Perth-based rapper Drapht and British comedian Jimmy Carr have almost nothing in common, yet an uncanny link between the WA Day Festival headliner’s biggest song and the stand-up’s catchy name has resulted in a bizarre audience crossover for the pair.
The Doubleview resident’s 2008 track Jimmy Recard posits that the rhythm and flow in one’s given name may have the power to unlock doors in their career, boost their social life, or even offer sway with the ladies.
As it turns out, not only does Jimmy Carr have a name that resembles the rapper’s hit, as well as boasting a successful comedy career, but he’s been using Drapht’s tune as his walk out song on stage for at least two and a half years.
So how did it all start?
“There was zero collaboration,” Drapht told PerthNow in jest.
“I just had this random DM on Instagram one day, and it was from a tour manager that was tour managing Jimmy Carr at the time.”
Camera IconJimmy Carr and Drapht in 2023. Credit: Drapht/Instagram
He recalled the rep telling him: “We want to get you to the Perth show. We’d love you to play the song, and Jimmy really wants to meet you”.
Drapht — who also goes by Paul Reid — said he “wasn’t a massive Jimmy Carr fan at that time”, this being early 2023, but did some research and quickly discovered how famous the comic was.
Unable to meet in Perth due to a scheduling conflict, the stars aligned in Townsville when both had performances booked in the Queensland town several weeks later.
“I went to the show there and had this really awkward exchange with Jimmy Carr, just him and I in a green room,” the West Aussie recalled.
“I was like, ‘I don’t need to be in the green room with Jimmy car’. I had zero things to talk to him about, and he was so lovely.”
A clip recently surfaced of Carr being asked by an audience member if he had commissioned the hype track, assuming the lyrics “J-R, Jimmy Recard” were in fact a direct reference to the Brit’s name.
But Carr was quick to clarify.
“It’s called Jimmy Recard — it’s an Australian song. It sounds a bit like my name, but it’s not my name,” he explained, to his crowd’s amusement.
“I didn’t have the song made, I just f***** straight lifted it from this guy.”
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your Cookie Settings.
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.
The comic then recalled how an Aussie came up to him after a show once and informed him of the song’s title and lyrics, which immediately aroused the TV personality’s attention.
Drapht said upon being introduced to the tune, Carr “just fell in love with it, and now he’s been using it for the last two years as his walk on and walk off song”.
The sound likeness between “Jimmy Recard” and “Jimmy Carr” has resulted in both performers seeing an uptick in their respective audiences.
Camera IconWinning Arvo. Credit: Supplied Matt Frost/BBC/Thames
Although it’s likely the Perth local is reaping more of the rewards, even if he’s not been paid a cent by the global star for the song’s repeat on-stage use.
“I get these random tweets from time to time, ‘Hey, I Shazammed your song at a Jimmy Car show in Edinburgh or Canada’. So he’s kind of just flying the flag, and I’m just not having to do any of the legwork,” the rapper teased.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Are you getting paid for it? Did he pay for it?’ But no, he didn’t pay me.
“The opportunity in itself for him to be able to play that, because he tours more than any comedian in the world at the moment, so he’s constantly on tour, and for him to be playing my song in sold out arenas around the world, is just the gift that just keeps on giving. It’s incredible.”
Camera IconDrapht. Credit: Michelle Grace Hunder
Drapht has released seven albums and claimed two ARIA Awards, with hits Rapunzel and Sing It also achieving chart success in Australia.
The 43-year-old provided an insight into his songwriting mindset early in his career, suggesting the idea behind Jimmy Recard was born out of his early partying days and a perception that mates in his orbit appeared cooler than him due largely to the names they had been bestowed at birth.
Because as fans know, Drapht’s mother named him Paul — “Plain old boring old Paul”.
“I just thought Paul was just like, a really boring name. I had other friends like Xavier, and a few other friends that had really quirky names, and I was like, ‘Oh, man, these guys just look like they’re killing it from afar’. Like, really good looking like alpha male guys.
“And I’m just like, named after Paul, the Apostle from the Bible. And I just thought that was pretty lame.”
However, in the years since, the rapper said he’s made peace with his Christian name and does not resent it.
Nor does he resent his mum for her lack of imagination 43 years ago.
“Now, many years after, I kind of don’t even think about it, to be honest, and if it gave me that song, then there’s the gift within itself,” he said.
“So I’m just stoked that my mum named me Paul now, and Jimmy Recard just continues to do the rounds.”
