Hyjak is an Australian MC, best known for his work with his Obese Record signed group, Hyjak N Torcha. With his diverse sound that showcases a Sydney street influence from the graffiti writers he grew up with, combined with the grittiness hip hop had in the early 90's, he has managed to cement his name in the Australian Hip Hop scene. Already in his illustrious career he has performed with the likes of Xzibit, Mobb Deep, Gang Starr, Lord Finesse, Murs, De La Soul and Hilltop Hoods. Hyjak started MCing in grade 5 at primary school and would spit rhymes purely to make fun of other kids in his class. Every week he would come with a new dis song aimed at one of the kids who had a bit of an ego that he would soon squash. Fast forward five years and he would make his first public performance in the scene, having his skills tested when his mate entered him in an MC battle. A battle that he had to sneak into, as it was held at a Kings Cross nightclub. Hyjak, who was only 15 at the time, asked his brother who was 25 to join him. Hyjak explained, "he said ok, but didn’t really know I rapped, so he tripped out when I won against 20 full grown MC's". Nowadays, Hyjak is still busy recording. He recently released a free mixtape for download called “The Reminder”. As the name suggests, the mixtape is a reminder to people who have been bombarded with new oz hip hop groups, who Hyjak is. He is also using it as an introduction to the second stage of his career as a solo artist and the different styles he has been experimenting with. He hopes that this mixtape will show listeners what skills are still circulating in a scene where everyone’s hoping to get that next big hit and thus following a similar formula in terms of sound. To break this cycle of followers and very few leaders, Hyjak has taken a new approach. “I’ve been recording in my room so I have sort of locked myself away and focused on what I’m doing instead of worrying what everyone else in Aussie hip hop is sounding like at the moment” stated Hyjak. For Hyjak, he feels a good hip hop album should take you on a ride from start till finish, with highs and lows. While illustrating diversity in sound and manipulating many different styles to its advantage. When it comes to writing for a track, Hyjak has his own unique method. He states, “I sit down and listen to a beat, usually in my room by myself with a 6 pack of Corona with a slice of lemon in it, and a big spliff in my mouth. I watch out my windows and vision which thoughts the beat provokes. I then usually start writing about nothing and after about half an hour, a subject will arise for me to write about and I take it from there”. Future plans for Hyjak are simple, he has a full length LP which will probably be dropping late this year/early next year and depending on wether he can keep himself inspired, there will be more to come. In the mean time, don’t forget to download his new mixtape which you can find here Hyjak concludes, “it’s definitely worth your time, it is free, it is my gift to the people to hopefully give you an insight into my world and brighten up your day.”
