November 5, 2024 • 21 mins
In this episode of the Black Magic Woman Podcast, I sit down with the talented group Dem Mob, a rising Indigenous hip-hop band making waves in the Australian music scene. Dem Mob, formed in 2019, began as a school project aimed at re-engaging Indigenous youth through music and culture. Today, they've transformed into a powerhouse collective, bringing Aboriginal language and culture to the forefront of their music, blending English and Pitjantjatjara languages to reach diverse audiences.
In our yarn, we discuss the group’s origins, their mission to inspire Indigenous youth, and the importance of integrating culture with education. They share how music provided them an escape and a path to empowerment, overcoming the challenges of mainstream education systems that often leave Indigenous students feeling disconnected. Now, with award-winning tracks and performances at major events like SXSW Sydney, Dem Mob continues to inspire and give back to their communities.
Tune in to hear about their journey, their dedication to culture, and their vision for the future. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about Dem Mob’s powerful music and message.
Links & Resources:
- DEM MOB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dem_mob/?hl=en
- DEM MOB Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4aciJpcM8WNsBXP4dQv9yM?si=QIwlH1MwTBmdLSYgpCk3Ng
Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au
Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast
The Black Magic Woman Podcast is hosted by Mundanara Bayles and is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly Aboriginal guests and explores issues of importance to Aboriginal people and communities. Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Black cast Unite our voices. Black Magic Women Podcast acknowledges
the traditional owners of the land we have recorded this
episode on. We also acknowledge traditional owners of the land
where you, the listener or viewer, are tuning in from.
We would like to pay our respects to our elders
past and present and acknowledge that this always was Aboriginal
(00:25):
land and always will be Aboriginal land.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
What we do with them over is more so you've
got to walk the walk to talk to talk. I
think later on their old once we're able to obviously
make it more sustainable, we will get more opportunity to
go home and be able to share experiences with our
children and obviously fill up their cups as well. I
want to inspire them and obviously help them become better
verdits of themselves as well.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Welcome to the Black Magic Woman Podcast with Mandanara Bail.
Welcome to another episode of the Black Magic Women Podcast.
I'm here on my beautiful mother's country. It's my mother's
mother's mother's mothers and we go back to at least
the eighteen twenties here on Gadiger Country. I'm joined by
(01:14):
a band that have just flown in here for the
South My Southwest Massive Conference here in Sydney. If you
haven't heard about it, you should get online for next
year and see all of the amazing especially black talent
that now gets to I guess kind of take up
space in spaces where it's normally or predominantly non Aboriginal people.
(01:38):
So today I'm going to have a little yarn. If
you haven't heard of these fellows before, hopefully after today
you download their music google them, but everything will be
in the show notes. So I'm going to literally asks now,
just one by one if you don't mind, you want
to introduce yourself to my listeners and also some of
(01:59):
our viewers on YouTube. What's your name? Where you fellow
us from? And then we'll get into how you got
an invitation to come down here to Sydney.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, hey guys, my name is Elijah James. I go
with the stage name of Uncle Peter. I'm a rapper
and one of the rappers also play a bit of
a producing role as well, co producing with DJ DJ Jobs.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Okay, multi talent today.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
We'll stop everybody. My name is John Tae Laury Ro
named Jelud. I'm also a rapper part of dem Mob with.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Them lauris from caled Stone Mob. Yes, you come from
a very famous Abergeal family musicians.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Yeah, most most people recognize that last time straight away,
especially if they grow up Black Deadley. Hey, my name's
Bus Edwards.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I'm from Mamada. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
I do most of the singing in Demo. And how
did dem moob? Now that's the band name, right, how
did it come about? Whose idea was it to go, hey,
let's get into a band, And how did you even
come up with the name? Ah?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Then mob back into us in the nineteen like my
teacher knowing that was my producer now and also Djo,
I've known Elasta since Wilch your days back in Adelaide.
And then yeah, we all had a big talk about it.
At that time, I was pretty much in an other school.
