Xannon Shirley, better known by the stage name The Tongue, is an Australian rapper and high school teacher from
Sydney, New South Wales
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...
. He released two
EPs
EPS, EPs or Eps may refer to:
Commerce and finance
* Earnings per share
* Electronic Payment Services, in Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, China
* Express Payment System, in the Philippines
Education
* Edmonton Public Schools, in Edmonton, Al ...
(''Bad Education'' and "Victorious Remixes"), four albums (''Shock And Awe'', ''Alternative Energy'', ''Surrender To Victory'' and ''Hard Feelings'') and three mixtapes (''Redux'', ''The Tongue Is Dead'' and "The Sextape'').
'' He also released "Bloodwork: The Best of The Tongue" in 2022.
Musical career
The Tongue represented Australia in the "Battle 4 Supremacy" competition against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in 2005 and won the Revolver MC battle the same year.
Tongue's songs have been placed on rotation by national Australian youth broadcaster
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 ...
.
Tongue was signed by independent Sydney record label Elefant Traks following the submission of the ''Bad Education'' EP to the
Marrickville
Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marrickville is located south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the largest suburb in the Inner West Council local gove ...
-based label—the EP was a result of the Revolver victory and featured the production skills of the Bag Raiders (Jack Glass and Chris Stacey), who were former schoolmates of the MC.
In 2009 Tongue hosted the ''Elefant Traks 10th Anniversary Party Live''
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
that was released nationally the same year. The MC also performed the songs "Bad Education", "The Punch", "The Blues" and "The Real Thing" at the anniversary event.
On 11 November 2012, Elefant Traks performed a tribute to children's author Dr Seuss. Featuring over 25 musical performers, the event occurred at the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
in Sydney, Australia and featured a recital of "Gerald Mc Boing Boing" by The Tongue.
His second album ''Alternative Energy'' features production from El Gusto (
Hermitude
Hermitude is an Australian electronic- hip hop duo, originating from the Blue Mountains, New South Wales.
Biography Early years and ''Explanetary''
Multi-instrumentalists, Luke Dubber (a.k.a. Luke Dubs) and Angus Stuart (a.k.a. El Gusto), ha ...
) and
M-Phazes
Mark Landon (born 1 February 1983), better known by his stage name M-Phazes, is an Australian-born producer based in LA. He has produced records for Logic, Demi Lovato, Madonna, Eminem, Kehlani, Zara Larsson, Remi Wolf, Kiiara, Noah Cyrus, a ...
, while his third album ''Surrender To Victory'' was solely produced by Cam Bluff from
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Australia. Tongue has also released three free mixtapes in the years 2008, 2009 and 2011.
The Tongue's third album entitled ''Surrender to Victory'', would officially be released on 29 March 2013. The release of a single, entitled "Drums", preceded the album release date and a promotional video was published on the label's
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
profile. The video also reveals that the album was produced by Cam Bluff and features Suffa from the
Hilltop Hoods
Hilltop Hoods is an Australian hip hop group that formed in 1996 in Blackwood, Adelaide, South Australia. They are regarded as pioneers of the "larrikin-like" style of Australian hip hop. The group was founded by Suffa (Matthew David Lambert) a ...
.
The first instalment of a 15-part web video series was published on 12 March 2013 and is described as "a little insight into his new album"—the series was directed by Luke Bouchier. ''Surrender To Victory'' was recorded over a three-month period and involved a single producer, in contrast to the multiple producers that were involved with the previous two albums.
Following the release of ''Surrender To Victory'', Tongue revealed that his intention from the outset of his musical career was to release at least three albums; when asked if the third album is his last as "The Tongue", he replied: "If I was gonna do another album it would be with Cam
luff for sure. Basically I’m gonna see how this tour goes, it’s been a while since I went on tour, and if I get to the end of this tour and feel like there are enough people out there that get what I’m doing, then I’ll get straight into doing the next album".
In early May 2013, the MC announced a national Australian tour in support of the third album that will be undertaken over June and July 2013.
The official music video for the song "Australian Dreaming" from ''Surrender to Victory'' was produced by the LESMEC company, the video features Tongue in a variety of roles, including a street-based sex worker, a police officer, and a drug dealer.
In 2015 The Tongue released his forth solo album "Hard Feelings", executive produced by Sydney's Papertoy and featuring the likes of Ngaiire, Ev Jones (Jones Jnr), Tenth Dan and Jeswon from Thundamentals.
After touring the album nationally in 2016, The Tongue parted ways with Elefant Traks.
