We caught up with the musician to discuss the powerful new version of “Blackfellas” and why it is as relevant as ever.

What are your earliest memories of listening to “Blackfellas”? I remember when the song first came out with Local Knowledge 20 years ago. I was in high school at the time and when I first heard it, I felt this overwhelming sense of pride. It’s a song that really makes you put your shoulders back and makes you feel so pumped and proud. It has such a strong hook and powerful verses. I think at that time we really needed a real anthem and a celebration, so it helped me to latch onto something.

How did you approach the track from a contemporary perspective, both in the song’s meaning and in its sound? We really needed to make sure we had the right rapper for the song, and that person was Jamahl Yami – who won Triple J Unearthed last year. He’s a brother coming up and is really incredible, so I knew he would remain authentic to the song’s messaging.

We also had Uncle Abie on the track – he was on the original as part of Local Knowledge – and that was important because I really still wanted to keep the song’s essence and not stray too far from it. I didn’t want it over-polished as I felt that would have been a disservice. 

Tell us a little bit about the updated verses in the song – what was added and why? It was about adding verses that are really current with what’s happening now, so people could connect to it. I love how Jamahl sings – “Ancestors sent me in human form to keep a flame burning on their uniform”. Meanwhile, Uncle Abie touches on being a pioneer of rap and representing our people. It’s all about connection, interweaving the past and the present.

What was it like collaborating with Abie Wright and Jamahl Yami? It was an incredible experience to see Jamahl get to work and do his thing. I look forward to seeing what he does in the future. When the song came out, I was a teenager on my iPod shuffle listening to it in headphones, so it was a 360 moment being in the studio with Uncle Abie who I respect so much.

What new meaning are you hoping listeners will discover in this version of “Blackfellas”? The thing is that the new generation don’t know “Blackfellas” because they didn’t grow up with it. It isn’t from the era of YouTube, so for us it was a case of bringing this anthem back to the forefront. And for a lot of mob, it’s their first time hearing the song. For the OGs who already know the track, it’s about bringing it back to the party. Hopefully for them it’s like listening to part two of something that was already incredible.