So yeah, just we just all came up with a
(03:34):
screen name called dem Mob. Like Matt came up with
it first and then was like dem Mob sounded like
a pretty good name. What about us? Moll was like, Nah,
come on, man, I have to put dem mob. And
then that's how the name just became its thing.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You know.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
It's between schoolwork becoming this big thing. You know, like
it's pretty crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
How long we're talking about when when you kicked off
this band and said, you know what, we're actually gonna
get serious about this.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I guess, yeah, just to touch badge a little bit
of John. They were saying earlier, there are organically formed
as a vehicle to get John through his senior schooling,
so his year eleven and twelve. It was a project
that was kind of designed to re engage disengaged students,
(04:21):
obviously using hip hop and elements of culture and language
and trying to bring hip hop into the classroom more
so as a form of teaching. And then it kind
of just naturally kind of built its own thing outside
of a school project thing. We started doing a couple
(04:41):
of shows in like a nearby town called Alice Springs,
was probably five hour drive from where we were based
at the time. We did like probably two shows a
month start of a term, end of the term, just
to kind of like get all the teachers around because
all the teachers obviously all around came from different states
and they're obviously living away from their family investing their
(05:04):
time into teaching our children in our schools. And then yeah,
if it eventually started picking up got offered to play festivals,
and at the time we were still in the Lands,
we were playing festivals but still using like the festival
shows as a way to tick boxes for Johnt their
(05:25):
senior schooling. So like we played Wormat and we kind
of used Wormat as an external assignment basically and being like, yeah,
he's played this, and like we've designed a module to
obviously replicate that stage into a paper to tick off
that box, which gets into the paper that he needs.
And that's how we kind of went about it. And
then obviously he ended up graduating and obviously Gully was
(05:47):
a big part of the school stuff. He was always
trying to find obviously new ways to try and help
our children at home and disengage students and we'll do
its plan and talk about these massive ideas and how
to obviously implement culture and language and music in classroom
obviously try and get better outcomes from our kids in school.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yeah, to satisfy mainstream education curriculum and standards and all
of that. Basically, that's a pretty impressive school to actually
acknowledge the strength of Aboriginal culture, the strength of our
culture when Aboriginal people like us for a younger mob,
when we're actually encouraged and supported to actually practice our
(06:31):
culture but also tick the boxes in terms of the
education the assignments. I've never heard of many schools that
are being flexible, adaptive and supportive, especially in like you know,
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Yeah, it's pretty crazy, Like I'm proud of it became
a thing for us and also for me. So yeah,
big love and shut out to Elashaw and Matt and
also be too, you know, you know, demmobile grued and
these guys being flexible not in that curriculum. It was
pretty amazing and just.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
That inspiration now to this next younger mob family, cousins,
brother sisters, to be able to. Like you said, sometimes
I feel a little bit kind of disheartened when they
label our label black kids as disengaged. What it is
is this, this curriculum and this system doesn't fit within
(07:27):
our culture and we need to make it work. Right,
So how do we make education and learning in white
mainstream schools? How do you make it fun, engaging and
exciting and stimulating that our kids can't wait to go
to school. I went to a black school. I went
to a Murray school all Abigal kids, twenty seven of
(07:48):
us and I'm on the board of that school now.
My grandmother's brother thirty years ago in Brisbane founded that school.
I went to thirteen other schools, dealt with a lot
of racism. My name Mandanara is rainbow in my language.
But that also kind of gave me up. So being
an Abiginal kid trying to kind of navigate white mainstream
(08:11):
school systems and dealing with racism, I felt disengaged as well,
trying to figure out like do I want to finish school?
Why do we get sent to the school, and also
starting to question like am I the problem? What's wrong
with me? I've got five kids, and one of my
kids he struggles with this education. Is it tutoring? Now?
(08:35):
You know, if you could just say anything to these
young mob that people have kind of given up on them,
or you know, they don't have this opportunity or the
support to go into a school classroom where people are going, oh, look, culture.
We know that fabritional people and kids are encouraged and
supported to practice their culture. We can implement this in
(08:56):
the curriculum. So a lot of our kids are not
going to get this opportunity round. But already they're kind
of you know, I wouldn't say that they've been or
just say like, yeah, people have given up on them
as a lot of our young people. And teachers play
very important role and our young people, you know, whether
(09:18):
they can build confidence in them to back themselves like
we're deadly people. But for a long time it's been
this negative kind of stigma amongst us as Abasinal people.
So I think this is a deadly yarn. Kicking it
off with how do we make first education and culture?
How do we bring it together, bringing the Aboriginal world
and white follow world together and make it work Otherwise
(09:42):
you know where would you be today? You know if
that program wasn't available, you probably wouldn't have these opportunities, right,
And this is all of our kids right across this country.
