72-467: Downsyde is an Australian hip hop group from Perth , Western Australia. The group is composed of three members, Optamus , Dazastah and Dyna-Mikes. The group has performed alongside groups including Jurassic 5 , Cypress Hill , Grandmaster Flash , The Black Eyed Peas , and The Roots . They also performed with Australian acts like Hilltop Hoods , Resin Dogs , and Koolism . The band has also performed at
144-399: A Triple J single and they toured Australia extensively. A second album, A Hero's Concerto , was released on 20 September 2019. In November 2022, Optamus collaborated with other First Nations artists Emma Donovan , Emily Wurramara , Drmngnow , and DOBBY to create a song in memory of Cassius Turvey , a Noongar - Yamatji boy who had died at the age of 15 the result of an assault by
216-446: A long time since we did a string of dates around the country, and it's good fun." - Optamus Optamus released his debut solo album Forever & a Day in June 2010, with keyboardist Chris 'Imposter' Foster and multi-instrumentalist Moondog. Dazastah is embarking on a talent project called "Natural Dazastahs" in which he will be uploading beats online for the public to rhyme over, with
288-487: A musician two years later. We sent 'this' album out to countless labels and we got back countless deals back. It just happened that Illusive came back with a very interesting way of marketing Downsyde, plus we have the common goal of elevating us as a band and not Australian hip hop per se." – Optamus The group's fourth album, All City was released on 4 October 2008, and features collaborations with Howling John Stone and Guru . The album became their first album to enter
360-493: A notable event that stirred headlines, rapper Snoop Dogg faced a significant setback upon his planned visit to Australia. The incident which unfolded in 2007, Attracted widespread attention and sparked debates within both the entertainment industry and public sphere, with opinions divided on whether the decision was fair or not. Kevin Andrews is quoted as saying, “He doesn't seem the sort of bloke we want in this country”. However Snoop
432-573: A number of festivals, including Big Day Out , Splendour in the Grass , Rock-It , Falls Festival , Homebake , Good Vibrations and the Southbound Festival . Downsyde's origin occurred when MCs Optamus (Scott Griffiths) and Dyna-mikes (Shahbaz Rind) were in Year 11 at Craigie Senior High School , where they took part in a school talent quest in 1996. The group said; "We sort of figured out ourselves at 16
504-450: A random attacker when walking home from school in Perth , Western Australia. The song, titled "Forever 15", was played at Turvey's funeral on 18 November 2022 funeral and released three days later on 21 November 2022. Griffiths also conducts workshops for African immigrants and Aboriginal youth. I run a hip hop workshop program where the participants get to write a song and learn about
576-500: A reporter and assistant producer for MC Tee Vee . MC Tee Vee is notable for being the first national Australian music program dedicated to dance, rap and house music. In August 2006, the ABC program Compass showed a documentary entitled The Mistery of Hip Hop , which explored the cultural movement and popularity of hip hop in Australia. The film followed one of the "founding fathers" of
648-471: A sign that Australia suffers from a lack of its own hip hop identity. In more recent years (2000s onwards), Australian Hip Hop has seen a strong emergence of UK genres such as Grime and Afrobeats . Although these genres have been around for years, their worldwide popularity and acceptance in the mainstream is relatively new. The genre of " Australian grime " has been marked by viral artists like HAZRD. Adelaide-based producer Strict Face hosted his own show on
720-564: A significant role in the dissemination of hip hop within Australia. Additionally, the Australian Government funds projects, such as the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (AMRAP), which seeks to promote Australian music nationwide. 3RRR was the first radio station to present an international hip-hop act to the city—Run-D.M.C.'s 1987 Australian tour—and it highlighted international hip hop culture as well as
792-593: A single, " Lesfortunate ", which they followed up with a third album, When the Dust Settles , in December 2004. The album was nominated for the J Award of 2005 . Pizzata was replaced by Catastrophe, Dazastah's brother on drums between 2005 and 2006. Catastrophe was a short-term member and filled in to do the late 2005 "When The Dust Settles" Australian Tour and performances up to mid 2006. Steve Curyer (aka Hi-Hat), Downsyde's current drummer, joined in early 2007. Downsyde
