Baker Boy might be self-isolating like all of us, but recently the hip-hop artist has brought his A- game energy to his new video ‘Move’, certain to get you off your ISO couch. The video premiered on YouTube with Danzal (aka Baker Boy) interacting with his fans online as the video was viewed for its first time.
Baker Boy’s first release of the year is dedicated to his partner, a tribute to the strong women in Baker Boy’s life and those who raised him and for the video, it was important for Danzal that a strong female team worked with him on the 90’s feel clip.
Baker Boy says, “Move was a really fun video to make, it had such a chilled vibe and a really great team! One of the main things I wanted was to have a strong female team around the video, I was lucky to work with Freya Esders as the Director and I collaborated with Aurie Indianna again on the Creative Direction and Styling which is always a fun process. We had a mostly female team the whole way through this clip form Freya and Aurie, to the dance Choreographer, Hair and Make Up Artist to the editor.”
Shooting on film, and getting back to more rustic film making approach didn’t come without its difficulties, shot in early March, the film got delayed while processing in New York due to Covid-19 restrictions and postal delays but Baker Boy feels it was well worth the wait; ‘It was great process, it got slowed down a bit getting the film scanned in New York during a global pandemic, but it all came together, and it really nailed the vibe and direction I have been trying to send the Baker Boy project in.”
Creative Director and Stylist Aurie Indianna recalls where the inspiration came for the new video, “Danzal was keen on following the love song story line, so we worked together to kind of recreate some of our early memories as a couple, and keep it light and fun, with lots of energy! We knew right from the start that we wanted to shoot on film and create almost a retrospective feel to the clip. This really triggered the idea for the 90’s / millennium references but then playing with that through kitschy moments like Danzal spinning on the couch while FaceTiming.”
Rapping in his native language of Yolngu Matha and English, ‘Move’ was produced by Willie Tafa (Ariana Grande, Ella Mai) and mixer Andrei Eremin.
Released last week, HILLTOP HOODS have written a song from, and about isolation titled ‘I’M GOOD?’, with proceeds from the track going to the SUPPORT ACT ‘Roadies (Crew) Fund’. The band had been in lockdown writing their new album but decided to take a break and work on something that would help road and support crew – including those whose livelihoods have been devastated by the impact of COVID-19.
‘I’M GOOD?’ is available on all digital platforms now. Proceeds from the artist, record label and publisher royalties from streams and downloads of ‘I’M GOOD?’ will go directly to SUPPORT ACT ‘Roadies (Crew) Fund’. Additionally, Island Records/Universal Music Australia, Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Australia) Pty Ltd, Blue Max Music, and Media Arts Lawyers are chipping in $2,500 each to kick off the fundraising.
On the production side of things, the band has enlisted SIXFOUR (Paul and John Bartlett) to produce, Plutonic Lab (Leigh Ryan) to mix and Alex Mader of Disk Edits to master the track.
Regarding the release of the song, the band had this to say:‘It’s a very dark time at the moment, so we wanted to make something light-hearted, we’re hoping that the song might give someone a laugh and maybe lift their spirits. But ultimately what we want to do is raise money for the roadies and associated support crew – including those who have lost their livelihoods due to this pandemic.’ – Hilltop Hoods
If you are able, please consider donating to Support Act and directing your donation to the ‘Roadies (Crew) Fund’ here
South East Melbourne crew, and global rap phenoms HP Boyz have just announced their first ever project titled 6 To The World.
Coming out of Hampton Park, the popular rappers have taken the world by storm with their recent hits including Engineers, which has amassed 14 million Spotify streams and Bad N Bouj which now sits on just over 4 million views on YouTube. Their single Blueprint landed in the Top 10 tracks for YouTubes ‘Australia’s Top Trending Music Videos from Australian Artists’ list for 2019.
The HP Boyz aim to continue their success with their upcoming project due to release on the 8th of May. The new project, 6 To The World features 6 tracks, including Enemies, Get 2 The Bag and Out Here which features the amazing vocals of Keziah, the only collaboration on the project.
A number of snippets have been shared via Instagram and from all accounts the project is going to be an instant classic. Rumours have it that we will soon see a brand new video clip from the project, expect that soon. 6 To The World dropping 08.05.2020!
Tracklist: 1. Enemies 2. Out Here feat. Keziah 3. Get 2 The Bag 4. Eenie Meenie 5. Block Party 6. 6 To The World
With another year come and gone full of great releases, we take a quick look back at the year for hip-hop down under in Australia. It proved to be an exceptionally strong one and perhaps the year that hip hop from Australia truly broke out to significant mainstream recognition internationally. Below are ten of the biggest film clips from ten artists who left their mark on hip hop from Australia in 2019.