And I really can't wait for people to hear this. Yeah,
and already we only just got started. But music right,
education is important. Education. Without it, we're not going to
(10:05):
be able to get a job. We're not going to
be able to buy a car and pay our rent
and support our families. And you do the thing, buy shoes,
buy clothes, do all the nice things. Right, So education
is important getting a job, but music, music obviously has
(10:27):
been the main part now of the success of the
band coming together. How have you been able to then
kind of I don't know, you've got a manager? Now
you've got because youse follows are still young. Who's been
behind you to give you then the knowledge and the
understanding of being in an industry like this music industry
(10:47):
now so that you fellows can do this for the
next ten twenty years.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I guess it just goes back to the men that
started everything. Gully has been a big part of our
development individually as young indigenous men. Has been that a
consistent obviously male role model to us as younger did
this man he's just he's always had her back since
(11:12):
it started. Like he manages us that he manages and
DJs we are looking for obviously more like support for
his behalf because he's doing so much.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Well here see that camera at the moment. Tell people
that are listening and watching this, what what is it
that she follows need to be able to keep living
out your dream and doing what she loves so that
this you could keep inspiring our more ab our young
mob as well.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I guess it's just obviously trying to gain more exposure
within what we do with Demo is more so we're
trying to obviously, you know, you've got to walk the
walk to talk to talk, and with kids at home,
they're always obviously watching us now on social media, and
when we go home, they've always got so much questions
and they're always excited for us to go back. But
(12:03):
because we haven't, we don't have much support obviously outside
in the industry at the moment. Like we obviously we're
still connecting and building our connections within networking and that stuff.
I think later on the road, once we're able to
obviously make it more sustainable, we will get more opportunity
to go home and be able to you know, share
experiences with that with our children and obviously fill up
(12:25):
their cups as well to inspire them and obviously help
them become better versits of themselves as well.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Yeah, and winning awards, right, I heard about this one
just for community. Just how much how much did it
mean to you? What was it like that feeling to
be acknowledged winning an award and kind of Yeah, just celebrating.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Winning the awards was pretty big for us. It was
our goal, you know last year, so we won like
five awards, just five look at a road like like
I was shocked, Like I thought like one could just
make us more excited because we worked so hard last year.
So with those awards we did, we gave to CHASM
(13:08):
that's the University of Adelaide, Yes, yeah, and then you
know I gave mine to my family. Elasha did the same, Yeah,
bet too, And we also gave one back to er
School that's where I grew up and learned. So yeah,
like for that, like awards, it's just it is a
big thing, and like that also shows us too that
(13:31):
way out we do all music, yeah, but we all.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
People loving it. People love them, Which is it producing
what you're making?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Yeah, we went and we also love giving back to
the community too, So go back.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
To shows and sometimes it'll be good to be you know,
like hey, look at we've got some money here. We're
going to get paid to do this. A lot of
it's for the love, right, We're doing it for a
lot of the time, for our family, for our communities,
culture and language. I know that you Fellas, it's number
one for you Fellas, right and your language. You want
to tell people some of the music that you're seeing
(14:00):
is in your language, somedditional language. I was here and
you're speaking.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Before, So yeah, we speak bidding thet a young good data.
It's kind of like more desert mobs Central Australia. I
guess like the we rap both in both languages just
to be able to obviously share messages and just to
create a bit of separation between messages within songs. And
(14:28):
I think it's a cool way. It's it's very creative
on obviously being able to touch base with two audiences
within one verse or within two sentences within the rap.
And I think that's I don't know for me, like, yeah,
I just love when the songs are coming up and
I know when it's gonna get to the switching from
language to language. It just gives you that opportunity to
(14:51):
really obviously be able to represent who you are as
an ideness person and really like speak your language but
rap it at the same time confidently. But then you're
obviously seamlessly switching flows. And I think that's the cool
respective ters.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yeah, it's telling them younger mob too, dude, you know
how important it is to to learn their culture, to
learn their language. To sit with them old people. That's
a you know, a lot of us are privileged, a
lot of us to have that kind of exposure and culture.
