After a standout guest spot on Spit Syndicate’s Orbit earlier this year, as well as string of excellent singles like “Concussed” and “Lighter”, Canberra based artist emcee/singer Turquoise Prince is closing out a big 2018 with a devastating right hook on “Eric Banas”. The recently released single and video is best considered a statement of…
Read moreThere are few figures in the industry as highly regarded and respected as Royce Da 5’9 when it comes to straight, no-bullshit, masterful hip hop. The Detroit emcee is often referred to as one of the greatest emcees alive, and that accolade hasn’t faded ever since Bad Meets Evil and Rock City were introduced over…
Read moreIf you haven’t already rinsed Phantastic Ferniture‘s eponymous 2018 debut LP so much that you know the exact length of each song, you absolutely need to get onto that NOW. It’s without a doubt one of the best debut releases this year. Fresh from the Sydney underground music scene, the three-piece bring that raw flavour straight…
Read moreIt has been two decades since Ms Lauryn Hill branched out into a solo career, releasing her seminal The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and watching it become one of the most acclaimed, awarded and influential albums of its time. She’s been busy touring it around the world for the all important 20 year anniversary, and…
Read more“Devestation laced in my presentation” Ka’s delivery of this line from Orpheus, part of a collaboration project with producer Animoss, is one of the best stylistic summations of an album written in recent memory. The duo, operating under the pseudonym Hermit and the Recluse have worked together on a beautifully dark piece of music, heavily…
Read moreUp from the 36 chambers the legendary Wu-Tang Clan have announced a triumphant return to Australia with two exclusive, very special shows celebrating the 25th anniversary of their iconic debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The 1993 classic will be performed in full by all nine surviving core members at none other than the Concert…
Read moreWitnessing undisputed rap legends live on stage is somewhat of a rarity in Australia. We’ve (surprisingly) managed to get KRS-One, watched in awe as Big Daddy Kane rocked the mic, seen Masta Ace a few times, and we even got Biz Markie and Kurtis Blow once. Once big names through the late 80’s and early…
Read moreEvery young rapper has to be the “next something”. The next Jay Z; the next Ice Cube; the next MC Lyte; the next Nas. Reference points are handy for upcoming artists, although they may be frustrating in the long term. It’d be no surprise if Deezie Brown has run into a far few of those…
Read moreWhen he released Idle Time back in 2014, Compton rapper Buddy immediately showed the world he was bound to be one of the next big names in hip hop. Keeping up with features from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell and even pop star Miley Cyrus, the young emcee proved his penmanship was as sharp…
Read moreYou on point Vans? The renowned sports and apparel brand have this week announced a special collaboration collection with none other than the legendary A Tribe Called Quest, hooking up with The Thread Shop – a merchandising company from ATCQ and Sony Music – for sneakers which celebrate, pay tribute and honour the style, art…
Read moreWith one of eight episodes from forthcoming Netflix docuseries Rapture dedicated to her story, we managed to grab a quick chat with North Carolina emcee Rapsody during a preview screening at SXSW Film Festival. The new series from Mass Appeal and Sacha Jenkins looks at the personal lives and individual contexts of various hip hop…
Read moreRenowned rapper artist Lil’ Wayne will be headlining a new hip-hop festival across Sydney and Melbourne this March as Jumanji Festival makes stops in Sydney and Melbourne. The inaugural event will be one of the only hip-hop focused festivals of its kind in Australia, and it’s looking like the line-up will keep growing right up…
Read moreI’ve never heard a Vince Staples song I didn’t like. The tough, nihilistic tone of his own brand of no-frills hip hop is perfectly placed over just about any contemporary production with even the slightest bounce to it, frantically transforming each beat with his elastic flow and nasal cadence whether it lean towards EDM or…
Read moreJust hearing YelaWolf spit a verse live is a show in itself. The Alabama emcee has an innate talent for the kind of machine-gun rap very few can do so well, making it look easy as he confidently, and clearly, spins verse after verse with head-spinning proficiency, jumping from word to word without ever losing…
Read moreAri Lennox, EarthGang, J.I.D and Bas. North Carolina emcee J. Cole, now one of the most commanding names in hip hop, is certainly chiseling his Interscope imprint Dreamville Records into something truly impressive, and positioned to grow well beyond 2018. It’s nothing new for a successful rapper to start fielding and fostering their own roster…
