response when you heard about this news?
Definitely stoked to be playing at this gig. The first thing I did was send my tracksuit to the dry cleaners.

What are you planning for your DJ set?
I'm going to start that shit with a Bambaataa track and play through my favourite tracks from the history of hip hop, with New Years Steve tearing it up on the cut. I think Miss Karleena is gonna spit some bars too.

Personally, what does it mean to have the opportunity to perform on the same stage as The Godfather Of Hip Hop?
I have always wanted to play on the same bill as DJ Katch, so that's dope.

Nick One's hip hop roots — the early years? What really drew you into the culture?
“Straight outta Compton, a crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube, from a gang called Niggaz Wit Attitude.”

Hostile Takeover is a project you're working with Dubmarine’s DKazman — are the fruits of your labour ready to be devoured? 
Yeah man, it's all improvised shit at the moment, but we've accidentally made a few film clips so we would like to record something soon.

For the uninitiated, what does Hostile Takeover sound like? You enjoy setting ‘shit on fire’, right?
Hostile Takeover is that bass heavy trap and dubstep shit with DKazman wildin’ out on top. We got a carload of dancers, and at least two of those girls are crazy for lighting fires on stage, which is confusing ‘cause our beats are so hot that the soundsystem is already smokin’.

You’ve been on the scene for a decade plus, since your days with The Serenity; Brisbane hip hop compared to the early 2000s... what’s the Nick One point of view?
To be honest I think the shit used to be a lot cooler. A lot of angry dudes yelling at a sausage sizzle ain't really my idea of a good time. Hip hop is supposed to be fun, not about glassing people.  We bringing back that block party steez.

The rest of 2013 for Nick One; do you have much simmering on the hotplates?
2013 is the year of the Hostile Takeover. If you are having a party this year, expect us to come and wreck your shit. And drink your wine.
There are so many sub-genres of genres that have already been fractured — what's the new sound, style, flavour that's going to get kids going apeshit on dancefloors?
Twerk is my favourite shit right now, and DKazman talking to the aliens on those fucked up trap beats.

Nick One supports Afrika Bambaataa at the Hi-Fi Friday May 17.