Blood, Sweat and Tears


It’s definitely hardcore. It’s definitely grimey. It’s street hip hop at its rawest. “We talk about the streets and the people from them,” MC Culprit says. “That’s our life. We don’t really know any other way.”

Born and raised in an area they refer to as the ‘Westline’, both MCs - Culprit and Dontez - from Brisbane-based Kings Konekted grew up and shared a past like no other. Now they’re representing their home crews, rapping about a childhood spent “living in a group of neighbourhoods under the 4300 postcode”.

“It’s a working class area and there was a lot of violence, especially back in the early 90s when we were just young. A lot of tribalism, dissected by the type of music you listened to and the clothing you wore.”

When asked how their childhood experiences influence the music, Culprit responds: “It’s the daily reminder you know. We lived amongst that, it’s the past we grew up with. We’ve been through heaps of trials and tribulations each, that’s definitely something that we do with our music, we reflect that. We try to reach those people as well as educate other people on that.”

The unabridged Kings Konekted outfit showcases the talents of producer, DJ Stricknine, along with both MCs. Drawn together through a mutual love and respect of the original hip hop elements, their influences range from raw, US west coast MCs like Kurupt & Daz, Da Lench Mob and King T, right through to the New York trailblazers such as Wu-Tang, Gangstarr and Big Pun.

Last September, Kings Konekted released ‘Trails To The Underlair: The Prequel’, establishing the arrival of two young MCs who’ve been working tirelessly since they were teenagers to perfect their craft. “A lot of people in the game will do demos, try and get their name out there. We have been doing live shows for six or seven years and our group was established without any sort of release, so when the time came to put one out, it was always going to be something much more than a demo.

“But still to that extent, giving people a taste of what our delivery is and what our aura is … we wanted to release this as a prequel mixtape to show the type of beats that are behind our music.”

Released through Queensland-based Class A Records, in association with Toaster Entertainment, it was the first all-Australian product from a label that had only ever previously showcased international artists. “We were just stoked hey. The guys that run the label are all about quality. They’re like a hip hop encyclopedia, the things that they’ve put out are all top quality, highly respected artists. When we first started working together and they decided to back us in putting the mixtape out, that extra hand and assistance was a great help for us. To have it put out on that label, it’s the first Australian release, and that’s a standard we were trying to hit.”

But it’s the forthcoming debut album ‘Corrupted Citizens’ that’s getting their fans most excited. Currently in the fine-tuning stages, the release is expected for 2011. “That’s what we’ve been working on now that the mixtape’s been out on the streets. The label and release date is undetermined. But one thing that is determined is that it’s going to be quality work. That’s blood sweat and tears … ten years of work on that.”

So while that’s all in the pipeline fans are forced to quench their Kings Konekted thirst by attending live performances. Boasting an unmatched live reputation, they’ve performed alongside international acts including Lord Finesse, M.O.P and Necro, as well as a slew of Australian names such as Brad Strut, Funkoars and Muph & Plutonic. “I vibe off him (Dontez), he vibes off me. I rarely have to look at him if I’m running out of breath and vice versa, it’s automatically going to happen. Quite often he’ll know my lyrics better than his. “We’ll be reciting each others verses so much that onstage we rarely miss a line and if it does happen the other will be there to cover. That’s something we take pride in, a flawless performance. Always try to get the words out, words clear, breath control. It’s so important in the hip hop game.”

KINGS KONEKTED PERFORM AT THE STEP INN ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 20