My top 5 favourite Perth MC's / Is Perth the most slept on city?

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

Why Skeaz Lauren AKA Skeamo is more important than you think

You might know him from the memes, his antics or his hilarious music videos, but as time goes on Skeaz Lauren is slowly becoming one of the most forgotten pioneers of Australian Hip-hop. Skeamo's main innovations came during his time in Sydney Serchaz in the late 2000's where Sydney classics like 'Searchin Like My Brother' and 'Fukn Oath' could be heard pumping out of nokias in Sydneys inner-city all the way to the west and beyond. Sydney Serchaz was made up of Sky'High, Nter and Skeamo, and somehow against all odds, it's Skeamo that is the last Sydney Sercha that is still active online. Skeamo was the first artist that really created a character behind the music. From his Polo everything dress code to his cocky attitude, Skeamo really started the idea of branding yourself to stick out from the crowd. Rack Lo, a member of LoLife in New York even recognized Skeamo as the Polo king of Australia. Skeamo and Sydney Serchaz were the first crew in Sydney that really embraced the 'adlay' style and attitude, they rapped on dirty south beats which hadn't really been done in Australia, and its undisputed that they started 'Gutter rap'. For the younger people reading this, it might seem weird but there was a time where Sydney slang like 'Eshay' was never used on a track, then Sydney Serchaz came along and dropped a hit titled 'Eshay'. When you go back and listen to older Skeamo tracks you might think it sounds amateur or low budget, but that's how all pioneers sound, he changed the course of Aus hiphop by introducing trap beats with an Australian accent. Artists like Rops, Alex Jones, Kearve and Son of Sam all took inspirations from Skeamo. As hard as it is to imagine, there was a time when Kerser was actually less famous then Sydney Serchaz, collabs like 'Gutter Kunts' and 'Pick Australia Up' introduced alot of Sydney hiphop fans to Kersers music.

"They were on that trapped out shit like 4,5,6 years ago and now everyones following the fad" -Alex Jones (2013)

"They started rapping to that south shit before me"-Fortay (2013)


"Sydney Serchaz is the crew! And Skeamo is the boss!" -Sydney Serchaz, Serching like my brother

Track Review: SOLOCHULO - Flexin On Purpose

Earlier this month I stumbled upon a rappers Instagram page, his name was  SoloChulo. He was an African rapper that was dripping in Gucci scarves, Designer jeans, and Bape shoes. Since he's African-Australian I assumed he was from Melbourne but after sussing out his Instagram I realized he was from my home city of Sydney, specifically Blacktown. I thought it was cool because Sydney doesn't really have any African rappers in its scene. The first thing I did after finding Solo Chulo's Instagram page was to hop on to youtube and see if the man could make good music, but annoyingly he didn't have a single clip up on youtube, until two weeks ago. The new song was called Flexin On Purpose and the visuals and sound were clearly influenced by American rappers, although it did have a unique West Sydney flare. One of the best developments in the last few years in Australian rap has been a true embrace of Australianess in the music and vibe of our artists. Solo Chulo definitely isn't going against this trend, the video has distinctly Australian elements. From the dice game with yellow notes or the cheeky African-Australian twang in the accent, I think Solochulo does a good job at fusing his inspirations with his realities.

Solo Chulo

OhGeesy ($horeline Mafia)

The first thing I noticed about Solo Chulo was his monotone voice. That isn't a criticism, actually, it's one of Chulo's best features, the monotone voice clearly added to the whole atmosphere of the song and it gives the whole vibe of the track a colder feeling. I couldn't help but think that Solo Chulo has a very similar voice to OhGeesy from Shoreline Mafia, both have an atmospheric voice that gives a song character. It's clear the Chulo knows what he's doing, the way he rides the beat and switches up the flow like 3 times on the songs shows he's either talented, been doing this for a minute or both. The track has some of the most colourful, kooky adlibs I've ever heard in a Sydney track, those adlibs partnered with a selection of gritty gunshot sounds makes for a really fun song. Without a doubt what makes this song stand out is the hook, it's by far the most melodic part of the song and it got stuck in my head pretty quick, it goes so well with the repetitive piano in the background.  Something esle that I think went really well together was the actual song itself and the music video. It wasn't too over the top, just like the song. It's your classic west Sydney video with the crew in the background; running amuck ofcoarse. There was clearly some narrative in the video, with scenes of Chulo brandishing a gun and later running down on someone. The visuals of the actual story and the visuals of Chulo just rapping with his crew are weaved within each other which keeps the clip exciting. All in all I'd give Flexin On Purpose a 7.5/10, i was pleasantly surprised to be impressed by a rapper id never heard of and I look forward to his next release, if i could give one critique it would probably be to try rap with less of an American accent but Chulo's career is very young and i can see him making moves in 2020.








