In a semi-departure from the more recent TOTW's, I'm going to be doing a fairly straight up genre outline of hip hop music from Australia. No doubt you're aware (or could have assumed) that hip hop is indeed made in my fair country, but what you're probably not aware of is that it's actually quite good and unique, representing a nice slant on the traditional formula. So, without further ado...
HIP HOP - AUSTRALIASo when did you cobbers and farmers pick up mics?Hip hop has existed down here for quite a long time. We're talking roughly 20 years (the first real release being a single from Just Us in '88). In New Zealand (our neighbour, for comparitive reasons) it found commercial respect and success quite early on, but in Australia it was mostly underground until the release of the Hilltop Hoods album 'The Calling' in 2003 (which I'll discuss later on).
Why would I listen to hip hop from down there when I've got Soulja Boi and Plies?Good question! I think one of the most endearing qualities from the music down here is the glimpse into local culture that you get from it. Not to mention the Australian accent is very different to hear in hip hop music and really offers a whole new experience as far as the genre goes. The base or staple characteristics don't tend to stray too much from American music, but the 'underground sound' of American non-billboard hip hop music tends to be more the norm in Australia. You'll find very few artists down here trying to make anything that resembles a snap song - basically all the artists are solid lyricists with good music behind them.
Another shrimp on the barbie. Who should I listen to if I'm interested?Do read on!
Hilltop HoodsDefinitely the most popular Australian hip hop act to ever exist, the Hilltop Hoods defied all critics and naysayers of the genre with the release of their 2003 album 'The Calling'. The album was fantastic, which was good, but the most important thing it did was to go gold and receive huge radio play. Without a video or a released single they had a track being played on mainstream radio across the country
(The Nosebleed Section), which at the time was a feat that hadn't been accomplished by a hip hop artist originating from the country. As a result of all this their next album 'The Hard Road' debuted at number 1 and went gold in a week (it's now platinum), as well as releasing multiple charting singles cementing them as the 'big boys' of the Australian hip hop scene.
The quality of their music has always been high also. Since 1991 when the group formed at their high school they've been putting out high quality product for the (tiny at the time) dedicated Australian hip hop contingent. If you're looking for albums I'd say the best one to go for would be The Calling - it has their best tracks overall on it. From
Dumb Enough with it's chunky horns and singalong chorus to
The Sentinel, a story track about a fictional bar in Adelaide (and many more). The album really is one of the highlights of 20 years of hip hop in Australia. The Hard Road and Left Foot Right Foot (the predecessor to The Calling) are both great albums as well though and are also highly recommended. The Hilltop Hoods won ARIA (the Aussie equivalent of the grammies) awards for The Hard Road and The Hard Road Restrung.
In 2007, a year after The Hard Road came out, the Hilltop Hoods re-released the CD 'restrung' with the Adelaide symphony orchestra providing the backing. It's seriously awesome if you're into strings and they did a live tour with a string quartet afterwards to celebrate. This was another big step for Australian hip hop, as at the time it was still seen as an insular community rather than a collaborative one. In terms of live performances the Hoods are amazing and if you ever get a chance to see them (as far as I know they're currently touring the UK) then don't hesitate! They really put on a show and the crowd gets incredibly hype.
Another thing of note is all their album covers follow the adventure of a character called 'Apocalypse' and he's the figure you see on the two covers above (as well as in some videos below). He's something of a mascot.
Songs to check out: The Hard Road,
Soul of the Beat,
Recapturing The Vibe (Restrung).
Bliss N EsoBliss N Eso are an act that, a couple of albums ago, were abstract and generally stepped around by the hip hop listening public. With the release of their album 'Day of the Dog' it seemed like the country simultaneously woke up to their talent and they became fairly huge off the strength of their live shows and happy go lucky party songs.
Personally, I liked the more abstract style they used originally as it suited them more, but I'm fairly sure I'm in the minority as far as that goes. They're extremely accessible and infectious, plus one of the members is American so it's much easier to adjust to the accents. This might have someting to do with their popularity, as even in our own country people can have issues with hearing music done in the natural accent (although more recently it seems to be more of a positive than anything as far as sales go).
