I first heard of Australian Hip-Rock artist Dark Night a couple of months ago with his single “Mountain Side” (Produced by Blanco Billions) – a little rap and a little rock, I was hooked right away. Thematically, he can be considered a horror-core rapper, but he can step out of that element on any track, and at any time. He can write a song about anything and can do so with aggression, passion, sincerity, even though there is always a twist of darkness built in somewhere in the track. Another great aspect of his style is his ability to effortlessly switch between flows, accents, and dramatics.

Dark Night has no boundaries with what he raps about, meaning if something is on his mind, he’ll tell you about it. His latest track, “Once Upon A Time”, is no exception. Dark Night is a best storyteller, and he displays this ability on what sounds like an autobiographical track. The rapper narrates his birth, his growing up years, the discovery of his demons and the difficult nature of his grind from then on.

You can feel the raw sincerity and twist of malevolence in his voice as he explains what was going on with him during each eventful time of his life.  But Dark Night can do much more than tell a good story. He will make you think. Whether you agree or disagree with his message, his songs are real, straight from the heart, and mind opening.

Just look beyond the sinister imagery and malicious vocabulary and you will discover a ton of psychological dilemmas or demons going on in the mind of a growing kid. The question of how these dilemmas are resolved in every kid’s mind is what eventually makes him the man he will be. This is food for some serious thought, considering the self-destructing, vengefully wicked world we continue to create and live in.

Again, my personal feeling is that if you listen beyond what might sound like an over the top, far-fetched, b-grade horror-movie plot, you will discover a hip-rock rapper who is actually opening up his heart on this song, telling the world about personal issues, which makes me respect him as an artist that much more. Anyone willing to talk about issues so important to them gains my respect. Artists who rap about money, cars, clothes, and hoes are too commonplace, especially in mainstream hip-hop.

Dark Night keeps it real all the time, but within a world of horror and fantasy, which is a fresh take on the genre. Most rappers who pretend to be real are actually delivering fantasy-land stories, while Dark Night who appears to deliver fantasy-land tales is actually giving us realness!

What this means, is that if you desire all the evil imagery and the horror-core vibe, you can just listen and trip, but if you want to dig a little deeper, beyond the rancorous façade, you will find lyrical material to deeply sink your teeth into on “Once Upon A Time”.

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