Hip-hop’s definitely reach around the world and back in the last four decades, birthing variations bound by culture. For South African-born, Australian-raised artist Bmike, studying the greats of the 90s and early 00s gave him the blueprint and the hustle to build a loyal fanbase.
After 13 million views on YouTube for his latest single “Anxiety,” Bmike has found himself thriving in a fanbase without the press and returning with his latest single, “No Fakes,” alongside Dax.
Born and raised in South Africa, reared by Australia and flexing his skills to American audiences. Bmike is displaying what has taken him across the world several times and partnered him with all audiences. His work has displayed storytelling, an understanding of culture, and being able to tap into the world while representing Black Heart Gang. Black Heart Gang is a theme that his music fits into while doubling as a platform for other artists.
Mike grew up in South Africa and studied The Source, using it as a blueprint for his own releases. His latest is “No Fakes,” detailing that he can do it on his own, without a machine and being the point guard of his own situation. The release partners him with Dax, providing a cinematic experience you can experience from a Netflix production.
You can see the video for the Tunna Beatz produced track below.
Legendary Hip-Hop trio Digable Planets make their way down to Australia and New Zealand for the very time next month for a string of highly anticipated shows.
Consisting of Butter Fly, Ladybug Mecca, and Doodlebug, Digable Planets are of course most notable for the two classic albums they released in the 90s – the successful crossover debut Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) in early 1993 on Pendulum/Elektra Records and Blowout Comb in late 1994. Their heavily jazz inspired debut album was initially self-produced in-house by Butter Fly clocking in just shy of an hour. It featured no guest appearances and their debut single “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” released in late 1992 would go on to win a Grammy Award in 1994 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Both the album and lead single charted well internationally, and both went Gold in America. The group went on a hiatus the year after, with all going on to work on various projects individually.
Digable Planets followed up their successful debut with the critically acclaimed yet ultimately not as commercially successful “Blowout Comb”. The release featured notable appearances from the late Guru of Gang Starr, Jeru The Damaja and DJ Jazzy Joyce amongst significant original music credits. While the album both the singles from the album “9th Wonder (Blackitolism)” and “Dial 7 (Axioms of Creamy Spies)” failed to attract widespread mainstream success at the time, the release has go on to be a widely considered classic and seminal mid-90s album which captured a certain vibe of Brooklyn at the time.
The group reformed in 2005 and released the compilation album Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles, a remastered best-of album largely with the notable addition of two new tracks and remixes. Creative differences led to a break in late 2012 for the group, before again reforming in 2015 and embarking on a series of tours and releasing a live album in 2017. Now 25 years since the release of Blowout Comb, Australian and New Zealand fans have the opportunity to witness the Digable Planets experience live and direct with a full band as they take in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland just before Christmas.
Let’s Get Free is the now-classic debut studio album by NYC hip-hop duo, dead prez consisting of stic.man and M-1 that was released on Loud Records on March 14, 2000, after an extended rollout. Critically and commercially acclaimed upon its release, Let’s Get Free was widely called a return to politically conscious rap not seen on the level since Public Enemy’s string of classic albums in the late 80s and early 90s. The album featured not only substantial self-production but also significant production credits to Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian, Hedrush and a young pre-Roc-A-Fella Records Kanye West amongst a string of memorable socially conscious political vocal samples from the likes of Chairman Omali Yeshitela, Huey P. Newton amongst others.
Navigating the theoretical space commonly referenced as somewhere between N.W.A. and P.E., dead prez’s breakthrough song was their second single “Hip Hop” off this debut album released a year earlier in March 1999. Their mixture of conscious lyrics with an infectious hook resulted in a bonafide hip-hop classic that helped this single crack the Top 50 and the album peaking at Number 23. Mixing militant pan-African Nationalism, commentary on music’s over-commercialization with socialist narratives offered through a technically very well-delivered manner proved to be a recipe that people worldwide could appreciate. Their passion and knowledge of social issues mixed in a sonically pleasing manner is no mean feat to do and has led them to have such a lasting legacy today.
