Tony Bontana: The Brummie Rapper Using Music as an Emotional Outlet
In the aftermath of his mother's passing, Tony Bontana retreated to his studio apartment in Selly Oak, Birmingham, immersing himself in the creation of his album L'Humanité. Working through the night, he channeled his sorrow into a symphony of manipulated gospel and quiet-storm loops, finding solace in the creative process.
"I remember recording Sittin' on a Star (Freestyle), unable to get through a verse without crying," Bontana recalls during an interview in a London cafe. "It was literally all I could do. Writing and performing give me that instant outlet, and it really helped. It's vital to my survival, to be able to work through these emotions, to talk about them."
A Multifaceted Musical Visionary
Bontana is an underground MC known for his emotional depth and vulnerability, a visionary beatmaker with a distinctive style who has produced tracks for US artists like Lil B and Billy Woods. His creative restlessness sees him effortlessly switching between genres. By 2024, with the release of L'Humanité, his Bandcamp page already hosted dozens of tracks and albums, each released almost immediately after completion.
"Regardless of whether it was good or bad, because it's a journey," he explains. "Like, 'This is this, and the next thing will be the next thing; we'll keep on going.' It's precious to me, but I'm not precious over it." However, L'Humanité marked a departure: "I'd conceived it as an actual body of work."
Musical Roots and Diverse Influences
Growing up in a household rich with musical variety, Bontana was exposed to his father's funk and Pat Metheny LPs, his mother's love for bashment and Anita Baker, his sister's drum'n'bass, and his brother's allegiance to the Horrors and Enter Shikari. While MTV introduced him to Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, and OutKast, heavy music was his first true passion.
"People didn't understand," he grins. "They'd be like, 'You listen to devil music!'"
He began writing music early, teaching himself guitar at age nine after a hospital stay for asthma. Today, alongside his hip-hop projects, he fronts the "grungegaze" group Pay the Stranger and the hardcore-punk outfit Spew, which he describes as "the outlet for my anger, the darker side of my emotions."
"One of the reasons I do it is to show Black kids it's OK to be into this music," he says, gesturing to his Suffocation t-shirt. "Seeing bands like Bad Brains, or Stout, or Suffocation, where there were Black guys in the band ... that was fuel for me."
Developing a Unique Style from Birmingham
Bontana started making hip-hop after moving into an apartment above an office block, crafting beats on his flatmate's MacBook. He cites US outsider rapper Lil B as "an inspiration, the first time I saw that level of freedom within an artist: 'I'm just gonna do it and put it out.'" He founded his own record label, Everything Is Perfect, and began releasing tracks via Bandcamp, developing a style he calls "splayed."
"Splayed is about vulnerability and honesty, genuine moments and genuine emotions," he explains. While early-2000s alt-rap pioneers Madlib and J Dilla were "the godfathers to me, for their unrestrained thought processes," local influences also shaped him.
"The music of Birmingham is undeniable: Black Sabbath, UB40, the Streets," he notes. "I'd love to collaborate with Mike Skinner. And Birmingham hip-hop – when I was growing up, the Oddysee were amazing. But nobody knows about them."
This example highlighted the challenges of building a career from Birmingham. "Things aren't set up like in London. There aren't the venues. Getting people out to see you is a struggle," he admits. Yet, his resolve remains firm, even as he balances his music with a day job as an assistant community manager.
"I've got to make this happen from Brum," he asserts. "I've got to be the change I want to see in the world."
New Album and Social Commentary
His latest album, My Name, is his first pressed on vinyl and sold in shops, another intentional release like L'Humanité. It serves as a treatise on identity while exploring themes of grief and the genocide in Gaza, as heard on tracks like Soft Dreams, where he declares, "I could never turn a blind eye."
"I'm not saying every artist should be writing protest songs," Bontana clarifies. "But if we want a world where people can live in peace, we have to speak on those things, to get to that place."
He emphasizes that he is not preaching but advocating for awareness. "Witnessing the genocide has affected me, so I have to speak on it, the same way I have about my grief." Catharsis remains central to his work.
"I'll go to hardcore shows at the weekend, so I can be calm the rest of the week," he grins, before turning serious. "I've seen people go through the maddest shit and not even talk about it. I'm guilty of it as well. But the more I express, the more I'm honest about what I feel, the easier life is."
My Name is now available on Everything Is Perfect, showcasing Bontana's unwavering commitment to authenticity and emotional truth in music.
