Bido Lito! Magazine | Issue 116 | August 2021

got me back where I started.”
On his new track, Busy, Koj uses his bars to reminisce
about him and his girlfriend at the time. Being chased
by the police and having to “change up script”, he recalls
being arrested along with his friend and then clarifies:
“But still I’m out here with packs and a whip. I don’t
wanna’ do it but it’s gotta’ get done”. The track features
samples that act like warning signs, an eerie feeling
of impending doom over the pace of a ticking clock;
reflecting the fact that Koj has recognised that it’s time
to change.
Now working a job alongside colleagues who he
describes as being supportive of his music, Koj is often
accompanied by his girlfriend, Kate Hillion, who is also
the talent behind the cover art for all his single releases
following Blue Notes. “Kate is smashing the artwork,
coming with newer concepts and variety... I think it’s just
the tip of the iceberg at the moment,” he commends.
Koj’s past year has been one of physical ascent.
After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, he found
himself feeling angry and cut deep. Looking for a way to
turn the energy into positive outcomes, he sought advice
from a friend who suggested doing a marathon to raise
money for charity.
It was an idea which began as creating a beacon
for everyone who wanted to contribute in some way
but didn’t know how. His involvement helped establish
anEQUALrace, an organisation with the aim of using
sport to promote equality. This created a running club
which included the members of OzMOB. “It was so
inspirational to have those people there every week,”
Koj says, “it gave me a new outlook on things, I thought
everything moving forwards we do it with a level head.”
For Koj, collaboration has been the key to success
in his solo work. “Honesty is what I find the most
important thing. If we’re gonna’ talk about doing this
thing I’ve got to know if it’s secretly rubbish, otherwise
what’s the point?”
Key players in OzMOB have been instrumental in his
development. Beige, a budding London rapper/producer,
started off running event nights called Soundsystem4 in
Handyman’s Brewery on Smithdown Road with Tomas
Brown, who’s also spearheading OzMOB and sits next
to Koj on the grass. “I do my thing,” he starts, “but
there behind the scenes is where we’re pushing it to
the right ear, to people who might be able to push it to
somewhere else.”
Released just a year ago and produced by Jakebob,
debut single Blue Notes marked something of a new
era in his life. “A tune like Blue Notes came out of my
experiences over the last few years,” he notes. “I had
to put it into words for stress relief and that was like
a transition into the now.” The track was followed up
quickly with features on Capital Xtra via Rob Bruce’s
First Play in the UK, 1Xtra’s playlist via BBC Introducing
Merseyside and Mixtape Madness’ Suburban Spotlight.
It’s clear that Koj has started settling down and is
considering the meaning of his life. It’s relatable in the
sense that we all try out things that are negative when
we are young and learn that not everyone who surrounds
us are good role models. “I was OT with a fidgety dude”,
as he says in Didgeridoo. Hearing it first from Koj, “OT”
is short for “out there” and has since frequented my
vocabulary, such is his influence and quotability.
Since I first met him in 2016, I have known Koj to
have the power to impact people – easy to spot in a
crowd and with a personality that shines brighter than
most. Since then, Koj has always been smiling; he was
never dismissive and forever courteous, but yet I found
him hard to read. Now it feels as though the struggles
were all underneath that, the pain was and is evident,
but for the first time it really feels like the healing
process has begun.
Lockdown has meant replacing the audience with
friends and family, and Koj has flourished as a part of
OzMOB. The sun is shining bright over our faces and he
tips his hat over his eyes. “In the first place I was always
performing for myself,” he says with a philosophical air.
“But I think a bit too much. I’ve managed to put a spin on
it where I can kind of make it more palatable.”
You could describe Koj’s approach to music as a
chance encounter as, like many of us, he found himself
with free time to spend in lockdown. But crossing paths
with influential characters means it’s been far from
sluggish. Now, with restrictions easing, it seems there’s
more potential for the outlining future prospects. “I’m
looking to do more, my fire is lit for that,” he responds as
he details plans for merchandise and music videos which
are starting to get in motion.
The encouragement he gets is from OzMOB telling
him that there are no restrictions, believing that there
is more than one tunnel to travel down and keeping it
broad spread. “I didn’t know I could rap on beats like this,
I didn’t even know that those types of beats existed,”
Koj admits matter-of-factly. Sitting directly in line with
a tree behind him in the distance, I see the spindled
arms of twigs growing as if from either side of his head
as he talks of branching out into a new sound; his own
expansion into this unknown area of music like those
newly forming arms of a tree.
“My new sound moving forwards is more a product
of what’s going on now. People will be able to tell the
difference,” he says with a conviction characteristic of
his music and everything that bears the OzMOB imprint.
“The knowing of self-worth, the belief of what we are
doing,” he exhorts. There’s so much assurance in his
voice, I imagine travelling with him through a desert of
music and him being unscathed by the wasteland, certain
that the oasis ahead is real. !
Words: Iona Fazer / @ionafazer97
Photography: Anthony Wilde / @evolving_necessary
Gwop is available now.
“My new sound
moving forwards
is more a product
of what’s going
on now”
FEATURE
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