ENGLISH rapper Eyez may be the prototypical 21st-century musician.
Unlike the old timers lamenting the demise of the album and cursing the influx of streaming that has slashed their income, Eyez is embracing the new ways.
He plies his trade in the grime scene, a fusion of electronic styles including garage and jungle, characterised by tempos around 140bpm, abrasive rhymes and dark sounds.
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READ NOWGrime was pioneered by men such as Wiley and Dizzee Rascal.
Eyez, who has just turned 25, is fast becoming one of the genre’s brightest talents – and he’s done so by embracing the internet.
“I did a couple of music videos online, freestyle videos – and they just kind of went viral,” he said.
“The first one got about 10,000 views and then I got another one that got about 50,000 views and is now on about a million views.
“Back in the day you could probably make more money.
“All I know is that in this day and age, it’s vital that we have all these things.
“If we didn’t, I wouldn’t have listeners in Australia.”
For an introductory course on his music he recommends listening to Spitfire Part 3, or Hard to Get Over – both of which can be found on YouTube.
Seeing him rap is like watching a boxer, jerking and popping, landing verbal jabs that water the eyes.
Eyez conceded he’s best appreciated live.
“Performing is the main part of it – my performance is a lot stronger than just hearing one of my songs,” he said.
“As an artist I’m very visual.”
Eyez is embarking on his first headline tour in Australia in November and he can’t wait to give Perth a taste.
“It’s gonna be pretty sick, to be fair,” he said.
Greig Johnston