BAYANG (tha Bushranger) is a rapper, DJ and creative from Wylie Park in Eora/Sydney’s west. A unique voice in the music scene, BAYANG jumped on Juice with Nazty Gurl to chat about transitioning from metal to hip hop, infusing sci-fi into his sound, and the impact of FBi Radio on his musical journey. 

Naz summed up Bayang’s presence in Sydney music when she described him as a champion of “a really unique pocket of left field hip hop and rap.”

BAYANG joined Naz as a live guest selector but with a unique twist. Fresh off the release of his second single ‘Ngl’, he came to the station armed with unreleased music – an exciting exclusive for the FBi community during our annual Supporter Drive. BAYANG explained to Naz why he’s so happy to share with the FBi audience.

“FBi has been part of my life for a while in a lot of ways. At the end of the day it’s about a bunch of passionate people coming together and doing it for the love of it… I think that’s really important, I think that makes for a healthy ecosystem… and gives freaks like us something to do on a Monday night.”

‘Ngl’ sees BAYANG move into a softer production style with a focus on thought provoking lyricism. The first new demo that BAYANG shared with Naz titled ‘Ozone’ is a continuation of this. Created during what BAYANG described as “a bender of making music,” the track is produced by Kuya Neil and features ZK King and Endless Prowl.

“‘Ozone’ was recorded I think at like midnight, the lights were down, the lamp was on and Neil was like “Ok we’ve made hard songs, like let’s do this, let’s do something soft”… we ended up writing a duet”

This collaborative process is commonplace for BAYANG (tha Bushranger). It is an aspect of the local ground-level hip hop scene that he sees as integral. It is also a part of the local metal scene, which is where BAYANG began his journey as an artist.

“If I take it back to like the start, It probably kicked off when me and Teether met. They were already doing stuff you know, but when he came up to me he was just this random dude at a show I’d just played in my band… It was always this punk, ground level, you could talk to anyone type thing.”

You’d  think that transitioning from the metal scene to hip hop is a lofty pursuit. But BAYANG emphasised that each style bears resemblance in attitude and intent despite sonic differences. This similarity combined with support from the people around him made the change smooth for BAYANG.

“It’s funny, it was easy as. I was just blessed to have people around me who were freaks. In terms of the people I was playing with, we were all weirdos from the west. We were obviously playing 2Pac and that kind of stuff but also really into Slipknot etc. We would have band prac and literally some of us would stay back and freestyle… It was coexisting, It just made sense.”

The hip hop scene in Western Sydney is certainly one of the country’s biggest. BAYANG has managed to forge a niche path within it.

“I was the only kid in Bankstown with a Mohawk, that’s all I’m gonna say… I was skinny and awkward.”

The second unreleased demo shared on the show is a testament to his trailblazing nature. ‘Ghola’ sees BAYANG collaborate with producer Nerdie on a post-punk meets hip hop track. It’s fast pace gets your heart beating from the start. Taking its name from an artificial replicant from the Dune books, the track explores a dystopian Sydney and evil doppelgänger. His music often contains elements of sci-fi, which Naz asked BAYANG to elaborate on.

“I guess I was always into artists like Deltron 3030, Gorillaz and that kind of stuff… It just made sense to me, kind of like storytelling and hip hop go hand in hand.”

“There is a lot of sci-fi out at the moment and I was sitting there grumbling like, ‘I don’t like this sci-fi.’ What’s the use of grumbling when you can just go out and do it yourself.”

BAYANG (tha Bushranger) has his sights set squarely on collabs with Billy Woods, Moor Mother and Earl Sweatshirt. The more immediate future holds a show at the Lansdowne Hotel with Behind You and AnSo on October 7, several singles dropping in the coming months and a collaborative album slated for March which will see BAYANG join forces with industrial metal outfit Bract.

Listen back to BAYANG’s full chat on JUICE with Nazty Gurl up top (including some unreleased goodness) or stream his latest single ‘Ngl’ below. You can also catch him in the flesh at the Lansdowne next month. Details here: 

WHO: BEHIND YOU, BAYANG (tha Bushranger)
WHERE: The Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale
WHEN: 7:30pm, Fri 7 Oct 2022
HOW MUCH: $24.84, tickets here