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PREMIERE: Like Donkey Kong, Kirklandd steps up to the plate with We On

Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Full of those odd politicians we love to mock via Twitter memes, rigid infrastructure and the best school excursion destination ever, Questecon. Not to mention our capital is the home to a thriving music scene, one that is the home of emerging hip-hop artist Kirklandd.

Kirklandd We On

An exciting member of the Aussie hip-hop’s new generation, Kirklandd shows he has what it takes to a be a player in this game with We On.

His new single We On featuring Genesis Owusu is a perfect chance to sample his creative talents. It’s funky as hell with the use of the live bass, the 90s-esque sounds gives it the authentic hip-hop vibe. The production is on a Goldlink and Kaytranada vibe, so you can expect an energetic song. His influences range from Raury to NWA, Grandmaster Flash and Kool Herc. Using those influences as a guide, We On is a great introduction to a promising MC.

Kirlandd began dabbling in hip-hop as a private hobby in 2003 scribbling lyrics whenever he could. It wasn’t until a backpacking trip around Europe that he realised music was what he wanted to do. From then he got in touch with his cousin, Shaka who was a performing artist at the time. He knew Citizen Kay so he hooked Kirklandd up and the rest is history.

The inspiration for this song came from a simple car trip to a Cam Bluff show in Melbourne when Kirklandd came to the realisation of how happy he is making music. “I brought the mix back to work on with Citizen Kay, I put together the verses with the homie Mr. Genesis Owusu, and the whole time I was just happy as hell to be doing what we’re doing,” he said. “All I wanted was to channel that totally carefree energy on the track, and deliver some seriously on point flows.”

Kirklandd had been performing with Genesis Owusu, also a fellow Canberra local, for a while so he thought they might as well create a track together. Owusu is a soulful hip-hop artist so Kirkland decided to play with his strengths and use it on his track.

I thought it’d be dope to do a project that would bring out some more energetic flows from him, as well as blending that soulful sound I loved on his first track, The Day After Valentines,” he recalls. “He’s got a carefree but philosophical tone to his music that resonates with me pretty hard, and lines from him like ‘the postmodernist never benefits from the relevance’ in this track are especially ill.”

If you want to check out the magic for yourself Kirklandd will be at the Art Not Apart in Westside Canberra this Saturday March 19 and Bassfront Festival on March 26th. There will also be a number of shows after his EP release in April.