This New Australian Artist Has Already Toured with the Likes of Stormzy & YG
Manu Crooks talks about Australian hip-hop and his rider requests.
![This New Australian Artist Has Already Toured with the Likes of Stormzy & YG](https://coveteur.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=25394189&width=1245&height=700&quality=90&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
Meet Manu Crook$. A Sydney-based rapper who is a prominent player in the Australian rap and hip-hop scene. We were first introduced to Crooks by way of his single âRidinâ,â a chill song with a trap vibe to it that is complete with Crooksâ autotuned voice. The single is off his latest EP, Mood Forever, and was quick to be added to our playlist.
Many are already well-acquainted with Crooks, as he supported Tory Lanez, YG, and Stormzy on their Australian tours, and his singles have been a constant on Zane Loweâs Beats 1 Radio. The artist recently announced his first-ever headlining tour (in Australia, of course) and will start this off tomorrow in Perth. Ahead of his tour, we chatted with Crooks about producing, creative freedom, and touring with Stormzy.
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He taught himself the basics and from there, the rest was history:
âAfter learning the basics of how to use a DAW [digital audio workstation] at college, I reached a point where it was just a matter of getting creative and actually creating my own music. I bounced from college, didnât really finish, and started doing my own thing. One thing I took away was that no one can teach you how to be creative! Iâve had a passion for music since I was a teenager, and only when I actually started to learn and produce my own music was I like, yeah, I could do this shit forever.â
Producing his own music gives him creative freedom:
âFreedom to make whatever the hell you wanna make, no restrictionsâitâs just you and your ideas! You also donât have to rely on producers to send you beats, sessions, etc. You can just go in and make your own from scratch. I think thatâs one of the main reasons I started producing, to not have to rely on anyone and just do it myself.â
Other musiciansâ work inspires him to be better:
âSome of my inspirations range from family and friends to strangers, my mums, my friends, the people around me. When I say strangers, I mean bigger artists that Iâve never met [whose] music inspires me to do better: J. Cole, Kanye, Pharrellâjust to name a few. Music moguls like Diddy [and] Dre.â
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He feels as though most Australian bars and clubs are behind with hip-hop music:
âI couldnât categorize âAustralian Rap.â Itâs different, we all donât sound the same. There are sub-genres in terms of rap/hip-hop and the cultureâitâs still growing. Depending on what DJ is playing at a certain club, most bars and clubs play a lot of old-school hip-hop and itâs like, âBruh, whereâs that new shit?â Generally, most bars and clubs are behind in terms of the hip-hop music.â
Post-tour, the next stop is Europe:
âI get a lot of people here [in] Aus telling me to head to the States to pursue the music, and I will definitely head out there soon, [but] for now I feel like most of my listeners are out in Europe, and I gotta get out to them ASAP! Going to the States for an artist like myself is the clichĂ© thing to do; itâs almost expected, and anyone that knows me knows I donât like doing the expected. As an artist, you gotta keep it interesting in all aspects of your life.â
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The fan love can feel very surreal at times:
â[Iâve had] a couple surreal moments really. From getting my music spun on Beats 1, doing shows, touring off the music, and people literally yelling your songs or messaging me about how much they love my musicâitâs everything to them! Itâs humbling and, at the same time, madness.â
âWildâ is the word to describe touring with Stormzy:
âIt was hands-down one of the wildest tours I been on! The energy from the people in every city was surreal. It was also his b-day during the tour, and we got to head out and celebrateâwe got litty! Shout out, Stormz and his team for putting us on the whole tour.â
His rider is liquid-heavy, of course:
âBottle of Hennessy, bottle of champagne, fruit platter, water, towels, chips, Doritos, bottles of Gatorade.â
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