Drapht attended Perth Modern School in Subiaco but was not involved in the school's music program. At school, he became friends with Damien Allia (aka DJ Armee) who introduced him to hip hop via gigs at the Hyde Park Hotel.
Drapht became a vital part of Perth's hip hop crew Syllabolix at the age of 17.
"I was real lucky. I hung around all the SBX members before I even started rapping. I was right in the middle of it all, I had access to the fucking dopest producer at the time Dazastah, freestyle sessions at Hunter's, and constant schooling from the whole crew. So, it was hard for me not to learn quick and be involved with it all." - Drapht
This involvement resulted in his first contributions being recorded and included on the Done DL album in 2000, only months after he had started seriously writing.
Drapht's first track, "Misunderstood", which sampled Nina Simone's 1964 song, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", was released as part of the Culture of Kings - Volume 3 released in 2003.
"I know a lot of people were big fans of that song, but I never put it in my live show 'cause it's a downtempo sort of beat. It was just a track I wrote in a span of a few days, and it was just lying around. So, I put it on Culture of Kings. Luckily enough, it was the intro song for the album. It has definitely helped to carry my career on." - Drapht (2008)
His debut album, Pale Rider, was released in October 2003, with all production handled by Dazastah (Downsyde), Fdel, and Drapht. Special appearances on the album include: Fdel (Invada Records), Downsyde, MC Layla, Hunter, Selekt, Carlsani, and Porsah Lane.
"With my first album, I just kinda got into it because I was hanging around the guys from Downsyde and Syllabolix. Essentially, I got into it just because I loved how Daz [Dazastah] tackled his writing style and his punch-lines. Aggression was the one thing I wanted to get rid of, which is why it came out more aggressive than any album I've done since. Being a teenager you seem to be more this way. Then, you [hopefully] let it all go." - Drapht (2008)
The follow-up, 2005's Who Am I, was also produced by Dazastah (Downsyde), Fdel, and Drapht. The songs touch on topics including politics, sex, and addiction to drunken antics. Guest appearances on the album include Pressure (Hilltop Hoods), Downsyde, Layla, 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. Who Am I is more of 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)
Drapht has opened for acts such as; Hilltop Hoods, Dilated Peoples, Downsyde, Koolism, Apathy, Rodney P & Skitz, Mystro, Killa Kela, and Resin Dogs.
The song "The Music" was selected by Triple J as a featured track for Ausmusic month in 2005. Drapht released a music video for "The Music", which was shown on Rage. He also performed a guest verse on the Hilltop Hoods album The Hard Road on the track "The Blue Blooded".
Drapht was nominated in the Best Urban/Hip Hop Act category at the 2007 West Australian Music Industry Awards. At the age of twenty-five, Drapht decided to pursue music full-time, leaving his other career as a roof carpenter.
Drapht's third album, Brothers Grimm, was released 10 May 2008, with the first song from the album, "Jimmy Recard", receiving significant airplay on Triple J, where it became the second most played song on the station in 2008.
"With Brothers Grimm, I tried to tackle subject matter more, and tried to make every single word more clear - not so intense. I wanted it to be more personal and truthful with what I stand for and have gone through in life, and the response has been really good." - Drapht (2008)
The album debuted at No. 64 on the ARIA Album charts, reached No. 9 on the V Energy AIR (Association of Independent Record Labels) Charts and No. 10 on the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Top 40 Urban Album charts.
Drapht appeared for the first time in a Triple J Hottest 100 with two entries in the 2008 countdown; "Jimmy Recard" at number 10 and "Falling" at number 77.
In October 2008, Drapht was nominated for the 'Best New Australian Independent Artist' award by the 2008 AIR Awards.
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. Drapht also made appearances at Homebake, Pyramid Rock Festival, Southbound, Open Arms, and MS Fest.
"Jimmy Recard" was nominated for 'Most Popular Single/EP' at the 2009 West Australian Music Industry Awards and Drapht as 'Best Urban/Hip Hop Act', which he subsequently won.
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. 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!
"Rapunzel" reached number 12 on Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2010, #2 on the AIR charts, and peaked at #16 on the ARIA singles chart in February 2011, the highest charting single for Drapht to date. The single was also accredited an ARIA platinum certification.
The Life of Riley was released 1 April 2011 and was the first release on Drapht’s own label The Ayems, which is distributed through Sony Music. The album debuted at #1 on the ARIA Album Chart 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)".
Who Am I
Drapht Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Plans to fracture, can't handle or stand my stature
My raps saturate, every batch I make is packed with hate
An act of fate, once I'm r'ound the corner, I've been trapped in rain
Scrap the page now, I've got to start from scratch again
The whack catch a break, I'm sick of sayin' congrats to them
I lax it in, catch a pen, gettin' straight to work
Shake the nerves, makin words', I bear it all for this
Can't call it quits, standin' way too tall to miss
Paul is this, who am I? A phantom watchin' down
Struck a random till I'm handed all these knuckled frowns
Stop these clowns claimin' king, bring you back to planet Earth
I stand firm from the day this planet merged from Perth
A learnin' curve from the birth of this
Try to take me down but swerve and miss, motherfucker
Who am I? A slave to the beat and its rhythm
Who am I? I'm ashamed of this world that we live in
Who am I? I'm a threat, I'm the voice in your head
The one telling you to jump off the ledge, motherfucker
Who am I? I'm the man from the land down under
Who am I? I'm the rain, I'm the sun, I'm the thunder
Who am I? I'm the hope that elopes through your speaker
Runnin' as the wolf pack leader, motherfucker, who am I?
I'm carin about one fan base in sunburnt landscape
Plan A is summed up with one word, rampage
Man-made disaster, no bandaid or plaster
Is big enough to cover up this blood, sweat, I'd rather
The heartfelt saga, targets an audience, my marker
B-Boys or girls that are as horny as Drapht
But I'm warnin that I'm born in this to shout out
Be burnin them then I'm servin the corniest on our planet
My anatomy's had a beating, I'm feeding off heads
Like Hannibal but never leavin em dead, plant my CD/see-d instead
Believe in the right season it will grow
For now I'm happy standin back and letting nobody know
Who I am, remaining to stand as the ghost in the backdrop
Won't ever abandon my pose for a snapshot
Or hope for the jackpot to carry me
I'd rather crack the luckier mentality man so...
Who am I? A slave to the beat and its rhythm
Who am I? I'm ashamed of this world that we live in
Who am I? I'm a threat, I'm the voice in your head
The one telling you to jump off the ledge, motherfucker
Who am I? I'm the man from the land down under
Who am I? I'm the rain, I'm the sun, I'm the thunder
Who am I? I'm the hope that elopes through your speaker
Runnin' as the wolf pack leader, motherfucker, who am I?
What makes your tick climb makes me sick to the stomach
Amateur dicks pull out 'cause they know that DR's coming
Its certified, no spermicide can stop me
Fertilisin' a lot while only a third of the eyes watch me
Measure dying monopoly, building another level
Diversifying it properly, rule and run with the rebels
I never settle for second
We be goin' off quicker than the metal detection at Al Qaeda's mosque
You lost in translation, costing you to listen
To what this man's facin', offer you the vision
Just once and it will never be repeated again
I stay conceited from the greed and all the trends, motherfucker
Who am I? Paul Ridge to the death
Who am I? D-rapht to the death
Who am I? S-B-X to the death
And I'm gonna represent till there's nothin' of me left
Who am I? AM crew to the death
Who am I? War crew to the death
Who am I? WA to the death
And I'm gonna represent till there's nothin' of me left
The song "Who am I" by Drapht talks about his identity as a rapper and his struggle to make it big in the music industry. The lyrics suggest that he sees himself as an Australian battler who manufacturers plans and raps packed with hate. He explains that he has to start from scratch again, dropping his old work to rework himself by redirecting his hex and breaking his curse. Drapht considers himself a voice of hope and a threat, urging people to jump off the ledge and to run with the wolf pack leader, chanting, "Who am I?"
The song shows Drapht's dedication to his art, disregarding greed and trends that plague the music industry. He creates for B-boys and girls who are as horny as he is, warning that he was born to shout and burn the corniest in the industry. Drapht says he came into the game to look after one fan base in a sunburnt landscape that targets the audience and his marker. He raps, "I stay conceited from the greed and all the trends, motherfucker." This suggests that he remains true to his craft and his art, never compromising or settling for second best, even if it means he will never make it big.
Line by Line Meaning
An Aussie battler, man that manufactures
I am a hard-working Australian who produces my own content.
Plans to fracture, can't handle or stand my stature
I am not afraid to disrupt the status quo, and some people cannot handle my success and confidence.
My raps saturate, every batch I make is packed with hate
My lyrics are full of emotion, particularly anger.
An act of fate, once I'm r'ound the corner, I've been trapped in rain
Sometimes, events occur that are out of my control and can negatively impact me.
Scrap the page now, I've got to start from scratch again
I am willing to throw out my previous work and begin anew if necessary in order to create something great.
The whack catch a break, I'm sick of sayin' congrats to them
I am tired of mediocre artists finding success while I work hard and struggle to gain recognition.
I lax it in, catch a pen, gettin' straight to work
I am always ready to write and create, with no time to waste.
Take the first steps, redirect the hex and break the curse
I am determined to overcome any obstacles and negative energy in my life.
Shake the nerves, makin words', I bear it all for this
Although it can be intimidating to share my work with the world, I am willing to put myself out there for my passion.
Can't call it quits, standin' way too tall to miss
I refuse to give up on my dreams or let anyone bring me down.
Paul is this, who am I? A phantom watchin' down
I am reflecting on who I am and what impact I make in the world.
Struck a random till I'm handed all these knuckled frowns
I often face criticism and disapproval, despite my hard work and dedication.
Stop these clowns claimin' king, bring you back to planet Earth
I want to expose those who claim to be the best without putting in the work and bring them back down to reality.
A learnin' curve from the birth of this
I have learned a lot from my experiences creating and performing.
Try to take me down but swerve and miss, motherfucker
Despite others' attempts to bring me down, I continue to persevere and succeed.
I'm carin about one fan base in sunburnt landscape
I am dedicated to my Australian fanbase and their support means everything to me.
Plan A is summed up with one word, rampage
My main goal is to give it my all and create content that evokes a strong emotional response.
Man-made disaster, no bandaid or plaster
I am dealing with severe emotional pain that cannot be quickly resolved.
Is big enough to cover up this blood, sweat, I'd rather
I would rather embrace and work through my struggles instead of hiding them.
The heartfelt saga, targets an audience, my marker
My music is meant to connect with and resonate with a specific audience.
But I'm warnin that I'm born in this to shout out
I am not afraid to speak my truth and make my voice heard.
Be burnin them then I'm servin the corniest on our planet
I strive to create content that is unique and superior to the mainstream media.
My anatomy's had a beating, I'm feeding off heads
I have been through a lot of struggles and use them to fuel my creativity.
Like Hannibal but never leavin em dead, plant my CD/see-d instead
I am using my music as a way to make an impact and create change, rather than causing harm.
Believe in the right season it will grow
If I continue to work hard and have patience, my career and impact will continue to grow and flourish.
For now I'm happy standin back and letting nobody know
Sometimes, it is better to focus on the work and let results speak for themselves rather than seeking recognition and validation.
What makes your tick climb makes me sick to the stomach
The things others value and prioritize are often in direct opposition to my own values and priorities.
Amateur dicks pull out 'cause they know that DR's coming
Those who are not dedicated to their craft or not as skilled as I am often avoid competing with me.
Its certified, no spermicide can stop me
I am confident in my abilities and nothing can stop me from succeeding.
Fertilisin' a lot while only a third of the eyes watch me
Despite not having immense mainstream success, I am still gaining a dedicated and passionate fanbase.
Measure dying monopoly, building another level
I am constantly striving to improve and take my craft to new heights.
Diversifying it properly, rule and run with the rebels
My unique perspective and creativity make me stand out and succeed, even if I do not conform to traditional standards.
We be goin' off quicker than the metal detection at Al Qaeda's mosque
My creativity and impact is explosive and catches people off guard, like the strict security measures at a controversial location.
You lost in translation, costing you to listen
If you are not fully invested and able to understand my music and message, you may not fully appreciate it.
Just once and it will never be repeated again
I create unique and one-of-a-kind content that cannot be replicated or duplicated.
I stay conceited from the greed and all the trends, motherfucker
I am not swayed by success or trends, and remain true to myself and my values.
Who am I? Paul Ridge to the death
I am Paul Ridge, and my passion and dedication will never die.
Who am I? D-rapht to the death
I am D-rapht, and my creativity and message will always live on.
Who am I? S-B-X to the death
I am S-B-X, and my art and impact will always be a part of me.
And I'm gonna represent till there's nothin' of me left
I will always represent myself and my art, even if it means giving everything I have.
Who am I? AM crew to the death
I am a part of AM crew, and we will always represent and support each other.
Who am I? War crew to the death
I am a member of War crew, and our impact will always be felt.
Who am I? WA to the death
I am from WA, and my roots and identity will always be a part of me.
And I'm gonna represent till there's nothin' of me left
I will always represent my identity and where I come from, even if it means giving everything I have.
Contributed by Tristan W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.