Boltz | fr

“Get beyond your first impression/The first lesson/When meeting Boltz, never expect what you’re expecting”
– Boltz on A-Diction’s ‘The Missing Piece’, 2005.

What’s your preconceived idea of an Aussie emcee? A rough-and-tumble suburban warrior with a beer in one hand and a spraycan in the other? An ocker larrikin spitting rhymes about fictitious ‘wack emcees’ over boom-bap beats reminiscent of New York City circa 1994? A barefoot hippie rapping about Greenpeace and tofu burgers for a devoted army of festival-goers?

Boltz is here to change your perception of what Australian hip-hop is supposed to sound like. With his laidback vocals and quirky, humour-inflected lyrics about everyday life in Melbourne’s northern outskirts, Boltz and his debut solo album, The Wishlist, are like a breath of fresh air in a scene full of carbon copy rappers.

Boltz began his hip-hop career earlier this century, initially as a club DJ and later as an emcee with the short-lived Northside Crew. However, it wasn’t until 2005 that he really staked his claim upon the Aussie hip-hop landscape with the release of To Be Announced, the debut EP from his group A-Diction. With boomin’ beats from 2x ARIA nominee Weapon X and underground legend Ciecmate (of Hospice Crew), the disc garnered more than a few spins on national broadcaster Triple J, as well as community radio stations and car stereos nationwide.

With his partner-in-rhyme Breach temporarily relocating overseas, Boltz decided to continue building the A-Diction legacy on his own. The result is his hotly anticipated solo project The Wishlist (dropping August 11 2007 on Soulmate Records), a disc that promises to be musically groundbreaking and commercially successful in equal measure.

With feature spots from the King of Detroit himself, Royce Da 5’ 9”, as well as cult hero Take It Easy Heezy (‘Drive It Like It’s Hot’), mixtape kings Fergo One and Cherry P, A-Diction comrade Breach and rising star Joolz, The Wishlist promises to be a vocal and lyrical treat. And for every hot line, Boltz and his guests are evenly matched with scorching beats from super-producers M-Phazes (Supastition, Bliss N Eso), Trials (Obese Records' The Funkoars), Styalz Fuego (Chamillionaire, Kool G Rap), Canada's Muneshine and long-time collaborator Weapon X.

It’s time to add Boltz to your hip-hop wishlist! .