Don’t let the name fool you: Killaqueenz are not a bunch of prettyboys in high heels with steak knives. No, they are quite literally the complete opposite: they are two of the toughest girls in Australian hip hop at the moment. Together Kween G and Belizean Bombshell – who hail from Uganda and Belize respectively – are Killaqueenz, an act whose sound is unmistakably unique and fierce.
Kween G took a moment out of a busy recording schedule to chat to OUTinPerth about women in hip hop and getting a little colour on the TV.
How would you describe your sound? A bit of everything. New, I guess. We work with a lot of different producers who kind of take inspiration from the stuff we like to listen to or even our own background of music. I’d say that our sound is definitely hip hop and we like to mix in a little bit of an electronic sound as well.
What do you think of the current exposure women in hip hop receive? For women, we definitely need more, but in hip-hop itself, it’s grown a lot and it’s going to continue to grow. It’s just exposure and just getting the right media out there and the links of what real, good hip-hop is about instead of just giving certain hip-hop shine. It’s actually really good; it’s come a long way so we’re pretty blessed to be in the position we are, representing hip-hop.
Is Good Vibrations the first major festival that you guys are playing? First major national festival. We’ve been doing a lot of festivals, but we haven’t been put on a whole national tour. The Falls Festival we did recently was probably the biggest crowd we’ve played to, so Good Vibrations, that’s gonna be something for us to look forward to.
Is there anyone on the line-up you’re looking forward to seeing? Salt-N-Pepa, Busta Rhymes, Kid Cudi and Naughty by Nature.
What’s it like being on the same bill as Salt-N-Pepa, who I presume are role models for you guys? It’s a dream come true, mate. It’s one of God’s gifts to us, coming up the ladder. It means that we are somebody, you know? When you’ve been on the same stage as your idols, it’s a blessing.
Do you reckon there’ll be a possibility of you guys being able to jam with them? You know, we’re not gonna say, we’re gonna wait and see. We’re not gonna jinx it, right?
Do you guys have an all-time favourite festival story that’s either happened to you guys, or someone that you know? We were at Falls, they had the same guy running on stage four times, dodging security, like two years in a row. It happened the first time we played there, but this year the Falls festival was crazy because I think the security guards were dancing to our music and forgetting that we’ve got punters like, running to a big stage, jumping on, dancing and then getting taken off and it happened four times.
Is he a big fan of yours? I think he was just in the mood. He was in the vibe and the moment and he couldn’t get enough. We kept laughing at each other and rapping at the same time. We couldn’t believe it; you kind of felt like a rockstar.
What are three things that you think a punter should bring when they come to see you guys at Good Vibrations? Energy. And… a do-rag, cause you’re gonna be sweatin’. Make sure you bring H2O of course, cause you’re gonna be on your feet dancing a lot.
I read in your press release that you guys also supported Lady Gaga, is that right? That was before she blew up. That was honestly like the day before she went huge. That was at Oxford Art Facroty in Sydney. She was cute. She goes ‘Hi, I’m Gaga’ and that was pretty much it.â€
We’ve just started a whole new decade – do you guys have any predictions for the Australian music scene in general and maybe even the hip-hop scene over the next decade? We’ve been bringing out a lot of really cool hip-hop artists that you wouldn’t think would ever come here, so maybe eventually we can start collaborating with some of the big guns and making some top-quality music for the world, like the UK pop scene gets worldwide. For Australian and New Zealand to reach that platform, that’d be a good one. And also getting a hip-hop channel V going on; getting some colour on tele. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Hopefully in the future we’ll get to see that because it’s so needed, its so, so needed.
Killaqueenz will be appearing at Good Vibrations at The Claremont Showgrounds on Sunday February 14. For further info about the festival’s lineup and to purchase tickets visit www.gvf.com.au.
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
