Australian hip-hop collective Tone Youth aren’t short of accolades. Laneway Festival, BIGSOUND & Groovin’ The Moo appearances, triple j Unearthed feature artist & ‘One To Watch’ in 2018 are all honors held by individual members. However as a trio, they’ve been brewing their own sound for a while.
With ‘Morse Code’ the collective unite & return, pulling inspiration from Kendrick Lamar, Saba, J. Cole & Dreamville in their latest take on come-ups, hustle and the grind that’s placed them as an artist ready to erupt into the Australian hip-hop landscape.
Featuring Chicago raised rapper Mick Jenkins spitting the chorus, Morse Code draws parallels between survivalist culture of urban America and the hurdles, challenges and difficulties those growing up poor in Australia also face.
Touching on the encouraged acceptance of “living in the ditches, washing someone else’s dishes” of Tone Youth member Robb James, ‘Morse Code’ highlights a fork in the road that many estranged-youths face, deciding between a life ducking and weaving, or the ‘straight and narrow’.
“Morse code is an introspective track that sees each artist reflect on their journey in hip hop thus far, what the culture means to them and also highlighting what they stand for. Pretty much everyone was meditating and interpreting their thoughts on where they are coming from and their relationship with the art form.” Tone Youth
“Mick Jenkins was in town for a few shows, and we managed to link up with him and work on a little something. It only feels right for us to kick off our next few releases with this song. More tunes and surprises on the way. This is only the beginning.” Tone Youth
Being Perth-based was a blessing for the trio, allowing them to work together constantly, talk shop, hang out and build the unique dynamism that makes Tone Youth so special. Working from separate home studios, the collective pieced ‘Morse Code’ together in their own time, creating each part autonomously before collaborating to finalize the track as a piece totalling more than the sum of its parts.
Award winning local producer Andrew Wright (Alter Boy, T$oko, Otiuh) made room in his schedule to work with the group, guiding the track through the production & tracking stages, before mixing and mastering ‘Morse Code’.
“It’s been a minute since we’ve put out music, we believe in taking our time, and doing things properly. During this whole global pandemic, we just took the time out to soak up what was going on, reflect on our journey while working on our craft as usual . We never stopped recording and creating, we just had to get to a point where everything came together and all the pieces fell in place. We are always writing, recording, shooting videos, and ‘stocking up the cupboard.’. We look forward to sharing what we have been working on over the past couple of years. Stay tuned” Tone Youth
“We’re pretty fortunate that we all have our own little home studios, so we can work on ideas, and send them to each other if we’re strapped for time. So in regards to our creative process, we do mix it up. Sometimes one of us will write and produce half a song, and then present it to the group. And other times we write together in the same space, and then record it on the spot. It’s varied.” Tone Youth
If that’s not enough of the iconic bars that Tone Youth spit, the collective have also just dropped a YouTube & Soundcloud exclusive street-freestyle clip for fans to enjoy. Running lines over a Nicki Minaj, Drake & Lil Wayne beat ‘Seeing Green’ – the trio are back and they mean business, with creativity & motivation flowing out of each member. It’s a sure sign of things to come for the inspired collective.
Undoubtedly able to leverage their individual strengths as artists, Tone Youth is at their most powerful when they combine, creating a hip-hop force to be reckoned with. Having had their heads down for the better part of 18 months, 2022 is poised to be the year that Tone Youth hit the ground with purpose – making those around them take notice.