Australian hip-hop

Australian hip hop music began in the early 1980s, primarily influenced by hip hop music and culture imported via radio and television from the United States of America. Since the late 1990s, a distinctive local style has developed, and the genre is continuing to gain credibility in the alternative and underground music scenes.

The first Australian hip hop record released was "16 Tons b/w Humber Mania Time" by Mighty Big Crime released by Virgin Records and Criteria Productions in 1987 (Catalogue number VOZC 026). The single was a Beastie Boys derivative and the Melbourne based duo soon disbanded (later forming The Freaked Out Flower Children with Sophie Lee).

Perhaps the first release of any real note was "Combined Talent" by Just Us in 1988. Another release of note is Knights Of The Underground Table (1992) by Def Wish Cast, which sold well locally and in Europe. Also in 1992, Postcards From the Edge of the Undersound was released by Sound Unlimited (also known as the Sound Unlimited Posse). Released by Sony, it was for the best part of a decade the only such major label release of an Australian hip hop act since Mighty Big Crime's Virgin release.

In more recent times, the internet has played an important role in the growth of Aussie Hip Hop. Forums like ozhiphop.com have proved to be a very successful way for artists to get their music heard by large numbers of people very quickly.

Evangelical Christianity is also growing within Aussie Hip Hop as Perth based Atlas, who became a born-again Christian in 2006, preaches the name of the Lord Almighty at many hip-hop gigs. While Atlas's preachings were at first negatively criticised by most in Aussie hip-hop, they have grown to see it as simply another form of diversity within Australian Hip-Hop. Many figures within Aussie hip-hop have even gone so far as to call him an inspiration to many rappers aspiring to be successful although Atlas has on many occassions denied such claims, instead claiming God is the inspiraiton.

American versus Australian accents used by local MCs has caused much heated debate within the Australian hip hop community over the years, however there is an increasing tendency for artists to use their own accent and rap about things closely related to Australian culture.

Australian hip hop is a part of the underground music scene with only a few successful commercial hits in the last decade. Albums and singles are released by mostly independent record labels, often owned and run by the artists themselves.

Although still far from mainstream, in recent years Australian hip hop has grown rapidly in popularity. 96.1 FM The Edge in Sydney plays primarily Hip Hop and R&B, with a segment called "The Tasman Connector" showcasing Australian & New Zealand Hip Hop. In recognition of the increasing acceptance of hip hop, influential youth radio station Triple J introduced the Hip Hop Show, hosted by Maya Jupiter (herself a hip hop artist), a weekly show dedicated to hip hop and rap. Also a largely listened to radio show would be Hip Hop Mania With MC Frost (also a hip hop artist) on 101.5FM Radio Adelaide from 9:30PM to 11:00PM. This in turn has helped to further raise the profile of Australian hip hop. In 2004, the Australian Record Industry Association introduced a new category in their annual awards, Best Urban Release. The inaugural award was won by Koolism.

Artists

The most commercially successful hip hop group in Australia is the Hilltop Hoods. They reached Platinum status for their album The Calling and in 2006 their album The Hard Road debuted at number one, the first Australian hip hop group to do so. This success was mirrored by 1200 Techniques, who achieved gold status with their debut album Choose One and established a reputation as an excellent live act. The Sydney-based collective The Herd achieved success with their second album An Elefant Never Forgets, featuring the controversial hit "77%" and the single Burn Down The Parliament. The Cat Empire, a group that performs a fusion of many styles of music including hip hop, has also found widespread success. Producer J Wess, former basketball player, also achieved huge sales of his debut J Wess Presents Tha LP.

The Optimen are another successful underground hip hop group from Brisbane, who have continued to grow in popularity particularly since their second release Boomtown which featured the Give It Up film clip. They have achieved success at the recent Musicoz Awards, winning both Best Urban Artist and Best Film Clip. Anticipation is building around the expected late 2008 release of The Optimen's 2nd LP, as yet un-named on their label Red tape Entertainment.

Two commercially successful outfits from the Brisbane scene are Butterfingers and funk/rap group Resin Dogs.

Obese Records is one of the biggest production labels within Australian hip hop. Their CEO is MC Pegz and they have signed such artists as the Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, Reason, Bliss n Eso and the Funkoars to name just a few.

Hydrofunk Records is another record label pioneering the latest in Australian Hip Hop. Hydrofunk is run by members of the Resin Dogs who release all their material under the label. Other artists signed the label include Afro Dizzi Act, 2 Dogs, Def Wish Cast, Downsyde, Good Buddha, Koolism, Mad DoctorX, Mark Walton, Rhibosome, Shin-Ki-Row and Skam Artist.

Basic Equipment, another upcoming record label supporting Australian hip-hop is co-run by a member of Def Wish Cast, Sereck, who has been immersed in the hip-hop scene of Australia since the start. Artists included in this label are Def Wish Cast, Bingethinkers, Brass, 13th Son, Rivals and others.

Aussie underground hip hop is also a great part of the culture. Memory Lane is a underground label which consists of emcees like, Envs, Klasick MC, Rooboy, Arkane, Mr. Tommy Smith and DJ Conclusionz. They are located in South Gippsland right at the bottom of Victoria. Based in towns of Leongatha, Fish Creek, Toora and Yarram. The group signs underground artists that are real. Though they are strongly against the consistant party tracks done but most rappers now-a-days. If your interested in contacting them, e-mail Envs at fra0003@sgsc.vic.edu.au

In 2005, independent film-maker Oriel Guthrie's documentary Skip Hop debuted at the Melbourne International Film Festival. The film includes live footage of freestyle battle and prominent gigs around Australia. Also featured are interviews with the Hilltop Hoods, Def Wish Cast, DJ Peril, The Herd, Danielsan from Koolism, Sarr and Wicked Force Breakers.

In 2006, the ABC program Compass showed a documentary entitled "The Mistry of Hip Hop" which explored the cultural movement and popularity of hip hop in Australia. The film followed a week in the life of a local MC called Mistry in Melbourne and looked at the four pillars of Breakdancing, DJing, rapping & Graffiti. It featured interviews from Mistry's friends, Maya Jupiter and DJ Kool Herc.

Features

Whilst Australian Hip Hop is very much product of its roots in the urban, Afro-American styles of the early 1980s, it distinguishes itself through its continual quest for identity in post-colonial and post-war Australia. This takes the form of a lyrical focus on the Aussie battler, the use of the Australian accent, jovial, larrikin lyrics, heavy use of concrete recordings and sound bites to convey the reality of the situation.