In March 2022 The Tongue released a new single "Joy ft Inês" with an accompanying film-clip directed by Tyler Smith.
In May 2022 The Tongue released "Bloodwork: The Best of The Tongue" a 19 track compilation featuring songs selected from across his four albums, EPs and mixtapes.
In August 2022 The Tongue released "Sadly", a song exclusive to his Youtube channel. The song was rumoured to be a diss track to Urthboy, the CEO of Elefant Traks but this has never been confirmed
On Dec 1 2022 The Tongue released the music video for his new single "Neck + Neck" - the first Australian hip hop clip ever to be made entirely using A.I (Artificial Intelligence) generated art. The video features 'cameos' from Vladimir Putin, Flume, James Packer, Kobe Bryant, Tai Tuivasa, Elle Macpherson, Danny Lim, Kanye West, Jim Morrison, Adam Goodes and many more. The clip was a collaboration/co-direction between The Tongue and Sydney-based filmmaker Bernadette Murray, with the pair creating the hundreds of prompts/images/animations over the course of two months.
Live performance
The Tongue undertook many headline tours around Australia from 2006 to 2016 in support of his various albums and mixtapes. He also toured as a
backup vocalist
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...
with Sydney group
Astronomy Class
Astronomy Class are an Australian hip-hop / reggae group from Sydney. The group comprises Ozi Batla (Shannon Kennedy), Sir Robbo (Shane Roberts) and Chasm (Chris Hamer-Smith).
Kennedy is a member of The Herd, whilst Roberts is a member of Fr ...
(
Ozi Batla
Ochakiv, also known as Ochakov ( uk, Оча́ків, ; russian: Очаков; crh, Özü; ro, Oceacov and ''Vozia'', and Alektor ( in Greek), is a small city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the admini ...
,
Chasm
In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics.
Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-graben w ...
and
Sir Robbo).
The Tongue and Astronomy Class performed in Cambodia in 2012 as part of The Tiger Translate Festival.
The Tongue performed at major Australian festivals, including the
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typically in January of eac ...
,
Good Vibrations Festival
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...
, Groovin The Moo,
Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney that runs for three weeks every January, since it was established in 1977. The festival program features in excess of 100 events from local and international artists an ...
, Peats Ridge, Sounds of Spring, Coaster and Park Jam. He has also completed national tours with Mac Miller, Astronomy Class,
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
Pharoahe Monch
Troy Donald Jamerson (born October 31, 1972), better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper from South Jamaica, Queens, New York. He is known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhy ...
.
In November 2012, as part of the "Elefant Traks meets Dr Seuss" show, The Tongue performed at the Sydney Opera House
From 2013 to 2015, The Tongue produced and hosted a monthly spoken-word event called Speech Therapy at Work-Shop in Redfern. Guest performers at Speech Therapy included the likes of Remi, Mantra, Brad Strut, Omar Musa, N'fa, Sky'High, Jimmy Nice, Tom Scott, Class A, Solo, P Smurf, Joyride and Joelistics
Collaborations
The Tongue recorded with
Dudley Perkins,
Ozi Batla
Ochakiv, also known as Ochakov ( uk, Оча́ків, ; russian: Очаков; crh, Özü; ro, Oceacov and ''Vozia'', and Alektor ( in Greek), is a small city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the admini ...
,
DJ Diaz,
Bertie Blackman
Beatrice "Bertie" Blackman (born 1982) is an Independent Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She rose to fame in 2004 with her debut album ''Headway,'' which came after years of prolific performances around Sydney's inner-city venues, wh ...
,
Bag Raiders
Bag Raiders are an Australian electronic music duo founded in 2006 by Jack Glass and Chris Stracey. They play keyboards, drums, and act as vocalists, producers, and remixers, with Stracey additionally playing guitar, violin and piano. They also ...
,
Gift of Gab (
Blackalicious
Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful pr ...
),
Katalyst,
Braintax
Joe Christie, better known as Braintax, is a British hip hop artist and producer. Christie had also recorded or appeared under the pseudonyms Brando Flux and Joey Brains. All of his releases were on his own record label, Low Life Records.
Origi ...
,
Georgia Anne Muldrow
Georgia Anne Muldrow (born 1983) is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. In 2008, she co-founded the SomeOthaShip Connect record label with fellow artist and former husband Dudley Perkins.
Life and career
Georgia Anne Muldrow grew ...
