Chi-town’s SaveMoney collective has birthed some of the world’s biggest names in hip hop, from Chance The Rapper, to Vic Mensa, Joey Purp, and now, with his debut album ‘WWW.’ (‘World Wide . Wav) out, Towkio. The wordsmith, born Preston Oshita, has been turning heads for a few years now; while his peers were breaking the mainstream market, his 2015 mixtape and thematic prequel to the LP, ‘.Wav Theory’, wrapped philosophical musings in soul and house, and offered an existential take on hip hop that turned the underground scene on its head.
The first rapper to be signed by Rick Rubin in two decades, Towkio is finally commanding the spotlight. ‘WWW.’ was produced by Norwegian beatmaster Lido, and features SZA, Knox Fortune, and Teddy Jackson among its star-studded cast of collaborators. The release sees Towkio and his off-kilter approach snatch the sonic torch and sprint a mile ahead of counterparts. In the lead-up to his debut Australian shows, which includes a Splendour slot, Towkio filled us in on the records that have shaped his arrestingly ambidextrous sound.
Lil Wayne — ‘Tha Carter II’
“Growing up, I listened to everything my older brothers listened to and, when I was a kid, I had a CD player and would always download Lil Wayne’s music. ‘Tha Carter II’ is what got me hooked, and it’s probably the most perfect rap album to me.”
Outkast — ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’
“Fell in love with Andre 3000 on this project because he wasn’t just rapping and found a way to draw in the mainstream audience while making a pretty avant-garde project.”
Kanye West — ‘The College Dropout’
“One of the first CDs I went and bought in store, versus downloading off the internet.”
Kanye West — ‘The Late Registration’
“Similar vibe to ‘College Dropout’, but just involved. Both CD and LR meant so much to Chicago music and inspired all of us.”
Stevie Wonder — ‘Songs In The Key Of Life’
“Stevie is one of this legendary artists that I will listen to for the rest of my life. Every time I come back and listen to this project, it’s like hitting the refresh button.”
TOWKIO TOUR DATES
Thursday 19 July – Howler – Melbourne
Friday 20 July – Oxford Art Factory – Sydney
Listen to ‘WWW.’ here:
And check out the new video for “Morning View” here: