Fast Crew Biography
Fast Crew, a rap collective from Auckland, New Zealand, boldly defines true skool hip hop without borders.
Their infectious rap single, I Got, a crafty slice of strum 'n' bass, party-invite flows and a chorus with all the right hook ups, raided the NZ top 5 singles chart, then stayed in the top 20 for 25 weeks.
Suddenly, the script was flipped for Fast Crew (Jerome Fortune, Kid Deft, D-arblo, Bex and DJ Alias), five friends who spent the last five years making music for fun.
"We all had a passion for music," explains Jerome, "but it became apparent that we should take it more seriously."
Jerome started his rap career at, of all places, a bar. Some played pool. He opted for beer, and, after a few more, freestyle rhyming. The more brew, the more abstract. These impromptu rap sessions were the genesis of Fast Crew.
Soon after, in the very early days of Fast Crew, Jerome found the courage to call himself a musician. It happened at passport control. Jerome needed to state an occupation on a Customs form. "I had nothing to put into that gap," he laughs.
Accordingly, Fast Crew are filling a void in hip hop. They don't roll with a gangsta lean, pledge allegiance to an area code, holler, crunk, raise a pimp cup to the ladies --- or judge those that do.
To break it down, Fast Crew are just doing their own thing. They are all the way live, too. "There aren't any samples," says Jerome. "Everything comes from a live instrument basis rather than loops. We are musicians and we love music."
Their debut album, Set The Record Straight, an eclectic brew of hip hop, pop, funk and experimental, was released in 2005.
Fast Crew are currently putting the finishing touches to a new album titled Sex, Lies and Red Tape, due for release in August.
