Hip Hop

Mid-west hip hop legends Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will be making their very welcome return to Australia in May of this year as they headline a series of shows dubbed This Is Hip Hop; even better, the collective will be performing their seminal sophomore E. 1999 Eternal in it’s entirety, 21 years (and two months) after it’s…

First off, who is this Pablo to whom Kanye West refers with his album title, The Life of Pablo? Picasso? Neruda? Escobar? Is he inexplicably trying to revive Petey Pablo’s career? Referencing Radiohead’s classic debut? Maybe he is likening himself San Pablo (St. Paul), another biblical reference following the religious megalomania of Yeezus. Most likely…

Yesterday morning, many Australians in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney woke up early to stream an unprecedented worldwide listening party-cum-fashion show by Chicago emcee Kanye West, debuting his new album, The Life of Pablo in full (or so we thought). So far, the album has been very well received if publications across the globe are anything…

The team behind popular Glebe joint Thievery are bringing a new concept to Surry Hills, planning a hybrid sneaker bar and eatery titled Butter to be opening up this month, described as a “street meets luxury mash-up.” Inspired by New York’s hip-hop culture and designed by Alex Zabotto-Bentley of AZB Creative (Pink Salt, Casablanca), the…

The team at Surry Hills staple The Carrington are readying their b-boy stances, preparing to turn the venue into The Hip Hop Chicken Shop from 5pm every Saturday throughout February with a specially designed chicken shop inspired menu backed by an equally delicious soundtrack of nothing but hip hop. While the venue’s boomin’ system is…

Guilty Simpson remains one of the quintessential figures in Detroit hip hop, standing alongside the likes of J Dilla, Phat Kat, Royce Da 5’9 and Slum Village as one of the most consistent artists to come from the city. He has been known for his sharp dedication to every aspect of The D, mainly sticking…

Okay, so maybe Kanye West’s “GOOD Fridays” series isn’t exactly back on track. Many thought the Chicago rapper-producer would be releasing a new song every Friday in the lead-up to the highly anticipated Swish, much like he did in the weeks before My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was released in 2010. While we were wrong…

The deep, booming voice of Chali 2na will be heard once again in Australia as the iconic member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli plans a return down under for a few shows with Canadian duo The Funk Hunters. Promised to be a one-of-a-kind AV experience combining DJ culture and hip hop, funk, soul, and electronica,…

Kanye West’s collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign, “Real Friends”, was shared online last week as part of the rapper-producer’s revitalised “GOOD Fridays” series, presenting us a with a dusty, soulful track leaning towards the earlier days of ‘Ye’s career. Just days later and supreme soul queen Erykah Badu has added her own spin to the…

2015 smash hit Compton was a successful return outing from Dr Dre, bringing in a bevy of old, new, and future legends to craft one of the year’s best hip hop releases. We’ve already heard a few tracks from the cutting room floor, but now it seems Dre has more in his bag, debuting one…

It’s looking like the rumours of Kanye West bringing back his “GOOD Fridays” series are true, meaning that the superstar rapper-producer will be putting out new material every week in the lead up to his forthcoming album SWISH, which is scheduled for a release on February 11th, 2016. This week, that new material comes in…

Lyrical master Kendrick Lamar has once again premiered a new “untitled” track on one of the world’s most viewed talk show programs, appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to showcase the previously unreleased song, which doesn’t appear on his most recent project, the universally praised To Pimp a Butterfly. With the working title…

Just a few weeks ago the strong contingent of hip-hop releases that kept coming throughout 2015 ended with the likes of Pusha T, who gave us Darkest Before Dawn, a ten-track prelude to his now highly anticipated third album King Push, which should be coming later this year. As strong as his first solo album,…

Kanye West started 2015 with a new song, the melodic “Only One” with Sir Paul McCartney, and it seems like it’s kicked off a new trend for the superstar rapper-producer. To kick 2016 off for his fans, West has released “Facts”, a welcome trap infused track that wouldn’t sound out of place on Future and…

It’s that time of the year again; we’ve already rounded up the full AU crew’s Top 40 Songs of 2015, but here’s something a bit different. The AU’s Chris Singh looks at the best hip-hop and R&B tracks of 2015 after countless hours (probably days; who knows) of picking apart the year’s best releases and…

