The idea and concept of King Lear’s new video ‘Competition’ was developed over a bowl of kangaroo bolognese at Francoforte Spaghetti Bar. The young MC was enjoying some dinner in Perth’s Northbridge area with local director Cameron Park (1000dths) and talk came to the video for a track from Lear’s debut album Wise + Futile.It must have been a long meal as the video is ambitious and broken up into various parts including Lear surfacing from a shallow grave as well as hanging in the kitchen of his family home with his Home Baked crew that includes fellow MC Evanda.Watch the track below and read a short interview we did with King Lear.NOISEY: The video is pretty ambitious. Was the song always in various parts?
King Lear: This is my first solo video, so I really wanted to go all out. “Competition” and “Goodness Gracious” are separate tracks and I’m unclear where they’ll sit within Wise & Futile, but they definitely have similar themes and it always made sense to combine them as one clip. I’m trying to show people the light & dark (visually and otherwise) of the same issue.What is the 'competition' in relation to?
“Competition” isn’t really about what some people might think; I’m not really talking about other MCs, so anyone who thinks I’m trying to call them out is wrong. Truthfully, in my area it is seriously uncommon to pursue creative talent and go against the grain. People tend to focus on jobs that will pay them the most and don’t do it for the love. A lot of them even look down on us risk-takers who put our heads on the line to do something different and it really bugs me. The tracks emphasize that people can make whatever life they want for themselves; I want to encourage risk-taking in the name of creativity.Whose house is that? Kitchen island hip hop!
That beauty is my parent’s place. I don’t live there anymore but it’s home to a lot of fond memories for my friends and I: recording music, mapping our futures and just turning up. It felt right to use the pool-house because anyone who knows me would tell you it means a lot to me. I have to give thanks to Tom and Lorraine, they’re amazing parents and I want to make everything up to them someday.Do you read the West Australian?
I can’t say I do. I try to keep current with national and world issues and I’ll flick through the comics if it’s in front of me, but I try not to take it too seriously. There’s really no question that our newspapers have their own political agendas and I find it hard to accept their statements as facts. It's crazy to me how powerful publications can disable us from thinking for ourselves through the emotional weight and biases they attach to issues.What is the rest of Wise + Futile like?
It’s nothing you’ve heard from an Australian rapper to be honest. I want to make music to live by and that means exploring diverse genres and not resigning to the ‘rapper’ label at all. I’m really excited to share it with everyone.
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King Lear: This is my first solo video, so I really wanted to go all out. “Competition” and “Goodness Gracious” are separate tracks and I’m unclear where they’ll sit within Wise & Futile, but they definitely have similar themes and it always made sense to combine them as one clip. I’m trying to show people the light & dark (visually and otherwise) of the same issue.What is the 'competition' in relation to?
“Competition” isn’t really about what some people might think; I’m not really talking about other MCs, so anyone who thinks I’m trying to call them out is wrong. Truthfully, in my area it is seriously uncommon to pursue creative talent and go against the grain. People tend to focus on jobs that will pay them the most and don’t do it for the love. A lot of them even look down on us risk-takers who put our heads on the line to do something different and it really bugs me. The tracks emphasize that people can make whatever life they want for themselves; I want to encourage risk-taking in the name of creativity.Whose house is that? Kitchen island hip hop!
That beauty is my parent’s place. I don’t live there anymore but it’s home to a lot of fond memories for my friends and I: recording music, mapping our futures and just turning up. It felt right to use the pool-house because anyone who knows me would tell you it means a lot to me. I have to give thanks to Tom and Lorraine, they’re amazing parents and I want to make everything up to them someday.Do you read the West Australian?
I can’t say I do. I try to keep current with national and world issues and I’ll flick through the comics if it’s in front of me, but I try not to take it too seriously. There’s really no question that our newspapers have their own political agendas and I find it hard to accept their statements as facts. It's crazy to me how powerful publications can disable us from thinking for ourselves through the emotional weight and biases they attach to issues.What is the rest of Wise + Futile like?
It’s nothing you’ve heard from an Australian rapper to be honest. I want to make music to live by and that means exploring diverse genres and not resigning to the ‘rapper’ label at all. I’m really excited to share it with everyone.