Hip Hop

Juicy Fest hits Sydney with nostalgia and a mixed bag of hip hop and R&B performances

T.I., Ashanti, T-Pain. The three headliners for Juicy Fest 2024, the second iteration of what is – I’m guessing – now the signature hip hop festival for Australia and New Zealand. Signature because all these other attempts at building a stable hip hop and R&B festival for Australia and New Zealand have largely fallen flat…

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Juicy Fest 2024 set to start the New Year with a bang for hip hop fans

Despite having a deep love for hip hop and R&B, I hate most “urban music” festivals that come to Australia. The only one that has really won me in the past decade was Soulfest 2014, which was co-headlined by Maxwell and D’Angelo with the likes of Angie Stone, Anthony Hamilton, and Common in tow. It…

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Ms. Lauryn Hill announces arena shows in both Sydney and Melbourne for October 2023

When Ms. Lauryn Hill was announced as the headliner for Gold Coast’s Promiseland festival in October, people were… confused. Nothing against the Gold Coast, of course, but such a big name coming to Australia to celebrate 25 years her seminal solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and just doing one show seemed a bit…

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Live Review: Ice Cube, Cypress Hill and AB Original rock Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena (26.03.23)

Ice Cube’s reputation as one of the signature artists of hip hop and an architect of the culture is not up for debate. The famously barbed and politically-charged emcee played a significant part in solidifying hip-hop as a vehicle for sweeping cultural commentary, change and documentation throughout the 90s. Hence, an Ice Cube concert is…

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Live Review: Snoop Dogg celebrates legacy and living large in Sydney – Qudos Bank Arena (01.03.23)

For the first time in just about a decade, Snoop Dogg has returned down under. The legendary Californian rapper has had a contentious relationship with the country over the years, but now that he’s back for his “I Wanna Thank Me” tour, Aussies are just clearly glad the doggfather has finally touched down. The last…

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Australian Hip Hop Artists to Collaborate with NBA 2K23

Both NBA 2K23 and Universal Music Australia have recently announced a special partnership with various Australian Hip Hop artists, Chillinit, Sahxl and Barkaa. The collaboration titled Court in Session, will feature a selection of musical performances inspired by and set to many of the beats and sounds featured within NBA 2K23. This collaboration will form…

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Live Review: JPEGMAFIA keeps it raw and real at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre (21.07.22)

It’s crazy sometimes to see how few people seem to share your interest in your favourite smaller artists, especially when you can’t get over just how brilliant they are. This is exactly how I feel about JPEGMAFIA, a.k.a Peggy. As one of my favourite artists, I can never seem to get enough of his music….

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5 Upcoming Hip Hop Concerts You Can’t Miss In 2022: From Tyler to Sampa

Banging out to songs like “Corso” (Tyler, the Creator) and “Wiley Flow” (Stormzy) on your headphones late at night during lockdown was cool, but think about what it’s going to be like when all that pent-up energy is released in at a concert this year? Yeah, that’s right. Concerts are coming back in full-force, and…

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JessB

We caught up with JessB to talk “FROM THA JUMP”, lockdown recording sessions, and the King Street Carnival

Auckland-based rapper JessB has been steadily rising in recent years, and the one ahead is looking to be busy and bright. The former professional netballer has already had quite an impressive career; with two EPs, a mixtape and a handful of singles under her belt, JessB also won Best New Zealand Act at the 2019…

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The best hip hop Christmas songs of all time

Christmas themed hip hop songs have been a part of hip hop culture since the early 80’s, and from The Treacherous Three and Kurtis Blow to Kanye West and Run the Jewels, there are actually some really good ones out there. To soundtrack your Christmas family get together we’ve gone through and counted down what…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: Gated Community “Lay Low and Snitch” (2020)

Straight from the first note, Kiwi-Aussie duo Gated Community swing hard with energetic rhymes, effortlessly cruising the bubbling, Hyphy-like production of their new song “Lay Low and Snitch”. This kind of explosive, irrepressible hip hop is a welcome break from the nihilistic ’emo rap’ that’s still flooding all corners of the internet, so we’re proud…

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Best female rappers

100 of the greatest songs by women in hip hop

It opens with Erykah Badu rhyming over a beatbox from Rahzel, and closes with Missy Elliot threatening to slap you right across your melon. We’ve put together a 100-deep playlist for this month’s Hip Hop and R&B Retrospective, celebrating women in rap by spotlighting some of our favourites from the 80’s (Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah,…

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Track of the Day: IJALE Feat. Rara Zulu “Hotlines” (2020)

Melbourne-based Australian-Nigerian emcee IJALE has served up the first taste of his upcoming debut EP Wildly Disparate Sounds with the conceptually powerful, aesthetically smooth “Hotline”. More than just a song, the hip hop artist has expanded upon the idea of having a safe space for the Black community and other people of colour to vent…

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Exclusive Album Premiere: Sowdy – Shine! (2020)

Perth emcee Sowdy is steadily building a reputation as one of the most versatile and exciting hip hop artists in the country. Just one listen to his latest single, “Love”, would tell you all you needed to know about the wildly creative rapper, drummer and vocalist, whose love for the art is endearingly obvious. His…

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Three new Hip Hop playlists to help you explore the rich history of the culture

The AU Review has always been about connecting readers with the best of arts, entertainment and culture. From music and books to travel and food, for more than a decade now the website has been dedicated entirely to discovery and re-discovery, celebrating the best experiences from around the world. To further that, we continue to…