Being toured down under by Australia’s all-time pre-eminent hip hop promoter in Slingshot Touring & Events in conjunction with Century Entertainment, Australian fans can expect legendary dead prez shows live and direct to celebrate 20 years since the release of their iconic debut album. Announced all ready to play the Metro Theatre in Sydney venue with local talents Lil Spacely and Genesis Owusu, dead prez continues to build their legacy internationally to a diverse and generational fanbase. They continue to show and prove why it’s bigger than hip-hop.
Sampa The Great and Ivan Ooze Feature on EA SPORTS™ FIFA 20 Soundtracks
Electronic Arts Inc., recently unveiled the official EA SPORTS™ FIFA 20 soundtrack that includes new music from Major Lazer, which is featured in the all-new VOLTA FOOTBALL* mode inspired by the culture of street football from around the globe.
The music of FIFA 20 brings together both emerging and globally-acclaimed artists to create a diverse tracklist featuring Grammy-award winner Diplo’s global dance music trio Major Lazer, rising star Anderson .Paak, world-renowned electronic music duo Disclosure and one of dance music’s pioneering forces Don Diablo. The complete FIFA 20 soundtrack is available on Spotify, Apple and Deezer now.
The EA SPORTS FIFA soundtracks have become culture,” said Steve Schnur, President of Music, Electronic Arts. “For the first time in franchise history, we’ve curated two separate soundtracks for the game featuring an unprecedented 110+ tracks representing more than 20 countries. The roster of artists not only captures the global spirit of the game from the stadiums to the streets but elevates it like never before”.
Major Lazer contributed to the VOLTA FOOTBALL soundtrack with their newly released song ‘Que Calor’ that also features J.Balvin and El Alfa. The lead track for the mode was influenced by the culture and lifestyle of street football and its various forms of play around the world.
“We were really excited to be able to produce the lead track that is featured in the new VOLTA FOOTBALL mode, said Diplo. “When we shared an early version of the track with the EA SPORTS FIFA team, they loved it, so we knew we had to finish it and release it as a single. Bringing on Balvin and El Alfa let us take the track to another level and we can’t wait for fans all over the world to hear it.”
Fans eager to get their hands-on FIFA 20 early can get in on the action with the free demo now available on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and PC. In the demo, fans can preview the brand-new VOLTA FOOTBALL game mode, an all-new experience in EA SPORTS FIFA 20 inspired by the small-sided form of football played in the streets, cages and futsal courts across the world. Additionally, fans can experience a UEFA Champions League match in the 11v11 Kick-Off mode.
Jump into the game first on September 19, 2019 with EA Access** and Origin™ Access** Basic to enjoy up to 10 hours of playtime as part of the Play First Trial or sign-up for Origin Access Premier to get full access on PC to the FIFA 20 Ultimate Edition. FIFA 20 is developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania and will be available worldwide on September 27, 2019 for PlayStation® 4, Xbox One, and PC. Join the EA SPORTS FIFA community at Facebook and on Instagram, or follow us on Twitter @EASPORTSFIFAANZ.
Drapht’s latest offering ‘Summer They Say’ is yet another example of how the man will constantly push himself and his boundaries to progress as a song writer, while forever staying true to his classic upbeat signature sound, witty well thought-out lyrics and effortless fluid like flow that his legion of fans know him all too well for. With co-production from Melbourne’s own rising star Hamley and featuring a group effort from his All Star Perth band mates Indoor Fins & Morgan Bain on chorus duties, this tune is yet another example of why Drapht continues to be at the forefront of the ever-evolving genre.
“I’ve been so inspired by a bunch young-bloods in the scene over the last year, that it has really pushed me to up my game. But It feels great to be back with new material that I’m really excited about, a new home for my music and a bunch of parties around the country scheduled in to celebrate”
Off the back of a sold-out national tour in 2018, as well as a sold-out regional Western Australian run in the middle of 2019, Drapht is back with a massive 16-date Australian wide tour, which will feature his full live show, plus a travelling circus of friends and compatriots out on the road to help the man with his never-ending list of certified hits, including – Jimmy Recard, Rapunzel, Sing it and Don Quixote, just to name a few…..
Nov 7th Prince of Wales, Bunbury
Nov 8th Beer Fest, Fremantle
Nov 9th Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide
Nov 14th Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Nov 15th Barwon Club, Geelong
Nov 16th Uni Bar, Hobart
Nov 21st Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Nov 22st Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Nov 23rd Kambri, Canberra
Nov 24th SS&A Club, Albury
Nov 28th Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane
Nov 29th Gilligans, Cairns
Nov 30th Byron Bay Brewery, Byron Bay
Dec 6th Discovery, Darwin
Dec 7th Gap View Hotel, Alice Springs
Dec 13th Rosemount Hotel, Perth
You can register now for pre-sale access & a chance to win the mic Drapht records on + to hang backstage at a show!
