VICE Spotlight: FLY BOY JACK

Fiery, rapid, vigorous; FLY BOY JACK makes hip-hop that could soundtrack fight scenes.

Every clang of a sword sees Jordan Dennis – the group’s vocalist– slice through his opponents with fierce rhymes and an even fiercer delivery. His partner, producer JUJO, builds up indestructible walls of sound; the bass and drums blaring ferociously, wiping out anyone and anything in their path.

The duo have marched onto the Australian music scene wielding an unmistakable mission to restore goodness in an unkempt world. Music is their weapon of choice and, right now, we’re only witnessing the first few stages of their takeover. 

FLY BOY JACK was born in 2019. Initially meeting through a mutual friend, it was clear from their first interactions that Jordan and JUJO shared an undeniable musical connection.

“We had a really good chemistry in the studio,” JUJO told VICE.

“From then on, we just kept on working, and one day, pretty much out of the blue, we made a song that was actually called 'Fly Boy Jack.' I named it that because of the way Jordan was acting that day – just having fun. That was the start of FLY BOY JACK, the name, and the idea of making stuff in a different world.”

Though Jordan was raised mainly on gospel, overhearing his Dad’s music growing up and discovering the interests of his high school friends, is what led to his affinity with hip-hop.

“I have early memories of my dad listening to a lot of West Coast hip hop—artists like Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Tupac,” he said.

“But later on in life, as I got to high school and made new friends, hearing some of their tastes … that kind of led me to discover artists like Busta Rhymes, Twista, J Cole, Kendrick. Things just took off from there, and all of those people definitely inspire my sounds, my flows and even the topics that I try to rest on."

When it comes to collaboration, piecing different parts of a story together and communicating ideas, FLY BOY JACK are masters at synchronicity. Existing on the same wavelength is a speciality and one of many skills the duo have been able to naturally build on when fleshing out the FLY BOY JACK story and concept. 

Describing themselves as “musical yin and yang that represent perfect, deadly harmony”, there truly is no musical duo right now that gels as effortlessly as FLY BOY JACK.

“We really go with the flow,” they said.

“Whatever comes to us and however we feel on a given day, we express it. The same thing happens when we collaborate with different people – we take their visions and their alter egos and put them in our world as well to make it bridge together. I think it's really fun for us to always be creating new sounds and worlds.”

Their latest project “777”  dives into new territoryand cements the FLY BOY JACK legacy. The record opens with narration by Mr Congo and acts as a moment of semi-calmness before the storm: 34 minutes of unfiltered and punchy hip-hop. The music tells a story of conflict the duo faces in a dystopian world, likening their real-life struggles to the foes they battle in an otherworldly universe.

It’s playful, it’s impactful and it’s authentically FLY BOY JACK.

“Through ‘777’ and the trials of District 12, [we’re] just seeing life for what it is – obviously reflected in a fictional universe, with combat being more of an art form, paralleling the music itself,” they said.

“Will you choose to be a destructive force, or will you choose to be a force to create and to help other people create?”

“We just like to convey emotion through our music. If it's meant to be a fight scene, you can hear the fight happening behind the sonics. Or if it's a more reflective song, you can hear those elements to create a more storylike vibe.”

While locality impacts the way FLY BOY JACK make music and present themselves, they’re eager to make an international sound – one that knows no geographical bounds. Drawing on the places they call home, and the places they’re musically influenced by, the duo have been able to connect with others uniquely, which they wouldn’t have been able to achieve by staying in one lane.

“[We want to] invite other people who don't necessarily feel like they fit in here or the industry isn't necessarily catered to appreciate their music or understand what to do with their music. We wanted to create an avenue and a lane for that and break out in an interesting way,” they said.

FLY BOY JACK believes music has the power to heal. And if the community and industry backs creative exploration to its fullest potential, they’re convinced the world would be a better place.

“I think that people feel boxed in here because we're isolated and because we're trying to do what works and what we hope is going to pop for the moment instead of highlighting things that will bring longevity,”

“I just hope that we can all come together and bolster each other to build that platform because there's so much talent here. So much of the world can heal. We just need a voice and a way to get it out there."

Adele is the Junior Writer & Producer for VICE AU/NZ. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter here.

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