INTERVIEW: How HP Boyz Are Finally Settling Into Their Success

  • INTERVIEW: How HP Boyz Are Finally Settling Into Their Success
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    HP Boyz
    HP Boyz. Photo supplied.

    You'd be hard-pressed to find a trio of more unassuming rap stars than HP Boyz. While they're well on their way to being genuine festival headliners in Australia and New Zealand, talking to one third of the group, HP Onit, it seems like their success has only started to make sense to the trio. They're still the same group of friends that started rapping together back in 2015/2016, after giving each other the confidence to hop on the mic. However, rather than their bars being heardby each other, now their music is being heard all over the world.

    HP Boyz's chemistry is something that's always stood out when listening to their music, from their earlier tracks like Bad N Bouj and Engineers, and even more so on their recent EP, 6 To The World. Hampton Park, Victoria's postcode (where the group are all from), 3976, is more than a number to the group. It's a lifestyle.

    2020 derailed a lot of plans for artists globally, but by releasing their debut EP, 6 To The World, in 2020, the group continued the momentum of their early releases. Fans debate their favourite verses, and their favourite members, of HP Boyz, but you can't really separate one from the other. HP Mwayz always kills it on the hook, as well as his verses, while YJ and Onit often deliver a 1-2 punch when it comes to their tightly written zingers. 

    Growing up listening to Tupac and Kendrick Lamar, as well as New Zealand rappers like Scribe and Savage, it seems a little bit like fate that the group have found such a loyal fanbase in New Zealand, one that they've seen a lot of over the last couple of years. Onit recounts one of his favourite moments of touring New Zealand, telling the story of the first time someone did the haka for HP Boyz. He says, "For me one of the most memorable moments in NZ would be when we went to Kelston Boys' High School.

    "They were in the middle of an assembly and we walked up and the energy in there was just crazy, because we surprised them. They didn't know we were there, we just walked out. So yeah, that's probably a memorable one. They did a haka for us as well. It's the first time someone did a haka for us!"

    Representing Hampton Park is something that comes naturally to the group, and something that they've always placed particular importance on. Speaking about Hampton Park, there's a distinct sense of pride in Onit's voice. He says, "That's what we represent, what we've got in our names. It's the name of the group. Everything about us goes back to HP. Even the generations before us, looking at all our family who are older than us, this has always been the area we've came from since we came here."

    Coming from Samoan heritage, Onit says that his family still can't quite believe the success the group has had. The smile comes down the phone line as he says, "I think they're still spinning out because they still can't believe [our success] either. Even my parents, my parents actually live in Samoa, so they call me all the time and ask me what's going on. Even my siblings, they're still spinning out over what things are like now."

    While things are a bit different now, when HP Boyz started out, they felt like outsiders. For them, a great way to get their name out there was to make their music videos as great as possible, and it's a large part of their success. Onit explains, "We didn't really know anyone in the music scene at that time. We were still meeting people and networking with people, meeting people, but back then, all we had was each other. We were trying to do the best we could, without anyone's help. We felt like we didn't have any help. With music videos, we were just trying to do the best we could with the resources that we had."

    Nowadays, the trio are local celebrities (as you'd expect), and Onit walks us through what it's like when they head out for a feed. "When I'm at the shops with the Boyz, if people would just drive past me, just keep their horns pumping, like "HP Boyz!" I think everyone's proud to have us, represent the area. If I was from Hampton Park and seeing people at the shops representing our area, it'd be the same. I'd be proud as well. I think that's something that I've seen change. Everyone's proud of us. Everyone's just behind us all the way, I wouldn't have it any other way."

    Onit has started branching out and jumping on other artists' tracks, recently working with Joel Fletcher on Flacko. It turns out that Joel's from Hampton Park, and Onit has gone from looking up to him, to making a song with him. He explains, "Joel Fletcher is actually from Hampton Park, same suburb as us. And he's a lot older than us. It's a bit weird that I ended up making a song with Joel Fletcher, I still look up to him now and he's leading the way for kids from our area. A lot of people look up to him and to make a song with him was something to tick off my bucket list of things to do."

    The group are heading on their first national tour soon, and while Onit's previously been to Sydney and Brisbane before, he's never done much travelling outside of that. The trio will be playing for the first time in Perth, Canberra and Darwin, and they can't wait to see all the people that have been clamouring for HP Boyz to come through their town.

    Onit laid out the group's plans for after the tour, and they feel like they're still at the beginning. He says, "We've got heaps of songs in the vault. We've got to get back in the studio, listen to all those tracks we've got in the vault, plan the next video. We've got big plans. We're hoping to do an album, maybe at the end of the year."

    While most HP Boyz fans might assume that they'd exclusively chow down on some kebabs after a night out (after all, you can spot kebab places in the background of some of their music videos), there's actually a different go-to meal for the trio, and it's called a HP Special. It's their go-to hangover cure, and Onit described it to us in great detail. He says, "It's a large Double Quarter Pounder with a steamed bun. You take out the pickles, take out the onion, take out the mustard and the ketchup and add McChicken Sauce. And then there's your HP Special."

    READ MORE: Here Are The Australian Drill Rappers You Need To Know

    He also made sure to stress that you get a steamed bun, otherwise, it's not a HP Special. Next time you're at Maccas, think about this - what would HP Boyz do? Let them be your guiding light. And McDonalds? If you're looking for your next musical collab, you know who to call.

    HP BOYZ - AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES 2021:

    Thursday May 13th – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane

    Saturday May 15th – Max Watts, Sydney

    Thursday May 20th - Fiction, Canberra

    Friday May 21th – Metro City, Perth

    Friday May 28th – Discovery, Darwin

    Saturday May 29th – Forum, Melbourne

    Grab tickets here: https://thehourgroup.com.au/

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