1300 has never been interested in being easy to define. The five-member hip-hop group from Australia has built their identity around embracing every side of who they are—the unpredictable ideas, the unexpected sounds and the different perspectives that come together to create something only they could make. With music that moves between emotions, influences and styles, 1300’s artistry reflects the same energy as the members themselves: curious, playful and constantly evolving.
At first glance, 1300’s music may feel impossible to place in one category, but that freedom is exactly what makes their sound feel authentic. The group has never approached creativity with the goal of following a formula. Instead, they continue to explore, experiment and challenge each other, allowing every member’s personality to leave its mark on the music they create together.
That sense of individuality is at the heart of 1300. From embracing the meaning behind their name to creating an album that represents their full range as artists, the group’s journey has been about showing people who they are—not a version shaped by expectations, but the real people behind the music. And while their songs showcase their creativity, it’s their chemistry with one another that brings everything together.
We had the opportunity to catch up with 1300 to talk about the story behind their latest album, the meaning behind their identity as a group and the creative process that continues to push them forward. Read our full interview with 1300 below.
Sweety High: Every collective is a mix of different personalities. Before we dive in, can each of you introduce yourselves and share one word the rest of the group would use to describe you?
Goyo: One word for personality. Mom. [Points at Rako]
Dali: Strong. [Points at Goyo]
Pokari: Oh, I was thinking that. Dali here is cute. If I say one word, light or cute.
(Photo credit: UMG Korea)
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SH: As a collective with different personalities and creative perspectives, what’s something you’ve learned from each other that has shaped the way you make music?
Pokari: I think it’s just really understanding who they are, not only as artists but as people as well. I think both of them are the same thing. Once you really get a good understanding of who they are, I think you’re then able to mold yourself to match them. It becomes like the way you dance between two different energies becomes smoother. Then I guess music, or whatever, just comes out more naturally. I would like to think our music is very organic. It’s whatever happens in the room, in the studio; that type of song comes out.
SH: When you began creating ILLSAMGONGGONG, what conversations or ideas shaped the direction of the project?
Goyo: I think we became more in sync. It’s a little bit like a dating event, I think, because when you’re dating someone, you see them very frequently. Whether you love it or hate it, you kind of have to stick together and figure out what the person likes and what the person doesn’t like. Except we just have four different other people, so we kind of have to stick together. If we want to make music, we spend a lot of time together as well. Obviously, there can be times where you can get on each other’s nerves and things like that, but it’s about working through that, going through the obstacles, and making sure everyone’s happy and everyone’s in the right place.
Pokari: Perhaps we choose to love each other [laughs] It’s a choice to be with each other. I guess that’s what makes it more powerful.
SH: If you had to describe the chemistry of 1300 without using words like “music,” “rap” or “collective,” how would you describe it?
Rako: A home.
SH: Every album captures a certain moment in an artist’s life. What part of 1300’s story do you think ILLSAMGONGGONG represents?
Goyo: A new beginning.
Rako: It’s basically our new first album. Our two projects before were mixtapes, and this album is finally an album that we thought was worth calling an album.
Goyo: I think we learned a lot of things in the process of making this album, and I think we definitely have more direction in terms of what we want to do and the things that we want to make. Hence, I think it’s a new beginning, you know? A lot of people didn’t know what to call us.
Since it’s 1300, some people say thirteen hundred, one three hundred, one three zero zero, one thousand three hundred. I think by saying ILLSAMGONGGONG, which means one three hundred in Korean, we’re kind of letting people know, like, that’s who we are. This album is a representation of that.
SH: Yeah, I thought it was pronounced one thousand three hundred too, I won’t lie. But then I saw a lot of the interviews you guys did and how you introduced yourselves, and then realized it was one three hundred.
Rako: Some of our friends in Korea still call us that. So ILLSAMGONGGONG would be one three zero zero in Korean, which is us, but then we have some friends that still call us one thousand three hundred.
Pokari: I guess the album is like us saying, “This is who we are.”
SH: The title ILLSAMGONGGONG immediately creates curiosity. What does this title represent for the collective and the world you wanted to build around this project?
Rako: It’s like our Korean name in Romanized form. And yeah, it’s really like, you know, as an Asian person in Western countries, our real name, for example, my real name is Jihun.
In school, whenever my name is in the teacher’s hand, they’ll be like, not Jihun, but like Jaihan, or just not close to pronouncing it how it really is. As a young kid, that feels quite embarrassing. So you start making your English name, which I did. But later on, when I was in uni, I started thinking, “Why am I changing my name to make it easier for these people?” I just want to use my own name now. And then I started dropping my English name.
