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Hyjak N Torcha | |
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| Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Obese Records |
| Members | Hyjak Torcha DJ Bonez |
| Website | http://www.myspace.com/hyjakntorcha |
Hyjak N Torcha is an Australian hip hop group from Sydney, New South Wales.
The group formed in 2000, consisting of Hyjak (Jack McCarthy), Torcha (John Chmielewski), and DJ Bonez (George Kordas).
Hyjak first appeared on the scene in 1998, at the age of fifteen he snuck into a pub in the Sydney suburb of Kings Cross to compete in a rap battle, which he won. [1] Torcha, hailing from Sydney's west, was an active volunteer youth worker, doing programs in youth prisons and performing at anti-war rallies. Formally part of Sydney's Eth-nik Tribe, another Australian hip hop group. [1]
Hyjak N Torcha signed to Obese Records and their first album Drastik Measures was released in 2004. [2] [3] "Sneak", a single from that album, received airplay on Triple J [4] and the video clip was played on rage . [5] The album was reviewed on Triple J's website. [6] They have since performed with artists including the Hilltop Hoods, [7] De La Soul, Xzibit, Mobb Deep, Gang Starr, Lord Finesse, [8] Swollen Members, Murs and Ice Cube. [9] The group's members are also affiliated with Dominion, an Australian hip hop crew. [1]
Hyjak N Torcha have made guest appearances (together and separately) on records by artists including Hilltop Hoods (Hyjak performed on Hilltop Hoods' album The Calling [10] ), Bliss n Eso (Hyjak did a guest verse on the track "Get Loose" on their album Day of the Dog [11] ) and Pegz (Hyjak and Torcha appeared on Pegz's Axis album [12] ).
They also released a videoclip for their track "A Night with Chopper", featuring Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read, from his album, Interview with a Madman , [13] which, in 2006, won the award for 'Best New Filmmaker' (Matt Chuang) at the BelowGround Music Video Fest Awards. [14]
The group released their second album, Unregrettable, in 2009. The album was produced by Mules and features appearances by Murs, N'fa and S.Q.Z.
Hyjak released his first solo EP in 2002 "Breaking Sound Barriers" through Statik Recordings, DJ Bonez produced the whole EP and it was released on limited 12" inch vinyl.
In 2006, Hyjak released a mixtape, Shady Characters featuring Torcha, Kye, Bliss N Eso and others. [15] He also performed on a track for Jase's single "Nutcase".
In 2011, Hyjak released a mixtape called The Reminder Mixtape featuring Kerser, Chow. P and Thorn.
Hyjak released a solo LP, Light at the End of the Tunnel, in 2013, distributed by Obese Records.
Two years later Hyjak released his second LP "Stage Diving With No Crowd", released on CD and digital.
Torcha formed a five-piece band, A Broken Silence, with keyboardist B-Don (Brendon Costello), guitarist Cactus (Daniel Bartulovich), bass player Boots (Simon Lennon) and drummer Nathan Tuffin. [16] The band attracted the attention of Tim Freedman, who collaborated with Torcha on "The Road is Lost", the first single from the band's debut album, All For What, released in 2009. [16] Torcha played the song whilst touring around Australia with Freedman's band, The Whitlams, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. [16] [17] The album also features guests appearances from Ozi Batla (The Herd), Patriarch (USA) and DJ Skizo.
Torcha released his solo LP, Frozen State, together with producer B-Don in 2010. The beats were created without any use of samples and the instruments are mostly played by B-Don. The album features guest appearances from N'fa, Hyjak, S.Q.Z, 2furious and also Korean mega-star Bobby Kim with his crew Buga Kingz.
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 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 the inception of the Australian hip-hop scene, Australian Aboriginals have played a prominent role.
The Hard Road is the fourth studio album by Australian hip hop group Hilltop Hoods. Released on 1 April 2006 by Obese Records, it debuted at number one on the Australia ARIA Albums Chart, and was the first album by Australian artists to achieve that position. It contains the top 20 single "Clown Prince". It achieved Gold status on 8 April 2006, a week after release, and has now surpassed Platinum status.
Axis is the second album released by Australian hip hop artist MC Pegz. It was released in 2005, 18 months after his debut album. This recording features appearances from other Australian MCs, including Hilltop Hoods, Hyjak N Torcha, and Debaser.
