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Not to be confused with draft, draught.

Drapht
Drapht at Metro City Concert Club, Perth, May 2011
Drapht at Metro City Concert Club,
Perth, May 2011
Background information
Birth namePaul Gary James Ridge
Also known asDrapht
Paul Reid
Born (1982-09-04) 4 September 1982 (age 42)
OriginMount Hawthorn, Western Australia, Australia
GenresAustralian hip hop
Years active1998–present
LabelsSyllabolix
Obese
The Ayems
Websitehttp://drapht.com.au/

Paul Reid, formerly Paul Gary James Ridge, (born 4 September 1982), better known by the stage name Drapht, is an Australian hip hop artist from Perth. Drapht is a member of the Syllabolix (SBX) crew, a collective that includes fellow Perth-based hip hop artists such as Downsyde.[1]

Biography

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1982–2002: Early life

[edit]

Drapht grew up in North Perth, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth. His father, Gary Ridge, a jazz drummer[2][3] introduced Drapht to music from a very young age—he first experienced hip hop at the age of eight. The name "Drapht" is based on a Western Australian Swan Brewery beer, Swan Draught; the company's logo was written on a watch that his father brought home when Drapht was 13 or 14.[4]

Drapht attended Perth Modern School in Subiaco but was not involved in the school's music program.[5] At school he became friends with Damien Allia (aka DJ Armee) who introduced him to hip hop via gigs at the Hyde Park Hotel.[5][6][7]

Drapht became a vital part of Perth's hip hop crew, Syllabolix, at the age of 17.[8][9]

"I was extremely fortunate. Right place, right time. I was right in the middle of it all, I had access to one of the best producers at the time Dazastah, freestyle sessions at Hunter's and constant schooling from the rest of the MC's within the crew. So I was very blessed with it all." — Drapht[citation needed]

This involvement resulted in his first contributions being recorded and included on Hunter and Dazastah's 2000 debut album, Done DL, only months after he had started seriously writing.[6]

2003–2004: Pale Rider

[edit]

Drapht's first track, "Misunderstood", was released as part of the Culture of Kings – Volume 3 release in 2003 with Drapht saying "It was a song I wrote in a span of a day or so, and it was just lying around. So I had the opportunity to put it on Culture of Kings. And then it ended up being the opening track for the release, which was awesome. That definitely helped in the early days of my career."[10]

His debut album, Pale Rider, was released in October 2003,[11] with all production handled by Dazastah (Downsyde), Fdel and Drapht.[7] Special appearances on the album include: Fdel (Invada Records), Downsyde, MC Layla, Hunter, Selekt, Carlsani and Porsah Lane.[12]

"With my first album, around the surrounding time I was fortunate to be hanging out with the Downsyde boys and the rest of SBX who were hugely influential. Essentially I got into music because It really amazed me how Daz [Dazastah] tackled his writing style with his witty punch-lines. Aggression was one thing I wanted to rid myself of though, at that time in my life it was my venting process. An angry teen mad at society, and myself. But we live to grow through that."

— Drapht (2008)[10]

2005–2007: Who Am I

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The follow-up, 2005's Who Am I, was co-produced by Dazastah (Downsyde) and Fdel, and co-mixed by Drapht with Dazastah.[13] The songs touch on topics including politics, sex, and addiction to drunken antics. Guest appearances on the album include Pressure (Hilltop Hoods), Downsyde, Layla,[14] Pegz (Obese Records), Clandestien, MJ (Funkola) and Hunter. It was released by Obese Records in both in a CD and a limited 2 LP vinyl format. Two tracks from the album, "Drink Drank Drunk" and "The Music", received airplay on Triple J, mostly on the Super Request program.[15][16] Who Am I is more an introspective album.

"I tried to focus more on my flow and the structure of the tracks but at the end I wasn't really happy with the subject matter of the songs."

