Bearing an origin story one could only describe as the opening scenes of an Aussie muso fairytale (they met in a coffee store and chewed over Joey Badass‘ ‘1999’ mixtape), Gratis Minds had naturally set themselves up for a win. The Northern NSW locals — comprising Jon Do£, Jay Orient, and JK-47 — have drawn from their diverse hip hop influences to craft their own brand of breezy, beach-influenced beats. Their new single “Up Again” teams woozy percussion with punchy verses for a windows-down, understated affair, and has already been shown some love by Triple J.
To get better acquainted, we had the boys fill us in on the records that have left the biggest mark on them.
Gang Starr — ‘Moment Of Truth’
Jay Orient: This album is a big one for me, because it basically is the reason why I make music today. The first hip hop song that ever really hit me hard was the title track. It was on the soundtrack of Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2. I used to play that game heaps on my PS2, so I ended up having that song embedded in my mind. I got older and decided to look up Gang Starr, which led me to find the rest of the album plus all their other music. Shout-out to Primo for coming out to meet a 17-year-old me outside a club in Brisbane after I didn’t get let in — haha!
Outkast — ‘Aquemini’
Jay Orient: Every time I listen to this, I hear and learn something new about life and the duo. This album is a classic. It actually has my favourite verse ever written on it. 3 Stacks‘ last verse on the title track “Aquemini” blows my mind every time I hear it. When I was younger, the fact that that whole verse rhymed was what spun me out the most but, as I grew older, I began to understand the lessons that André laced that verse with. If you haven’t heard it, you gotta wake up.
Earl Sweatshirt — ‘I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside’
Jon Do£: I draw a lot of my inspiration from his writing style and general vibe. I also think that this album is a masterpiece, as it’s solely produced by Earl, which creates a very melancholy mood I can relate to; it ain’t always sunny.
Arctic Monkeys — ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’
Jon Do£: I chose this one because this album has inspired me to not follow hype, and to stay true to myself and who I am. In my opinion, Alex Turner is one of the best song writers ever, and that album has left the sweetest taste since being released.
The Game — ‘The Documentary’
JK-47: The Game is my favorite artist of all time. This album would have to be number one in my books. So much real shit in this album I could listen to this all day, no joke. He also tells the story of hip hop itself a lot of the time, which I think is really dope because I wasn’t around for the start of it.
Check out Gratis Minds’ latest single “Up Again” here: