Mog.Y Sucks: “I Love A Google Review”
Naarm rapper Mog.Y’s voice is maybe the most distinctive in Australian rap.
The raspy MC releases music at breakneck speed, and each track gives the feeling of speeding down a gravelly country road with the windows down and the aircon blasting. When Mog.Y steps up to the mic, a couple of things are certain: he’s going to win (and break) hearts, and he’s going to bestow a sense of utter peace upon his listeners. Who needs lavender and a warm bath when you can spin a new Mog.Y track?
Mog.Y’s just released the funky ‘B THERE (NO TWO$)’, which features some guitar shredding courtesy of Jimmy Harwood. Teaming up once again with producer Benny Zenn, Mog.Y’s work ethic is undeniable: whether he’s releasing an EP as his alter ego Coupe Devil, teaming up with Mali Jo$e and Isaac Puerile for all-star collaborations or holding it down solo, he’s made it his mission to be everywhere in 2023.
Junkee caught up with Mog.Y to find out about the time he had to throw out some seriously suspect “jazz”, how he dealt with nodes on his vocal chords, his love of leaving Google reviews and much more. If something sucks, Mog.Y’s going to hold them to account.
Junkee: A mistake that turned into an opportunity?
I used to seriously struggle making music after one or two “jazz cigarettes”, even though I am no stranger to being very jazzy. My mate moved overseas and left me with all of his jazz, some of which ended up being the most putrid shit I’d ever encountered. After a poison test, I was so repulsed that I sent a voice message to my mate telling him that I’ve never thrown out the jazz but I think I’m about to dump the whole lot in the trash.
I got home feeling so conflicted, but something possessed me to plug in my gear, and I ended up recording the funkiest lil soundcloud jawnt, and framed it up with my voice memo at the end. The song is still up and it’s called ‘This Shit Sux’ — and after that day I never had a problem being jazzy on the mic again.
Cringe quote you used to live by?
I dunno, but when I was younger I had real identity issues with thinking I was a dinosaur. I was biting a lot of kids, it was a whole thing.
Worst advice you got and blindly followed?
“Trust me bro” — literally anybody in the music industry.
The worst failure you’re up for sharing, and what you learned from it?
I played a show in Brisbane in the earlier days of Mog.Y when I was still finding my voice etc, and I used to be a lot harsher with the growls, which really shredded my vocal chords. We were playing out in this beer garden on a pretty shitty PA, and I screamed my voice out (probably out of panic and nerves) so hard that none of my frequencies were being picked up by the mic and I played basically a completely muted set just screaming with nothing coming out — I was super embarrassed and the guys I was playing with wanted to kill me, plus there were some people there we wanted to impress. I honestly thought I was cursed with my voice and I’d just never be able to play live. I ended up finding out I had nodes on my vocal chords years later, saw a speech pathologist for ages and now my live shit killer dawg.
Anything you used to be wrong about?
How girls pee.
Embarrassing internet habit?
I love a Google review. I once left one on Nunawading Maccas on my rap account as Mog.Y. I was advised that this is a bad look and it has since been KEPT — IDGAF what you think, that shit was ass.
Ideal morning routine versus actual morning routine?
Swear to god, and I’ll never repeat this again in an interview, I do 45 minutes in the shower with a coffee. EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. And I’m not gonna lie, I’m sitting and hitting some emails.
Something very off-brand for you?
I seem super chill in a lot of ways, and I think my music really speaks to that. But I’m generally a chaotic, clean freak, germaphobe. Don’t be coming at me with a cold thinking you’re getting any jazz from me, keep that shit way over there.
Bad health decision?
Well, I mean I gave myself nodes to be Mog.Y. But it’s calm, women love the rough voice, and I love women.
What do you waste money on?
I don’t, my money game is tight — but maybe if i’m being critical, expensive restaurants, and I’m sometimes excessively generous. I’m like bro, why the fuck did you just bring bro a bunch of flowers, it’s just a public holiday.
Worst procrastination habit?
Other work — I’m a workaholic.
Mog.Y’s new single with Benny Zenn, ‘B THERE (NO TWO$)’ is out now.
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Illustration credit: Matt Lauricella, @pigeonboyart