“Passion will translate more than the perfect song.”
emefbanx kept his album’s title in mind throughout its creation: DISFRUTA, meaning ‘enjoy.’ Laid back, but sonically tight and focused in its introspection, it's a spotlight moment for one of the most exciting new voices in local hip-hop. emefbanx explained to Ify on Up For It how rejecting ‘gear acquisition syndrome’ and embracing the DIY nature of his bedroom recording setup helped birth a record that felt truly authentic.
“I was in that mode where I wanted to make everything perfect. Like it has to be clean, clean, clean. But my friend was like, ‘bro, your, your little nuances will make you.’ ”
It pays off; there’s a dustiness and warmth to DISFRUTA that pairs perfectly with emefbanx’s, comfortable but pointed lyrical observations. It solidifies him as a peer amongst other Western Sydney & South-West Sydney raised and based conscious rappers like Tahkoe & Kobee Nooks (both of whom feature on DISFRUTA) – young artists who grew up on the likes of MF Doom, Odd Future and Isaiah Rashad, and are injecting their take on this sound with an sense of intention and authenticity.
“I did it for so long that I sort of got a bit burnt out and I had to hit the brakes, be like – ‘listen, what are you trying to do.’ So I just had to step back a bit and learn to enjoy the process again.”
Words by Lindsay Riley