Premiere: Meet rising Perth rap force Mali Jo$e and his new single, Mistakes

If you're yet to be acquainted, 17-year-old Mali Jo$e is stepping forward as the next generation of the west coast rap scene, with a consistent stream of singles throughout the last six months – capped by the WAM Song of the Year-nominated Show Love in April - setting him forward as one to watch. We personally met him just two weeks ago, featuring on the latest single from fellow Perth rising star Adrian Dzvuke – his quick pace setting a unique edge above Dzvuke's soulful, afrobeat-infused sound – but now, we're back again, premiering his own single Mistakes.

Teaming up with regular collaborator/producer and fellow 17-year-old young-gun Oskar Johns Carpenter (a.k.a. OJC43), Mistakes sees Mali showcase his versatility as a musician as he strives for different sounds and flavours, taking a hazy, percussive production and layering a rich vocal over the top that swerves between down-tempo rap and something more R&B-inspired in its choruses. It's remarkably smooth, touched with the intricacy and confident approach you'd expect from someone deep in their career, but instead coming from someone soon to blossom into a hip-hop heavyweight you should be reckoning with. Dive into Mistakes below, introduce yourself to the rapper-on-the-rise while you're at it, and then, while you wait for what's next, catch him at a couple of shows planned for the next few months.

Tell us about yourself?

MALI JO$E consists of 2 17-year-old old artists, Mali Jose (Rapper) & Oskar Carpenter/43 (Producer).

Mali: I grew up and proudly reside in Fremantle, West Australia. My Dad raised me on hip-hop, he’s a huge fan of hip hop. Generally though, I grew up on so many genres of music that its kinda too hard to list them all… also, I play for Perth Glory… haha.

43: I also grew up in Freo. Like Mali, I grew up in a house with an eclectic taste in music and can't really pin down what genre I draw from when making my beats.

What’s the vibe music-wise?

Mali: I guess, simply... it’s hip-hop, but we try to keep our music as diverse as possible, nothing in one lane. Ultimately, that keeps us motivated and excited to try new things.

43: Coming from Fremantle bands like, SUPEREGO (who are our dearest friends) really have inspired us to think outside the box and push boundaries within our genre of music.

What are your production and writing processes like?

Mali: Our production and writing process is pretty easy going, but productive at the same time. 43 is an animal when it comes to making beats, he can just continuously pump out music.

43: The lyric-writing process is similar.. but extremely unpredictable depending on what’s happening in Mali’s Life, how he’s feeling and what’s inspiring him. We try to make music that is 100% honest and nothing less.

Can you tell us about your new single, Mistakes?

Mali: Mistakes is so special to me. We recorded it so long ago but it’s still managed to stay so relevant to me. This song is beautiful and I have a feeling it’ll be with me for a long time.

43: Sonically, it’s something we’ve never tried before. Jake Stirling (our close who makes music with myself and Mali) came up with the guitar melody, Oskar came up with the rhythm section and by then we already knew it was something special. We’ve completely tried something new with this song and we’re super excited.

Any tour dates coming up?

Mali: No tour dates yet. But we're playing a bunch of dope shows around our home city we want to see you come too:

Hidden Treasures - 17th of July @ Freo.Social
One Day Friday Night Lights - 9th of August @ Centenary Warehouse

Oh and a few secret ones we can’t wait to announce, so stay tuned.

What does 2019 have in store for you?

Mali: We are constantly making art. I'm always writing too. We have an EP coming but… kinda keeping that under wraps atm.

43: I’m always making beats! my hard drive filling up quickly with songs Mali & I don't know when or how we’re gonna release them. The EP is coming soon but yeh… keeping that shit under wraps atm.

Where can we find more of your music?

Mali: You can find our music everywhere. Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music Tidal and Any other streaming platforms. Oh and we’re also contenders in the triple j Unearthed High competition so it would be so dope to check our page.

43: Hope you enjoy the track.

Follow Mali Jo$e: FACEBOOK