Herald Sun - Saturday 09/06/01  
  Small towns cop a bad rap
By Dino Scatena

HIP-HOPPERS getting pulled off the road by police patrols, just because of the way they look : perhaps it's a commonplace occurrence in downtown LA, but Albury?
You can bet on it , says NoKTuRNL's formidable frontman, Craig T.
"We've been picked up by cops in Albury before, just walking down the street," the rapper says.
"But the last time we were just driving through, we got pulled over by D's and fully sussed out. Full-on.
"Albury must think they're some sort of watchdog for drug trafficking and, of course, all the bands traffic all the drugs…"
Albury isn't the only town that has a problem with NoKTuRNL. They're not Alice Springs' favorite sons, either, despite coming from there.
"In a place like Alice, you're not supposed to stick out," Craig T smiles.
"It's a good town - our home - but there are some things about it…
"We call it 'small-town syndrome'. There are all these things that can pull you back- everyone must be the same and no one should achieve too highly."
This syndrome was the inspiration for NoKTuRNL's latest single, Haterz.
"It actually comes from the hip-hop term 'player haterz' the rapper explains. "You're starting to get there and people are trying to drag you back."
So, its ironic the tour supporting this new single will finally see the boys head home after spending most of last year on the east coast.
"We've rarely played back home and we've always been coming to other places," Craig T says.
"We've got a pretty strong following over in Western Australia as well. Everywhere but (Alice Springs).
"We're going to find out if that's changed at the end of our tour - we're going to go through NT and see if anything's different."

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