“This was spur of the moment Blak magic,” Nooky says, a smile spreading across his face, pondering the release of his next body of work — this time with 3%, the “First Nations supergroup” featuring the Yuin, Thungutti MC, Noongar rapper and MC Dallas Woods, and Gumbaynggirr singer-songwriter, Angus Field.
Titled Kill the Dead, the debut studio album from 3% is a record built on a foundation of potent storytelling. Bringing ancestral energy together with a mutual admiration for the artistry of one another as individual musicians, 3% united in 2022 to create art that would leave an impact on the music industry, but more importantly, add to the empowered legacy of Blak music in this country.
With Kill the Dead, the trio have made a record diverse in sound, showcasing not just their undeniable chemistry, but the voices of some incredible artists, both known and new to the ears of Australian music fans. Across its 14 tracks, Kill the Dead journeys themes of reclamation, redemption and resilience; a powerful album that has brought out different sides of each artist as a result.
“Dallas was on a lot of uplifting, positive stuff before,” Nooky explains. “This gave him a licence to do some heavier stuff with me. In turn, it allowed me to show a side of myself that I’ve never shown before. Everyone is used to the brazen, in your face, fiery Nooky.
“Working with Dallas and Angus allowed me to tap into a side of myself I’d reserved for myself for a long time. There was something in that moment, where we realised we were meant to do this together.”
A gift from the ancestors
The origin story of 3% begins on January 26, 2022 — the day Nooky launched his Indigenous social enterprise initiative, We Are Warriors. At the same time as Nooky was presenting this platform, dedicated to celebrating the potential of Blak excellence to the public for the first time, new music was being created with Woods.
The creation of one song between the two led Nooky to travel to Woods’ studio in Castlemaine in Victoria, where inspiration for something new hit. Over the course of one day of session work, the duo found themselves with enough material for an EP on their hands.
“I feel like it was gifted to us from the old people,” Nooky says. “I can’t sit here and tell you that we had a plan. It just happened.”
The process then brought Woods to Nooky’s home turf in Sydney, where the final touches on the material was scheduled to take place. True to Nooky form, the rapper was working on a number of different projects simultaneously; one of them being with Field, a relatively new voice to the scene, but one that Nooky saw the potential in from the jump.
As both Nooky and Field remember, the connection the trio had upon their first meeting was immediate. With Woods and Field meeting for the first time during shared studio time in Sydney, 3% was formed unintentionally; each talent complementing one another in ways that even they were surprised by.
“I didn’t know Dallas until I walked into the studio,” Field explains. “After that one day, it was like I’d known him my whole life. Nooks I’d known from before as he was helping me out with some stuff, but the way we got on with each other at the start translated into the music. The music became something that was so enjoyable for all of us and it just continued to create energy that kept going up and up.”
“The three of us, it felt right. It became pretty evident in the moment that it was a thing,” Nooky adds. “What we created, it tapped into sides of us that haven’t been shown before, necessarily. From that session, the four or five ideas we had turned into 15. It all came together in one or two sessions, it was done.”
For us, by us
The first official release from 3% arrived in the form of “Our People,” the driving, visceral debut single that sampled The Presets’ 2007 hit “My People,” reframing the context of the original to reflect the history of displacement and struggle experienced by First Nations peoples.
The release of “Our People” wasn’t just a perfect introduction to 3% as a group, but it was a reminder of how exciting Blak music in Australia currently is. It’s an excitement felt throughout the Kill the Dead album. Highlighting the talents of specifically selected artists — both known and fresh to audiences — the group brings a beautiful group of voices and storytellers to the fore.
“This is a body of work that features all Blak artists from almost every corner of the map,” Nooky explains. “We’ve got Torres Strait mob on here; we’ve got Tasmania mob on here; we’ve got Western Australia, we’ve got New South Wales, we’ve got Queensland mob. That was intentional. The people we picked, we picked them so we could be hitting different corners of the map. We tried to do it in a way where we’re highlighting young and exciting talent who people may not be expecting.”
