Local Produce: SickBoy

Local Produce: SickBoy

In Dunedin, being a rapper is left of centre in a music scene dominated by Indie Rock. SickBoy, joined by his producers Will and Cameron, is one of the most promising voices in Ōtepoti hip hop with the release of his new EP ‘The Tale of Tim Branson’. Critic Te Ārohi sat down with SickBoy (real name Max), Will and Cameron to talk about the EP, influences, and their love for music.

The name SickBoy comes from the Trainspotting character of the same name, who appears in both the 1996 movie, and the book it’s based on. “It’s my favourite movie ever and I just love the character. T2 is good as well,” says Max. He has been rapping since the age of fourteen when his older brother introduced him to $uicideboy$: “It was the first thing I got into and my love of it blossomed. They’re not one of my main influences but I still have a deep love for their music.” 

Max then started to go back through hip hop history and found appreciation for the greats such as Biggie and 2Pac: “I grew into other artists. I'm a big fan of Kendrick [Lamar], Joey Bada$$ as well. They’re amazing lyricsists.” Max is into both the lyrical and melodic side of rap, as shown by his musical output. “I love the wordplay. I was never good at English in school but writing lyrics was something I was good at. It was a lot easier to understand and interpret,” he says.

The range of what SickBoy raps about varies. Sometimes he talks about his everyday life, how he feels or just a random story. “I try not to tell people what my lyrics are about exactly. I find it’s best for people to interpret it themselves and relate it to themselves and they’ll get the best experience that way [...] If people ask me what the lyrics are about and really drill down I will tell them but often a lot of the details are changed just to keep the personal life a bit more private.” While there is not really a scene for SickBoy to perform, he does plan on getting a live band at some point to do shows: “It’s in the works.”

‘The Tale of Tim Branson’ was released on the 20th of September, but has been in the works for about a year. The project starts off with some jazz rap sounds, akin to another influence for Max: Avantdale Bowling Club, a musical project headed by New Zealand’s own Tom Scott: “I’m no Tom Scott wannabe but I do love the rapping with a live band and jazz aspect.” 

Will does a lot of the computer production aspects, while Cameron usually plays piano for the tracks. “A lot of the EP just came from jamming mainly,” says Cameron. The way the EP flows cohesively from song to song is mainly due to Will and his love for Frank Zappa. “I love his live albums and how it feels like it never stops,” Will explains. “We were ordering the tracks and there is a loose story that we know and it might come across but yeah, we really wanted it all to flow together.” 

You can follow SickBoy on Instagram @sickboyxo and stream the new EP on all streaming services.

This article first appeared in Issue 24, 2024.
Posted 5:35pm Saturday 28th September 2024 by Jordan Irvine.