SECTION 10
#1732891939640864-529: A solo project 'Rooster Police'. In 2007 the band signed with Illusive Records and commenced recording their next album, once the final tracks were down on tape they then headed off to India to play a couple of shows for the Mumbai Festival. The band said "We've changed labels every album. We did Epinonimous independently, Land of the Giants on EMI/Hydrofunk, and When the Dust Settles on Obese. After When
936-480: Is also the name of his group, a trio with keyboardist Chris 'Imposter' Foster and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Jongsma (Moondog). The album includes a number of guest artists including Hunter, Trials ( Funkoars ), Drapht , Hau ( Koolism ), Downsyde and MC Layla . Optamus previewed the album to a sold-out home crowd (Rosemount Hotel W.A) and a tour through the southwest in June 2010. Forever and A Day went on to sell 3500 copies from his website. "Lookaround" became
1008-581: Is dope hip hop, it is dope hip hop. If it is from Germany, Japan or Compton, and it is dope, I go for it." Over time, Australian hip hop diversified, absorbing influences from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean. For example, Def Wish described his style as influenced by reggae from London , rather than North American rap, while also acknowledging Afro-Caribbean roots of that scene. Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir's book, Globalized Muslim Youth in
1080-487: Is no longer restricted to the creative underground, with artists such as Onefour , Hilltop Hoods , Kerser and Bliss n Eso and having achieved notable fame. Australian Hip-Hop is still primarily released through independent record labels , which are often owned and operated by the artists themselves. Despite its genesis as an offshoot of American hip-hop, Australian hip hop has developed a distinct personality that reflects its evolution as an Australian musical style. Since
1152-405: Is not their main focus. Numerous Australian hip-hop artists have expressed concern that sections of Australia's hip hop fan base seem to espouse a " redneck " mentality that is ignorant of the culture's international influences. In a 2009 interview, Cross Bred Mongrels member Flak explained: "I don't go for that. [Only listening to Australian hip hop] I think that is a little narrow-minded. If it
1224-609: Is produced by Koori Radio in Sydney. Briggs , a Yorta Yorta man from the rural location of Shepparton , became a prominent feature of the Australian hip hop scene since he began his career as an independent artist in 2005. In August 2014, he released his sophomore studio album, Sheplife , on the Golden Era Records label, owned by Hilltop Hoods. As of 2012, Briggs has been the recipient of two Deadly Awards nominations and received
1296-490: Is the American hip hop group, Public Enemy . Munkimuk works on community-based educational hip hop projects around Australia, such as 1999's Desert Rap, conducted with Brothablack from South West Syndicate and Morganics . The Desert Rap project was organised with Tony Collins from Triple J , which made an ABC TV documentary. Munkimuk also hosts a nationally syndicated weekly radio program called "Indij Hip Hop Show", which
1368-538: The 2006 and 2007 ARIA Awards, the Urban award was won by Hilltop Hoods for its albums The Hard Road and The Hard Road: Restrung , respectively. The Hard Road also became the first Australian hip hop album to rank number 1 on the ARIA Charts in 2006. Other artists who have won the award include Bliss n Eso , for their album Flying Colours , and Melbourne artist Illy , for his album Bring it Back , released on
1440-403: The 2007 federal election . The Herd made a song celebrating this outcome the following year in their song "The King Is Dead", which was the lead single for their fourth studio album, Summerland . Other notable critiques of Howard's government include TZU 's "Recoil" and Quro 's "Goodnight Mr. Howard". The latter release also featured the then Prime Minister on the cover. A.B. Original ,
1512-532: The Obese Records label. Australian hip-hop artists have also received international recognition. Australians have been featured on albums by artists from the US and Europe. Hilltop Hoods appeared on US hip-hop group CunninLynguists ' 2009 album, Strange Journey Volume One . In October 2014, Australian artist K21 appeared on a song, titled "Pas rentable", by French hip hop artist LinkRust. There are very few women in
SECTION 20
#17328919396401584-473: The "Best New Talent" award at the 2014 National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA). Indigenous producer and MC Daniel Rankine ( Trials ), of the Adelaide trio Funkoars and Golden Era Records , also releases his own work, including occasional solo work. Rankine's production credits include Drapht , Vents , Reason, Cross Bred Mongrels and K21, while he has provided guest verses for Purpose, Hilltop Hoods, and
