The latest single for Melbourne-based hip hop master Phrase is the anthemic and uplifting “Sky Light”, featuring none other than Kram (Spiderbait) on guest vocals. After the success of his previous single “Clockwork”, Phrase wanted to up the ante for this release and do something extraordinary; something no man would even dream to be possible. There was only one way. Phrase commanded the heavens to send onto him a god to aid him in his quest for filming the slickest and illest music video on Earth. The heavens delivered, and one morning Phrase awoke no longer a man, but a powerhouse with the strength and hair of a thousand primates.
Phrase had become… MONKEY!
But, as I sit down to tea with the new deity, I find out that being a monkey isn’t as easy as it first seems. “I had to stay in character for two days straight, which let me tell you is pretty hardcore. The worst part was the bloody latex glue they had to put on my face to keep my beautiful sideburns attached.” “Beautiful sideburns indeed”, I think to myself as I make slow advances towards his jaw in an attempt to pet them. But in an instant Phrase, displaying reflexes, which only a monkey trapped inside a volcanic mountain could possess, flicks away my wandering hand. “Sorry, force of habit.”, he humbly apologises “For the clip we had a team of professional fight choreographers who taught us how to be ninjas. Ever since then I have just been bashing random people whenever I park my cloud.”
I ask Phrase what the secret is to making a good music video. “My mum”, he says in a deeply serious tone. “It was a really stressful week, and a lot of people pulled a lot of favours and had a lot of late nights to get this done. The scriptwriters were still working on the script on the morning of the first day of shooting. But my mother, god bless her soul, made all the costumes and honestly it would not have happened without her.”
After seeing the end result of this labour of love, I would have thought there was serious funds invested into the project. But as it turns out, it all happened on a pittance of a budget. “I was given five grand, which in film industry terms is more like five dollars. But it made it a bit more fun, because instead of using the money for casting, we just asked all our mates if anyone knew any Asian people and wanted to have fun doing kung fu for a video. And everyone did a wicked job in the end.”
As I finish my fourth cup of tea, we catch a glimpse at a parking inspector outside writing a ticket for Phrase’s cloud. In a completely calm manner, Phrase stands from the table and fetches his magic staff from his ear. “You know what I must do”, he tells me as he exits, before offering me one last bit of advice; “But remember, hot water is bad for you – unless you are a cabbage.” But the words are lost on me… for I am still entranced by the luxurious pelts that are his sideburns…
Watch the video clip on YouTube now – http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=jVVxz9CuIrk
“Sky Light” is the latest single off Phrase’s soon to be released album “Burn It Down”.
Check out Phrase’s MySpace for upcoming shows – http://www.myspace.com/bigphrase
