The art of saying "F**k It!" - An interview with Station Hayds
Lxgcy sat down with the Western Sydney rapper/producer to discuss his latest album "NO GEAR, ALL IDEA" and his latest Acclaim All-Star nomination.
It’s roughly 4:10 on a Wednesday afternoon, and I’m standing just outside Newtown train station. The past few days have been pretty shoddy when it comes to weather, but today the sky is clear, the temperature is crisp, and the atmosphere is peaceful. This is my first time meeting Station Hayds, and here are a couple of things I noticed right off the bat:
This motherf**ker is tall as hell! I’m average height (about 5'9", 5'10"), and this dude made me feel like… well, like anybody who stands next to Shaq.
Following our introduction, he speaks with a level of humbleness and honesty that’s genuinely refreshing.
His fit is lowkey, but fire; an all-black jumper, his signature glasses, and a killer pair of Salomons with a kind of fluoro aesthetic.
I took him to Mary’s in Newtown; the best burger spot I’ve been to in Sydney. We grabbed our food to go and headed straight to the park just across the street to sit down and discuss his latest project: NO GEAR, ALL IDEA. Here’s how things went:
photo credit: Billie Cooper
Yo, so how's your day been so far, bro?
Yeah, it's been alright, bro. You took me to a good burger spot! Now I know where to go [when I’m back in Newtown].
Firstly, congratulations on your Acclaim All-Star nomination. How do you feel about it?
It's kind of surprising, aye. I wasn’t really expecting it. Like, it's not about followers or anything, but I don't know… it just kind of feels like I have imposter syndrome. Like I wasn’t supposed to be there. But I guess everyone’s supposed to be there if we were selected, so we deserve to be there.
You have a very close-knit group with the likes of Church, Tahkoe, SOLLYY, Domengo; everyone on that Acclaim All-Star cypher you guys did. Do you feel like there’s a competitive spirit when you’re working with them? And how was the process of recording that freestyle and the whole video?
Yeah, definitely. Not in a bad way competitive, but it definitely encourages you to push your pen. Sometimes, if you're doing it by yourself all the time, you kind of stay at the same level. But when you get in a room with someone who just spits their verse and you're like, “What the f**k!”, now I gotta change my verse and s**t. It forces you to be better. Being in the room with them kind of forces you to be at that level.
Listen to/Watch SUPER OFFICIAL ACCLAIM ALLSTARS CYPHER 2025!! **100% LEGIT** by Church, Tahkoe, Station Hayds, SOLLYY & Domengo [prod. by Issa Tejima] above
Video credit: Adele Luamanuvae, SOLLYY & Church
So the whole project was produced by yourself. How important was it for you to be the only one producing on it?
I think it's really good to challenge yourself, you know? I think there's a certain spark of greatness that comes from naivety. When you have no idea how to do something, you just kind of make it work. So that's what I wanted to show, and I tried to do it to the best of my abilities, really.
What’s your favorite beat that you produced on it?
Probably jarrodsammutfreestyle_. It really has that Grime edit kind of feel, you know?
What’s the importance of repping Western Sydney and referencing it heavily in your music?
Well, if there was no Western Sydney, then I’d have nothing to rap about. There are so many experiences and different stories that we have as people from Western Sydney that I think others should hear. We need to magnify it and put it on a global stage, not just nationally.
Getting into the project; the intro, Forever, uses a monologue discussing living your life to the fullest and without regret, because eventually we all gotta have that convo with God. Where did you find that monologue?
Wallo267. Do you know who that is? He does the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast and stuff like that. He just speaks into the camera every day. One day I was watching that [on Instagram]. I think he was at a wedding or some s**t. And he was talking about [living life to the fullest and without regret]. I was like, “Damn, this s**t is real.” I screen-recorded it and saved it. I was like, “Maybe it’ll go over one of my beats when I start making beats.” The first beat I made was that beat, ever. It just sort of lined up.
Why do you feel this message resonates with you so strongly? And why did you choose to kick off NO GEAR, ALL IDEA with it?