But there's a lot of our mob that, unfortunately, for
whatever circumstances, haven't had the opportunity to learn our language
(15:25):
or find their people or their country. So people are
listening now, especially when you think about any of our mob,
especially wanting to be you fellas sitting on this couch now,
you know, what would you say to them? If there's
younger people now listening because they want to be part
of them mob?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Ah? You know, just keep pushing forward, you know, like
even though you're indigenous or not, you know, just keep
working harder than others, but don't trying to impress others.
Impress yourself and spy yourself, and keep pushing towards like
break rulves, you know, push limits. Like yeah, it's keep
going ahead. You know, I just don't think nothing more
(16:05):
but what's good for you?
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You know, thank you about back yourself. I was just
gonna say for you, like from now, from here, what's
going on? Like, what's what's your next big Can you
share with us any projects anything in the pipeline? You're
performing somewhere where. What's going on for the next sat
twelve months for your follows.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
We're kind of and I think after this, after South Byer,
we're gonna hit the studio. We're working on an album,
which is kind of cool. I think we're excited to
well at that point where we're like, we've kind of
found our feet with what we want to do sound wise.
I think the last four to five years was obviously
(16:48):
searching for what we wanted to do and what we
whatever we released, what was going to represent us the best.
And I think we're at that point, so we're gonna
hit the studio. We're looking to get an album at
or album ready by the end of the year. We're
not sure when they're going to drop it yet. And
next year we've got an artist coming over from New York.
(17:09):
Her name's Jasmia. We're hitting the studio with her when
we get back to Adelaide starting from Monday. We're doing
a collab with her. The collab is going to be
a part of our album. She's coming in as like
a mentor to obviously help us further our industry schools
(17:30):
more as artists, but also as obviously young fellas that
are still trying to find our feit in the industry
and just give us a bit of advice and like
where to go to and how we should go about
the next couple of years of our journey.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
I'm so literally so excited for you fellas to be
able to you know, do what you love doing, you know,
sharing your culture, practicing your culture, going back to your
community and being you know that that kind of it's
not even providing hope for our young people. But sometimes
it seems like there's a lot of a lot of
ship that we deal with as black fellows in our
(18:08):
communities are. And sometimes music, I know, when I listen
to music, it's like an escape listen to music, but
listening to black music, I feel empowered. So people can
listen to you. Where do they find you? Before we
wrap up? Raise out, YouTube, Spotify, which way.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
You can find us on Spotify, YouTube and like Instagram, Facebook,
you know, like we're everywhere everywhere, Yeah, pretty much everywhere.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Yeah, give us a shout out if you ever want
to talk, If you ever want to chat, just click
us a message and one of us will get.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Before they get too big, too famous and you need
to ring someone to talk to, someone, to get to someone.
You better reach out to these fellows now before they
blow up. Triple J. You fellows on the radio.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Oh yeah, yeah. To be honest, I was crazy because
I heard about that and I was like, Triple J
I never even heard of myself, Like, yeah, that was
pretty incredible. Like that was like, oh yeah, goes on
Triple Jay. And and then I'll see and they're like, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
That's a pinch pinch yourself moment. Your fellas growing up
in the community and now getting the opportunity to travel
the world. I heard you was in one of the
tallest buildings. How many stories, how many levels?
Speaker 3 (19:25):
I swear it was one hundred and two.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Your fellows, you just look like everyday black fellows you
see down street. So hello, next minute is a you know,
singing and performing on global stages at global events for
my audience that have never heard of these fellows. I'm
sure now people be looking yours apps. I just want
to say congratulations for everything that you've achieved so far.
(19:50):
And I know, like I said, ive got I'm a mom,
I got little follows. They like to wrap. Maybe one
day they might take it serious, especially if they get
to sit and watch you, fellows. I would listen to
the podcast. Now, how many more of our young people
you might be able to say, Hey, there is there
is you know, there's light at the end of the tunnel.
There is opportunities. Don't give up. Stay in school. I
(20:13):
always tell my kids they want to quit school. I said,
don't worry's school right now. It's just a thing. It's
going to be in the past one that it's not forever.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
I mean, like I did work to school a lot.
I did drop that a bit, but I regretted that.
So yeah, eleven and year twelve was the time to
redeem myself. So don't drop bad guys. Trust me like
it's terrible.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Yeah, don't make the mistakes. Listen to this fellow is
been there, done that, and look where he is now.
