360 Will Be A Panellist On Next Monday's 'Q&A'

Matt Colwell known to fans as the rapper 360 has been announced as panellist on next week’s episode of the ABC’s Q&A, alongside a particle physicist, an orchestra conductor and a leading mathematician.

360 made the announcement on his Facebook page today, noting that he was “honoured and stoked” to appear on the show. According to the rapper the show’s topic, which it loosely sticks to each week, will be “PASSION…science, arts, music”.

Joining 360 and Q&A host Tony Jones next Monday night will be British particle physicist and UK TV presenter Brian Cox, Artistic Director for the Sydney Symphony education program and noted orchestra conductor Richard Gill and leading mathematician Nalini Joshi.

While at first glance it may seem like 360 has little in common with his fellow panellists, it is worth noting that as well as being a noted particle physicist and conducting research on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Brian Cox was also a professional musician, as the keyboard player for ’90s UK pop band D:Ream.

D:Ream enjoyed a UK Number One hit with their song Things Can Only Get Better in 1993, which, according to the ABC, was used by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair as his election theme song in 1997.

As outlined in his Q&A bio this year, 360, who was recently spotted breaking up a fight and shaming an instigator during an Adelaide performance, realised a childhood dream when he shared the stage with one of his heroes Eminem on his Australia and New Zealand Rapture Tour.

This tour was a personal feat for sixty in another way too, as it was the first one he performed sober. 360 has been open with fans about his struggles with drugs and alcohol and revealed earlier this year that he finally made the decision to sober up for fear that he would die if he continued.

360 has also been vocal about tackling social issues and has often detailed his feelings of responsibility towards his own fans. Most notably, in June the rapper broke down during a radio interview as he recounted talking a depressed fan away from suicide.

He also recently appeared on the ABC documentary Felicity’s Mental Mission, helmed by Australian comedian Felicity Ward, where he spoke frankly about his own experiences with mental illness.

Q&A with 360 will air on the ABC next Monday 20th October, 2014 at 9.35pm. To register to be an audience member for the live show or to submit a question head to the Q&A website.