— Drapht (2008)[10]

The song, "The Music", was selected by Triple J as a featured track for "AusMusic Month" in 2005. Drapht also released a music video for "The Music", which was shown on Rage.[17] He also performed a guest verse on the track, "The Blue Blooded", which was included on the Hilltop Hoods' 2006 album, The Hard Road.[2]

Drapht has opened for acts such as; Hilltop Hoods, Dilated Peoples, Downsyde, Koolism, Apathy, Rodney P & Skitz, Mystro,[18] Killa Kela, and Resin Dogs.

2008–2009: Brothers Grimm

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Drapht's third album, Brothers Grimm, was released 10 May 2008,[19][20] with the first song from the album, "Jimmy Recard", receiving significant airplay on Triple J,[21][22] where it became the second most played song on the station in 2008[23]

"With Brothers Grimm I focused on my song writing and concepts more than any previous album, also working on my pronunciation and delivery. I set out for it to be more of a personal and truthful account with what I stand for moralistically"

— Drapht (2008)[10]

The album debuted at No. 64 on the ARIA Album charts, reached No. 9 on the AIR (Association of Independent Record Labels) Charts[24] and No. 10 on the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Top 40 Urban Album charts.[25]

2010–2015: The Life of Riley

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In an interview with The Vine in November 2010, Drapht advised that he had not renewed his contract with Obese Records and that he will be releasing his forthcoming album The Life of Riley independently.[26] The first song released from the album is "Rapunzel", for which he describes:

The love hate relationship that is Rapunzel- a subject that I had that was extremely close to my heart, so naturally the song itself was one of the easiest to write, but one of the hardest to nail in the recording process. Has to be one of my favourites to date, has made me fall in love with her all over again!

— Drapht[27]

The Life of Riley was released 1 April 2011 and was the first release on Drapht’s own label The Ayems,[4][28] which is distributed through Sony Music. The album debuted at #1 on the ARIA Album Chart[29][30] and was the first Australian artist to do so in 2011. The second track to be taken from the album was "Sing It (The Life of Riley)".

2016–present: Seven Mirrors and Arabella Street

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Drapht released Seven Mirrors in August 2016, which peaked at number 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

Arabella Street was released in November 2018.

Touring

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In March 2009, Drapht undertook a national tour of Australia with fellow Western Australians, Downsyde with a number of the eastern states performances being supported by Pez.[31][32] Drapht also made appearances at Homebake, Pyramid Rock Festival, Southbound, Open Arms and MS Fest.

Drapht appeared at the 2011 Groovin' the Moo festival and undertook a national tour to promote the album, with support from Mantra and The Tongue.[33]

Drapht was the opening act for American musical duo Twenty One Pilots during the Australia and New Zealand leg of The Bandito Tour in December 2018.

Discography

[edit]
Drapht discography
Studio albums5
Singles10

Albums

[edit]
Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
AUS
[34]
Pale Rider
  • Released: October 2003
  • Label: Syllabolix (SBX 005)
  • Producer: Dazastah, Fdel, Drapht
 —
Who Am I
  • Released: June 2005
  • Label: Obese (OBR032CD)
  • Producer: Dazastah, Fdel, Drapht
 —
Brothers Grimm 64
The Life of Riley
  • Released: 1 April 2011[36]
  • Label: The Ayems (AYEMS001)
  • Producer: Trials
 1
Seven Mirrors
  • Released: 19 August 2016
  • Label: The Ayems
  • Producer: Dazastah
 4
Arabella Street
  • Released: 21 November 2018
  • Label: The Ayems
 —
Shadows and Shinings
  • Released: 10 September 2021[38]
  • Label: The Ayems
 22
[39]
"—" denotes release that did not chart

