5 years ago, if someone told me that Asap Ferg would come to Sydney, drive an hour west, and make a music video with some lads from Mt Druitt I would've laughed - now this new reality Aus hiphop finds itself in doesn't seem so crazy. Onefour has finally returned from a 3 month break with their second single of the year, 'Say It Again' ft Asap Ferg. When I found out about this feature it sort of blew me away, I think alot of Aus hiphop fans have become desensitised to Australian progress in the world of hiphop, but this is a big deal. More impressively though, Onefour is able to make headway against alot of odds.With subliminal and explicit disses thrown at them in tracks every other week and the incarceration of half of their group, alot of fans, myself included, feared that the this was the unfolding of Onefour's decline. Clearly I was wrong.
In this new track the Onefour go for a totally new approach, opting for a more melodic, American style, while still holding true to their drill origins. Jemz in particular really proves his versatility on this chorus, it kindve reminded me of Sheff G with his more melodic take on drill. This new style has come with mixed reactions, the comment section is already filled with discussion on if this is the right move or not. Personally I enjoyed this new approach, and like the highlighted comment below suggests, we need innovation to keep this current wave of Sydney hiphop alive. Lots of my friends are already saying the current scene is starting to feel abit stale, so I applaud Onefour's experimentation.
Asap Ferg doesn't really give us anything he hasn't done before, and his verse isn't amazing but there were some encouraging take aways. The fact that a multi platinum award winning artist actually recorded and filmed a track in West Syd is unprecedented - the few significant international collaborations we've had in the past have been send in verses. Asap Fergs references to Sydney and Australia reveal this verse wasn't some 3 year old 16 bar he had lying around. What's even more encouraging is that according to Onefours management they didn't even pay Ferg for the feature, this was just an organic link up. It was totally surreal seeing Asap Ferg in a music video with Onefour, the group did not disappoint and this is sure to be another classic here in Australia, the real question is if the song has the legs to get some radio play in America. American radio play for Onefour would be the first time an authentically Australian hiphop act was given exposure in America and would just add to the list of accomplishments Onefour already have under their belt.