1656-513: The "No Whyalla Wipeout" rap; while Arts Minister Simon Crean marked a visit to a Parramatta arts centre by recording rhyming lines in a duet with sound artist Tokyo Love-In over the beat of " Ice Ice Baby ". Greens Senator Scott Ludlam appeared in the 2014 G20 Brisbane summit episode of Juice Rap News , rapping ten lines criticising the Abbott government 's mandatory data retention law . Optamus Scott Griffiths , better known by
1728-471: The 2004 and 2005 events and released them on DVDs. MC Justice went on to win 2005 " Scribble Jam MC Battle" in the US and is the first Australian to win the competition. In 2007 "Words from the City", a feature documentary on Australian Hip Hop culture from Writers/Directors Natasha Gadd and Rhys Graham was released by The Australian Film Commission and ABC TV. Focusing on the lyrical artistry of Australian Hip Hop,
1800-529: The ARIA top 100, peaking at number 76. The first single from the album "Fortune and Fame" was released on 1 September, together with the accompanying video produced by West Australian production company The Penguin Empire has received significant airplay. In October 2008 to promote the release of the new album, Downsyde embarked on its first national tour since 2005. Of the tour, the band said "We're pumped man – it has been
1872-496: The American music genre. Unlike most other Australian hip hop scenes, which have proper mainstream presence and support, gutter rap remains underground on the internet, but that didn't stop artists from the genre gaining mainstream recognition and success, an example being Kerser's second album No Rest for the Sickest reaching No. 15 on the ARIA albums chart . Although hip hop originated in
1944-690: The Asia Pacific: Popular Culture in Singapore and Sydney discusses how Muslim hip-hoppers like Matuse and The Brothahood have added their voices to what it means to be Australian. In their songs, The Brothahood talks about "their piety in the face of everyday life in Australia post-September 11", while in Matuse's track, "Sydney vs Everybody", he raps about "being singled out by a section of white Australia for his ethnic background rather than his lyrical skills". Radio, particularly community radio, plays
2016-495: The Australian hip-hop scene, with Layla and A-Love being the most notable. However, underground artists such as Sampa the Great are on the rise. Australian hip hop artists are strongly influenced by African American and Latino rappers from the US, and continue to incorporate such influences into their music. Australian artists, however, still utilise an authentic and unique style in their own music. Like many hip hop scenes outside
2088-452: The Dust Settles was released, we needed to take time away from touring and a whole lotta other stuff to do with the industry; we felt there was a whole lotta pressure for us to release another album a year and a half later and to do all of this stuff mechanically, which creatively didn't feel right. We specifically sign one album deals, whereas a lotta artists get bullied into three album deals and get shockingly ripped off, spat out, and are not
2160-583: The Edge of the Under-side . In 1991, a 16-year-old Sydney-based solo artist named KIC was signed to Columbia/SME Records. His first single, "Bring Me On", was popular in Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Also in 1992, independent label company Random Records released Def Wish Cast 's album Knights of the Underground Table . After 1992, independent CDs and tapes were released by various artists, primarily from
2232-917: The Golden Era mixtapes. Trials and Briggs performed together at the "Beat The Drum" event for the Triple J Radio station on 16 January 2015, and released their debut album as the group A.B. Original , titled Reclaim Australia , in 2016. U.S. artists cited as key inspirations of Australian hip-hop artists include Public Enemy , A Tribe Called Quest , and Nas . Following the release of Drinking From The Sun in 2012, Hilltop Hoods included Organized Konfusion , Kraz, and De La Soul in its ideal festival line-up. In Australia, dance moves associated with hip hop, such as krumping , footworking , locking , and popping , have drawn public interest to hip hop, and contributed to its dynamic popularity. However, these dance moves have been criticised as not being original and
Downsyde - Misplaced Pages Continue