So I just want to say all the best here
on my country. I hope you have a deadly show
and you have the best time ever. Next time maybe
we come, we'll be able to come visit your community
and see you fellas in your in your own environment,
in your own elements. So all the best for south
(20:56):
By Southwest, stay black. You're welcome, my brother, Thank you
hell Yeah. If you'd like any more info on today's guest,
please visit our show notes in the episode description. A
big shout out to all you Deadly Mob and allies
who continue to listen, watch, and support our podcast. Your
(21:18):
feedback means the world. You can rate and review the
podcast on Apple and Spotify, or even head to our
socials and YouTube channel and drop us a line. We'd
love to hear from you. The Black Magic Woman podcast
is produced by Clint Curtis.
Black cast Unite our voices. Black Magic Women Podcast acknowledges
the traditional owners of the land we have recorded this
episode on. We also acknowledge traditional owners of the land
where you, the listener or viewer, are tuning in from.
We would like to pay our respects to our elders
past and present and acknowledge that this always was Aboriginal
(00:25):
land and always will be Aboriginal land.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
What we do with them over is more so you've
got to walk the walk to talk to talk. I
think later on their old once we're able to obviously
make it more sustainable, we will get more opportunity to
go home and be able to share experiences with our
children and obviously fill up their cups as well. I
want to inspire them and obviously help them become better
verdits of themselves as well.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Welcome to the Black Magic Woman Podcast with Mandanara Bail.
Welcome to another episode of the Black Magic Women Podcast.
I'm here on my beautiful mother's country. It's my mother's
mother's mother's mothers and we go back to at least
the eighteen twenties here on Gadiger Country. I'm joined by
(01:14):
a band that have just flown in here for the
South My Southwest Massive Conference here in Sydney. If you
haven't heard about it, you should get online for next
year and see all of the amazing especially black talent
that now gets to I guess kind of take up
space in spaces where it's normally or predominantly non Aboriginal people.
(01:38):
So today I'm going to have a little yarn. If
you haven't heard of these fellows before, hopefully after today
you download their music google them, but everything will be
in the show notes. So I'm going to literally asks now,
just one by one if you don't mind, you want
to introduce yourself to my listeners and also some of
(01:59):
our viewers on YouTube. What's your name? Where you fellow
us from? And then we'll get into how you got
an invitation to come down here to Sydney.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, hey guys, my name is Elijah James. I go
with the stage name of Uncle Peter. I'm a rapper
and one of the rappers also play a bit of
a producing role as well, co producing with DJ DJ Jobs.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Okay, multi talent today.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
We'll stop everybody. My name is John Tae Laury Ro
named Jelud. I'm also a rapper part of dem Mob with.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
Them lauris from caled Stone Mob. Yes, you come from
a very famous Abergeal family musicians.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Yeah, most most people recognize that last time straight away,
especially if they grow up Black Deadley. Hey, my name's
Bus Edwards.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
I'm from Mamada. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
I do most of the singing in Demo. And how
did dem moob? Now that's the band name, right, how
did it come about? Whose idea was it to go, hey,
let's get into a band, And how did you even
come up with the name? Ah?
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Then mob back into us in the nineteen like my
teacher knowing that was my producer now and also Djo,
I've known Elasta since Wilch your days back in Adelaide.
And then yeah, we all had a big talk about it.
At that time, I was pretty much in an other school.
So yeah, just we just all came up with a
(03:34):
screen name called dem Mob. Like Matt came up with
it first and then was like dem Mob sounded like
a pretty good name. What about us? Moll was like, Nah,
come on, man, I have to put dem mob. And
then that's how the name just became its thing.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You know.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
It's between schoolwork becoming this big thing. You know, like
it's pretty crazy.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
How long we're talking about when when you kicked off
this band and said, you know what, we're actually gonna
get serious about this.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I guess, yeah, just to touch badge a little bit
of John. They were saying earlier, there are organically formed
as a vehicle to get John through his senior schooling,
so his year eleven and twelve. It was a project
that was kind of designed to re engage disengaged students,
(04:21):
obviously using hip hop and elements of culture and language
and trying to bring hip hop into the classroom more
so as a form of teaching. And then it kind
of just naturally kind of built its own thing outside
of a school project thing. We started doing a couple
(04:41):
of shows in like a nearby town called Alice Springs,
was probably five hour drive from where we were based
at the time. We did like probably two shows a
month start of a term, end of the term, just
to kind of like get all the teachers around because
all the teachers obviously all around came from different states
and they're obviously living away from their family investing their
(05:04):
time into teaching our children in our schools. And then yeah,
if it eventually started picking up got offered to play festivals,
and at the time we were still in the Lands,
we were playing festivals but still using like the festival
shows as a way to tick boxes for Johnt their
(05:25):
senior schooling. So like we played Wormat and we kind
of used Wormat as an external assignment basically and being like, yeah,
he's played this, and like we've designed a module to
obviously replicate that stage into a paper to tick off
that box, which gets into the paper that he needs.