FOLLOW SOLOCHULO ON INSTAGRAM  @solochuloo

**btw this will probably be the last time i talk about African Aussie rappers for a while lol

  

DM'ing with BBG Smokey from 66Records

Last week I made a post about 66records and why I think they have the potential to be one of the biggest forces in Australian hip hop. Melbourne is due for a new movement and artists like Gs Phantom, Pronto and BBG Smokey are bringing a new voice to the forefront of Melbourne hip hop. Just like I touched on in my last post, African Australian representation in hip hop is well overdue and today I had the pleasure of speaking to one of my favorite artists in 66Records, BBG Smokey.

In my short conversation, the South East Melbourne native had a lot to say about African Australian representation in Aus hip hop and what 66records was doing to change the landscape of hip hop in Australia.

follow Smokey @xdarealbbgx

First off where in Melbourne are you from and what was your upbringing like?

I'm from Frankston originally, I was raised on the streets.

What are your thoughts on hip hop in Aus at the moment?

I feel like hip hop isn't really appreciated here in Australia the industry is Fugazi

The people behind the scenes like the big industry people don't really know what hiphop even is.

I hear heaps of youngboy and A boogie influence in your 'only one' track, do you mainly listen to American rappers? 

Yeah I listen to music that's similar to how I live my life, it inluences me. NBA Youngboy is an example of that

No doubt, it's only recently  I've really been hearing African boys doing their thing in Aus, why do you think that is? Do you think 66records has alot to do with that?

That's exactly what 66 is achieving and the reason why it started. 66Records see how the industry is and are trying to change that. Putting on talented artists that might never get the chance without the label.

Do you think the industry has ignored African rappers?

Certainly, African rappers aren't given the spotlight that they deserve.... I'm not talking about just any African rapper that reckons they are an artist but the ones that are actually talented and have potentially bright futures, it feels that the industry is trying so hard to ignore that.

Well if 66records keep doing what they doing i don't think it's gonna be like that for much longer.

Yeah that's a fact.


Are there any artists in aus you fuck with outside your team?

I fuck with anyone that's doing them, anyone that's trying to make a living through music and someone that's talented, obviously.

What does the future look like for you? what have you got coming this year?

Album this year

National tour

More videos

The Rise of 66records

I have to say, of all the countries with a hip-hop scene Australia has got to have the least amount of Africans which is kinda surprising seeing that most scenes whether it be the US, UK, France,  or Canada, all these countries biggest rappers are black. For most Aussies, if you ask them to name you an African rapper they'd tell you Ur Boy Bangs. Who, before you laugh, is one of the most viewed rappers in the county, appeared in a KIA ad, was the first Aussie rapper on Jimmy Fallon, and in my opinion, a pioneer in the sound Lil Yachty made popular. (he also made all his beats). I know it's probably going to impossible to convince people Ur Boy Bangs is an underestimated artist/producer/entrepreneur/mogul so that being the case, there isn't really any notable African Australian artists. With almost 400,000 Aussies with African heritage, it really is surprising that there hasn't really been a proper lane for African Australians, of course, there are a few artists like Manu Crooks out of Sydney, but these artists are far and few. When you say African Australian a lot of people will think of Melbourne, home to a large number of East African Australians and the notorious gangs made popular by the media like Apex Predators. It's in these streets of Melbourne that 6 years ago a record label was born that would focus on African Australian artists, 66Records. 66Records is shrouded in controversy, one of their events in late 2018 caught media attention when a brawl broke out leaving 7 hospitalized and the record label was even featured on Four Corners ABC. Beyond the controversy, 66 records are producing top quality music videos covering all styles of hip-hop.


I'm not going to lie, the first time I stumbled upon 66Records I thought it was just B-grade American rip-off music that wouldn't catch on.
But after a couple returns and some new discoveries, my opinion made a 180-degree shift. Although the American accent is still there, which 99% of the time doesn't work and isnt memorable, I found that some of the 66records tracks were pretty catchy and even with the accents could stand up to any Aussie tracks id heard and even lots of the stuff coming out of America. The first track from 66Records I really fucked with was BBG Smokey - Only One, the song is clearly heavily influenced by NBA Young Boy from Louisiana and the Visuals could be straight out of London. The song and the visuals were well produced, catchy and had a laid back vibe to it, I thought it did a pretty good job at capturing the energy of the African Australian experience in Melbourne. Now don't get me wrong ALOT of the videos on 66Records are American look-alikes that are mediocre but there are some proper gems on the channel. Pronto - One Day is one of these gems that is super catchy and feel good, I remember playing this with some mates and it was a great song to just kick back too. Both Pronto's One Day and BBG Smokey's Only one are fairly new and hopfully a sign of whats to come. I can totally see 66Records dominating the Melbourne scene in a few years. I think the next step for 66Records is to just maintain the consistent uploads and maybe even reach out to others in the scene, I can totally see a BBG Smokey and Kid Laroi collab.

