RADICAL SON: the radical act of rapping about respect

When I first saw Radical Son on stage three years ago performing his soulful hip hop set at The Studio at Sydney Opera House, I was moved by his lyrical range and his striking presence on stage.

In the best tradition of hip hop, Radical Son aka David Leha, has much to say about the world and his place in it, and he delivers his message in a way that you can’t help but pay attention.

“I try to sing to get people to forget about being materialistic and to be more loving, to care more about what’s natural, the way people used to be,” Leha says, “but the way you are hearing me is on the TV, the radio, a concert, in a way I feel like it contradicts what I’m trying to say.”

While not as intimate as a jamming circle around a campfire, Radical Son’s performances at Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland next week will at least be in the surrounds of fresh air and breathtaking bushland. He will perform a solo set and as part of a tribute show to the legendary Australian singer-songwriter Ruby Hunter who died this year. “I’ve been chosen to represent one of the Indigenous Australia’s most respected Aboriginal singers and that for me is huge,” David says.

“Being of Aboriginal, Tongan, English and Scottish descent, first of all, I’m asked where I’m from, and saying Australian isn’t accepted. I’ve experienced racism from all sides, and I feel that that’s enabled me to take that step back and ask why, and then want something else.”

Radical Son’s lyrics concentrate on culture and responding in a positive way to a harsh world. He tries to get back in touch with a culture that has been devastated by colonisation, while his sound borrows from roots, soul reggae and hip hop. Following Woodford, Radical Son will perform at Nukkan Ya Ruby at Sydney Festival First Night and with Scribe and Koolism at Beck’s Festival Bar.

Jan 19, Beck’s Festival Bar, Hyde Park Barracks, $28-38, 1300 668 812, sydneyfestival.org.au