Seven years in the making, ‘Grey Matters’ is a documentary film that follows four hip-hop artists and their manager as they try to break into the music industry from Melbourne, Australia. With two of the artists from New York (Chase Baker and Kid Mac), one from the Bahamas (Chico) and solo female artist (Tessa Cattanach) born and bred in Melbourne but strongly influenced by African-American hip-hop, will they be accepted by Australians as Australian artists?

The question keeps getting asked; are they Aussie hip-hop? How does race, style and accent change the public’s opinion of them? Does it even matter in their quest for success?

Filming begins in 2008, as each artist’s stories are told from the ground up. We follow the subjects from the recording studio to small shows around Melbourne as they build their reputation and skill. As their prominence grows, more artists are eager to join the fold and they all quickly realize the competition is not only from within the industry, but also within their own camp.

After a major distribution deal falls through, manager (Jamaka) decides to take on the task alone. But as the group grows larger and workload increases, is it too much for him to handle?

As pressure builds, relationships and commitment are tested as everyone faces questions over their loyalty to the bonds forged versus their desire to succeed. 

– CHASE BAKER (Curtis Small), a gritty street lyracist originally from Brooklyn NY, who moved to Melbourne in 2000.
– CHICO (Jason Johnson), a singer and hip-hop artist born in the Bahamas.
– TESSA CATTANACH, a rapper/singer born and bred in Melbourne, Australia.
– KID MAC (Darryl Mcdonald Jnr.) a native New Yorker who moved to Australia as a child with his pro basketball playing father.

For more information
www.greymattersfilm.com.au
www.facebook.com/greymattersfilm

The work involved in finishing this project includes video editing, color grading/correction and sound design/mixing. In addition there are marketing costs after the completion of post production and copyright clearance for some songs in the film. So we are fighting for even more than our target of $20,000. This is a simplified estimation of the costs. Not including, copyright clearance, private screening hire and marketing etc.