UK influence in Australian hiphop

Hiphop is  a funny thing, it is the most black American art form there is but it's a global phenomenon. The black experience and hiphop are almost inseparable, so when hiphop spreads to somewhere outside of America it almost always maintains an Americaness to it. The UK, one of the early adopters of hiphop was no exception from this.  Although the UK had a connection to hiphops founding city New York through both cities having large Carribean and west African communities London still had a long journey to finding its own identity. 1980's Uk rappers like Dizzy Heights were almost indistinguishable from US rappers of the time. The 90s brought the Uk abit more identity with the popularity of jungle and garage music, but that wasn't even considered hiphop! 2000's birthed Grime, the first truly British sub-genre of hiphop with household names coming from this new scene like Wiley, Dizzee and Tinie Tempah. This early period in grime even had an effect on Australia with the arrival of Fraksha from England and his formation of Smash Brothers, the first Grime crew based in Australia.

Dizzee and Wiley

By the late 2000s Grime in the UK would die down and be replaced by more American styles, Grime crews in both the UK and Aus would remain underground and local. In this dull time both Brits and Australians still looked towards America for the new trends, until 2012. There is no exact date but I like to pin it to Skepta's Ace hood flow music video, this, for me at least, was the start of the Grime renaissance. The following year would see an explosion in Grime with old artists like Skepta, JME, Kano and Wiley making massive comebacks and new artists like Stormzy and Section Boys finding new success. This 2nd wave of Grime was different to the first in the early 2000s because it had a global impact with UK artists finding die-hard international audiences in the US, mainland Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The Grime comeback peaked in mid-2015 with the release of Stomzy's park freestyle 'Shut up' and Skepta's long-anticipated video for 'Shut down' which even had a cameo from the worlds biggest rapper Drake. This period was so massive for the UK scene that they probably will never again look to America for trends, the biggest artists in the UK are from the UK. New genres came out of this time like Uk Afrobeat and Uk drill the latter of which has seen some success in Australia too.

With the arrival of Uk artists to Australia through tours and festivals, it seemed clear that this new British resurgence would rub off on the Aussie scene. It was possible to create a hiphop scene that was almost 100% true to the culture, there was finally proof, a blueprint. Of course, there has been grime acts in Australia since the arrival of Fraksha like Thats Them crew from Sydney, Alex Jones and Mr Wrighty;shit, no one should forget the time Kerser jumped on a grime track with Thats Them.

By 2018 the kids that were around during the grime explosion of 2014 were older and drew fashion and music influences from the UK.
Artists like Shadow, Chillinit, Wombat and Hazrd were all giving grime a go, and it was working. But with this new found success many were questioning if the scene was going backward, that we weren't going our own way but just replacing America for England, and can you blame them? For so long Grime had been an exclusively British style and for some, the accent change just didn't work. Others pointed to groups like One Four who were criticized for completely ripping off UK drill. In an interview with WDE One Four member YP said that they were heavily influenced by Uk drill rappers because they live like them. The succes of acts like Chillinit, Wombat and One Four can be largely owed to the rise of UK influence in Australia and more interest in that style, and while som critics say it's a generic bite of the UK style it's undenyable that it's had a positive impact on the growth of Aus hiphop.

Has Chillinit pushed Australian hiphop into a new era?

In August of 2018 the popular UK youtube channel, JDZ Media released its first-ever Australian clip, a live spit by Sydney's very own Chillinit. With over 380,000 subscribers this is the biggest feature an Australian artist has had on a UK youtube channel and only the second time i can recall an Aussie artist even being on a UK channel (the other being Alex Jones). To make things even better the video is one of JDZ media's most popular uploads this month, even getting a comment from popular artist Izzie Gibbs. There are more and more UK fans turning their gaze to the Australian scene and Chillinit is leading the charge. The last 6 months have really been Chillinit's moment, 2 of his videos reached a million views, sold out nationwide tour and just recently a UK feature. I was at the Bodybag tour in Sydney, it was a coming together of most of the new generation of the scene, it was amazing to see the type of energy Chillinit and the crowd could create. I had never seen these types of fans at a Sydney show.

 

 The thing I find so cool about Chillinit is the work rate and the way he is able to increase the work rate of those around him, in a West Enders interview Wombat talks on how Chillinit 'G'eed him up to make more tracks'. This is exactly the type of people I think we need to bring us into a new era of Australian rap. As much as Kerser did alot for the scene I think he missed a really important opportunity by not shining a light on other talent and not cooperating with other artists. Kerser was much more focused on himself then the scene. I think artists like Chillinit are throwing away this lone wolf mentality and actually working for the scene and not themselves. This is what I mean by Chillinit pushing Australia into a new era. When I look over at the UK and the progress they have made in the last 5 years it all seems to come down to unity, cooperation, and talent.





















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