Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and is largely inspired by hip hop and other predominantly African-American 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 1200 Techniques, Kerser, Manu Crooks, Briggs, Baker Boy, Koolism, Hilltop Hoods and Bliss n Eso achieving 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.
Harley Webster – better known as Phrase – is an Australian hip hop MC, originating from Melbourne.
Like a Version is a weekly segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It involves Australian and international artists playing 2 songs live in the Triple J studio, one of their own songs and then a cover version, hence the name of the segment. The title is wordplay on "Like a Virgin".
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, Thundamentals and Dialectrix. Obese Records also operated two retail stores in Melbourne, a record distribution company, a soul imprint named Plethora Records, and operates the artists' management and touring company Obese Records Artist Management.
Hyjak N Torcha is an Australian hip hop group from Sydney, New South Wales.
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.
Horrorshow is an Australian hip-hop music duo from the Inner West region of Sydney that consists of producer Adit and rapper MC Solo. Horrorshow, together with Spit Syndicate, Jackie Onassis and Joyride, are members of One Day crew.
Fabio Bartolo Rizzo, better known by his stage name Marracash, is an Italian rapper, record producer and TV personality. Starting his career in the rap group Dogo Gang, he debuted as a solo artist rising in fame in the 2010s releasing six studio albums that reached the top ten of the Italian Albums Chart, including two top positions with Santeria (2018) and Persona (2019). The rapper has also released numerous successful singles and collaborations scoring seventeen times the top ten of the Italian Singles Chart. Thanks to his work he has sold 2.3 million copies in Italy, becoming one of the top selling Italian rappers in the 2010s.
Spit Syndicate are an ARIA Award-nominated Australian hip hop duo, consisting of Nick Lupi and Jimmy Nice based in Sydney, Australia. The duo, alongside other Australian hip hop artists Solo and Adit, Joyride and Jackie Onassis, form the Inner-West "One Day" crew.
Clockwork is the second studio album by Phrase. Originally intended for a late 2007 release it was put out in April 2009. It includes collaborations with Bliss n Eso, Jackson Jackson and Daniel Merriweather and has guest appearances by Kram and Wendy Matthews. Clockwork was nominated for an ARIA for best urban album, nominated for Triple J's album of the year and was feature album on Triple J.
Gully Platoon are an Australian hip-hop group, composed of Pegz with Joe New and Dialectrix.
Alasdair Murray, better known by his stage name Illy, is an Australian hip hop recording artist from Ormond in Melbourne. Illy first emerged onto the hip hop scene in 2009 and has released five studio albums and has won multiple ARIA Music Awards. Illy has performed at many Australian music festivals including headline spots at Groovin The Moo, Splendour in the Grass, Spilt Milk and Yours and Owls.
Mark Landon better known by his stage name M-Phazes, is a producer and artist from Gold Coast, Queensland. He is best known for his production work with artists such as Demi Lovato, Eminem, Madonna, Daniel Johns, Amy Shark, KYLE, Alison Wonderland, Ruel and Illy. In 2017, Landon moved to Los Angeles, California to further his musical career.
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.
The Chase is the second studio album by Illy. The album was released in October 2010 with an online countdown track by track. It includes collaborations with Owl Eyes, Hue Blanes, Wren, Oliver Daysoul and Joyride. The bulk of the album was once again produced by M-Phazes. Three singles were released from the album, "The Chase", "It Can Wait" and "Cigarettes". "It Can Wait" was listed at #29 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2010.
San Cisco is an Australian indie pop band that formed in 2009 under the original name of King George, in Fremantle, Western Australia. The band are a three-piece, and currently consists of Jordi Davieson, Josh Biondillo and Scarlett Stevens. All members, except Stevens, share duties on keyboards. In November 2011, the band was signed by Albert Productions, but moved to Fat Possum Records for the release of its debut album. In October 2012, the band described its 'vibe' as "squelchy, crispy, streamlined, hairy, indie". At the ARIA Music Awards of 2013 the group were nominated for Best Independent Release and Best Dance Release for the album; and Best Video for "Fred Astaire", which was directed by Andrew Nowrojee.
Good Gracious is the first album by Australian hip hop producer M-Phazes. Released in 2010 on Obese Records, each track features different artists, including Drapht, Bliss n Eso, Illy and Forthwrite.
Ryan Egan, better known by the stage name Ryland Rose, is an Australian rapper and songwriter. He is best known for his songs "Almost Famous & Broke", "Gimme That" & "Circles", all which received national airplay on Triple J. His video clip was Indie Clip of the Week on Australia's rage for the "Good Morning" music video. His music was used on Unplanned America, a program on SBS Two. His recordings are currently released by Inertia Access.
Jessica Alyssa Cerro, who performs as Montaigne, is an Australian art pop singer-songwriter-musician. Her debut album, Glorious Heights, was released on 5 August 2016, which peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2016 she won Breakthrough Artist – Release for the album and was nominated for three other categories. In April 2016 she was a featured vocalist on Hilltop Hoods' track, "1955", which reached No. 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart. She will represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with her song "Don't Break Me".
