After making a last-minute debut in 2018 with ‘Speed Racer’, Masked Wolf gave new fans a hint of the nocturnal, trap-tinged hip hop he’s been busy crafting. Now, ready to make 2019 his, Masked Wolf is straight out of the gates with his strongest release yet in ‘Vibin’.
As Australian hip hop continues to transform and as the New Wave continues to assume a new identity, the stories coming out from emerging artists are getting closer and closer to the streets. So many different sounds all thriving within the same genre makes for a crowded space in which new artists are trying to be heard, so it really takes something else to separate from the masses.
For Masked Wolf, it’s all about paying tribute to his influences which are so prevalent in his music, but still sounding unique, and it’s through his storytelling that he maintains this. “I want to tell my own stories in a way that remains true to who I am,” Masked Wolf said.
Dedicated to the hustle and being true to yourself, ‘Vibin’ is complete with huge drops, booming bass and eccentric synths to lay down the perfect foundation for his rapidfire verses to float above. Masked Wolf sounds positively untouchable on ‘Vibin’, pushing forward his ethos of “I do me, you do you.”
Teaming up once again with internationally acclaimed producer Tyron Hapi for production duties, Masked Wolf strips back the dark side we heard on ‘Speed Racer’ while still focussing on his ambition and drive, opening himself right up for all to see on ‘Vibin’.
Assuring fans there’s a whole lot more still to come, ‘Vibin’ marks the start of what is set to be one hell of a year for the fresh-faced Sydney producer. A new member of the Teamwrk roster, Masked Wolf’s 2018 single, ‘Speed Racer’ amassed over 150K streams in just a few weeks, and now he’s ready to really unleash with ‘Vibin’.
Perth duo Otiuh are back with their trademark funk and soul-infused hip hop and a single that is guaranteed to keep you moving all summer long. On ‘Move’, Cesare Papa and Jahmeil Baker trade spitfire verses over tripped out and eclectic production, creating a toe-tapping, head bopping, infectious jam about never taking things too seriously and never caring about what others might think. Just let go and ‘Move’.
Fresh from having its first spin on FBi Radio’s Sunsets with Dobby & Diola as well as premiering on Purple Sneakers, Otiuh offer up a slice of something different in the Australian hip hop landscape with ‘Move’. Combining their golden age lyricism with futuristic production, marrying the influences of A Tribe Called Quest with Outkast as their poetic roots add the final flourish.
After nabbing some national radio play on triple j for their first two singles, Otiuh continues to carve out their own space on the national radar. Laidback and never taking things too seriously, Otiuh’s music is for those who want to be taken somewhere else far away, if only for a few moments. Of their new bop, the duo said, “When you’re on the dance floor, put your phone down. Dance for yourself. You don’t have anything to prove to others.”
Thanks to its driving bass line, synth flutes and exotic percussion laying down a smooth foundation for the pair to go back and forth with their rapid rhymes, ‘Move’ is one track that gets into your bones and makes you feel good from the inside out.
Otiuh enter a new chapter with ‘Move’ – one that will see them bring their alternative hip hop sounds to the fore, and have a great time while doing it.
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie today shares his music video for single Look Back At It, taken from his Billboard #1 sophomore album HOODIE SZN. Watch it BELOW.
Earlier this month he made his late-night TV debut with a performance of Look Back At It on the Late Night with Seth Meyers. Upon its release, the single sprung to the top of several charts while peaking in the top 10 on the iTunes Top 200 Hip-Hop/Rap Singles along with Spotify Australia’s Top 40 Songs and Apple Music AU Top 200 charts.
Melbourne fans will have a rare opportunity to meet A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie at Laneway when he signs posters at the Polyester Records tent, with all proceeds going to the Heaps Decent charity.
Catch A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie Playing Laneway Nationally This Feb 2019
Friday, 8th February – Hart’s Mill, Port Adelaide
Saturday, 9th February – Footscray Park, Melbourne
Sunday, 10th February – Esplanade Reserve and West End, Fremantle
The Adelaide Hip-Hop mainstay sets the stage for the release of his long-awaited album ‘Braille’ with the Hamley produced lead single “Level Up”.
Featuring an infectious hook over ominous production, the energetic lead single sees Manaz flexing his signature brand of lyricism, openly challenging his contemporaries to step their game up.
“The song is meant to serve as motivation, both to my listeners and myself. It’s the soundtrack for anyone striving to better themselves” says Manaz, real name Rian Kavanagh.
Diagnosed with a degenerative vision impairment at a young age, the former Port Lincoln local forged a name for himself as one of Australia’s most prolific battle MC’s, amassing over a million YouTube views before going on to establish himself as an equally talented recording artist.