Obese Records was a record label that released music from the Australian hip hop genre. It was the largest Australian independent hip hop label, including performers Pegz, Hilltop Hoods, Thundamentals, Reason, Andy Struksha, and Dialectrix. Obese Records also operated two retail stores in Melbourne, a record distribution company, a soul imprint named Plethora Records, and operated the artists' management and touring company, Obese Records Artist Management.
Matthew Victor Barrett, who performed as Matty B, is a former Australian hip hop rapper and MC. Originally from Perth, he released an album, The Courageous LP, in 2002 on Obese Records. He relocated to the Gold Coast in 2006 and followed with an eight-track extended play, Simple but Effective in May, on his own label, B-Style Entertainment.
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Paul Reid, formerly Paul Gary James Ridge,, better known by the stage name Drapht, is an Australian hip hop artist from Perth. Drapht is a member of the Syllabolix (SBX) crew, a collective that includes fellow Perth-based hip hop artists such as Downsyde.
Interview with a Madman is a hip hop album by Australian criminal Mark "Chopper" Read, released on Rott'n Records on March 13, 2006. Read's foray into music features gritty tales of organised crime, jail time and ear mutilation, and he is supported by beats and guest appearances from Hyjak N Torcha, Justice, Lazy Grey, Lotek, Matty B, Necro, Phrase and various other hip hop artists. Music videos were made for the tracks "Night With Chopper" and "Remember Me".
Tirren Staaf, otherwise known as Pegz, is an Australian hip hop artist and producer hailing from Melbourne, Victoria. He was the CEO of Obese Records—the record label responsible for artists such as Hilltop Hoods, Downsyde, and Bias B.
Muph & Plutonic is an Australian hip hop group. It is composed of MC Muphin and DJ–drummer–producer Plutonic Lab, both of whom released several solo albums before joining together to form a combined act in 2004.
Silence the Sirens is the second album from Muph & Plutonic and was released on 21 November 2006. The album took 10 months to produce and features guest performances from several Australian MCs and Musicians, including Fatlip, Pegz, Urthboy, Ivens (Awakenings), Raph Boogie & BVA and Red Ghost. The album is considered a classic in the Australian Hip Hop scene, due its blend of high quality production and polished lyricism. It peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Urban Album Chart and was featured as Triple Js Album of the Week.
Debaser is an American two-man hip-hop group from Oregon, United States, and are part of the crew Sandpeople. The duo consists of Ethic (MC) & Sapient (MC/Producer) and was founded in late 2005. Their name is a direct reference to the definition of the word debaser, not to be confused with the popular song Debaser by the Pixies.
George Kordas, better known by the stage name DJ Bonez, is a hip hop DJ and producer, originally from Sydney and currently based in Melbourne, Australia.
Joseph Lardner, better known by the stage name Vents and also known as Vents One, Vents 1 and Vents Uno, is an Australian hip hop artist from Adelaide, South Australia. He has released two albums, 2007's Hard to Kill and 2011's Marked for Death. The latter was nominated for an ARIA Music Award.
Long Story Short is the debut studio album by Illy. The album was released on 15 April 2009. It includes collaborations with Phrase, N'Fa, Pegz and Spit Syndicate. The bulk of the album was produced by M-Phazes and J-Skub. Both the singles, "Pictures" and "Generation Y" were placed on Triple J national rotation.
Xannon Shirley, better known by the stage name The Tongue, is an Australian rapper, DJ and high school teacher from Sydney. He released two EPs, four albums and three mixtapes. He also released "Bloodwork: The Best of The Tongue" in 2022.
Ryan Leaf, better known by the stage name Dialectrix, is an Australian hip hop artist from Sydney. He was a member of Down Under Beats Crew and, since 2008, has been a member of Gully Platoon. In addition to his musical career, Dialectrix works in the construction trades. He was introduced to hip hop culture through skateboarding during adolescence.
Leigh Ryan, better known by the stage name Plutonic Lab or sometimes as Pluto is an Australian music producer, engineer, artist & performer.
The discography of Australian hip hop group Hilltop Hoods consists of eight studio albums, one compilation albums, three extended plays (EPs), thirty-three singles and three DVDs. Their debut studio album A Matter of Time was released independently in 1999.
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