2304-563: The Grosvenor and actually gig as a band. At that point we used to play the gig with our beats recorded on a walkman that we'd plug through the PA." – Optamus The group added a third MC, Dazastah (Darren Reutens), whom they met at Leederville TAFE , and DJ Armee (Damien Allia) on turntables, meeting him at the Hyde Park Hotel where he would DJ on Monday nights. Later, the group expanded to
2376-795: The Rhyme , the first national radio documentary about Australian female hip hop artists, created at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). MC Opi contributed to Anu's debut album Stylin' Up , which attained platinum status in Australia and won the ARIA Award for Best Indigenous Album. Following the winning of the award, Anu invited MC Opi to perform with her on the first "Australian Jail Tour" as part of NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week in 1993 in order to raise awareness about indigenous deaths in custody. The Melbourne hip hop group 1200 Techniques
2448-424: The Sydney hip hop culture. It was created by Paul Fenech (creator of SBS ' Pizza series) and featured artists such as MC Trey , Def Wish Cast, DJ Bonez , DJ Ask. During the 1990s, SBS TV's MC Tee Vee , the first Australian dance music show became a hit. In 1992, following an invitation from Annette Shun Wah from the alternative arts show, The Noise , MC Opi became the first hip hop artist to become
2520-451: The Sydney hip hop scene Matthew "Mistery" Peet. Mistery works full-time as graffiti artist and is also emcee/rapper in the group Brethren . The 28-minute documentary looked at the "four elements of hip hop": breakdancing , DJing , rapping , and graffiti. It features interviews with the then-host of Triple J's hip hop show Maya Jupiter , and the other half of Brethren: Wizdm and DJ Kool Herc . In December 2007, ABC Television aired
2592-522: The US, some Australian hip hop artists have also been influenced by funk , jazz and dembow . Indigenous Australian culture is also a strong influence for many hip hop artists. While hip hop artists in the US are predominantly African American, many Australian hip hop artists are of Anglo heritage . Numerous Australian hip hop artists, including N'fa , Remi, Sampa the Great , Diafrix , Tkay Maidza , Miracle , Vida Sunshyne, KillaQueenz, are of African descent, which has influenced their music. Since
2664-547: The US, some Australian rappers see their hip hop scene as having its own unique character. Dialectrix has described it as a "mongrel mutation" of Afrocentric and Australian culture. According to the lyrics of Def Wish Cast , it is "down under, comin' up". Australian hip hop has been localised with the introduction of aspects such as the Australian accent, Australian slang, political views, and references to localities and matters of Australian cultural identity. The lyrics of early Western Sydney artists like 046, Def Wish Cast, and
2736-465: The WA Independent music charts. Def Threat played a number of gigs over the next 12 months, and then disbanded. Gangstarr survived for a few more years. In the late 1980s, Sound Unlimited Posse signed with Sony Music , thereby becoming the first Australian hip hop group signed on to a major record label . In 1992, they released the first major-label Australian hip hop album titled A Postcard from
2808-640: The White Boys represent the process of localising Australian hip hop. Additionally, the non-Anglo immigrants of these areas were attracted to hip hop because it tackles the theme of racial opposition, as in African American and Chicano hip hop. Australian hip hop has been described as rich with Australian character, but also as inspirational for immigrants, providing "a voice and a purpose for those making their home anew in Australia". For example, Diafrix use migrant experiences in some of their songs, although this
2880-682: The air, The Lesson TV left a lasting impact on the Australian Hip-Hop community at its ground level. In 2004, independent film-maker Oriel Guthrie debuted her documentary " Skip Hop " at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). The film includes live footage of freestyle battles and prominent gigs around Australia, as well as interviews with Def Wish Cast , DJ Peril , Hilltop Hoods , Koolism , Blades of Hades , Maya Jupiter, The Herd and Wicked Force Breakers . "Out4Fame presents 2003 MC Battle For Supremacy"
2952-514: The album was released in September 2017. The music video to the single was directed by Aaron McCann. Downsyde won one award from five nominations in 2003. The J Awards is an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 's youth-focused radio station Triple J . They commenced in 2005. The Western Australian Music Industry Awards (commonly known as WAMis) are annual awards presented to