And that's how we kind of went about it. And
then obviously he ended up graduating and obviously Gully was
(05:47):
a big part of the school stuff. He was always
trying to find obviously new ways to try and help
our children at home and disengage students and we'll do
its plan and talk about these massive ideas and how
to obviously implement culture and language and music in classroom
obviously try and get better outcomes from our kids in school.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yeah, to satisfy mainstream education curriculum and standards and all
of that. Basically, that's a pretty impressive school to actually
acknowledge the strength of Aboriginal culture, the strength of our
culture when Aboriginal people like us for a younger mob,
when we're actually encouraged and supported to actually practice our
(06:31):
culture but also tick the boxes in terms of the
education the assignments. I've never heard of many schools that
are being flexible, adaptive and supportive, especially in like you know,
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Yeah, it's pretty crazy, Like I'm proud of it became
a thing for us and also for me. So yeah,
big love and shut out to Elashaw and Matt and
also be too, you know, you know, demmobile grued and
these guys being flexible not in that curriculum. It was
pretty amazing and just.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
That inspiration now to this next younger mob family, cousins,
brother sisters, to be able to. Like you said, sometimes
I feel a little bit kind of disheartened when they
label our label black kids as disengaged. What it is
is this, this curriculum and this system doesn't fit within
(07:27):
our culture and we need to make it work. Right,
So how do we make education and learning in white
mainstream schools? How do you make it fun, engaging and
exciting and stimulating that our kids can't wait to go
to school. I went to a black school. I went
to a Murray school all Abigal kids, twenty seven of
(07:48):
us and I'm on the board of that school now.
My grandmother's brother thirty years ago in Brisbane founded that school.
I went to thirteen other schools, dealt with a lot
of racism. My name Mandanara is rainbow in my language.
But that also kind of gave me up. So being
an Abiginal kid trying to kind of navigate white mainstream
(08:11):
school systems and dealing with racism, I felt disengaged as well,
trying to figure out like do I want to finish school?
Why do we get sent to the school, and also
starting to question like am I the problem? What's wrong
with me? I've got five kids, and one of my
kids he struggles with this education. Is it tutoring? Now?
(08:35):
You know, if you could just say anything to these
young mob that people have kind of given up on them,
or you know, they don't have this opportunity or the
support to go into a school classroom where people are going, oh, look, culture.
We know that fabritional people and kids are encouraged and
supported to practice their culture. We can implement this in
(08:56):
the curriculum. So a lot of our kids are not
going to get this opportunity round. But already they're kind
of you know, I wouldn't say that they've been or
just say like, yeah, people have given up on them
as a lot of our young people. And teachers play
very important role and our young people, you know, whether
(09:18):
they can build confidence in them to back themselves like
we're deadly people. But for a long time it's been
this negative kind of stigma amongst us as Abasinal people.
So I think this is a deadly yarn. Kicking it
off with how do we make first education and culture?
How do we bring it together, bringing the Aboriginal world
and white follow world together and make it work Otherwise
(09:42):
you know where would you be today? You know if
that program wasn't available, you probably wouldn't have these opportunities, right,
And this is all of our kids right across this country.
