Down4thecause

Biography

down4thecause is a self-made hip hop artist who grew up in Lismore, on the NSW coast. down4thecause during his early, definitive years had little to no exposure to what was designed to become his life’s passion and mission; hip hop music. Learning through trial and error, by going with one’s instinct, and just giving it all he got, down4thecause learned how beat and rhyme interact and react to each other to produce that distinctive hip hop sound. down4thecause moved to Brisbane in 2010 and released his debut EP 'Let The Music Play' under his former name Profecy, the release received over 4,000 downloads and it took his music across the country where he performed alongside Thundamentals, Illy and M-Phazes. In 2013 he dropped 'The Arrival', a 10-track mixtape that garnered positive reviews from music critics labeling him as one of the most promising emcees in the country. In August that year down4thecause was sentenced to 4 months in prison. After many tough years, down4thecause bounced back with his EP ‘The Release’ distributed by Obese Records. ‘The Release’ encompassed youthfulness in the most adept way possible; the anger, the unrequited emotions, the frustration and bliss, the bittersweetness of life, are all found in condensed form on this EP. The year is 2019 and down4thecause is currently building momentum and releasing singles for his debut album ‘The Fifth Vital Sign'. 'The Fifth Vital Sign' is the pain scale doctors use when they evaluate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10. down4thecause explains "I've got 10 songs and I'm using that scale to define each one. The EP starts off enjoyable and easy-going with love songs, inspirational tracks and the necessary bangers but gets darker as the songs continue on. As the EP progresses I'll be expressing more painful songs with emotions drawn from traumatic life experiences". He plans to create a diverse album with a meaningful concept behind it. He continues “Everyone experiences pain in different ways and my aim is to take the listener on a journey through the types of pain I’ve experienced, the trauma that I’ve dealt with and ultimately I just hope the album reduces someone’s pain along the way”. down4thecause is an unstoppable, emerging voice in the Australian hip-hop scene, with an innovative approach to creating; he has a natural presence on the mic and a flow that is vibrant and compelling. He has a gift for phrasing and dynamics with songwriting that goes deep, with stories of pain and trauma and inspirational songs that leave a lasting impact on the listener. With signs down4thecause has been perfecting his craft for a long time; this is an artist worth paying close attention to.

Profile

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What is music to you? What does it give you?

Ambition for life.

What is your music dream?

To do music full-time and not have to work a job I'm not passionate about.

If you could change the world - what would you start with?

Poverty and Mental Illness

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?

Fast Car - Tracey Chapman

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?

Jay-Z, Freddie Gibbs, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Pusha T, Spit Syndicate and Horrorshow.

What inspires you to make music?

It's therapeutic benefit, hope of inspiring others and creating music people can relate to.

What is the message you want to send with your music?

That no matter what what kind of hardship, trauma or difficulty you're currently facing, you're not alone and I hope my music brings you the same connection and feeling I get when listening to music that impacts me. I hope it inspires hope in you and on the days you feel hopeless, I hope you tell less alone.

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?

A fulfilling rush unlike any drug. Pure eurphoria combined with pure intimacy.

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

More viable avenues to gain income, more acceptance in society as as an actual career choice. More avenues for undiscovered talent to be heard by music fans. Less platforms asking musicans for money to post to their followers.

What do you think of Drooble?

Its a great platform and community, the tools are effective and affordable. Their updates are consistent, impressive and I love watching this platform grow.

What frustrates you most as a musician?

The market becoming saturated with new artists, makes it a lot harder to get recognised. It makes it harder to receive the same opportunities that were available to me a decade ago. Also the need to invest more money into promotion and spending a lot more time creating content for social media instead of just making music although sometimes I do enjoy it.

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?

That's a good new year's resolution, I definitely need to work on that.

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?

A personality that works on social media and an ability to create music that is different from the status quo. Coming to the realisation that it's not just about the music anymore, you are a brand and a brand has to market themselves. You have to do things you may not enjoy.

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.

Horrorshow, Mick Jenkins, Spit Syndicate, GMC and JPEGmafia.