Bliss n Eso were fairly underground to being with until they signed to Obese Records (who, at the time, also had the Hilltop Hoods) and put out their first major album 'Flowers in the Pavement'. The whole album was a bit of a mindfuck and you can tell most of the songs are off the CD from their names alone (Vagina Ice, Watchdog Water Dragons, Headless Princess), but it was pretty awesome regardless and increased public awareness. A couple of years later they released the much more traditional 'Day of the Dog' which made them huge on the tour and festival circuits with its party bangers and summer anthems. Earlier this year they released their third album 'Flying Colours' which was again another new direction, but it wasn't that well received. I wasn't a big fan. Still, it sold well and had a couple of great songs which let them keep their heads up.
I'd recommend going for whatever sounds more interesting to you. Day of the Dog is much easier to get into, but I find Flowers in the Pavement infinitely more rewarding. I'll list songs from all three albums below.
Songs to check out: Watchdog Water Dragons,
Bullet and a Target (made for charity, full story in link),
Then Til Now,
Party At My PlaceThe HerdThe Herd is a hip hop collective from Sydney and one of the biggest, most consistent and exciting groups we have. Many members of The Herd have a lot of solo work so it was hard to choose what to put up so I'll just throw a few references in at the end which you can follow up if you'd like.
The collective is more like a hip hop band in the vein of The Roots rather than a straight up hip hop posse or whatever. They consist of Urthboy (MC), Ozi Batla (MC), Unkle Ho (beats), Sulo (beats and guitar), Tracksewt (accordion, clarinet, beats), Toe-Fu (guitar), Rok Poshtya (bass) and Jane Tyrell (vocals). The names probably mean nothing but hopefully that gives you some sort of idea of their make up.
The Herd are a really politically driven group and many of their songs revolve around this theme. For example, their latest single (appropriately named 'The King is Dead') revolves around our Prime Minister not winning another term in office and thusly being replaced. They have a unique sound and style which is much different from the rest of Australian hip hop - it's a more organic, roots kind of vibe that lends itself well to the lyricism. If you find the other stuff a bit too 'hip hoppy' for you then give The Herd a go (pretty much everyone loves 'I Was Only 19' as it's a remake of a very iconic Australian song from the 70's).
As mentioned before quite a few members have broken off from the core group to do side projects (although they're still part of the group as a whole, think something akin to the Wu Tang clan in terms of the side projects) and most of them have been fantastic. Urthboy has had two solo albums, his latest was probably the best Australian hip hop album of last year. He's very charismatic and unique and I advise anyone who likes The Herd to check his solo stuff out. Ozi Batla broke off a couple of years ago to do an album with two producers in a group called 'Astronomy Class'. It was a rumbling, heavily dub influenced record and was thoroughly enjoyable. Unkle Ho as released two pretty acclaimed solo instrumental albums which I'm a fan of also. On a sidenote, the general standard of instrumental hip hop albums in Australia is very high - check out
Plutonic Lab and
Hermitude if you're interested.
Songs to check out: 77%,
I Was Only 19,
The King Is DeadFunkoarsAY FUCK YOU! The Funkoars are one of the least versatile groups in Australia, but they do what they do
so well that it's pretty hard to dislike them. Their raps consist mainly of tales involving cheap women, cheap drinks and cheaper gigs (with rowdy crowds, making passes at said cheap women and ingesting said cheap drinks) but somehow it doesn't get old and it works. This might be thanks to the incredible production by Trials (he's half aboriginal and probably the most respected/well known aboriginal hip hop artist in the country) who also provides the vocals along with Sesta and Honz (with their resident DJ Reflux providing the cuts).