And I really can't wait for people to hear this. Yeah,
and already we only just got started. But music right,
education is important. Education. Without it, we're not going to
(10:05):
be able to get a job. We're not going to
be able to buy a car and pay our rent
and support our families. And you do the thing, buy shoes,
buy clothes, do all the nice things. Right, So education
is important getting a job, but music, music obviously has
(10:27):
been the main part now of the success of the
band coming together. How have you been able to then
kind of I don't know, you've got a manager? Now
you've got because youse follows are still young. Who's been
behind you to give you then the knowledge and the
understanding of being in an industry like this music industry
(10:47):
now so that you fellows can do this for the
next ten twenty years.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I guess it just goes back to the men that
started everything. Gully has been a big part of our
development individually as young indigenous men. Has been that a
consistent obviously male role model to us as younger did
this man he's just he's always had her back since
(11:12):
it started. Like he manages us that he manages and
DJs we are looking for obviously more like support for
his behalf because he's doing so much.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Well here see that camera at the moment. Tell people
that are listening and watching this, what what is it
that she follows need to be able to keep living
out your dream and doing what she loves so that
this you could keep inspiring our more ab our young
mob as well.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I guess it's just obviously trying to gain more exposure
within what we do with Demo is more so we're
trying to obviously, you know, you've got to walk the
walk to talk to talk, and with kids at home,
they're always obviously watching us now on social media, and
when we go home, they've always got so much questions
and they're always excited for us to go back. But
(12:03):
because we haven't, we don't have much support obviously outside
in the industry at the moment. Like we obviously we're
still connecting and building our connections within networking and that stuff.
I think later on the road, once we're able to
obviously make it more sustainable, we will get more opportunity
to go home and be able to you know, share
experiences with that with our children and obviously fill up
(12:25):
their cups as well to inspire them and obviously help
them become better versits of themselves as well.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Yeah, and winning awards, right, I heard about this one
just for community. Just how much how much did it
mean to you? What was it like that feeling to
be acknowledged winning an award and kind of Yeah, just celebrating.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Winning the awards was pretty big for us. It was
our goal, you know last year, so we won like
five awards, just five look at a road like like
I was shocked, Like I thought like one could just
make us more excited because we worked so hard last year.
So with those awards we did, we gave to CHASM
(13:08):
that's the University of Adelaide, Yes, yeah, and then you
know I gave mine to my family. Elasha did the same, Yeah,
bet too, And we also gave one back to er
School that's where I grew up and learned. So yeah,
like for that, like awards, it's just it is a
big thing, and like that also shows us too that
(13:31):
way out we do all music, yeah, but we all.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
People loving it. People love them, Which is it producing
what you're making?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Yeah, we went and we also love giving back to
the community too, So go back.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
To shows and sometimes it'll be good to be you know,
like hey, look at we've got some money here. We're
going to get paid to do this. A lot of
it's for the love, right, We're doing it for a
lot of the time, for our family, for our communities,
culture and language. I know that you Fellas, it's number
one for you Fellas, right and your language. You want
to tell people some of the music that you're seeing
(14:00):
is in your language, somedditional language. I was here and
you're speaking.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Before, So yeah, we speak bidding thet a young good data.
It's kind of like more desert mobs Central Australia. I
guess like the we rap both in both languages just
to be able to obviously share messages and just to
create a bit of separation between messages within songs. And
(14:28):
I think it's a cool way. It's it's very creative
on obviously being able to touch base with two audiences
within one verse or within two sentences within the rap.
And I think that's I don't know for me, like, yeah,
I just love when the songs are coming up and
I know when it's gonna get to the switching from
language to language. It just gives you that opportunity to
(14:51):
really obviously be able to represent who you are as
an ideness person and really like speak your language but
rap it at the same time confidently. But then you're
obviously seamlessly switching flows. And I think that's the cool
respective ters.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yeah, it's telling them younger mob too, dude, you know
how important it is to to learn their culture, to
learn their language. To sit with them old people. That's
a you know, a lot of us are privileged, a
lot of us to have that kind of exposure and culture.
But there's a lot of our mob that, unfortunately, for
whatever circumstances, haven't had the opportunity to learn our language
(15:25):
or find their people or their country. So people are
listening now, especially when you think about any of our mob,
especially wanting to be you fellas sitting on this couch now,
you know, what would you say to them? If there's
younger people now listening because they want to be part
of them mob?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Ah? You know, just keep pushing forward, you know, like
even though you're indigenous or not, you know, just keep
working harder than others, but don't trying to impress others.
Impress yourself and spy yourself, and keep pushing towards like
break rulves, you know, push limits. Like yeah, it's keep
going ahead. You know, I just don't think nothing more
(16:05):
but what's good for you?