Singles

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Year Single AUS
[40]
Triple J Hottest 100 Certifications Album
2009 "Jimmy Recard" 92 10
  • ARIA: 2× Platinum[41]
 Brothers Grimm
"Falling"
(radio only release) 		— 77
2010 "Rapunzel" 16 12
  • ARIA: 2× Platinum[42]
 The Life of Riley
2011 "Sing It (The Life of Riley)"
(radio only release) 		58 29
"Bali Party" (featuring N'fa)
(radio only release) 		— 74
2012 "Tasty" (with Ta-ku) — — Tasty EP[A]
"1990's" (with Ta-Ku featuring N'fa) — —
2015 "Dancin' John Doe" 76 130 Seven Mirrors
2016 "All Love" — —
"Mexico" (featuring Dune Rats) — —
2019 "Oomph" — —
"Summer They Say" — —
"Work it Out" — —

Compilation appearances

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  • Culture of Kings Volume 3 (2003, Obese) (song: "Misunderstood")

Other appearances

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Year Title Artist Album/Single Label
2000 "Adolescence", "Kids of the Future", "MysticAL Alliance" Hunter and Dazastah Done DL Syllaboliks
2004 "To tha Stumps" Downsyde When the Dust Settles Obese
2005 "Multiple Choice" Layla Heretik Obese
"Last of My Tribe" High Definition City of Lights Mainstream
2006 "The Blue Blooded" Hilltop Hoods The Hard Road Obese
"Rat Race" Jase Beat Hedz Volume 1
2007 "Before I Leave" Pegz Burn City
2008 "Came for the Sound" Dialectrix "Cycles of Survival"
2010 "Where's Elvis?" M-Phazes Good Gracious
2013 "Reservoir Dogs" Bliss n Eso Circus in the Sky Illusive Sounds
2014 "Drama" Kate Miller-Heidke "O Vertigo!" Cooking Vinyl
"Brainbox" Hilltop Hoods Walking Under Stars Golden Era
2019 "Helicobacter High" Complete Death Rattle The Ayems

Alongside many other Australian hip hop artists, Drapht appears in the music video for the Hilltop Hoods song, "Rattling the Keys to the Kingdom" (2012).[44]

Awards and nominations

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AIR Awards

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The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2008[45][46] himself Best New Independent Artis Nominated
2011[47] The Life of Riley Best Independent Album Nominated
Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album Won

APRA Awards

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The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), "honouring composers and songwriters".[48] Drapht has been nominated for four awards.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011 "Rapunzel" (Paul Reid, Daniel Rankine, Larry Siler) Urban Work of the Year[49] Nominated
2012 "Sing It (The Life of Riley)" (Paul Reid, Daniel Rankine) Urban Work of the Year[50] Nominated
Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year[51] Nominated
2013 Paul Reid, Daniel Rankine Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year[52] Nominated

ARIA Awards

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The ARIA Music Awards are presented annually from 1987 by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In 2011 Drapht won two awards from eight nominations.[53]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011 "Rapunzel" Single of the Year Nominated
Breakthrough Artist – Single Nominated
"Rapunzel" – Dave Parkin Engineer of the Year Nominated
The Life of Riley Best Male Artist Nominated
Breakthrough Artist – Album Nominated
Best Urban Album[54] Won
Drapht Most Popular Australian Artist Nominated
2016 Seven Mirrors Best Urban Album Won

J Award

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The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011[55] The Life of Riley Australian Album of the Year Nominated

West Australian Music Industry Awards

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The West Australian Music Industry Awards (WAMIs) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on annually by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM). Drapht has won two awards.[56]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
2009 Drapht Best Urban/Hip Hop Act Won
2011 Drapht Best Urban/Hip Hop Act Won