Boasting collaborations with artists such as U.S. heavyweight Young Buck (50 Cent/G-Unit), Manaz has also shared stages with local and international acts, the likes of which include Hopsin, Merkules and Kerser.
With the album slated for release March 15th and a nationwide tour to be announced, it’s safe to say things are only looking up for Manaz Ill.
Adelaide Afro Pop collective Africa Connection (AC5), today release their debut single, Mama Salone, off of their highly forthcoming album, THE RISE.
A musical dedication to Sierra Leone, Mama Solone was written in the wake of the 2017 mudslides, the worst natural disaster to hit Sierra Leone in recent history which took the life of 1,141 people and left a nation devastated.
Eighteen months on from this tragic event, Mama Salone highlights the social and environmental implications of a governmental focused only on financial development at all expenses, examining why predictions of environmental disaster were ignored in a country already recovering from a civic war and Ebola.
Musically, the single is a stunning collaborative genre mix dancing between soulful Afro pop, embedded on top of strong and eloquent dancehall vibes that transports the listeners between verses of robust Hip hop and RnB vocal mantras.
Mama Solone comes off the AC5’s debut album , THE RISE , set for release in Mid-2019. AC5 is based in Adelaide, Australia and Liberia, Africa. Cutting through boarders to start a movement that will see the crew actualise its ambitions. AC5 believes there are no limits and the boundaries are just demographical, which shouldn’t be barriers to multiculturalism relations.
January 25th 2019 turned out to be quite a day for Danzal Baker aka Baker Boy. Since ‘Cloud 9’, the Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land has played over 70 gigs and collected 23 key awards. His feet don’t look like touching the ground anytime soon with the release of his first track for Island Records Australia/ Universal Music titled ‘Cool As Hell’. The date coincides with the announcement of Young Australian of the Year 2019 for which Danzal Baker has been nominated.
‘Cool As Hell’ was written by Baker Boy, along with Hip Hop greats Thundamentals and writer/producer Carl Dimataga; and is a fresh new style. With hooks galore, sprinklings of disco and a dancefloor bass-line, ’Cool As Hell’ proves “fun” is infectious. Working with Thundamentals pushed Baker Boy to build on his arsenal and embrace his singing nature. He rose to the challenge with ‘Cool As Hell’ where we get to witness another side of this brothaboy who has the innate ability to keep the element of fun and positive vibes burning bright.
Baker Boy knew he had to bring his hallmark positivity packed message and Thundamentals imagined a song Baker Boy and his crew dancing to. It didn’t need to be clever, it didn’t need to pull on the heart-strings, it just needed to be fun.
“I just came up with a loose concept of celebrating the way that music makes us all feel good”, says Baker Boy.
“Everyone latched on to the concept from the first few notes of the bassline and the song morphed really quickly and seamlessly from there,” says Carl, “basically we all had fun making this, and I think that’s come through in the finished song.”
They continue to write more songs for a forthcoming album in August.
Lifestyle, Kerser’s 8th album release in as many years is set for release on March 8th . The Campbelltown-bred emcee hit the studio and worked alongside acclaimed Sydney producer Open Till L8. The pair put their heads together to craft all of the beats and Kerser describes this process as returning to his roots – the last time he worked in this way was on album number 4, King.
On working alongside Open Till L8 to create the 15 tracks that would become Lifestyle, Kerser enthuses, “We were both in the studio at once and we were vibin’. Straight away we were on the same page.”
Kerser was in search of “a real modern sound” for ‘Lifestyle’ and found exactly what he was looking for in Open Till L8’s beats. “Staying relevant with the times, that’s always been a mission, ’cause this is album 8 in 8 years so I gotta make sure the albums don’t sound too repetitive,”The lead singleDa Kers Effectexemplifies thiswith its minimal intro of distorted vocal phrases making way for thunderous, vibrating bass. “I just wanna hear it through a massive venue system,” Kerser confesses. “Hopefully the whole venue shakes!”
Kerser fans will already have digested Exceptional, an album teaser/promo track from Lifestyle that dropped last month. A haunting, melodic intro is interrupted by a siren before Kerser announces, “I’m about to bring that real shit back/Shit’s turned into a fashion show“.
And of course it wouldn’t be an ABK Records release without a feature from one of Kerser’s label mates: Jay UF trades verses on What Ya Day Brings Part 2, a playful continuation of their previous collab track What Ya Day Brings.
Renewed vigour permeates all the way through album number 8 and Kerser admits, “When my voice came back it really inspired me to get back into the studio – once the tour was finished – and do as much recording as I can.“
At the beginning of 2018, just 2 weeks before he was due to head out on tour off the back of his 7th album, the ARIA-nominated Engraved In The Game, Kerser lost his voice. What was initially believed to be laryngitis was later diagnosed as a paralysed vocal cord. Tour dates were pushed back and Kerser was booked in for surgery. “They weren’t 100% on whether my voice would come back so I was full freakin’, thinkin’ I’d never be able to talk again,” Kerser recalls. “It was like, ‘Give me a broken arm or a broken leg, but don’t take my vocal cord!”