Read moreAnd the Social Media campaign award of the year goes to: Martin Brown. The man formerly known as Smiles Again (one half of the now defunct Mind Over Matter), and now known as Smizzy, has been flying a bit under the radar for these past few years. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been hard…
Read moreOh how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when a young Pete Rock lifted that immortal saxophone sample from Tom Scott‘s version of “Today”. The peerless beatmaker used that second-long loop to create what is arguably the greatest rap production of all time, that which became “They Reminisce Over You…
Read moreYou hear that? That’s the sound of Hip Hop fans all across Australia counting their lucky stars. At the turn of the century it seemed like heads the world over would never see the legendary duo of Pete Rock & CL Smooth reunite, but fast forward to now and things done changed; one of the…
Read moreFor Hip Hop, 2016 was the year of cosigning anything and everything. So called ‘mumble rap’ became a thing and there was a massive push back against the term ‘real Hip Hop’, championing newcomers like Lil’ Yachty and Lil’ Uzi Vert (who, like it or not, have been attached to the music and the culture)…
Read moreGet ready to welcome the new year with menacing grime beats and furious street-minded rhymes as UK duo Krept & Konan plan a visit down under. The underground South London heavy hitters will be charging into the first week of 2017 with a whirlwind visit that’ll see them play two shows: one in Sydney and…
Read more“Relevance” is a confusing term when it’s applied to hip hop. Whenever I discuss the music I tend to switch off as soon as someone says “so and so isn’t relevant” – it’s the most overused word by those who lack the knowledge or familiarity with such a complex culture and art form (I’m not…
Read moreOne of Detroit’s sharpest emcees and hardest working beatsmiths, Black Milk, will be heading down to Australia and New Zealand this November, performing a string of shows to complement his festival set at Tocumwal’s annual Strawberry Fields. After consistently delivering quality projects like 2010’s Album of the Year and 2014’s If There’s a Hell Below,…
Read moreWith the recent release of his fourth studio album Blank Face, Black Hippy emcee ScHoolboy Q has announced that he’ll be touring Australia this spring, bringing his latest material and rich back catalogue to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth, and This That festival in Newcastle. Fresh off what is perhaps his best and most realised…
Read moreHigh profile releases from the likes of Kanye, Drake, and Beyoncé, plus show-stealers from Chance the Rapper, Skepta, Anderson .Paak and dvsn have fleshed out what has been a very strong six months for hip hop and R&B. We’ve also seen emerging talents like Gallant and Joyner Lucas, comebacks from Fat Joe and Maxwell, and…
Read moreAfter only making his debut in Australia earlier this year through a series of NYE festivals and, UK grime emcee Skepta has announced an epic return to this side of the world with seven shows across Australia and New Zealand. The man, who just released his long-awaited 4th LP Konnichiwa, has marked a monumental push…
Read moreLast year’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late was a bold move for Drake, moving away from the ultra-relatable, slightly neurotic rapper-singer and towards something closer to street-minded hip hop, taking aim at critics over dark, brooding beats that were glued together by an adrenaline-inducing energy. It was mafioso rap for the selfie generation,…
Read moreHip hop legends in their own right, Chicago’s Common and Brooklyn’s Talib Kweli are both heading down to Australia for a four-date tour this May. Known for their strong poetic lyricism and influence on the more socially conscious side of hip-hop, this will be a good chance to see two of hip hop’s most undeniable…
Read moreComing off of some very well received support slots earlier this year for the likes of Vince Staples and Tuka, Sydney emcee B Wise has given us a listen of some new material with single “40 Days”. Producer Nic Martin has matched B’s relaxed, melodic flow with a steady drum flow, allowing the SMAC award…
Read moreMid-west hip hop legends Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will be making their very welcome return to Australia in May of this year as they headline a series of shows dubbed This Is Hip Hop; even better, the collective will be performing their seminal sophomore E. 1999 Eternal in it’s entirety, 21 years (and two months) after it’s…
Read moreFirst off, who is this Pablo to whom Kanye West refers with his album title, The Life of Pablo? Picasso? Neruda? Escobar? Is he inexplicably trying to revive Petey Pablo’s career? Referencing Radiohead’s classic debut? Maybe he is likening himself San Pablo (St. Paul), another biblical reference following the religious megalomania of Yeezus. Most likely…
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