Whether it’s in the beautiful harmonies and melodic work of Tia Gostelow (“Sleezy Steezy”) and Jessica Mauboy (“Won’t Stop”); the dominating presence of Say True God? and DENNI (“Land Back”), or the yearning notes delivered by Marlon Motlop — or, as Nooky describes, “the Blak Ed Sheeran” — on album opener, “Black Australia Policy,” Kill the Dead is a celebration of diversity in sound as much as it is a powerful statement of pride.
“I strongly believe that this is just good music. There is so much in here that hits close to the heart, it’s so raw,” Field says. “I feel like this could be a moment of time that will really stand strong within the Australian music industry, and for Blakfellas. For me, “Our People” was a huge moment in my eyes; I was so proud of what we did with that, how we held ourselves and how we wrote it. That was a moment in time where Blakfellas were heard for a bit, you know? It was like, ‘That’s our song. That’s done for us, by us.’ The album has so much rawness from us, but it’s not just from us, it’s from everyone else in our community.”
“We set the bar so high for ourselves, we can’t go backwards…”
As 2023 was wrapping up, 3% took the energy harnessed in the studio to the stage for the first time. Making their live debut at SXSW Sydney, on a lineup that featured Blak excellence right throughout, 3% had the crowd in attendance — and soon after, those who couldn’t be in the room — buzzing.
This night in particular also drew the attention of visiting international keynote speaker and fellow artist, Chance the Rapper, who showed his support for the group and the First Nations event showcasing artists that evening; videos from the night rapidly circulated on social media in the days following.
For 3%, having the co-sign of someone like Chance the Rapper was one thing, sure. But the empowerment and validation they felt in presenting their music for the first time reinforced that they were onto something great — something that was bigger than themselves.
“Chance the Rapper may have been the highlight for the blogs, but he wasn’t the highlight for what the actual people were there for, you know?” Woods says.
“You had BARKAA standing up in her matriarchal energy, you had Inkabee, the next generation… there was so much, and that’s what 3% stands for. That’s us as a whole. To get up there and be introduced the way we did it, we set the bar so high for ourselves, we can’t go backwards. That’s hard to do. We went out there and introduced ourselves the only way we knew: chest out, spear in hand. Not pulling no punches. We were there in spirit, in flesh, and everyone that came along with us; every time we hit that stage, they were there too.
“I’m obviously the greenest at this, you’d say. Nooks and Dally have been at a professional level for a long time,” Field adds.
For the singer-songwriter, who has been performing in other bands for over a decade, 3% has been an avenue for him to flourish under a new spotlight; one that has set him on a new personal, and creative path.
“At a time when the last band I was in split up, I was at a dead end too. I was dead in the water,” he says.
“Nooks and Dally were looking for something more in music, and that was how it all formed. It was the same with the live aspect. I’d never been on stage with performers like Dallas and Nooky. To be with people who are so professional and so sure of what they’re doing on stage, it’s almost like… you’re hoping some of that will rub off on you. That’s what I feel like with the boys. I know that I’m learning so much about my live performance, just by being on stage with them. I’ve always got that hand on my back with them, always encouraging me and helping me along the way.”
A new brotherhood
As a live unit, 3% have continued to develop their show, performing at a number of different events on the East Coast in recent months, most recently as part of Treaty Day Out for 2024 on Wadawurrung Country in Ballarat.
WIth the completion of Kill the Dead and the anticipation for the music spreading, building momentum since those early single drops and performances over spring and summer, 3% has their focus directly set on their next strides forward.
This album isn’t created to be a one-off moment in time; more material has already been created for future projects. Ideas continue to swirl as 3% explore their connection to music and connection to one another as artists.
Each of the members confidently says that throughout this process, they’ve discovered a brotherhood they weren’t expecting. And in that, the music has become more defined; the vision clearer than ever.