In 2017 the Ghosts In The Room-produced standalone single Total Concentration, featuring Kerser alongside Future and Young Buck – was released on Kerser’s own ABK Records via ADA/Warner Music Australia and it certainly helped place the Sydney emcee on the world stage. A YouTube mixtape that opened with Total Concentration attracted 3 million views and Kerser chuckles, “I think a lot of Americans would’ve been like, ‘Well who’s the Aussie rappin’ on it?‘”
See below for Kerser’s AUS tour dates. Tickets can be purchased HERE
FRIDAY 12 APRIL – PRINCE BANDROOM, VIC (18+)
SATURDAY 13 APRIL – PRINCE BANDROOM, VIC (U18)
SATURDAY 27 APRIL – THE METRO THEATRE, NSW (AA)
FRIDAY 3 MAY – HQ COMPLEX, SA (AA)
SATURDAY 11 MAY – CAPITOL, WA (18+)
SATURDAY 18 MAY – MODE BAR & NIGHTCLUB, LAUNCESTEN, TAS (18+)
FRIDAY 24 MAY – EATONS HILL HOTEL, BRISBANE, QLD (AA)
FRIDAY 31 MAY – THE JACK, QLD (18+)
2019 is here and CC is jumping in early with “Three Sheets to the Wind”. Phil Gektor is back, showcasing his diverse production range with a brooding soundscape for Traz to effortlessly flow over.
Check out the new music video for ‘Three Sheets to the Wind’ below.
Filmed & edited by Discourse.
A super limited pressing of “Three Sheets to the Wind” will be available to pre-order featuring gatefold artwork from the video.
Tracklisting:
Side A – Vocal
Side B – Instrumental
150 Copies, 45 RPM + Digital download
Produced, mixed & recorded, by Phil Gektor at Philsville Sanctuary. Written & performed by Traz. Mastered by Duncan Stanbury. Online pre-orders go live on Wednesday 23th January 2019 at 7:00pm AEDT from: http://www.cratecartel.com
ChillinIT wastes no time in 2019 by dropping Who I Am/The Parkway Parts 1 & 2. This follows on from his recent announcement of his upcoming national tour, and what has been touted as one of the top film clips of 2018 in Wish You Well Pt. 2.
Debuting on his YouTube channel, part 1 of Who I Am/The Parkway dropped Tuesday night featuring production from Syndrome Beats. ChillinIT had this to say about the new track.
“This one is for the family, for my smokers, for the people who are chasing good vibes and good energy, keep your heads up and make it your year. I put this together for the family…”
ChillinIT is an artist not afraid to push the limits of his style, challenging not only himself but also his listeners as he takes his style global. We’ve already seen him make waves in numerous videos including his appearance last year on JDZ Media. To keep his bar hungry fans fed, Part 2 followed last night. This one was all about the wordplay. You can check it out below.
Catch ChillinIT on tour with Wombat:
Fri 15 March – Republic, Hobart.
Fri 22 March – Cambridge, Newcastle.
Sat 23 March – Transit Bar, Canberra.
Sat 30 March – Cooly Hotel, Gold Coast
Sat 6 April – The Gov, Adelaide. (ALL AGES)
Fri 12 April – Rosemount, Perth.
Mon 15 April – Freo.Social, Fremantle. (ALL AGES)
Tues 16 April – Evelyn, Melbourne (ALL AGES)
After racking up over 10,000 Youtube views in less than a week for the self-directed & edited debut music video, fast-paced rapper Z. LEWIS has today released the official audio for the booming street anthem ‘Get It feat. Talakai’ alongside a big career announcement.
Despite only a handful of demos and Soundcloud uploads to his name, the spitter, born in Hackney – the heart of UK grime culture, has won praise from his peers and none other than triple j Hip-Hop Show host Hau Latukefu as a “problem” – one to watch in 2019.
“GET IT” is a statement in itself, pitting two of the most talented wordsmiths on the east-coast side by side over booming Harvey production, it’s little wonder the track has scored airplay on triple j, FBI Radio and the video a spin on MTV all before it’s official release.
You’ll be hitting rewind on multiple occasions to try catch the wordplay, flow and references of an artist with a world of skill at his fingertips and a debut EP in his not too distant future.
Catch Z. LEWIS live in Sydney this January supporting Brian Fresco from Chicago’s #SAVEMONEY crew (Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa) alongside Junor at Awful Things 2019 launch event.