It’s that time of the year again; we’ve already rounded up the full AU crew’s Top 40 Songs of 2015, but here’s something a bit different. The AU’s Chris Singh looks at the best hip-hop and R&B tracks of 2015 after countless hours (probably days; who knows) of picking apart the year’s best releases and…

One of Detroit’s finest emcees Guilty Simpson is stepping back in the frame with Katalyst for a return Australian tour that will see the two artists team up again for four shows across the country. Kicking off late January in Canberra, Guilty and Katalyst will be showcasing their work to Australian fans with older material…

One cannot overstate the importance and influence that has been surrounding Big Daddy Kane ever since he stamped hip-hop with one of it’s most endearing styles back in the 80’s. The likes of Jay Z, Common and Black Thought regularly note the impact Kane has had on their understanding of the technical side of emceeing,…

The Tongue has just made history with the music video for his latest single “Never Going Down”, taken from his currently available fourth album Hard Feelings. The veteran Elefant Traks emcee has become the first ever Australian artist to make use of the technology necessary to produce a 360 degree video, joining the likes of…

After a sold-out collaborative tour with fellow hip hop producer Pete Rock, the legendary DJ Premier is ready to make a return to Australia for a string of shows across the country as part of his whirlwind “Boom Bap” tour. Australia will be the first country on his schedule, once again giving us access to…

If your list of “top 10 emcees of all time” doesn’t include Big Daddy Kane, then fuck your list (I’m looking at you Billboard). The man born Antonio Hardy is a true pioneer in the game, someone the phrase “your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper” applies to ten times over, and for the first time ever,…

Gruff and grimy emcee Freddie Gibbs will be returning to Australia in March of next year for a three-date Australian tour in some of the more intimate venues across Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, all centered around his appearance at Golden Plains Festival. The acclaimed rapper, whose latest album Shadow of a Doubt has just been…

News hit earlier this week that seminal hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest will be making a rare appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, instantly building anticipation for what is now, unfortunately, a rare opportunity to see the group as one. Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Phife Dawg, and even “part-time” member Jarobi…

Following their excellent debut single, “Couches”, local production team John Depth – awarded producer Tim Carr and singer-songwriter Paul Conrad – have hooked up with Long Beach rapper-singer SLik d to release “Juicetown”. The duo’s second single continues their love for the darker side of electronica, lifting SLik d’s slick raps with a forceful blend…

Sydney’s Jackie Onassis, part of larger hip hop collective One Day, have been killing it on nationally for a few years now. Ever since their debut single “The New Dumb”, they have helped lead Australian hip-hop onto a completely new wave, pushing tradition and bringing in outside influences for a well-rounded, melodic, and endearing sound….

The undeniable Missy Elliott has solicited a trunk-rattling bass monster of a beat from Pharrell Williams, who helps her make her long-awaited comeback with single “WTF (Where They From)”. Idiosyncratic like all great Missy songs, “WTF” showcases that golden flow that saw her quickly become one of the most recognisable names in hip-hop back in…

Melodic and lush, “Stay In”, a new offering from Jackie Onassis and Spit Syndicate, toasts to the night in and continues the hype for Kai Tan and Raph Lauren’s long-awaited debut album. Kai, Nick Lupe, and Jimmy Nice bounce off the package of deep drums and percussion Raph serves up, giving us something more intimate…

As Sydney hip hop collective One Day prep their first ever boutique festival One Day Only they’ve decided to jump on the line-up as a collective, meaning that we’ll get to see all seven members on stage performing tracks from last year’s epic Mainline, and hopefully some new material. This is, of course, in addition…

Continuing the smooth, soulful vibes showcased on 2014 hit “Back in the Day”, western Sydney trio Soul Benefits have hit with their first official single since linking up with local label Big Village. “Step Up” once again taps into the lush, harmonic sound that fuels these three lyricists, bringing in a jazzy hook by 17…

Travi$ Scott’s Rodeo has been out for a few months now, giving him time to tour it around the states and build his very solid fan base. To celebrate Halloween, he has decided to release visuals for the album’s stand-out track, “Piss On Your Grave” featuring and produced by none other than Kanye West. The…