Downsyde - Misplaced Pages Continue
3024-476: The best entries being compiled for release. Although members are working on these various solo projects the group is still working on a fifth album. As Downsyde, we've got about eight or nine tracks in demo form for the new album, which we're hoping to finish – at least written-wise – by the end of the year. Downsyde has been on a five-year hiatus. however in 2015, they have been recording their sixth studio album, Classic ILL . The first single, "Only Got Now" from
3096-476: The best way for us to identify with Australia and to write topical music about Australia was for us to use our own voices rather than adopting a New York accent ." – Optamus The duo released a tape demo called Behind the Bucket , selling copies at two local shops, managing to sell all of the 200 copies they made within weeks. The band said "We suddenly got asked to play gigs with Eskimo Joe and Beaverloop at
3168-529: The book Musical Visions that Blaze claimed the first "true hip hop" release was, "Combined Talent" / "My Destiny" in 1988 by Just Us (consisting of Maltese DJ Case and Mentor). In 1988, the first compilation of Australian rap, Down Under by Law (Virgin), was released. It included tracks by Westside Posse , Mighty Big Crime, Swoop , Sharline and Fly Girl 3. Two Western Australian hip hop bands, Def Threat and Gangstarr, both released recordings in 1987. The Def Threat's EP, Girls Never learn , reached No. 4 in
3240-507: The collaboration between Indigenous rappers Briggs and Trials, was crucial to initiating debate on changing the date of Australia Day , particularly with their critical 2016 single "26 January". While professional musicians have gone on to enter Australian politics, most notably Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett , no hip hop artist has done so, although Briggs appeared to launch a campaign to enter Parliament in 2018, and has been since referred to himself as Senator Briggs in jest. In
3312-524: The country, as was the case with Eminem in 2001. Australian hip hop artists have since used their platform to make political statements and drive political change; Urthboy (and the hip-hop collective that he is a founding member of, The Herd ) and Thundamentals are among those whose lyrics often highlight and denounce inequality. Criticism of John Howard and his government were reoccurring themes in Australian hip-hop songs until Labour MP Kevin Rudd won
3384-458: The current line-up with percussionist Salvatore (Salvatore Pizzata) (ex-Beaverloop) and Cheeky (Mat Cheetham) (ex-Circus Murders) on keyboards, loops & samples joining the group. Cheetham recalls "I was in Tokyo hanging out and got a call from my mate Sal, he's playing drums with these guys Downsyde and he said 'when you come back you should have a crack at sampling stuff for them.' So I came back, met
3456-515: The dancers' moves. The first Australian hip hop record released was " 16 Tons " / "Humber Mania Time" by Mighty Big Crime via Virgin Records and Criteria Productions in 1987 (Catalogue number VOZC 026). The Melbourne -based duo (Gumpy Phillips and Tricky J a.k.a. Justin Lodge) soon disbanded. In 1991, both were members of flower power group, Freaked Out Flower Children . Gerry Bloustein wrote in
3528-689: The documentary Words from the City , which includes interviews with a number of high-profile Australian hip hop artists, including: Hilltop Hoods , Koolism , Downsyde , TZU , MC Layla , Bliss n Eso , MC Trey , Wire MC, and Jupiter. Starting in 2018 "The Lesson TV" or "LSN TV" was an Australian Hip-Hop music TV show akin to MTV, that aired on C44, C31 & WTV. The show was derived from The Lesson 92.7 Radio show, Aiming to showcase Australia's diversity and cultural significance. With its mix of interviews, performances and discussions. The show provided insight into various aspects of hip-hop, from established artists to emerging talents. While it may no longer be on
3600-575: The early 1980s, many indigenous crews have used hip hop as an outlet to vent their frustration against racial injustice and discrimination. Though not at the forefront of the Australian hip hop scene, Aboriginal rappers such as Brothablack , the South West Syndicate , Local Knowledge , Lez Beckett and the Native Ryme Syndicate produce songs that address the cultural situation of Indigenous Australians . One of their musical influences
3672-473: The film documented some of the countries foremost crews such as Hilltop Hoods, Bliss and Eso, and Koolism, as well up and coming artists TZU, Downsyde, Layla, Maya Jupiter, MC Trey, Nick Toth, and Wire MC. Words From The City was nominated for five AFI Awards for Best Documentary, Best Direction in Documentary, Best Cinematography in Documentary, Best Editing in Documentary, and Best Sound in Documentary. One of
