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.
Hilltop Hoods is an Australian hip hop group that formed in 1996 in Blackwood, Adelaide, South Australia. They are regarded as pioneers of the "larrikin-like" style of Australian hip hop. The group was founded by Suffa and Pressure, who were joined by DJ Debris after fellow founder, DJ Next, left in 1999. The group released its first extended play, Back Once Again, in 1997 and have subsequently released eight studio albums, two "restrung" albums and three DVDs.
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.
Downsyde is an Australian hip hop group from Perth, Western Australia. The group is composed of three members, Optamus, Dazastah and Dyna-Mikes.
Land of the Giants is the second album from the Western Australian hip hop group, Downsyde. It was released through Virgin/Hydrofunk Records on 17 February 2003. It peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Hitseekers Albums chart. Guests on the album included DJ Fdel and Porsah Laine.
When the Dust Settles is the third full-length album from Australian hip hop group, Downsyde and was released in December 2004 through Obese Records. It was produced by band members Optamus, Dazastah, Cheeky and Armee. All tracks were recorded and mixed at various members' homes except for flutes on "Bring It All Black" and "Arabian Knights", which were recorded at Studio Couch in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Epinonimous is the debut album released by the Australian Hip Hop group Downsyde. Although Downsyde are now quite well known throughout Australia, this album is hard to get hold of. It was released in September 2000.
Dazastah is one of the MCs of the Perth, Western Australia-based hip-hop group Downsyde.
The Western Australian Music Industry Awards are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM). The WAMi Awards are Western Australia Music's night of nights, bringing together local music fans and members of local, national and international industry to acknowledge and celebrate another year of achievements for Western Australia.
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.
Rollerskates are a five piece indie pop band from Perth, Western Australia. Their music is a mix of electronic sounds, dance music, hip-hop, rock and funk.
"Gifted Life" is the first single from Australian hip hop group Downsyde's second album Land of the Giants. It was released on 23 September 2002 on the independent label, Hydrofunk and distributed nationally by Virgin.
WAM was originally formed as the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. (WARMIA) in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia. WAM first received project funding from the state government in 1989, and in the early 90s the word "rock" was dropped from the title to give the organisation scope to take on a broader constituency.
Who Am I is the second full-length album from Western Australian hip hop artist, Drapht. It was released in June 2005 through Australian Hip Hop label, Obese Records. It was released both in CD and limited 2 LP vinyl format. The album features contributions by MC Layla, Dazastah (Downsyde) and Pressure. Two songs from the album, "Drink Drank Drunk" and "The Music", received airplay on community radio stations and national youth broadcaster, Triple J, and featured on national music video show, rage. "The Music" samples Living Jazz's version of "Walk On By" and was selected by Triple J as a featured track for Ausmusic month in 2005. The album has subsequently been included in the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) as part of The Art of Sound, a collaborative project between the NFSA and selected regional art galleries, which examines the intersections between sound and the visual arts.
Pale Rider is the debut full-length album from Western Australian hip hop artist, Drapht. It was released in October 2003 through Australian Hip Hop label, Syllabolix Records. The album features contributions by MC Layla, Dazastah, Optamus and Hunter. Tracks were produced by Dazastah, Optamus or Fdel. Matt Unicomb in 3D World describes the album as being "one of Western Australia's defining hip hop achievements."
Layla Rose Hanbury, known mononymously as Layla, is an Australian hip hop singer-songwriter and MC from Perth. In January 2005 she released her debut solo album, Heretik, on Obese Records. She is a member of Syllabolix (SBX) Crew, with other MCs including her husband, Dazastah. The couple also perform as Layla and Dazastah. During September and October 2011 the duo were a support act for another SBX artist, Drapht, on his Australia-wide Party Party Party Tour.
Brothers Grimm is the third album from Western Australian hip hop artist, Drapht. It was released in May 2008 through Australian hip hop label, Obese Records. The album features contributions by Dazastah (Downsyde), Ciecmate, Trials & Porsah Laine.
All City is the fourth official studio album from Western Australian hip hop group, Downsyde. It was released in October 2008 through their new label, Illusive Sounds.
Robert Alan Hunter, better known as Hunter or Huntz, was an Australian rapper and hip hop artist. He was a founder of Perth's hip hop scene in the 1990s and a member of the MC collective Syllabolix (SBX) Crew. During his career, he released four albums: Done DL (2002), Going Back to Yokine (2006), Monster House (2010) and Fear and Loathing (2011).