I think it’s a similar concept with this album. It’s like everyone’s been calling us thirteen hundred, one three hundred, 1,300, one three zero zero, whatever it is. We just wanted to let them know that it’s our real name. ILLSAMGONGGONG is our real name.
SH: With 13 tracks, ILLSAMGONGGONG takes listeners through a lot of different sounds and energies. How did you approach creating the journey of the album and deciding how each song fits into the bigger picture?
Pokari: Yeah, I think it’s—how do we decide? I mean, there were a lot of certain songs that were very, “This is definitely going in the album.” Certain songs were a bit more like, we had to figure out as a team whether or not this really represented ILLSAMGONGGONG, who we are.
If you look at our past discography and who we are, I think our music is very dynamic. It’s always been all over the place. It’s quite chaotic. So I think when it kind of came down to choosing the tracks for the album, we wanted movement throughout the album.
We do have tracks like, let’s say, “Party All Night.” We start the album with ILLSAMGONGGONG and it ends with “Sip.” So the movement of the album, that part, was very intentional. We wanted each song to be, “This is what we can do. This is us as well.” At the same time, we wanted the album to flow nicely. We picked songs and chose them in a certain order so that it is dynamic. It’s not like you listen to an album and it’s all trap songs. We wanted to tell a story.
(Photo credit: Elijah Flores & Angus Jin)
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SH: “Fever” is such a strong title because it can represent excitement, intensity, or even feeling overwhelmed. What does “Fever” represent within the world of this album?
Rako: I think it was just literally a stage where we felt like meeting people was fever.
Goyo: It’s kind of a metaphorical thing. It’s like being sick of people a little bit, you know? Not exactly every person in the world, but more so a little bit of those…
Rako: Not-so-close people [laughs].
Goyo: A little bit slimy. People, you know, that you don’t really want to associate with. Fever is like a defense mechanism for viruses, so you heighten your body’s temperature to kill off those viruses. I guess we’re not going to kill anybody, obviously. It’s like our defense mechanism in a song, a little bit to fight off these slimy individuals.
Pokari: But when we fight this off, we do it in a very playful way. I think sonically, the song kind of shows that off.
Goyo: It’s not a drill song. It’s just like, hey, whatever.
Rako: Hey, I’m sick of you [laughs].
SH: After spending so much time creating this album, is there a track that you have a different appreciation for now compared to when you first made it?
Pokari: For me personally, it’s actually “Party All Night.” I kind of like it that way.
Goyo: I think for me, it’s actually “Sick.” I mean, I liked it from the start, but I think I forgot about it. Then when it was going on the album, I was like, okay. I remember I was listening to it by myself, and then I cried. Because I was like, “What? What is this?” It was so real. I was like, “Oh, wow” [laughs].
SH: If someone only had time to listen to one track from ILLSAMGONGGONG, which song would you choose to introduce them to 1300—and why?
Goyo: I’ll say “ILLSAMGONGGONG” for me!
Dali: I’ll say “Where’s My Money.”
Pokari: I would say “ILLSAMGONGGONG” as well, just because when we first performed it here in Korea, the whole crowd was chanting it. I think that was quite a moment.
Rako: Looking at our track list, it’s hard to choose one. But right now, I think I’ll choose “Sick,” because it made Goyo cry [laughs].
SH: You’ve created a sound and identity that feels very specific to you. What keeps you curious and excited about continuing to experiment?
Goyo: I think we just love making music. I don’t know, I guess some people have hobbies that they do with friends. Some people may do a sport or, I don’t know why this popped into my head, but crocheting or something, you know? You create whatever.
I guess for us, this is our version of that. If it’s crocheting, then you want to look up different designs and you want to explore. “Oh, I’ve made a beanie before. Maybe this time I’ll make a scarf,” or something like that. I guess that’s what music is like for us. We want to explore. If we hear something that’s really interesting, then we might show each other and be like, “Oh, this is something pretty cool.” If the rest of the boys kind of like it, then we’ll be like, “Oh, should we try making something like that?”
I think because there’s five of us and we all have very different tastes in music, it’s very natural and easy to explore because we all listen to different things. So I think that’s kind of the engine and the curiosity. I think you always have to be curious and a little bit adventurous when you’re doing something creative.
(Photo credit: UMG Korea)
SH: Before we wrap up, what’s one thing you want people to understand about 1300 that might not come across just by listening to the music?
Rako: We are very nice people [laughs].
Pokari: Yeah, you guys can approach us. We don’t bite. Maybe sometimes [laughs].
You can listen to ILLSAMGONGGONG in full here:
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