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Track of the Day: Dos Dos “No Time” (2020)

In a climate where addressing one’s own identity has never felt more important, independent Australian rapper and producer Dos Dos has released his first major single of 2020, “No Time”. An unfettered reflection of an artist’s struggle with identity and depression, “No Time” – over a subtle base and hip-hop-inclined beat – comments on the…

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Jaywop

Track of the Day: Jaywop “Big Bad” (2020)

There aren’t too many rising hip hop stars coming out of Arizona, but Phoenix artist Jaywop is set to wave the flag high for his city. Bubbling under the radar, the rapper turns in a single, “Big Bad”, touching on a hard-worker simply climbing his way to the top. And top is most definitely where…

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Track of the Day: Dos Dos feat. Joey Legit “Some” (2019)

After twelve months of honing his craft and using his current base of Brisbane to test the waters on his new experimental sounds, New Zealand-born, self-produced rapper Dos Dos has signalled something of a career rebirthing with the release of his new single, “Some”. Raw, unfiltered lyrics – an ode to overcoming struggle – sit atop…

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Track of the Day: Sampa the Great “Freedom” (2019)

After catching fire across the world with the “OMG” and “Final Form”, Sampa the Great prefaces new album The Return with yet another soul-stirring single in “Freedom”. The third clipping from this imminent project, Sampa syncs with a soulful backbeat, skipping across powerful vocal support to give us an R&B-flavoured ode to artistic expression. A…

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Track of the Day: Common Feat. Swizz Beatz “Hercules” (2019)

Top-tier emcee Common is gearing up to release a brand new album next month, and for the latest single he’s hooked up with a surprising collaborator. Offering the mighty “Hercules” as the follow-up to soulful cut “HER Love”, the Chicago emcee linked up with veteran producer Swizz Beatz who turns in a beastly drum pattern…

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Exclusive Single Premiere: No Label Necessary Feat. Kudzai “Like You” (2019)

Ahead of their forthcoming EP MIDN9T X, Sydney duo No Label Necessary – individually Creepah from Sydney and Thony Remy from Brooklyn – have gone straight for the clubs on new single “Like You”, a party-minded hip hop cut that seems destined to burn up radio both nationally and overseas. Slick and polished, the duo…

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The 40 best hip hop and R&B tracks of 2018

2018 has been a very difficult year for ‘best of’ lists where hip hop and R&B is concerned. The often intertwined genres haven’t seen this much quality output for years, constant head-turning and critically acclaimed albums from artists both old and new have made the past 12 months the best in the scene since 2012….

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Interview: Royce Da 5’9 gets personal, talks beatmaking, and empathises with “mumble rap”

There are few figures in the industry as highly regarded and respected as Royce Da 5’9 when it comes to straight, no-bullshit, masterful hip hop. The Detroit emcee is often referred to as one of the greatest emcees alive, and that accolade hasn’t faded ever since Bad Meets Evil and Rock City were introduced over…

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Live Review: Wu-Tang Clan prove unstoppable at celebratory Sydney Opera House show

Anyone who has seen the almighty Wu-Tang Clan live before would be forgiven for being a bit cynical about their sold out four-show run at the Sydney Opera House. As far back as I can remember, all nine living members of the Wu have never been on an Australian stage together. The closest we got…

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Track of the Day: Turquoise Prince “Eric Banas” (2018)

After a standout guest spot on Spit Syndicate’s Orbit earlier this year, as well as string of excellent singles like “Concussed” and “Lighter”, Canberra based artist emcee/singer Turquoise Prince is closing out a big 2018 with a devastating right hook on “Eric Banas”. The recently released single and video is best considered a statement of…

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Phantastic Ferniture and the Blue Mountains origin story

If you haven’t already rinsed Phantastic Ferniture‘s eponymous 2018 debut LP so much that you know the exact length of each song, you absolutely need to get onto that NOW. It’s without a doubt one of the best debut releases this year. Fresh from the Sydney underground music scene, the three-piece bring that raw flavour straight…

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Lauryn Hill announces Australian tour with special guest Nas

It has been two decades since Ms Lauryn Hill branched out into a solo career, releasing her seminal The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and watching it become one of the most acclaimed, awarded and influential albums of its time. She’s been busy touring it around the world for the all important 20 year anniversary, and…

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Album Review: Hermit and the Recluse – Orpheus vs the Sirens (2018 LP)

“Devestation laced in my presentation” Ka’s delivery of this line from Orpheus, part of a collaboration project with producer Animoss, is one of the best stylistic summations of an album written in recent memory. The duo, operating under the pseudonym Hermit and the Recluse have worked together on a beautifully dark piece of music, heavily…

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Wu-Tang Clan will play two very special shows at the Sydney Opera House in December

Up from the 36 chambers the legendary Wu-Tang Clan have announced a triumphant return to Australia with two exclusive, very special shows celebrating the 25th anniversary of their iconic debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The 1993 classic will be performed in full by all nine surviving core members at none other than the Concert…

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Review: Rap legends Slick Rick and Raekwon rock the mic in Sydney

Witnessing undisputed rap legends live on stage is somewhat of a rarity in Australia. We’ve (surprisingly) managed to get KRS-One, watched in awe as Big Daddy Kane rocked the mic, seen Masta Ace a few times, and we even got Biz Markie and Kurtis Blow once. Once big names through the late 80’s and early…

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