Rapper 360 and ex-Silverchair singer Daniel Johns have joined forces for their own mission Impossible

Melbourne rapper 360 has lured former Silverchair singer Daniel Johns out of virtual retirement for his soul-baring comeback single.

Daniel Johns and rapper 360.

WHEN Daniel Johns took to the streets of Sydney last month to make a video for his collaboration with rapper 360 it was his first time in front of the cameras since 2007.

The last video he made was Silverchair's If You Keep Losing Sleep; his million-selling band went into hibernation in 2011.

"I was pretty camera unready," Johns jokes.

The pair came up with the theme for the clip - the evil versions of themselves (in hoods) run riot across the city while the good versions (in suits) hunt them down.

It meant they got to wield crow bars and smash and burn everything in sight.

"We had real live molotov cocktails," Johns says. "We were actually, legitimately smashing s --- to pieces. We filmed from 4pm to 6am, living this vampire life, walking around in the dark and blowing things up. That sounded like a plan to me."

The video was the logical conclusion of arguably the most unexpected collaboration in Australian music since Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave.

360, aka Matt Colwell, met Johns through his brother, who is also the rapper's publisher.

He was looking for left-field collaborators for the follow up album to 2011's double platinum Falling and Flying, home to hits Killer, Boys Like You, Child and Just Got Started.

"I was aware of who he was, but I wasn't that familiar with his music," Johns says of 360. "But I thought he was a really interesting person and artist. And it was an exciting opportunity for me to do something different. I'd never worked on a hip hop song."

There was a slight problem. When 360 arrived in Newcastle early last year he was at the peak of his partying days.

"I was loose, I was an absolute mess," 360 admits. "I rocked up to his house and I hadn't slept for three days. I was a disgusting and gross trash bag. I was drinking a lot. I slept in the studio for a few hours and then we made the song."

His partying, fuelled by alcohol, chemicals and marijuana, was a result of dealing with sudden fame.

"Daniel and I hit it off quickly," 360 says. "Stuff he went through ages ago with Silverchair, in regards to being thrown into fame and dealing with the pressures, I was going through at the time we met."

Johns' solution was to retreat from the public eye. Aside from new music for a Qantas ad in 2012 and a one-off show in Adelaide with Kimbra and Van Dyke Parks last year he's been a virtual man of mystery.

"For me (fame) feels like another lifetime ago," Johns says. "I've figured out a way to escape from that a little bit. Or I think I have. I talked to Matt about some of the things that were freaking him out. If that helps, that's great. But I didn't consciously set out to help, I was just talking to a friend."

The rapper has also helped himself. While the lyrics of Impossible detail his addictions of the time, he has now been sober for several months.

"Getting wasted was an easy way to escape," 360 says. "It was turning dark. I lost so much weight. I looked gaunt and skinny and messed-up. It had turned negative. When it's about self-medication and not enjoying yourself you have to stop. I'm 27 now. That's not a good age to be doing bad s--- if you look at the history of music. That inspired me to stop."

His method? Cold turkey.

"It was hardcore, but good. There's always a temptation, especially in this industry. But I'm feeding off people telling me I look healthier. I want to make the stint of me being sober last. Everyone viewed me as this loose party animal drug addict dude. People on social media would call me a junkie. That gets to you. I want people to realise I'm sober. I want to help other people get through it.

"I don't want to preach sobriety, I just want to say it's much better to have a clear head," he adds. "When you're using it to escape from bad s--- it's much better to confront the issues and be clear headed, otherwise it messes you up more. I never thought I could influence people, but I would like to change people positively. It is crazy how much of a problem drugs are. In the future people's minds are going to be
f---ed, there will be so many mental illnesses in the next generation from people who are up for four days straight because of drugs."

His new addiction is exercise. "If I don't go to the gym every day I feel terrible. I've realised I've got an addictive personality, I can't just dabble in things. Being addicted to the gym - I'm happy with that. When I feel negativity or craving I go to the gym and get a natural high. I don't want to go through the nightmare of detox again. I hit rock bottom. But I got some good, intense songs out of it. Everything has changed for the better since I stopped. I'm lucky."

Impossible also sees 360 address the degenerative eye disease keratoconus, which robbed him of his sight in the right eye and led to a cornea implant.

"The vision in my left eye is going down," 360 says. "That was another reason I was partying, trying to block all that out. But any negative thing that happens I always try to find the positive. It'd suck not being able to see again but you'd adapt. At least I'm alive. I'm not afraid of going blind but I don't want to. If it happens other stuff will come about because of it. Technology keeps improving, if both eyes fail I'm sure by that time there'll be something to fix it. The fact they can slice off my cornea, put someone else's on there and have stitches in my eye is pretty advanced, so there's hope there at least."

Johns and 360 have written another song for the rapper's upcoming album Utopia, called It's All About to End, tackling religion and homophobia among other topics.

They're also talking about making another side project, and 360 possibly appearing on Johns' first solo album, due out this year.

"Matt's a really honest lyric writer," Johns says. "With Impossible we wanted to make something that meant something, not just some novelty collaboration. We've become good friends. We have a good chemistry in the studio. It doesn't feel like a struggle, it always feels really inspired. And we both don't want to f--- around, we want to do something good together or not do anything at all."

HEAR Impossible (EMI/ Forthwrite) is released tomorrow

SEE 360, with eminem, Etihad Stadium, February 16. $100-$155, Ticketmaster