Esoterik has just dropped a fresh new cut ‘Shapeshifter’ with help from his musical kin Californian rapper Locksmith and Portland’s very own Illmaculate. Sitting as a standalone single, ‘Shapeshifter’ follows Esoterik’s debut solo EP My Astral Plane from May this year, which yesterday received a 2018 ARIA Award nomination for Best Urban Release; his first nomination as a solo artist.

A flowing blend of palpable hip-hop beats and rhymes streaming through a musical bed of bluesy soul, ‘Shapeshifter’ is about feeling focused and courageous in your creative world, so free and comfortable that you can literally do and be anything. It’s about trusting your gut, and allowing yourself to see life’s opportunities. “Life is sacred” is ‘Shapeshifters’ message, which shines through the lyricism in the track, reaching a crescendo in the chorus.

“It’s been one of my life goals to create music with both Locksmith and Illmaculate individually. I consider them to be two of the realest and illest MC’s in the game. To have them both feature on the same track is an absolute blessing. They’ve lifted my message for this track to a new high!” – Esoterik

After coming to prominence in the early 2000’s as a battle MC and one half of Frontline, Locksmith released his debut LP ‘A Thousand Cuts’ via Landmark Entertainment in 2014. His path crossed with Esoterik’s a couple of years ago when he was doing shows in Australia. After connecting via social media, the two met up to collaborate on some music. Locksmith gravitated towards a beat Esoterik had been working on for a while, and the ensuing session is where ‘Shapeshifter’ was born.

Illmaculate (also known as Illmac) is a battle rapper from Portland, Oregon who at age 17 won the 2004 Scribble Jam freestyle rap competition, making him the youngest winner in the competition’s history. After knowing Illmaculate for years through touring in the US, Esoterik finally saw an opportunity to work with him on ‘Shapeshifter’.

Esoterik (aka Eso) has become one of the most distinct voices in the modern Australian hip-hop scene as one-third of powerhouse trio Bliss n Eso. After kicking a decade-long heavy drinking habit while on tour overseas, Esoterik is the culmination of renewed energy, colourful beats and refreshingly blunt lyrics.