J-Frog the Virus (Newzealand Chapter)
Christchurch based rapper Virus – aka Jfrog – has been in the game since 2004 when he started freestyling and writing raps. Although born in the UK, Virus has lived in Christchurch New Zealand since he was four. In 2005 he and two friends started the rap group Tuchul Linguists, which is still intact with two of the founding members (Virus and Mr Diggler) as well as Repsac who joined later in 2005 and DJ Juddabarz who got on board in 2009.
Virus’s rap style has evolved over the years from a very American influenced sound initially, to the natural accent that he uses today. His content has likewise morphed – beginning with grimy goon rap inspired by the likes of Non Phixion and Jedi Mind Tricks and moving through various stages such as punch line based raps and the highly politicized discourse surrounding the use of New Zealand rather than American accents.
In recent years Virus’s rapping has given voice to a variety of personal issues – most notably mental illness – he suffers from anxiety and depression. This has given him a direction that he has explored on his debut album Age of Anxiety- dropping in 2011. Other themes that dominate Age of Anxiety are relationship break ups and parenthood, drug abuse and dependency and a general tone of lament at what Virus sees as the “lost” nature of his generation and the soulnessness of today’s youth.
Virus performs locally both with the Tuchul Linguists (aka Thirteenth Legion) and other Christchurch MC’s on a regular basis and is planning future shows in Auckland and Melbourne. Various Christchurch rappers use his home studio – Asylum Productions – to record their music and Virus also mixes all his own tracks as well as those of many of his contemporaries. After Age of Anxiety Virus has stated that he does not want to do “another album about being depressed”, and his next one is going to be significantly more upbeat. In this respect he says, the writing and production of Age of Anxiety has been a therapeutic process in which he has learned and grown.
As well as Tuchul Linguists Virus is part of two other rap groups: Overseas Movement and also Apocalyptics Anonymous which consists of himself and part time collaborator Dr Roob Dogg – aka Dr Rueben Mendelsberg of Berkeley National Lab. The Apocalyptics Anonymous project began as a single track in which Virus and Dr Roob Dogg painted a grim picture of mankind’s possible future. It has since grown into a seven track EP that is currently in production and should be out by 2012. The Tuchul Linguists street album Pocket Full of Contraband dropped in 2010 and contains 24 original tracks featuring Virus, Mr Diggler, Repsac and DJ Juddabarz as well as many guests and DJ CoachOne of Knockout King Produktion and Overseas Movement. Pocket Full of Contraband was preceded by the EP Pocket Full of Lint (an internet release), which contained seven off-cuts from the street album. Tuchul Linguists are currently working on an LP that will be out in 2011.
Virus has done shows and recorded with New Zealand rap luminaries Tourettes and Jay Roacher, and has close ties with the Christchurch hiphop syndicate Grymeworks and veteran Auckland labels Breakin Wreckwords and DMN. Virus also writes short fiction and is currently studying English at the University of Canterbury where he earned a degree in Political Science in 2005.