Perth's position in Aus Rap is very similar to Perth's position on the Australian map, it seems far away and doesn't get much attention from the Eastern states but I think it has some of the best rappers in the country. Home to Drapht, rich miners and South Africans, Perth is a curious place, I don't think I know anyone who's ever been there and it's always forgotten in the rap conversation even though its arguably the third most important city in the scene. As far as I know, platform-wise, the only channel based in Perth is Vinco and basically, all of my picks are going to come from there (sorry not sorry). To me Vinco is one of the most productive company's in the Aus Rap scene, producing merch, frequent live spits, and even a podcast, I've had my eye on them for a while now and I think they definitely haven't gotten the credit they deserve yet, so go give them a follow. On Vinco's Down Underground One Take series they've had the likes of Triple One, Shadow and Hazrd all big names in the scene.
5. Jose Halftime
To start the list I've included Jose Halftime, he's been doing his thing for a couple years now and has this lazy flow that hops along with these minimal, more ambient beats. He kinda has a Schoolboy Q type flow and definitely makes good night time music. One thing about Halftime is that he doesn't hold anything back when it comes to the production of his videos, he has some of the best video clips in the country in my opinion and definitely doesn't have the views he deserves. Halftime is the perfect way to start the list because he perfectly defines Perth, slept on. If Halftime was in Sydney or Melbourne I would bet you that his clips would be doing 10 times the numbers he currently gets. His new clip Standard is definitely worth checking out.
4. Monk
ahhh Monk, not gonna lie, the first time I heard this dude, which I think was on a 50/50 cypher, I thought the dude was trash. But Monk has definitely. improved to the point where he is one of the hardest grime acts in the country. He raps as if he has this energy that even he can't contain, which is at first didn't work because I thought his breath control and timing was a little off, but now that he's got that in order he really does kill it every time he gets the mic. You can usually catch Monk alongside Shadow as the only Perth artists at any grime set.
3. Kota
I only found out about this guy about a week ago but he impressed the fuck out of me. I usually find boom bap rappers deadly boring, but for once I found this super fun to listen to. As far as I know, he only has this one clip up on Vinco but the dude has an absolutely effortless flow, and the bars to match, him and Jose Halftime would be an awesome collab. Kota is your classic rapper, no gimmicks, just bars, flows, and simple beats. I really want to hear more from him but it's clear the dude has a lot of talent.
2. Kodi Cunningham
This cunt right here is one of the most original spitters I have ever seen in this country, I know how big a call that is but I truly think the man has the potential to be one of the biggest artists not just in Perth but throughout the whole country. Half the reason I decided to make this post was because of his One Take on Vinco (which only has 19k views somehow). Kodi has this awesome mix of bars, flows, and melodies that I've never seen someone do in this country. It's rare to find rappers that can sing and Kodi is gifted with the way he's able to weave between singing and rapping within the same breath. Kodi has commercial success written all over him and if it wasn't for his small catalog he would probably be number 1 on this list.
1. Shadow
This one is an obvious pick for anyone that knows a thing about Aus Rap. Shadow has led the way for Perth on the national level and for most on the East Coast, he's the only rapper that comes to mind when you mention Perth city. I think the first time I heard Shadow was on Link Up Tv's facebook page, it was him rapping to Skepta's classic 'I Spy' beat and he absolutely smashed it. Since then he's done collabs with Chillinit, Signed to Golden Era Records and gone on tour with Hilltop Hoods. Shadow is arguably one of the best grime acts in the country and has the work ethic to match, his new clip 'My City' has some pretty hectic visuals. Shadow has represented Australia on the international stage with a live spit on JDZ Media and is really one of the main players on the Australian stage. If any rapper in Australia was going to have success overseas I could easily see it being Shadow
