Scott Griffiths, better known by the stage name Optamus, is one of the MCs of the

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

-based Australian hip-hop group

Downsyde Downsyde are an Australian hip hop group from Perth, Western Australia. The group is composed of three members, Optamus, Dazastah and Dyna-Mikes. The group has performed alongside groups including Jurassic 5, Cypress Hill, Grandmaster Flash, The ...

and member of WA's Syllabolix Crew. Optamus is also the name of Griffiths' solo project.

Music career

Downsyde

Griffiths with fellow Craigie Senior High School classmate Shahbaz Rind (Dyna-mikes ) founded

in 1996. It was the following year that they released a demo cassette ''Behind the Bucket'' which topped the independent charts within a week of its release. Optamus and Dyna-mikes met their third and last MC and producer, Darren Reutens

Dazastah Dazastah is one of the MCs of the Perth, Western Australia-based hip-hop group Downsyde. History Dazastah (Darren Reutens) joined Downsyde when he met MCs Optamus (Scott Griffiths) and Dyna-mikes (Shahbaz Rind) at Leederville TAFE in the late 1 ...

at Leederville

TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...

. The group further expanded adding Damien Allia (DJ Armee), Mathew Cheetham (Cheeky) on bass guitar and keyboard together with Salvatore Pizzata (Salvatore) on drums to form Downsyde. In 2000 they released their debut album, ''

Epinonimous ''Epinonimous'' is the debut album released by the Australian Hip Hop group Downsyde Downsyde are an Australian hip hop group from Perth, Western Australia. The group is composed of three members, Optamus, Dazastah and Dyna-Mikes. The group ...

'', this was followed by ''

Land of the Giants ''Land of the Giants'' is a one-hour American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for two seasons, beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. ''Land of the Gia ...

'' in 2003 and ''

When the Dust Settles ''When the Dust Settles'' is the third full-length album from Australian hip hop group, Downsyde and was released in December 2004 through Obese Records. It was produced by band members Optamus, Dazastah, Cheeky and Armee. All tracks were re ...

'' in 2005. The group went into hiatus for three years before releasing '' All City'' in 2008.

2010 onwards

As well as being a skilled MC, Griffiths is a producer. As well as working on beats for Downsyde, he has produced for many Australian acts, including

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

Drapht Paul Reid, formerly Paul Gary James Ridge, (born 4 September 1982), better known by the stage name Drapht, is an Australian hip hop artist from Perth. Drapht is a member of the Syllabolix (SBX) crew, a collective that includes fellow Perth-base ...

and

Bias B Adam Stevens, better known by the stage name Bias B, is an Australian hip hop artist. He started writing lyrics in 1989 and began performing in 1991 and released his first album, ''Beezwax'', in 1998. The album took two years to sell its first 50 ...

. As of 2010 he was running his own local independent label, Opt Shop Records. Optamus released his debut solo album ''Forever & A Day'' on 12 June 2010. Optamus is also the name of his group, a trio with keyboardist Chris 'Imposter' Foster and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Jongsma (Moondog). The album includes a number of guest artists including Hunter, Trials (

Funkoars The Funkoars are an Australian hip hop act from Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The group is part of the Certified Wise crew of hip hop artists from South Australia (including the Hilltop Hoods, and Vents), who also collaborated on various ...

, Hau (

Koolism ''Koolism'' is an Australian hip hop duo originating from Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The members are lyricist Hau Latukefu (born Langomi-e-Hau Latukefu, 1976, Queanbeyan, Australia) and producer/DJ/musician Danielsan Ichiban (born ...

), Downsyde and

MC Layla Layla Rose Hanbury (born 5 October 1982), known mononymously as Layla, is an Australian hip hop singer-songwriter and MC from Perth. In January 2005 she released her debut solo album, ''Heretik'', on Obese Records. She is a member of Syllabolix ...

. Optamus previewed the album to a sold-out home crowd (Rosemount Hotel W.A) and a tour through the southwest in June 2010. ''Forever and A Day'' went on to sell 3500 copies from his website. "Lookaround" became a

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

single and they toured Australia extensively. A second album, ''A Hero's Concerto'', was released on 20 September 2019. In November 2022, Optamus collaborated with other First Nations artists

Emma Donovan Emma Donovan (born 1981) is an Aboriginal Australian singer and songwriter. She is a member of the renowned musical Donovan family. She started her singing career at age seven with her uncle's band, the Donovans. In 2000, she became a founding m ...

Emily Wurramara Emily Wurramara is an Indigenous Australian singer and songwriter. In 2018, Wurramara was nominated for Best Blues and Roots Album at the ARIA Awards. Early life Wurramara is a Warnindhilyagwa woman from Groote Eylandt, off the Northern Te ...

, Drmngnow, and

DOBBY Rhyan Clapham, known by his stage name Dobby (stylised as DOBBY), is a Filipino-Aboriginal Australian musician. He describes himself as a "drapper", a contraction of rapper and drummer, although he also plays other instruments and is also a compo ...

to create a song in memory of

Cassius Turvey Cassius Turvey was a 15-year-old Australian boy who was assaulted on 13 October 2022 in Perth, Western Australia, and died ten days later of his injuries. His death sparked vigils and rallies across Australia and internationally. A 21-year-old m ...

, a

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

Yamatji Yamatji (or Yamaji) is a Wajarri word that has at least three different meanings: * a member of the Watjarri people * any Aboriginal Australian person from the Murchison region of Western Australia * any group made up of members of different I ...

boy who had died at the age of 15 the result of an assault by a random attacker when walking home from school in

, Western Australia. The song, titled "Forever 15", was played at Turvey's funeral on 18 November 2022 funeral and released three days later on 21 November 2022.

Other activities

Griffiths also conducts workshops for African immigrants and Aboriginal youth.

Discography

Downsyde

* ''Behind the Bucket'' – Independent (1997) demo cassette * ''

'' – Syllaboliks (September 2000) * ''

'' – Hydrofunk/

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

(HF 30) (March 2003) * ''

'' –

Obese Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

(OBR026) (December 2004) * '' All City'' – Illusive Records (ILL014CD) (4 October 2008) * ''

ClassicILL Downsyde are an Australian hip hop group from Perth, Western Australia. The group is composed of three members, Optamus, Dazastah and Dyna-Mikes. The group has performed alongside groups including Jurassic 5, Cypress Hill, Grandmaster Flash, The ...

'' MGM / Shakedown Records 2018

Optamus

* ''Forever and a Day'' – Opt Shop (SBX023) (12 June 2010) * ''A Hero's Concerto'' – Opt Shop (SBX028) (12 Oct 2019)

Production

;Downsyde * ''Behind The Bucket'' – Yirra Yaakin (1997), whole album * ''Epinonimous'' – Syllabolix MGM (2000), tracks 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 When The Dust Settles * ''All City'' – Illusive (2009), tracks 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13 ;Clandestien * ''Clandestien'' – Syllabolix (2001), track 4 ;

* ''Done DL'' – Syllabolix (2002), tracks 11, 16, 18 * ''Culture of Kings II'' –

(2002), disc 1, track 2 ("Jam Roll") ;

Matty B Matthew Victor Barrett, who performed as Matty B, is a former Australian hip hop rapper and MC. Originally from Perth, he released an album, ''The Courageous LP'', in 2002 on Obese Records. He relocated to the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast ...

* ''The Courageous LP'' –

(2002), track 7 * ''Culture of Kings III'' – Obese (2003), track 1 ;

* ''In Bed With Bias'' – Wordburner (2004), tracks C1, D3 * ''Been There Done That'' – Obese Records (2007), track 9 ;

* ''Culture of Kings III'' – Obese (2004), disc 1, track 1 ("Misunderstood") ;Fdel * ''Audiofdelity'' – Invada Records (2005), track 8 ;Hunter * ''Going Back to Yokine'' – Obese Records (2006), track 15 ;Omni * ''Batterie'' – NatAural High Records (2007), tracks B1-B3

Awards

* 2003 Australian Dance Music Awards – Nominee – Best Hip-Hop act2003 DMA Nominations
/ref> * 2003 Australian Dance Music Awards – Winner – Best Debut Artist * 2003 Australian Dance Music Awards – Nominee – Best Album – ''Land of the Giants'' * 2003 Australian Dance Music Awards – Nominee – Best Single – "Gifted Life" * 2003 Australian Dance Music Awards – Nominee – Best Australian Hip Hop Act * 2003 WAMi Awards – Winner – Most Popular Local Original Urban Music Act2003 West Australian Music Industry Award Winners
* 2003 WAMi Awards – Winner – Most Popular Local Original Music Video – "El Questro" * 2003 WAMi Awards – Winner – Most Popular Original Local Album – ''Land of the Giants'' * 2005 WAMi Awards – Winner – Best Live Electronic Act
* 2005 WAMi Awards – Winner – Best Urban Music Act * 2006 WAMi Awards – Winner – Best Urban Music Act * 2007 WAMi Awards – Winner – Best Urban Music / Hip Hop Act * 2008 WAMi Awards – Winner – Best Urban Music / Hip Hop Act
*2016 WAM Song Of The Year - Buridya Mob - produced and facilitated by Optamus *2017 WAM World Category - Akolkol Dastan Gesa produced and facilitated by Optamus *2019 WAM Song Of The Year Runner Up- Kya Kyana - Lyrics by Flewnt and Graham Dixon produced by Optamus and Inspired by Robert and Selina Eggington (Dumbartung) *2019 WAM Indigenous Category- Kya Kyana - Lyrics by Flewnt and Graham Dixon produced by Optamus and Inspired by Robert and Selina Eggington (Dumbartung) *2019 WAM Hiphop/Urban Category- Kya Kyana - Lyrics by Flewnt and Graham Dixon produced by Optamus and Inspired by Robert and Selina Eggington (Dumbartung)

Guest appearances

* 2001: "Lord of the Flies" (from Clandestien album, ''Clandestien'') * 2002: "Have a Drink With Us" (from Hunter album, ''Done DL'') * 2002: "Co-Conspiriters" (from Hunter album, ''Done DL'') * 2002: "Jam Roll" (from ''Culture of Kings II'', Hunter track) * 2005: "Dusty Fingers" (from Fdel album, ''Audiofdelity'')

References

External links

Official WebsiteOptamus Myspace PageOptamus Discogs Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Optamus Living people Australian hip hop musicians Obese Records artists Rappers from Perth, Western Australia Year of birth missing (living people)