$Malik: Raw sound and own rules

Philip Malik Baadh Juhl, better known as $Malik - or Money-Malik in the music world, is one of the artists who performed at this year's SPOT Festival. Sermitsiaq caught up with him about the experience.

He now lives in Denmark, where he balances his studies as a web developer with an ambitious music career. As a true "one-man army", $Malik not only writes and produces his own hip-hop punk; he also controls all the reins of his career.

- I do everything myself in my music – production, lyrics, marketing, and I also film and edit myself, $Malik says.

From producer to artist

$Malik began his career as a producer and initially created music for other artists. After producing for Parnaq (Hammond Iversen), among other things, the desire arose to stand on his own two feet and create his own material.

However, the transition to being an artist himself required reflections on his own musical identity. When he at one point made a beat for Prussic, he ended up keeping it himself.

- My sound and style are a bit “destroyed” on purpose. My music is loud and raw, and I don’t think so much about making it sound perfect or “nice” like on the radio. I want it to sound different and a bit crooked, explains Baadh Juhl.

Although $Malik is currently in Denmark, his musical DNA is deeply rooted in both the Greenlandic hip-hop scene and the raw American punk rap. It’s a unique mix of nostalgia and renewal.

- My sound is very inspired by Beastie Boys. Lyrically and in my “swag” I am inspired by Jens Kleist, Tarrak, Angukasik and of course Prussic. In terms of production I am inspired by Andachan and Tûtu, says $Malik about his musical role models.

Underpants and destruction

The road to SPOT Festival required lots of preparation and new tracks. $Malik explains that his sound always reflects his current base, and the rehearsal process was no exception. It took place in the most private setting at home, where he would fine-tune his live show in his underwear and with a remote control in his hand.

- It was absolutely crazy to be on stage. There were no people 15 minutes before I was supposed to go up, and I panicked a bit. I went backstage, but when I got on stage, it was completely packed. The audience had an insane amount of energy! We ended up destroying the floor, two lights and a monitor, says $Malik about his experience on stage in Aarhus.

"What's next for $Malik?"

- I'm going to perform on May 9th at the KNIFE Festival in Copenhagen. After that I'm going to Nuuk to take part in Allattarl!, which is a rap camp. Here I'm going to teach young people how to produce music. Parnaq and Angukasik are also teaching songwriting, and there will also be Danish musicians.

- In mid-June I'm releasing an album called KALAK PUNK.

Keep an eye on the name – because whether it's in Greenlandic or Danish, as a web developer or a punk rapper, $Malik is here to do things in his own, dope way.