SECTION 50
#17328919396403744-493: The first hip hop crossover hits, a track called "Karma" (from the album Choose One ). The song spawned the first ARIA Award for a hip hop act in Australia even before there was a hip hop category. Additionally "Karma" won Michael Gracey an ARIA in the same year for Best Video. In 2003, the band released the first Australian hip hop DVD titled One Time Live , which featured the band's music videos, live footage and two short documentaries. Their second album, Consistency Theory ,
3816-461: The guys and the next thing I know I was in the band. My first show was at the Big Day Out ." – Cheeky For four years Downsyde produced beats and rhymes and played at hundreds of gigs, parties, and MC battles culminating in the September 2000 release of their debut album, Epinonimous – recordings made by the band from 1996 to 2000. Their first single, " Gifted Life ", was released in 2002 and
3888-481: The inception of the Australian hip-hop scene, Australian Aboriginals have played a prominent role. In 1982, the music video for Malcolm McLaren 's track, " Buffalo Gals ", was shown on the Australian television music show Sound Unlimited . The music show was broadcast on Network Seven . The clip was staged in a Manhattan basketball court and featured images of graffiti and break dancers . The video left an impression on Australian teenagers, who began to copy
3960-414: The independent charts within a week of its release. Optamus and Dyna-mikes met their third and last MC and producer, Darren Reutens Dazastah at Leederville TAFE . The group further expanded adding Damien Allia (DJ Armee), Mathew Cheetham (Cheeky) on bass guitar and keyboard together with Salvatore Pizzata (Salvatore) on drums to form Downsyde. In 2000 they released their debut album, Epinonimous , this
4032-570: The local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM). Downsyde won 10 awards. Australian hip hop Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and was initially largely inspired by hip hop and other urban musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music that
4104-547: The local scene. The first appearance of an Australian hip hop act on Australian television was in November 1988, when Skippy The Butcher performed live on the ABC's "The Factory" during the Run DMC tour. The first Australian hip hop documentary, Basic Equipment , was made in 1996 and released in 1997. Narrated by Paul Westgate (a.k.a. Sereck) from Def Wish Cast , the documentary examined
4176-469: The now-defunct London's Radar Radio. An off-shoot of the drill music scene developed in Australia in the late 2010s, but didn't catch 'mainstream' attention until 2017-2018. Inspired by UK drill , Onefour quickly rose in prominence in 2019 after a series of singles, The Samoan Australian group from Mount Druitt was recognised as the first Drill group in Australia according to Vice . Completely distinguishing itself from most Australian hip-hop at
4248-403: The oldest hip hop magazines in the world, Vapors , is an Australian publication and is produced by Blaze. Stealth Magazine debuted in 1999 and was distributed worldwide via Tower Records . Notable zines include Hype , Zest , Raptanite , Arfek , Damn Kids , Artillery , Blitzkrieg and Slingshot . Following the popular Out4Fame: Battle For Supremacy tournaments, Out4Fame Magazine
4320-448: The stage name Optamus , is one of the MCs of the Perth -based Australian hip-hop group Downsyde and member of WA's Syllabolix Crew. Optamus is also the name of Griffiths' solo project. Griffiths with fellow Craigie Senior High School classmate Shahbaz Rind (Dyna-mikes ) founded Downsyde in 1996. It was the following year that they released a demo cassette Behind the Bucket which topped
4392-553: The success of the song was appreciated, the group worried they'd be viewed as "party rappers" forever, and focused on being more political and diverse in their music ever since. By the early 2000s, the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) began to recognise the growing interest in hip-hop in Australia. In 2004, ARIA introduced a new category in its annual awards : Best Urban Album (R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, reggae and dancehall). The inaugural award
SECTION 60
#17328919396404464-653: The time, that rap about Middle-class lifestyle and issues (such as breakups, skating, going to the RSL), a new scene originating from Australia's infamous Housing Commission estates began emerging in the late 2000s called Gutter rap (sometimes known as Lad rap). Gutter rap artists such as Campbelltown 's Kerser , Hurstville 's Skeamo and Nter, and Blacktown 's Fortay, Primarily rap about Australian Lower-class lifestyle and issues (such as crime, drug addictions, financial struggles), similar to traditional American Gangsta rap , which resulted it in being branded an Australian version of
