Suffa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Suffa
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Suffa in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthew David Lambert |
| Born | 6 May 1977 Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Obese, Golden Era |
| Associated acts | Hilltop Hoods |
Matthew David Lambert (born 6 May 1977), known by his stage name Suffa or MC Suffa, is an Australian rapper and producer. He is best known as one of the members of the hip hop group Hilltop Hoods, and has been a recording artist since the 1999 release of the band's debut album, A Matter of Time. He has also produced tracks for other artists.
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Early life
Lambert was born on 6 May 1977 in Adelaide, South Australia. He grew up there and states in the lyrics of the Hilltop Hoods song "The Hard Road" that he left high school without graduating and was subsequently employed as a "factory labourer".
Music career
Suffa met bandmate MC Pressure at Blackwood High School in the early 1990s and formed the Hilltop Hoods. After a demo and two releases, the band had a breakthrough album with The Calling in 2003.
Suffa's first solo production was a compilation album, entitled Suffering City Vol. 1, and was released in 2002—the album featured tracks such as "Divine Intervention Part 3", "True Aussie Icon" and "Lifes Geographics", whereby a series of artists performed over Suffa's musical creations. Artists such as Muphin, Pegasus, DJ Bonez and Reason contributed to Suffering City Vol. 1.
In 2002, following his work on Suffering City Vol. 1, Suffa also revealed a perspective on hip hop production that he had discovered at that time of his career: "I think the key to hip hop production is keeping things rough. If a song’s too clean it loses its edge. My advice to producers is to look outside the standard jazz, funk and soul breaks for samples. I’ll sample anything, even if someone else has already used it. I’ve stopped caring about 'The rules'."
Following the release of the Hilltop Hoods' sixth album, Drinking from the Sun, a free EP, entitled The Good Life in the Sun, was released as a free download in mid-2012. The entire EP was produced by Suffa and featured remixes of songs from the sixth album, such as "Speaking in Tongues" and "The Underground". The EP also features a song that is a collaborative effort by Australian artists Plutonic Lab, One Above and Hilltop Hoods' DJ Debris.
In collaboration with Suffa, Western Australian MC Drapht released a song, entitled "Salute", on 20 February 2013, and it was uploaded to the MC's SoundCloud profile. Drapht also appears on the Hilltop Hoods' seventh studio album, Walking Under Stars, providing a verse for the track "Brainbox".
Hilltop Hoods released Walking Under Stars on 8 August 2014, and, while the album is a Golden Era Records recording, Universal Music Australia acquired the exclusive licensing rights to distribute the album in Australia, Canada, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the Benelux countries, while Golden Era continues its partnership with Fontana for the US release. Walking Under Stars was conceived before Drinking From the Sun was written, and Lambert referred to the former as "a companion piece" in an August 2014 interview. Lambert also explained that "I’m a Ghost" is four years old, while a segment of "Brainbox" originally appeared on the 2012 Golden Era mixtape.
After signing with Golden Era in early 2013, Adelaide MC K21 published the first single from his second album online in October 2014. Suffa was responsible for the production of the single, entitled "Change My Way" and features Joy Sparkes.
He has also produced tracks for other artists, such as Funkoars and Kate Miller-Heidke,
Media appearances
In 2006, Suffa appeared on the ABC quiz show Spicks and Specks.
Suffa appeared with radio presenter Scott Dooley, a former host of the afternoon show of the national Australian youth radio station Triple J, in a 2009 video segment filmed in the Australian town of Sale, Victoria.
Causes
In 2007, Suffa collaborated with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to promote a campaign targeting the animal welfare practices of farms which supply chicken meat to the American fast food chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Other activities
At the launch of the Australian Government's National Office for Live Music in July 2013, Lambert was announced as the state ambassador for South Australia. Arts Minister Tony Burke said the office would "partner with governments, local councils, communities, businesses, musicians and songwriters" and "identify key policy, regulatory and process reforms to better support a robust local live music scene." Lambert was reported as saying that a strong live music scene is essential given a decline in digital sales.
Perspectives
In addition to the lyrical content of his MC work with the Hilltop Hoods, Suffa has also been considerably vocal in interviews in regard to his views on hip hop subjects, as well as broader issues.
..... I have a lovely house and I make music for a living ... Two fingers to everyone complaining about their first-world problems. We have it good, we have it lucky."
Personal life
In May 2012, whilst presenting an edition of the Australian hip hop show on Triple J (normally hosted by Hau Latukefu of Australian hip hop duo Koolism), Lambert confirmed that he was engaged.
Following the release of the "Cosby Sweater" single—from the seventh Hilltop Hoods studio album, Walking Under Stars—Lambert revealed that he owns a collection of Coogi sweaters, made famous by hip hop artists such as Biggie Smalls and Snoop Dogg. Lambert said that his wife does not approve of the aesthetic of the sweater, but he said that he explains to her: "You have no idea how comfortable I am right now."
In July 2016, Lambert welcomed the arrival of his first child, a daughter.