Notes

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  1. ^ The Tasty EP was never formally released.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Drapht The Life of Riley". AllMusic. 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  2. ^ a b Richardson, Fiona (22 August 2008). "Drapht dominates with debut". 3rd Degree. Edith Cowan University. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Roz Pearson". Jazz Australia. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b Greco, Nell (29 March 2011). "Life of Drapht". The Music Network. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  5. ^ a b Wilkinson, Craig (27 March 2009). "Hip-hop Drapht broken". Western Suburbs Weekly. Community Newspaper Group. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b Cam. "Drapht". Certified Scribe. Archived from the original on 20 January 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  7. ^ a b Force G (26 July 2007). "Drapht Interview – Pale Rider Interview". STRAIGHT UP! – Australian Hip Hop Interviews. WordPress.com. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  8. ^ Richardson, Fiona (22 August 2008). "Drapht dominates with debut". Edith Cowan University. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  9. ^ "Rhymes 'n' rhythm". Sunshine Coast Daily. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  10. ^ a b c d Schlechte, Ted (21 August 2008). "Third Time's The Charma". Drum Media. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
  11. ^ "Drapht - Pale Rider". discogs. October 2003. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  12. ^ "Australian Music Online - 'Who Am I'". Archived from the original on 10 December 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
  13. ^ "Drapht – Who Am I". discogs. 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  14. ^ Mitchell, Tony. "Layla". Local Noise. University of Technology, Sydney. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  15. ^ "Drink Drank Drunk" airplay Archived 10 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine at JPlay
  16. ^ "The Music" airplay Archived 15 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine at JPlay
  17. ^ Rage playlist, 25 November 2005.
  18. ^ Mitchell, Tony. "The DIY Habitus of Australian Hip-hop: Embodied Histories, Community and Scene". Local Noise. University of Technology, Sydney. Archived from the original on 9 April 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  19. ^ "Drapht : Planet Urban - Brothers Grimm". Planet Urban magazine. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  20. ^ "Artists: Drapht". Obese Records. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  21. ^ "J Play". Archived from the original on 28 July 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  22. ^ Triple J playlist
  23. ^ "Drapht Biography". Take 40. MCM Media. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  24. ^ "V Energy AIR Charts". Association of Independent Record Labels. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  25. ^ "Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles charts". ARIA. Archived from the original on 11 July 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  26. ^ "Drapht leaves Obese Records". The Vine. 11 November 2010. Archived from the original on 15 November 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  27. ^ "Drapht Rapunzel tour". the AU review. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  28. ^ "Drapht.HQ. Thu Apr 21". Onion. Rip It Up Publishing. 3 March 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  29. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Record Industry Association. Australian Record Industry Association. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  30. ^ "Monday's Chart Wrap". The Music. Street Press Australia. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  31. ^ "Downsyde & Drapht: City Brothers tour w/special guests Pez". FasterLouder.com.au. 18 March 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  32. ^ Dib, Lisa (27 January 2009). "Downsyde/Drapht/Pez announce City Brothers National Tour". The Dwarf.com.au. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
  33. ^ "Drapht touring The Life of Riley". Shout Out Music. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  34. ^ Peaks in Australia:
  35. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  36. ^ "Home". drapht.com.au.
  37. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  38. ^ "Shadows and Shinings by Drapht". Apple Music. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  39. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  40. ^
  41. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  42. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  43. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  44. ^ "Watch: Hilltop Hoods 'Rattling The Keys to the Kingdom'". triple j. ABC. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  45. ^ "2008 AIR AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". Music NSW. 11 November 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  46. ^ "History Wins". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  47. ^ "Independent Music Awards". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. Archived from the original on 12 December 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  48. ^ "APRA Music Awards 2012". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  49. ^ "Nominations > Urban Work of the Year – 2011". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2011. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  50. ^ "Nominations > Urban Work of the Year – 2012". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2012. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  51. ^ "Nominations > Song of the Year – 2012". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2012. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  52. ^ "Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2013. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  53. ^ "The Countdown Begins....Nominations Announced". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 11 October 2011. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  54. ^ "ARIA Awards 2011 – Live blog". Nova FM. DMG Radio Australia. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  55. ^ "2011 J Awards - Drapht - Life of Riley". Triple J. 8 January 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  56. ^ "WAMi Awards 2009". West Australian Music Industry Association Inc. Archived from the original on 8 April 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
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