Consider ‘Work Don’t Stop’ an introduction into the world of Big Skeez. On his debut mixtape, the Sydney-based artist swerves across genre boundaries to show his many dimensions – among them, a purveyor of dance music and club savant, a rapper blessed with a silky flow and a proud beacon of Australia’s South Sudanese community.
Although ‘Work Don’t Stop’ is Big Skeez’s first full-length release, he’s no rookie. Since 2016, he’s been refining his sound, landing on a distinct voice grounded in Afrofusion, slotting him alongside the likes of J Hus and Obongjayar. In 2019, he made his debut on Sydney music platform The Area Movement, and signed to NLV Records two years later.
On ‘Work Don’t Stop’, Big Skeez brings together 12 tracks that defy classification and mood. ‘Go Back Home’ is a yearning, sun-kissed soul-searcher while the bouncy ‘90s Baby’ is a festival-ready romp featuring Brisbane’s DatBreddaDom.
Big Skeez’s NLV Records labelmate Swick produces on every song and the chemistry between the duo is palpable. “Swick is just open to new ideas and to different sounds,” Skeez tells NME. “He understands what vision I have and what kind of sound I’m trying to go for.”
The collaborations that helped create ‘Work Don’t Stop’ imbue the mixtape with a sense of community, something important to Big Skeez. He’s effusive when talking about the vibrant creative scene in his hometown Western Sydney and speaks passionately about his drive to bring together South Sudanese artists in Australia.
When Big Skeez speaks to NME via Zoom, he’s at home in Sydney and fresh from planning a set of shows tied to the mixtape’s release. Work don’t stop, indeed.
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You’ve been putting out music since about 2016, so why do you feel like now is the time to release your first mixtape?
“This mixtape is more personal. All the songs I did before were more me just having fun, but I feel like this is more personal to me. I took my time with it, I worked with good producers on it, and I’ve got a story to tell.”
Did you know going in that you wanted to do such a personal full-length project?
“I did maybe two, three songs with Swick down in Melbourne. Once we did a few songs and we had the chemistry going, it was just a vibe that we got through making all the songs. And I was like, ‘You know what? I could just make a whole EP just doing this,’ because everything was building up.”
Were you consciously pushing yourself to explore new sounds?
“It happens organically because I grew up listening to all different types of sounds. My mum was a music head, my dad was a music head. My mum was listening to a lot of hip-hop, R&B and soul and blues-type music. My dad was listening to more cultural music. So, I got two and two and put them together.”
Is there a particular artist you can think of that fans would be surprised to know that you listen to?
“I listen to a lot of country music. People are surprised that I like Luke Combs and stuff like that. I listen to a lot of Frank Sinatra, I even used to listen to some Kylie Minogue. I listen to the most random music that’s out there.”
A Kylie Minogue and Big Skeez track would go hard.
“Oh, hell yeah, I’d love to do that one. It’s cool. I love Jessica Mauboy as well, so hopefully one day I can get to do something with her.”
You’ve got that stripped-back guitar sound on ‘Go Back Home’. Can you tell me a little bit about putting that song together?
“This song that I made because I was going to go home three years ago, but COVID hit and unfortunately I couldn’t go, which sucked, because I really wanted to get back to my roots and go see my people and see how things work.
“I’m sure I’m going to do that, next coming year. I feel like if I go back home, my mindset is going to change totally and I think I’m going to adopt so much there that I can bring back to Australia.”
How do you find community with other South Sudanese musicians in Australia?
“I’m trying to do this to bring the South Sudanese community together, because I feel like we’re really not locked in. I feel like just doing this music can motivate the South Sudanese youth that’s coming up. You see, you’ve got a dream and you can always chase it. You don’t have to do the negative stuff you hear on the news. There’s always a brighter light on the other side of the fence.”
What do you think clicked into place for you? It sounds like a new level of confidence.
“I think I just stood up because, going through a lot of personal problems, I was in a bad space a few years ago. Once I got the help and I got over that headspace, I just was like, ‘this is a new me now. I’m going to embrace what I have and what I do and run with it.’
“Life is short and I feel like you’ve just got to be confident and be happy in what you do and love what you do, and that’s what I’m doing. I’m not perfect, I’m human as well. We all go through struggles. It helped me a lot to become the person I am now.
“I’ve gotten more wise, I’ve got a more open mind, I’m happier in my situation and I just feel more alive and I’m ready to expand and share my story and journey with everyone else and hopefully everyone can relate to it.”
Big Skeez’s ‘Work Don’t Stop’ is out now via NLV Records.