I feel like mortality is unavoidable. Like, death and s**t like that. We all gotta go at some point. Sorry to get so down in the dumps. You kind of have to make the most of your life, because, you know, whether you believe in God or whatever. On that final day, what do you have to show for your time on this earth? I’m not here to get all churchy and s**t. Even me; I don’t even know! *laughs*
It's clear that comedy, in its multiple forms, plays some influence in your sound. Where’s that sample from on the luvya.mp3 interlude? Bro, I spent like a good hour and a half trying to search for that s**t!
King of Queens, bro! That’s probably one of my favorite sitcoms ever. It just has so much nostalgia for me. I used to watch it all the time on TV.
On World Keeps Turning, you reflect on your growth in the scene. You discuss having a level of bliss within ignorance. Are there aspects you miss from before having an audience?
I kind of miss not being noticed. Posting a song and only getting like five likes or some s**t. But if you scroll back to my earlier posts, some people bump that s**t now. At the time when I posted it, the post had like five likes for 10 months, bro. But yeah, that’s the kind of s**t I miss. I didn’t really have to worry about what someone was gonna think, you know what I mean? You’d just put it out there and be like, “F**k it.” If I woke up in the morning and someone followed me because of the song, then that was a blessing. But if not, I’d just post another one. Now I feel like I’m always thinking, “Damn, what about these guys? What about this better guy?” or some s**t like that.
On Arvo Cruise Ambience, you have a bar talking about the parallels between you and The Alchemist. Are the parallels deeper than music?
I think that’s the kind of level I want to strive for. I think it’s good to look at things nationally, but if we’re really talking about recognition or whatever; I want worldwide recognition.
Who are some other artists you’d want that co-sign from?
Everyone that’s in his camp, you know? Like Earl Sweatshirt. But even on a national level, just being in the same room as someone like Church & AP; bro, these are guys I used to listen to in high school ‘cause they’ve been doing music for ages. Even that s**t was a crazy milestone for me in itself. So I guess it’s good to aim for The Alchemist, but also locally, like Trans-Tasman, NZ s**t.
Back to jarrodsammutfreestyle_—there are a couple of lines in there, from “Walk a mile in my size 13s and you’ll see why I hate your actions,” to “piss on flowers while I’m on stage at award shows.” You make it clear that there are people whose opinions you respect, and others you couldn’t really give a f**k about. When someone gives you criticism, what’s your general response?
Well, I guess as an artist, it’s easy for anyone to get offended at first. But I think you’ve got to take it from a different perspective, like, say, from the consumer’s, and kind of respect where they’re coming from, and use it to better your art.
What characteristics earn your respect, as well as your disrespect?
Just being straight up and s**t, you know? If you don’t f**k with my music, then just say that. I’d rather people not be like, “I love your music,” and then they f**king hate it, you know what I mean? Just honesty. That’s the kind of s**t that either earns my respect… or doesn’t.
CRY NO MORE (real); you recently posted that you hate this song now. What has you hating this track so soon?
I guess it was more sarcastic. I’ve listened to it so many times. This whole project was mentally draining to make, and you know what’s funny? That was the last track I made. So it doesn’t make sense! But I guess maybe it’s on me. Maybe I need to change my production style. F**k! look at me, saying I need to change my production style! Nah, but maybe “hate” was the wrong word. That’s probably what I meant.
The last track, They Say; If this were a movie, that’s the ending scene of NO GEAR, ALL IDEA. So I wanna ask: what’s next for you?
More music! I made it my mission this year to try to put myself out there as much as I can, you know? Because I feel like that’s what was holding me back last year. The one thing I always think of, especially with this project, is that I want everyone to take away from it that sometimes you just have to say, “F**k it,” bro. Like, sometimes when you hold back too much, you miss the chance. The opportunity goes past you, and then you’re stuck the rest of your life chasing after the car with your hands out.
So, it’s just letting everyone know: this could be s**t, this could be good. It doesn’t matter! But this is me. This is unapologetically me.
NO GEAR, ALL IDEA by Station Hayds is out now!
written by Lxgcy
edited by Ruedi “Ruu.” Holbeck