There's not a lot to say about them barring that, but I'll give it a go. They're unbelievable live (last time I saw them Trials was chugging double blacks in a two fisted John Woo style in between verses) and they have this incredible energy that I haven't found with any other group in the country. If you've ever been bar hopping or pub crawling in Australia then the lyrics will ring very true. They're also a funny bunch of guys which is another thing that's difficult to pull off while still trying to be a straight musician.
Their first album was a shaky, dirty effort that, while enjoyable, didn't really set anyone alight. When they matured a bit, had some actual time set aside and went for professional recording/mastering the result was completely different. Since then they've released a DVD, featured on some big Australian hip hop albums and shifted labels to join the Hilltop Hoods in their new venture. Their new album is called 'Hangover' so I doubt there's going to be a change of pace for them anytime soon, which is good news for anyone in need of some drinking music.
Songs to check out: Certified,
And Now For Something Completely Different,
What I Want,
DuNaNaMuph & Plutonic
On the opposite end of the spectrum to the Funkoars, we have Muph & Plutonic. Although Muph loves a drink as well his raps are soft spoken, introspective, thoughtful and filled with commentary on life and love. Plutonic Lab is a renowned producer who's released two solo albums of his own instrumental hip hop and has been producing for artists in the country for years. Both artists were fairly successful before coming together but I'm sure that anyone who's heard them is glad they did.
While their albums have steadily got a little worse each time (my opinion - Rapreviews.com gave their latest an 8.5) they're still consistently packed with top stuff the whole way through and are definitely a package worth listening to at least once. Plutonic can switch up the backing from ambient and brooding to rough and grainy in a second and Muph can always keep up. This definitely isn't the kind of stuff you'd listen to at a party for the most part, but it's definitely something you won't experience from a lot of other artists. It's great to vibe to.
If you're the kind of person who likes a lot of the more 'out there' choices in hip hop (or music in general) I think it'll be easy to find a spot for Muph & Plutonic in your collection. Their best album is undoubtedly Hunger Pains, but the other two choices (Silence the Sirens and And Then Tomorrow Came) are definitely worthy as well. They also debuted on the mainstream charts with their latest which is always good as well!
Songs to check out: Heaps Good,
Size of the Soul,
The Day OffNote: The songs I really wanted you guys to hear weren't on Youtube so keep in mind that this stuff isn't very deep or atmospheric like their best tracks!
Other Artists - Click the names to hear a songPegz - CEO of Obese Records (the biggest Australian hip hop only label) and long time emcee Pegz has a unique voice and some incredible production to back him up.
Vents - He's been described as 'riot music'. Loud, in your face tracks with political undertones. Definitely recommended.
Delta - Battle emcee turned album maker. He did his debut LP entirely over beats from UK producer Mark B. Really interesting style and generally enjoyable music.
1200 Techniques - One of the earlier success stories in Australian hip hop. They've now gone their seperate ways but some of their stuff still stands up.
Bias B - A big figure in 'graffiti rap', Bias seems to live for his train line (and painting wherever he can on it). I used to listen to him a lot when I was younger and his first album (Beezwax) is fantastic.
The Tongue - One of the few artists who might actually be known by some people in America. He's got an incredibly bright future. Awesome voice, great lyrics, great beats. His debut album was absolutely killer.
Weapon X and Ken Hell - Pretty much universally disliked down here, but they are popular with the younger/less hip hoppy crowd and they don't use their natural accents which might be interesting to hear. They have some good songs.
Drapht - Very unique voice and pretty great albums. Some of his songs are awful but when he gets it right he can be pretty amazing.
Brad Strut - One of Australia's 'raw' artists (of which there are many). Very urban and gritty. He's an ugly dude but he can definitely rap.
Probably missing a few important ones, but I'll add any that come to mind. I also make this type of music as you probably know and my link is in my signature.
So there you have it! Hope you guys learned something and found the tracks interesting. You can buy most of these albums off Amazon or
www.checkoutwax.com if you're interested, and if you need any help with anything to do with this then don't hesitate to drop a reply. Word life vegemite.
Gaming World Forums
[TOTW] Hip Hop from Down Under