Saturday, August 27, 2005

Hip-Hop from the land down under....

So someone asked me the other day about hip-hop in Australia, and what the scene is like down below the equator. Well, I told him the 411 in detail, and now over the next few days I'm going to spread the word right here. This week Major Leaguer will focus on upside down beats and rhymes for y'all to check out, so here's your first daily dose...

*One of the best places to start is the grandaddy of Oz hip-hop writing, Stealth. Still going strong after 15 years, Stealth is so respected that you can even pick it up in the States, and focuses on the local Australian scene as well as the cream of world hip-hop (ie. not just Fiddy and Snoop) as well as graffitti and breakin'.

* Australian documentray maker Oriel Guthrie's flick Skip Hop takes a look at the the scene as a whole, and features battles, b-boys and b-girls, and interviews with key people in the scene. Definitely worth seeing if you can track it down.

* Although The Black Eyed Peas have fallen by the wayside in recent years with a glut of sing-a-long chorus driven drivel ('Don't Lie'? What's next, songs about road safety?), king B.E.P. Will-I-Am is planning to take a six month sojourn to develop Aussie hip-hop talent. A chance for redemption perhaps...

*Speaking of prodcution, one of the maestros of the boards in Australian hip-hop is Danielsan from Koolism (ARIA Best Urban release winners in 2004 for Part 3: Randon Thoughts). The duo, Danielsan and MC Hau, are currently working on new material at the moment, but if you haven't heard of them Part 3: Random Thoughts is a perfect place to start (check out Nite Time to hear Danielsan and Hau's skills)

* Elefant Traks are a Sydney label that focus on several top-notch hip-hop and electronic artists, and when the Trax lads aren't wheelin' and dealin' they produce beats and rhymes under the moniker of The Herd. Quali-tay all around.

Back with more tomorrow....

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I expect that your next Aussie Hip Hop posting makes some mention of the Hilltop Hoods. Mebbe they are a wee bitty bit commercial but they know how to work a crowd and shift them units. They dump all over The Herd at least. (ffft...rhymes about scallops...)

Alright, I'm outtie...
C

Euan said...

Mr Calico...so good of you to swing by the League. I definitely miss Aussie hip-hop, and it barely gets much coverage over here in the UK (the Hoods did play Cargo in Feb, but that's about it), but the scene is trong and needs peeps help spread the word. The Australian scene is also still young, and their are many factors involved as to how each differs from the other (that's for another post though).

Great news about MC Justice too! Ace....

Oh, Sister C, I think Calico might disagree with you about The Herd ;)

Euan said...

Yes, the scene is both strong and 'trong'. Tsk tsk, that'll learn me for not attaching my Oxford dictionary to my utility belt!

Anonymous said...

M.E.H, meh. That's right, you heard me. Unlike most of my ill-informed comments, I've actually seen The Herd live. So I stand by my original assessment. ;)

C

Anonymous said...

Stealth magazine has NOT been running for 15 years!

Blaze who writes for it did Vapours in the 80s but really that has no relation to Stealth.