Sampa the Great announces her debut album ‘The Return’ along with brand new single and video “OMG”.
“OMG” follows the recently released single “Final Form”, which was hailed as Zane Lowe’s ‘World Record’ and received incredible support from the likes of The Guardian, OkayAfrica, The Independent, Clash, gal-dem and many more. It was also the #1 Most Played track on Triple J the week of release, and was championed by Ebro Darden (Beats 1 / Hot 97), Annie Mac, Mistajam & DJ Target (Radio 1), Gilles Peterson & Lauren Laverne (6 Music), Jason Kramer & Anthony Valadez (KCRW), John Richards, Larry Rose & Atticus (KEXP), and more and more.
On ‘The Return’ Sampa has enlisted a string of esteemed collaborators and peers to create the album. Mixed by Jonwayne (of Stones Throw notoriety), MsM (Skepta/Boy Better Know) and Andrei Eremin (GRAMMY-nominated engineer for Hiatus Kaiyote and Chet Faker), productions are by Silentjay, Slowthai producer Kwes Darko, Clever Austin (Perrin Moss of Hiatus Kiayote), Blue Lab Beats and Syreniscreamy. The album also features collaborations with Ecca Vandal and London jazz collective Steam Down. Many of them are the fruits of the network Sampa has built since first making waves in 2015 – following time spent studying in San Francisco and LA – as a new arrival in Sydney’s hip-hop and jazz freestyle nights. Since then, she’s performed with Denzel Curry on his breakout track “Black Balloons” for Triple J’s ‘Like A Version’, and toured globally, supporting the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Thundercat, Joey Bada$$, Hiatus Kaiyote, Noname, Ibeyi and Little Simz.
Built on four years of personal and musical soul-searching, ‘The Return’ is an assured statement, the product of meaningful musical connections and of Sampa having to redefine her self-identity away from the comforts of family and old friends. With reference points ranging from classic hip-hop to ancient Southern African sounds, the album sees Sampa tackle bigger questions, exploring what it means to feel at home, to feel excluded, and to see someone as an outsider. It stems from the rift Sampa has experienced in the rise of her career, where she’s celebrated as part of a new generation of musicians – with her last mixtape ‘Birds and the BEE9’ winning the prestigious Australian Music Prize in 2017 (she shares nominations with the likes of Tame Impala, Jordan Rakei, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and previous winner Courney Barnett) – while at the same time still being seen as an ‘other’.
On “OMG”, she addresses ideas of ‘home’ through the exploration of her African heritage: “I personally feel that people on the continent have a duty to our family in the diaspora, to re-teach our culture, language, spirituality, ways and return our peeps to ourselves,” she explains. “To me ‘OMG’ sounds like the songs we heard in our childhood. It’s broadly about flexing your culture! Loving where you’re from and even being shocked at the realisation of not knowing how dope it is to be ‘who you are’.”
The video was shot between South Africa and Botswana, where she was raised and gave Sampa the chance to involve her parents in her world. “I got to do something that I’ve never done before,” she says. “Which is to have my parents in one of my music videos. This is the first time they have been involved in my music at this level and it was important for me to express accepting and flexing my culture with the two people who know me most!”
This, for Sampa, is what she’s been trying to do for the past six years: to find new ways of feeling at home and rediscover an emboldened idea of herself. “Home is described in a lot of ways and means a lot of different things to different people,” she says. “I had to redefine in my mind and in my spirit what home means.” The album is both a re-telling of that journey, and the realisation of her aim; the album walks us through that return to home, while the accomplished sound and lyricism underscores the steps she’s made as a person and artist.
Following recent live performances at Glastonbury, Love Supreme Jazz Festival, Dark MOFO (Tasmania – alongside FKA Twigs, Kelsey Lu, Nicholas Jaar), Down The Rabbit Hole (Netherlands) and a headline show at Hip-Hop Collection (Paris) – Sampa plays alongside Sons Of Kemet at Somerset House on July 13th, before joining Burna Boy – recent recipient of the BET Best International Act award – in New York’s Prospect Park on July 19th plus headline solo shows at Elsewhere in Brooklyn on July 18th and Gold Diggers in LA on July 22nd. She returns to the EU in November for a headline tour that includes XOYO in London, as well as stops in Manchester, Bristol, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and more.
