Who's Who in the New Hood of Australian Hip Hop
Late last year I walked into Eatons Hill Hotel counting police officers, security guards and the incidents that required them. 17 police officers, 32 security guards and 0 incidents.
The amped security effort at the 1200 capacity venue was brought on by Mt. Druitt’s notorious drill rap group ONEFOUR. After weeks of my largely white middle class workplace telling me I would be stabbed at the show, combined with the festival level of security there was a moment of hesitation buried in nerves as I walked into the venue that night. I was walking into a scene I had no knowledge of beyond lyrics lashed with honesty and violence in equal measure; yet what I actually walked into was one of the most beautiful communities I have ever experienced in a live music setting.
Attending that ONEFOUR show was like being dropped unsuspectingly into a tidal wave. I knew ONEFOUR had the streams, I knew everyone I knew in the industry wanted to know who they were. I thought they were the next big thing in Australian music, right on the cusp of breaking. What I did not know was that for a community unseen in the Australian music industry, that wave had already hit. 950km from the suburb they call home, ONEFOUR had a community ready to make them feel right back in 2770. Every crowd member and security guard knew every lyric to every song regardless of whether they had been released or not. The room surged, sang and hit every beat in perfect unity like a flash mob having rehearsed for months beforehand; ultimately escalating to the loudest crowd I have ever heard, be that in a small room or on a festival field. An under 18’s balcony looked set to collapse under the constant bounce it endured. A dance competition broke out. Crowd members were invited on stage to spit verses. ONEFOUR quickly established a stage presence flooded with as many smiles as it is with front. ONEFOUR don’t just put on concerts, they bring together community.
Looking back, it is only my own blind arrogance that allowed me to be so unsuspecting to what I was walking in on that night. The metrics on ONEFOUR are impressive to say the least. Latest single ‘Welcome to Prison’ has amassed 3.5 million views on YouTube alone in just under 2 months. To put that number into perspective, Hilltop Hoods’ latest single ‘Exit Sign’ is sitting at 3 million views after a full year on the site. With over 500k monthly listeners on Spotify, 180k subscribers on YouTube and no singles sitting under 1 million plays on any platform, ONEFOUR, are undeniably one of Australia’s biggest artists. Having risen to these numbers with no support from traditional music media, being labelled a gang by mainstream media and having a police task force set upon them. It is a story of success in the face adversity the likes of which has never been seen in Australian music.
Having since cracked mainstream attention and high rotation in Australian music media, ONEFOUR, have blazed the trail to the top of Australian hip-hop. Yet they are not the only act with stakes on the throne. Lifting the lid on the scene reveals a wealth of artists with no exposure through traditional Australian media outlets sitting on millions of streams, hundreds of thousands of subscribers and names that are far from household to the broader population of Australian music lovers. Yet clearly these names are right at home and thriving in the fastest emerging music community in Australia.
When searched for, most acts in this scene will only bring back results from Daily Mail and various other Murdoch media sources; almost exclusively labelling them a gang. ONEFOUR themselves having had a senior NSW police sergeant state “I'm going to use everything in my power to make your life miserable, until you stop doing what you're doing”. It is a scene that is facing immense pressure to simply stop existing. Yet, it is also a scene that represents a side of Australia that sees no representation. Lower socioeconomic suburbs, people of colour and people with traditionally limited options for finding their way are suddenly being given a voice. They are being given a face and place on a stage that they have previously had low or no representation on and in doing so they are being given an opportunity. It is the opportunity to flood a room with the positivity, community and hope that I experienced that night at Eatons Hill Hotel, it is an opportunity to see career options in the music industry, it is an opportunity to find place in a country that would rather you stay in the outer suburbs and it is an opportunity that deserves every chance it has to shine.
So who is who and who should you be listening to? Glad you asked.
No Money Enterprise
Pull up, pull up in Logan. South Brisbane’s finest had amassed quite literally millions of streams on their breakout single ‘German’ before uploading it to triple j unearthed and being fast tracked to high rotation on the main station. Characteristic to the scene, No Money Enterprise, are full of all the front you’ll find in this list, but they bounce it off a playfulness that makes a smile impossible to avoid. Beats filled to the brim by Latin sounds, pop culture references and a natural bounce, No Money Enterprise are the ultimate entry point to the scene.
Best lyric: So when I run the ball no fucks hit me up like I'm Burgess
ONEFOUR
It would be wrong to talk in such length about the group in this article and then not plug them. ONEFOUR will label themselves Australia’s first drill rap group, claiming to have introduced the country to drilling. ONEFOUR deliver hard lyrics over harder beats punctuated with gunshots and samples from prison phone calls. ONEFOUR’s music is honest, in your face and incredible.
Best lyric: Like who wants war with Sydney's realest?
Hp Boyz
The support act at Eatons Hill, Hp Boyz, had the capacity crowd hanging off their every word like they were the headliner. Calling Hampton Park home Hp Boyz grew up together and it shines through in their music. A natural flow and organic connection between members leads to smooth tracks that deliver in a huge way on stage.
Best lyric: Word up, shimmy like I'm Timmy Turner
The 046
Claymore, NSW, 2559 and proud. A combination of fast fire rhymes, hook laden choruses and smooth RnB vocals lead The 046 to stand tall in a talented pack of artists. Instantly infectious in their lyricism The 046 are hard, but hard not to love.
Best lyric: Coming hard down under straight from the gutter out here tryna cash that bread n butter.
BROTHERS
Managing to cram both a camel and an ad for a local shoe shop into their most successful film clip, BROTHERS make beats that bounce. Representing Middle Eastern Australians, BROTHERS drop lyrics of lavish lifestyles over the top of chopped tracks and bring big pride to each track.
Best lyric: From Beirut to the trap cuz repping Sydney’s West where we at.
Lisi
Hailing from Goodna, West Brisbane, Lisi is liquid slick. Calling out knife culture and the rise of Brisbane in equal measures, Lisi delivers rhymes on rhymes with a calm and measured approach, never missing a beat and always shining a quick wit.
Best lyric: These rappers are all for the show, somebody put them up on Netflix.
ROSDRI114
Shouting out across the Tasman, ROSDRI114 represents the finest of New Zealand drill. Hard as hell, flushed with an untouchable flow and loaded to the brim with a lyricism that would make an English teacher weep with joy.
Best lyric: Ain’t no captain in my code, my whole team is in the league.
On The Gang
The biggest sound coming out of South West Sydney isn’t affiliated with an AFL team. Following in the footsteps of ONEFOUR, On The Gang, drop lyrics on lyrics over the top of hard beats. Full of moments that will slap you to attention, their tracks are undeniable.
Best lyric: I'm the boss not talking about Hugo
Hooligan Hefs
Doonside is home to both one of the country’s finest DIY Venues and Chinese/Samoan rapper Hooligan Hefs; one of the country’s finest fusion artists. With huge heavy hardstyle electronica being smashed into drill rap, the energy in Hooligan Hefs is unrivalled.
Best lyric: Tell em im doing eetswa.
Hoodzy
Hoodzy’s bio starts “female, gay, brown skin & chasing the same dream even if the odds are already against me”. Against those stacked odds, teenage Perth rapper Hoodzy is bringing serious game to the Australian hip-hop scene. Signing to triple j Hip Hop show presenter Hau Latukefu's new label, Forever Ever. Her lyrics are refined, intelligent and delivered with a confidence that demands attention.
Best lyric: My land got masks on their face like they’re Lady Gaga.