“The word ‘family’ gets thrown around a lot in music, but it’s a business. I feel like that word loses its weight,” Nooky says. “With these boys though, without a shadow of doubt, I can say they are family outside of this. We’ve only been together a few months, but we’ve been put in scenarios where other people would act differently. I’ve seen the way that these fullas have held themselves, conducted themselves — I can call them family and mean it. Working on this with them, it has that family unit vibe. We’re there for each other and it’s not just saying it because it looks good. We really mean it.”
“You learn how to complement each other without taking away from each other. That’s something that is so hard to do,” Woods adds. “You have to be a unit. You have to have your own individual space without taking away from anyone else. It’s about letting go of the ego and having trust. That’s the main thing. I’ve always had to be the main person, so to have trust in the brothers next to me, it falls back into my personal life too. Having trust in the people around me, in the music game, knowing they’ve got my best interests at heart. We’re all trying to make it to the same spot.”
A contemporary take on ancient tradition
So much of what 3% represents is in the unification of First Nations people, as well as allies, through storytelling and music that, yes, shakes up the norm, but also soothes and entertains.
Not only is the music engaging, but it carries the spirit of ancestral storytelling, in that this is a new generation’s way of passing knowledge and history down through the oral tradition, namely song.
Perhaps it is partly why each member of 3% feel so attached to the craft; this way of expression and presentation is in their DNA.
As Field describes, the music stems from emotion that comes from deep within the musician, leading to their tight bond as a unit.
“We give a lot of our soul to the music, what we’re singing about, what we’re writing about,” he says. “We all believe in the same idea behind what we’re writing about so strongly. That’s why we’ve bonded so well too; the passion as artists, as individual artists, together we have that extreme drive and determination to tell our story and make music a lot of people will listen to.”
Adds Woods, “This is us leaving a footprint for the next generation to follow, but not just one big footprint, one of the big footprints that are being left for other artists as well. That we are part of such a powerful and amazing generation who fought like the generation before us and the new generation can look back and see us as people who flew the flag proudly and strongly.”
Redemption song
In the music of 3%, Australian music audiences are given fresh insight into a new wave of storytelling from some of our country’s most important and impassioned voices.
In the case of Field, it’s a perfect introduction to a vocalist with a beautiful hold on melody, songwriting and delivery. When it comes to Woods, Kill the Dead has been an opportunity to showcase his versatility as an artist and performer; the facets of his emotional range as an artist shining bright.
And for Nooky, the lynchpin of the project, 3% has been more than a new vehicle for music and change. Striking a personal chord within himself, the creation of this project with his collaborators has led him back to loving music again; something he thought was long gone.
“When I came into this game in the beginning, music was healing to me,” he explains. “Somewhere along the way, the industry, the business side of things and the politics of it all, it tainted it. The healing became poison. Part of that was me as well, it wasn’t all the industry; it was myself getting lost in the sauce. I stopped honouring music, stopped respecting music. It got to a point where I was doing other things and I was getting into my stride outside of music doing other business ventures. I was ready to call it. There wasn’t any love or joy in music anymore.”
A necessary shock to the system, 3% has lit a fuse of inspiration and rejuvenation for Nooky that you can hear behind each impassioned bar he delivers on Kill the Dead. You can hear it in his moments of vulnerability and moments of pure fun he has with each lyrical flex on the album.
“Working with Dallas and Angus, it brought back the fun. It brought back the love,” he says. “It’s music that I’m proud of. For me, that’s a big thing, because I was looking back at some of the stuff I’ve done and there’s some stuff there I’m really not proud of. When I’m dead and gone, it’s like, is that what my legacy will be? That’s fucked. Kill the Dead is a bit of a redemptive moment for myself.
“I’m putting everything — my blood, sweat and tears — into this. I can say that when I am gone, I’m proud this exists because this is the real me. This is it. This journey I’ve been on with these two, it’s done a lot for me personally. It’s made me love music again, it’s taken it back to healing.”
This article features in the June-August 2024 issue of Rolling Stone AU/NZ. If you’re eager to get your hands on it, then now is the time to sign up for a subscription.
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