, and
Muph & Plutonic
Muph & Plutonic is an Australian hip hop group. It is composed of MC Muphin (Dan Young, also known as "Muph") and DJ–drummer–producer Plutonic Lab (Leigh Ryan), both of whom released several solo albums before joining together to form a comb ...
.
Personal life
Shirley graduated from his Masters of Teaching degree in 2014, receiving qualifications to teach high school English and Geography. He began teaching at Sydney Boys High School in 2016, teaching English, History and Values Education. He also coached basketball there. He went on to teach English and English Extension at International Grammar School.
Shirley had an acting role in the 2019 feature documentary "Machine", a film about how the exponential growth of AI will change humanity in the next century
Shirley has also been a professional DJ since 2021, playing under the name Xolo. He has had residencies at venues such as The Barrie, About Time and The Lord Gladstone as well as playing interstate and internationally- most recently co-headlining DJ Festival in Vanuatu.
Discography
Singles
*"Joy" ft Inês - (2022)
*"Neck + Neck" - (2022)
*"Two Girlfriends" - (2022)
*"You Got Me" ft Mataya (2015)
*"Never Going Down" ft Ngairre (2015)
*"Australian Dreaming" (2013)
*"Drums" (2013)
*"The Show" (2010)
*"Crazy" ft Joyride (2010)
*"Real Thing (2007)
*"The Punch" (2006)
*"Bad Education" (2006)
EPs
* ''Bad Education'' - Elefant Traks (2006)
* ''Victorious Remixes'' remix EP - Elefant Traks (2013)
Albums
* ''Shock & Awe'' - Elefant Traks (2007)
* ''Alternative Energy'' - Elefant Traks (2010)
* ''Surrender To Victory'' - Elefant Traks (2013)
* ''Hard Feelings'' - Elefant Traks (2015)
* ''Bloodwork: The Best of The Tongue'' (2022)
Mixtapes
* ''Redux'' - (2008)
* ''The Tongue Is Dead'' - (2009)
* ''The Sextape'' - (2011)
Compilation appearances
* "Counterfeit Cheques" from ''Triple J Hip Hop Show'' - (2005)
* "Corruption Dub" from ''Trampled - The Elephant Traks Remix Album'' - Elefant Traks (2006)
* ''Elefant Traks 10th Anniversary Party DVD'' - Elefant Traks (2009)
Guest appearances
* "Wrong One" by
Urthboy
Tim Levinson, better known by the stage name Urthboy, is an Australian hip hop MC and producer from New South Wales. He is widely known for his solo music under the moniker Urthboy, as a founding member of the hip-hop group The Herd, and for ...
from ''
The Signal'' - Elefant Traks (2007)
* "Catch of the Day Remix" by
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 ...
from ''
Beemixes'' - Obese Records (2007)
* "All You Got Remix" by
Katalyst from ''All You Got 12"'' - Invada Records (2007)
* "Superpowers" by Chasm from ''
Beyond The Beat Tape'' - Obese Records (2008)
* "Today" by
Muph & Plutonic
Muph & Plutonic is an Australian hip hop group. It is composed of MC Muphin (Dan Young, also known as "Muph") and DJ–drummer–producer Plutonic Lab (Leigh Ryan), both of whom released several solo albums before joining together to form a comb ...
from ''
And Then Tomorrow Came
''...And Then Tomorrow Came'' is the third album from Muph & Plutonic and was released in July 2008.
It was listed as Triple J's feature album for the week of its release.
The album was also nominated for 'Best Urban Release' at the 2008 ARIA ...
'' - Obese Records (2009)
* "War of the Worlds" & "Award Show" by
Astronomy Class
Astronomy Class are an Australian hip-hop / reggae group from Sydney. The group comprises Ozi Batla (Shannon Kennedy), Sir Robbo (Shane Roberts) and Chasm (Chris Hamer-Smith).
Kennedy is a member of The Herd, whilst Roberts is a member of Fr ...
from ''Pursuit of Happiness'' - Elefant Traks (2009)
* "City Glow" by Mr Hill from ''The Feedback'' - (2012)
* "Crossed Wires" by 1/6 from ''Electronic Mail'' - 2012
* "The Truth" by Chasm from ''This Is How We Never Die'' - Obese Records (2012)
* "Go Hard Or Go Home" by Sky'High from ''Forever Sky High'' - Elefant Traks (2012)
* "High On Life" by Bitter Belief from "The Gallery" - Bitter Belief (2013)
* "Whoodafunnk" by Beastside from ''The Prelude'' - (2013)
* "D.O.L" by Triple One (2017)
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tongue, The
Australian hip hop musicians
Obese Records artists