Somewhere in between an already-pumping schedule including sell-out tours of the US and Canada, the creation of their third album, and selection for the upcoming Make Poverty History Zero Seven Roadtrip, the world-class performers plan to bring the genre to a whole new level with the release of an inspiring new single, "Bullet and a Target".
Breaking novel musical and social boundaries in hip hop worldwide, the single is the product of a recent trip the trio took to South Africa, where in conjunction with MTV, Evermore and The Oaktree Foundation, they worked with the Connections Zulu choir, a 21 piece African Choir from the Valley of A Thousand Hills in South Africa, to rework Citizen Cope's highly controversial original version of "Bullet and a Target". The track was then mixed by Andy Baldwin (who has also worked with Powderfinger, The Cat Empire, Killing Heidi and 28 days) and produced by Bliss and M-Phazes, to create a project with its sounds in the air, and its feet firmly in the earth.
The project has allowed the Connections Zulu choir to achieve its dream of playing to a world audience, and it was flown to Australia for three weeks during July for recording of the track. Formed of teenagers and young adults who live in a world inextricably affected by HIV/AIDS, high levels of crime, unemployment, substance abuse and extreme poverty, the choir has prospered without any formal training and yet have amazing raw musical talent.
100% of the proceeds from "Bullet and a Target" will go to The Oaktree Foundation, Australia's only youth-run international aid and development organisation. The money will then be channelled through to the Connections Zulu Choir and the funding of other projects in developing regions of South Africa in the hope of creating awareness and a brighter future for those in need.
We found the time to talk to MC Bliss from Bliss n Eso recently, where he spoke about the group's musical philosophies, and its recent experiences in Africa:
MTV: MC Eso has said that Bliss n Eso can't relate to the "bling bling, champagne poppin' thug rhymers" coming out of the US. What do you prefer your music to reflect?
BLISS: I guess ourselves. Real life. What we experience. Things you can relate to. We're not personally against that kind of bling bling culture, it's just not really present here.
MTV: So what do you think antipodean hip-hop's got that US music doesn't?
BLISS: The first thing would have to be the accent. It's great. At first a lot of people had problems with it, but I think it's a feature; a strength. The second thing would have to be the subject matter. When we talk about life here, it's about people; beer and barbeques. Stuff relevant to us in our everyday life.
MTV: What do you think is the most important function of music today?
BLISS: I think that music is self expression. It's entertainment. People skip right across that. It's more than just being about problems - people love music the whole world over. Music is escapism - you put the headphones on and just drift to another world.
MTV: Now we've heard that you guys started busting rhymes at the local bus stop. How did this happen?
BLISS: I'd just come over to Australia from the US, and I met Eso at school. It was like another world back then. Eso and I were the only two kids at school who liked hip hop - that was the time when you'd be lucky to find one CD at the music store. So we became mates, and started reciting the lines of our favourite rappers at the bus stop. One day I made something up, some words of my own, and we just thought, that was great, we could keep doing it. And so we did.
MTV: Where's the most creative place you'd like to bring your music?
BLISS: Playing in Africa was an eye-opener; it was definitely something different. A lot of the kids didn't speak English - they mostly just spoke Zulu. They didn't understand our music lyrically, but they were so into the vibe; you could really feel the energy and rhythm on stage. So I think that I'd really like to play more in non-English speaking countries in the future. There's so much that can be translated without words, and we're a group that loves to get the crowd involved.
MTV: Can you tell us what surprised you most about South Africa?
BLISS: I think most people would have said it was the culture shock of entering the third world. But I grew up in Jakarta Indonesia, so it wasn't so big of a shock for me. I think what surprised me most was that people had so little, but were so happy and warm and generous and friendly.
MTV: We hear you're bringing out a new album soon, which is based on those experiences you had there. How did you come to terms with capturing a topic like poverty in Africa, when the topic has been broached so often by popular music, and could risk being tired or clichéd? Do you think you bring something new to the table with your approach?
BLISS: Definitely. We set out to do something different. The album is not just about South Africa and issues in South Africa - it's more general than that. There are a lot of problems in the world; the majority of people are getting on with life, but only a small number of people set out to exploit others; to get in their way. Our album is an ode to the goal of all those people getting somewhere. I think there's power in numbers. United, everything is possible. We people are the bullet, and our goals are the target.
Copyright : MTV Australia
