Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and is 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 The Kid Laroi, Manu Crooks, Onefour, Iggy Azalea, Hilltop Hoods, Bliss n Eso and Youngn Lipz, 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.
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.
The Funkoars are an Australian hip hop act from Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The group is part of the Certified Wise crew of hip hop artists from South Australia, who also collaborated on various recordings. Despite being on hiatus since 2016, Funkoars are still rostered to Golden Era Records.
Joelistics is an Australian MC, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who is a member of the Melbourne-based Australian hip hop group TZU and a solo artist on the Elefant Traks music label.
Golden Era Records is a record label that specializes in Australian hip hop music and is based in Stirling, South Australia, Australia. The label was founded in 2008 by South Australian hip hop trio Hilltop Hoods.
Luke George Girgis, better known by his stage name, Coptic Soldier, is an Australian hip-hop artist, music manager and record label executive. He often performed with stage partner, Phatchance and later became his manager. Girgis co-founded a record label, I Forgot Sorry! in 2010 and then a management company, Be Like Children, in 2013.
Amethyst Amelia Kelly, known professionally as Iggy Azalea, is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, she moved to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognition after releasing the music videos for her songs "Pussy" and "Two Times" on YouTube, both of which gained rapid popularity. Azalea shortly after released her debut mixtape, Ignorant Art (2011), and subsequently signed a recording contract with American rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle label.
Adam Briggs, who performs as Briggs and self-describes as Senator Briggs, is an Indigenous Australian rapper, record label owner, comedy writer, actor, and author. Briggs became well known as a "solo rapper", signing with Golden Era Records in 2009, before co-founding the hip hop duo A.B. Original in 2016.
808 Mafia is an American record production and songwriting team, founded by record producers Southside, TM88, and Lex Luger. Southside is currently at the helm of the group. The group also includes producers Young Miami, Fuse 100, Tarentino, Purps, Swede, Nonstop Da Hitman, MP808, among others. Its name comes from the drum machine commonly used in hip-hop music, the Roland TR-808.
Joshua Howard Luellen, professionally known as Southside, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper. He gained recognition in the hip hop industry for producing songs for prominent artists across the American hip hop sphere. In 2010, Southside and fellow 1017 label-mate Lex Luger, established their production and songwriting team 808 Mafia, where Southside currently is at the helm of the group. The basis of his stage name is the place where Luellen grew up, Southside, in Atlanta, Georgia.
South Sudanese Australians are people of South Sudanese ancestry or birth who live in Australia.
Brandon George Dickinson, better known by his stage name Lil Bibby, is an American rapper and record executive. Beginning his career in 2011, Bibby released his debut mixtape in 2013, titled Free Crack. After signing with Kemosabe Records, he followed up the project with Free Crack 2 (2014) and Free Crack 3 (2015). In 2017, he eventually switched focus onto his own record label, Grade A Productions. Bibby would eventually sign fellow Chicago rapper and singer Juice Wrld and Australian rapper and singer the Kid Laroi to the label; both signed artists achieved success globally.
Tomas Henry Gaynor, known professionally as Allday, is an Australian rapper, singer and songwriter from Adelaide, South Australia. Gaynor became active in 2011, when he began uploading his music for free online. Following his works becoming increasingly popular, he moved to Melbourne, Victoria, to pursue a serious career before later relocating to Los Angeles, California, in February 2017. His works have been influenced by acts such as Silverchair, Frank Ocean, and TLC. Gaynor released his debut album, Startup Cult, in July 2014 to Australian audiences. Startup Cult achieved success and reached number three on the ARIA Charts.
Symere Bysil Woods, known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous fashion, imagery built on a melodic approach to trap. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Lil Uzi Vert gained initial recognition following the release of the commercial mixtape Luv Is Rage (2015), which led to a recording contract with Atlantic Records, to whom they signed under DJ Drama's Generation Now imprint.
Christopher Smith Jr., better known by his stage name Smino, is an American rapper and singer. Smino is the founder of the musical collective Zero Fatigue with Bari, Monte Booker, Jay2, and Ravyn Lenae. He is a member of the hip-hop supergroup Zoink Gang, with JID, Buddy and Guapdad 4000. He is also one third of the supergroup Ghetto Sage, with Saba and Noname. Smino is signed to Downtown Records and Interscope.
The South Australian Music Awards, also known as SA Music Awards, commonly SAM Awards, formerly Fowler's Live Music Awards (FLMA), are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They take place in Adelaide, South Australia every November. The venue has varied over the years.
Gabriel Erjok Majer Akon, known professionally as DyspOra, is a South Sudanese-born Australian hip hop artist, poet and activist. He is the founder of the music collective and independent record label Playback 808, and released the 8-track EP, The AustrAlien, in partnership with the not-for-profit organisation Music in Exile in April 2020, after a series of singles and shorter collaborations. He calls his brand of hip hop "Sonic Activism", as he uses his music as a tool to influence social change.
Elsy Wameyo, also known as ELSY, is a Kenyan-born Australian singer-songwriter, mostly singing in the hip hop genre. Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Wameyo was awarded Young Kenyan of the Year in 2018, and won People's Choice Best Hip Hop Award at the annual South Australian Music Awards in 2019.
Rhyan Clapham, known by his stage name Dobby, is a Filipino-Aboriginal Australian musician. He describes himself as a "drapper", a contraction of rapper and drummer, although he also plays other instruments and is also a composer. He sometimes raps with the indie rock band Jackie Brown Jr, but on his own is mainly a hip hop artist.
Northern Sound System (NSS) is a dedicated youth centre focused on music, broadcasting, and other creative industries, located in Elizabeth, a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
