Wolverine

Scott Kent, also known as rapper Wolverine, adopted the persona of the famous Marvel comic creation, full of rage and the unbreakable metal adamantium, long before Hugh Jackman brought the character to movie screens. And while Jackman honed his craft at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Kent also spent years honing his in Perth, except he did it in cyphers, studios and live shows around the city.

With the worldwide release of his 4th album in the works and his new group Pretty Monster with his fiance,speakers worldwide are soon going to need adamantium speakers.

He has also performed at some of Australia's premier live venues, and his intense live show has seen him share the stage with acts including Blackalicious, Method Man, Redman, Gza, Muggs, Foreign Legion, Brad Strut, Art of War, Downsyde, Hospice Crew, Bliss and Eso, Bias B, The Funkoars and SBX.

In the competitive Australian hip hop market how do you try and stand out from everyone else?
I don't, I just do what i like and if people dig it that's great,if they don't...well...whatever nevermind. I guess I just stay humble,and thankful that I’m able to create the music I love.

Who has inspired you to make hip hop the way you do?
I grew up listen to N.W.A, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Wu Tang, B.I.G, Geto Boys and those artists inspired me a lot. But as i got more involved in the scene, I got inspired by the way heads would d.i.y with their cds, gigs, promo ect.

What was it like working on 'bloodsport' were there many challenges in the project and what inspired you to make a fourth album?
The love of music was my inspiration,its what i do and cant and don't want to stop,it makes me happy and fulfils my creativity.

It was a four year journey,starting with the maestro mixtape in 2008, and we where compiling songs for the next album which was going to be call the maestro, but we decided to hold off and make more tracks,then by 2011, I thought it was time to release something,so we released street music as a prequel to this album,so its really a double album split over a year.

You have quite a list of guest features on your album 'bloodsport' how was their contribution important to the album and how did they get involved?
Of course the collabs are important,brings a different element to the album,which is great.

I brought Maggot Mouf over to Perth for a show I put on, we got talking and I sent him a beat a few weeks later and we did the collab through emails.

There's a funny story behind it, I lost his mixdown over the beat and only had an acappela, so I mixed it to the track one night after a few brews, thought it sounded great and put the album up online.

I get a message the next day from Maggot saying “you gotta take that track off until ya fix it mate! U must of been baked when ya mixed it my raps all off time n shit!!!” Haha I had put his verse in the wrong place on the beat,it wasn't out of time,it sounded fine,but it wasn't were he rapped,so it sounded totally different to the way he rhymes haha, its all fixed now, but I felt real bad about it.

Also got the Biologik crew on their, Konflict & Sykes, my mates from Perth.

I've know the boys for awhile now and we'd always hang out,bust free's, get drunk and record tracks.

The tracks on the album were great to record,you know, hanging out with ya mates and just busting out.

Then theirs the Bios collab, I've know Bios for over ten years and he produced most of my debut album the wait is over, we did a collab on that album (the great escape) so its was obvious to me to get him on this record,and that verse he dropped was killer.

Last but not least is Rob Shaker,we've been mates for about 7 years, he's produced and djed on all my albums and all my live shows, we work really well together, its just so easy,quick and comfortable.

And with out him, I seriously doubt any of these albums would have been released, so i appreciate and thank him for everything he's done, not just as a music partner but as a mate as well.

What goes into the process of making an album, do you have a set plan in mind before you develop your album?
Haha for this one and the last one street music, there was no process and I spend many many nights pulling my hair out trying to get shit in order and figuring what way I was headed not just as an album but as an artist,we recorded over 100 tracks in a year or so.

The previous album was more funky, party type record, so I was lost tryna figure out what direction I was headed,but in the end what i loved came through and that's the raw street raps, I just suit that style better than anything else.

Why did you take it upon yourself to do half the albums production and how did you think having that much creative control on your album reflect on the final product?
It's always a luxury to have that much control over your product, but most of this album was kinda set out in a way from the start,we knew which tracks where definitely gonna make it,like bang your head,arch it up,the force ect as soon as we recorded them, it was like,that's an album banger right there.

As far as production,like I said before there was over 100 tracks, so it kinda panned out that way, not intentionally, but the newer tracks I did myself, and what usually happens. I get sick of my older tracks and dig the newer one's, just because their new and that's why a few more sneaked in which where my production.

But in the future I’d like to do a lot more production,like whole albums or concept albums.

When making your beats where do you draw your inspiration from?
All over man, life, music, movies.

But the main thing is the dig, diggin those crates,samples, cds ect looking for those gems and that feeling when you find them, I’ll never get sick of that,that's what I love about it.

What major support gig would you say was the most significant to you as an artist?
Surprisingly it wasn't any international act, doing shows with guys like Brad Strut, Clandestien, Hunter and other local acts,these are guys I look up to not just as artists but also as mates and the passion and drive they have as musicians.

Is there anyone else you'd like to work with in the future?
Oh for sure,my dream would be to do a track with both Vinnie Paz and Ill Bill.

Love to work with Trem, Strut, Tornts, lots of local acts.

What can we expect from you in the future?
Well there's gigs coming up, possibly a tour, the first official wolverine video's too.

But the main project I’m working on is pretty monster with my fiance dame, were currently recording an album, which mixes hip hop, electro, house, grime and heaps of other styles together.

We will also be doing gigs, tours and video's in conjunction with the album.

As for wolverine theirs a heap of collab and production coming soon,and then i guess i'll start work on my fifth solo album,so lots of stuff to look forward to.

Any shout outs?
My girl dame for her constant love and support,my family for everything,the guys i worked with on this album and especially rob shaker,all the heads and artists I’ve gigged or worked with,and last but not least my fans and supporters without them it just be me in my bedroom haha, thank you all for your constant support,it means more to me then you could ever know and of course I’d like to thank you and hussletapes for the opportunity to do this interview.