4536-439: The western suburbs of Sydney, a largely immigrant-populated area largely known as a working class, underprivileged, and crime-ridden area. MC Opi (a.k.a. Opi Nelson) was an underground hip hop and dancehall artist who rose to national success after her performance on Christine Anu and Paul Kelly 's 1994 ARIA-nominated single " Last Train ", released by Mushroom /EMI (White Label). Prior to this, MC Opi co-produced Women on
4608-522: Was followed by Land of the Giants in 2003 and When the Dust Settles in 2005. The group went into hiatus for three years before releasing All City in 2008. As well as being a skilled MC, Griffiths is a producer . As well as working on beats for Downsyde, he has produced for many Australian acts, including Hunter , Drapht and Bias B . As of 2010 he was running his own local independent label, Opt Shop Records. Optamus released his debut solo album Forever & A Day on 12 June 2010. Optamus
4680-405: Was formed in 1997 by "old-school" 1980s B-boy/aerosol artist DJ Peril (founding member of Melbourne hip hop crew Island Boys).The group consisted of DJ Peril on production, turntables, and percussion; his brother Kem(Kemstar) on guitar; and N'fa on vocals. They released an EP in 2001 called Infinite Styles with the independent label company Rubber Records. 1200 Techniques later released one of
4752-488: Was granted a full visa in 2008. [1] Elected politicians in Australia have also attempted to utilise rapping to reach a younger audience. In 2012, two Labor Party cabinet members in the Gillard government briefly delivered original policy-related lyrics backed by music: Trade Minister Craig Emerson commented on the carbon tax by performing an adapted version of the chorus of rock song " Horror Movie ", referred to by some as
4824-513: Was launched as a free publication. Out4Fame Magazine was later relaunched as Out4Fame presents ACCLAIM Magazine , which then became ACCLAIM Magazine . ACCLAIM Magazine is distributed throughout Australia, as well as other countries including New Zealand, Singapore and the UK. Stores Venues TBA The earliest political discussion of hip hop in Australia questioned whether controversial rappers from overseas should be permitted to enter and perform in
4896-584: Was nominated as 'Best Single' at the 2003 Australian Dance Music Awards. In the same year, Downsyde won the Best Debut Artist at the Dance Music Awards. Their second album, Land of the Giants , was released in 2003 on the Hydrofunk label. The album won 'Most Popular Local Original Album' at the 2003 Western Australian Music Industry Awards . Downsyde signed with Obese Records and in 2004 released
4968-516: Was one of the Australian hip hop artists featured in the documentary Words from the City , which aired on ABC Television in late 2007. Dazastah (Reutens) is a prominent local record producer. Optamus (Griffiths) runs his own label, Opt Shop Records. Armee (Allia) has toured with Fdel and DJ'd at many prominent clubs in Asia. Cheeky (Cheetham) is a member of dub group the Sunshine Brothers and has
5040-606: Was released in 2004. Two of the first major Australian hip hop labels were founded during this era; Obese Records in Melbourne, founded by Pegz (whose first release was Reason 's Solid in 200), and Elefant Traks in Sydney, founded by Kenny Sabir (p.k.a. Traksewt). The core members of the label would go on to form their own hip-hop group, The Herd in 2001. Their self-titled debut album featured their first hit, "Scallops", which gained significant airplay on Triple J and has even been hailed as an "Aussie backyard anthem". While
5112-548: Was the first (documented) national MC tournament and was responsible for supporting the careers of many MCs across Australia. The following year, MCs were invited to enter the tournament for the chance to compete in New Zealand. MCs who have competed in Battle For Supremacy tournaments include Weapon X , 360 , Anecdote, Nfa, Justice, Dragonfly, Robby Bal Boa, Kaos, Tyna, Surreal, Cyphanetics, Delta. Guthrie also documented
5184-546: Was won by Koolism for their album, Random Thoughts . Koolism DJ Danielsan dedicated the award to the "Australian hip-hop community" and exclaimed: "Be yourselves, keep it real, enough of that American wannabe trash". For the ARIA Music Awards of 2019 , new categories of awards were created for Best Hip Hop Release and Best Soul/R&B Release, which were previously combined in the Best Urban Release category. At
#639360