10 Things You Didn’t Know About Illy

Melbourne rapper Illy‘s had a pretty successful 2013 so far, and his year is set to get even bigger; after releasing killer single On & On earlier in the year, he’s now gearing up for the release of his fourth record which is set to drop right after taking the show on the road for an extensive national tour this September.

Recently, Illy dropped us a line to give us a quick glimpse into the mind of the man behind the plan, ensuring you know just who you’re dealing with come tour time. Pro tip: don’t mess with the dude and his PlayStation.

1 – I speak 4 languages to different degrees.

“Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, and English. I travel all the time and I’m interested in language, so I just taught myself. My Japanese is pretty average at the moment, though.”

2 – I never want to be a lawyer.

“I finished a law degree about 2 years ago, and have not done a single thing with it since. I am hoping to never become a lawyer. I’ll just rap about it as if graduating is as impressive as actually managing to maintain a career in the profession.”

3 – I own my own record label.

“It’s called ONETWO, and will be the label that all my music is released on from now on. My next album will be the first release on the label, then ONETWO will be looking to release works by other artists. It’s something I’m extremely passionate about, and there is always a need for good labels out there in the music industry jungle.”

Gallery: Illy – Come Together 2013

4 – I will crush you at ‘FIFA 13’, or any previous edition…

“I can’t emphasise this enough. You will lose. Badly. And if you beat me, we’re playing a best of 3. And you’ll lose that.”

5 – ..But I’ve gone through a lot of broken PlayStation controllers in the process.

“I could have flown to LA and back with the amount I’ve spent replacing new controllers in the last few years. It’s easily the stupidest habit I’ve had. At least top 5 anyway.”

6 – I quit smoking cold turkey, out of the blue.

“Yep, pretty self-explanatory. Decided one night that I wasn’t going to smoke anymore, starting the following day, and haven’t smoked since. That was early January last year. Going strong, aside from the occasional cigar. I strongly suggest quitting if you’re a smoker. Not on some high horse shit, because you actually genuinely feel a SHITLOAD better. Reduced hangovers by about half.”

7 – I drop an album in November.

“This will be my fourth album: easily my favourite and, in my opinion, best work to date. It’s executive produced by M-Phazes, and features some good friends of mine.”

Watch: Illy – On & On

8 – I was a fuck up in high school.

“I was a drugged out little dude in high school. Got expelled, then just scraped through year 12 at my second school without having to repeat due to absences. Due to poor VCE marks I spent the first year out of school working in a factory and doing furniture removals, then sat an admissions test for law school and scored high enough to get straight in. Luckiest break I’ve ever had. Life-changer, that.”

9 – I love pop music.

“Might not be that surprising if you listen to my hooks, but I love good pop music. Even some bad pop has a charm to it. It’s not the stuff I’d play when by myself, and it’s not the music that has left an indelible mark on my life and character but, still, I can dig it.”

10 – I am touring in September.

“My single On & On is out now, and I am touring it in September in capital cities, and you can get tickets through www.illyal.com. If you live in Europe, I’m actually touring in August as well: Prague, 24th August, London, 27th August. But if you’re reading this, chances are you don’t live in Prague.”

Illy On & On tour dates September 2013

with Allday

Friday, 13th September

Oh Hello, Brisbane

Saturday, 14th September

Metro Theatre, Sydney

Friday, 20th September

Corner Hotel, Melbourne

Friday, 27th September

The Gov, Adelaide

Saturday, 28th September

The Villa, Perth

Sunday, 29th September

Prince Of Wales, Bunbury