Speaker 1 (16:07):
You know, thank you about back yourself. I was just
gonna say for you, like from now, from here, what's
going on? Like, what's what's your next big Can you
share with us any projects anything in the pipeline? You're
performing somewhere where. What's going on for the next sat
twelve months for your follows.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
We're kind of and I think after this, after South Byer,
we're gonna hit the studio. We're working on an album,
which is kind of cool. I think we're excited to
well at that point where we're like, we've kind of
found our feet with what we want to do sound wise.
I think the last four to five years was obviously
(16:48):
searching for what we wanted to do and what we
whatever we released, what was going to represent us the best.
And I think we're at that point, so we're gonna
hit the studio. We're looking to get an album at
or album ready by the end of the year. We're
not sure when they're going to drop it yet. And
next year we've got an artist coming over from New York.
(17:09):
Her name's Jasmia. We're hitting the studio with her when
we get back to Adelaide starting from Monday. We're doing
a collab with her. The collab is going to be
a part of our album. She's coming in as like
a mentor to obviously help us further our industry schools
(17:30):
more as artists, but also as obviously young fellas that
are still trying to find our feit in the industry
and just give us a bit of advice and like
where to go to and how we should go about
the next couple of years of our journey.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
I'm so literally so excited for you fellas to be
able to you know, do what you love doing, you know,
sharing your culture, practicing your culture, going back to your
community and being you know that that kind of it's
not even providing hope for our young people. But sometimes
it seems like there's a lot of a lot of
ship that we deal with as black fellows in our
(18:08):
communities are. And sometimes music, I know, when I listen
to music, it's like an escape listen to music, but
listening to black music, I feel empowered. So people can
listen to you. Where do they find you? Before we
wrap up? Raise out, YouTube, Spotify, which way.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
You can find us on Spotify, YouTube and like Instagram, Facebook,
you know, like we're everywhere everywhere, Yeah, pretty much everywhere.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Yeah, give us a shout out if you ever want
to talk, If you ever want to chat, just click
us a message and one of us will get.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Before they get too big, too famous and you need
to ring someone to talk to, someone, to get to someone.
You better reach out to these fellows now before they
blow up. Triple J. You fellows on the radio.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Oh yeah, yeah. To be honest, I was crazy because
I heard about that and I was like, Triple J
I never even heard of myself, Like, yeah, that was
pretty incredible. Like that was like, oh yeah, goes on
Triple Jay. And and then I'll see and they're like, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
That's a pinch pinch yourself moment. Your fellas growing up
in the community and now getting the opportunity to travel
the world. I heard you was in one of the
tallest buildings. How many stories, how many levels?
Speaker 3 (19:25):
I swear it was one hundred and two.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Your fellows, you just look like everyday black fellows you
see down street. So hello, next minute is a you know,
singing and performing on global stages at global events for
my audience that have never heard of these fellows. I'm
sure now people be looking yours apps. I just want
to say congratulations for everything that you've achieved so far.
(19:50):
And I know, like I said, ive got I'm a mom,
I got little follows. They like to wrap. Maybe one
day they might take it serious, especially if they get
to sit and watch you, fellows. I would listen to
the podcast. Now, how many more of our young people
you might be able to say, Hey, there is there
is you know, there's light at the end of the tunnel.
There is opportunities. Don't give up. Stay in school. I
(20:13):
always tell my kids they want to quit school. I said,
don't worry's school right now. It's just a thing. It's
going to be in the past one that it's not forever.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
I mean, like I did work to school a lot.
I did drop that a bit, but I regretted that.
So yeah, eleven and year twelve was the time to
redeem myself. So don't drop bad guys. Trust me like
it's terrible.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Yeah, don't make the mistakes. Listen to this fellow is
been there, done that, and look where he is now.
So I just want to say all the best here
on my country. I hope you have a deadly show
and you have the best time ever. Next time maybe
we come, we'll be able to come visit your community
and see you fellas in your in your own environment,
in your own elements. So all the best for south
(20:56):
By Southwest, stay black. You're welcome, my brother, Thank you
hell Yeah. If you'd like any more info on today's guest,
please visit our show notes in the episode description. A
big shout out to all you Deadly Mob and allies
who continue to listen, watch, and support our podcast. Your
(21:18):
feedback means the world. You can rate and review the
podcast on Apple and Spotify, or even head to our
socials and YouTube channel and drop us a line. We'd
love to hear from you. The Black Magic Woman podcast
is produced by Clint Curtis.
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