News – Aussie Hip Hop

New Ras Kass Single With Alerts and Simplex “The Vortex” Out Now

One of the all-time talented West Coast lyricists Ras Kass has teamed up with Australian rappers Alerts and Simplex on the new single “The Vortex” filmed across Los Angles and Brisbane in Australia’s northeast. The near 4-minute single has long been in the works and delayed by COVID-19 travel restrictions, with film production companies No.One Network and Revolving Productions seamlessly overcoming the physical distance barriers to provide a quality product of the highest order befitting of the lyrical content – watch below.

The new single finishes off in some respects Ras Kass’s recent debut tour of Australia’s East Coast in which he was supported nationally by rising Australian rapper Alerts prior to the global pandemic that has meant all major international tours are on hold for now. This first natural collaboration between these three extends itself to potentially not being the last time we see them together on a track carrying on with that classic boom-bap flavor that has gone well and truly international. A new and exciting chapter for the legendary Ras Kass, proving his influence as one of hip hop’s greats knows no real boundaries. “The Vortex” is out now.

The post New Ras Kass Single With Alerts and Simplex “The Vortex” Out Now appeared first on The Source.

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CHASING GHOSTS ‘SUMMER’

Summer is the first track from a forthcoming EP titled Homelands by Aboriginal led punk-rock band Chasing Ghosts. Frontman Jimmy Kyle is a proud Koori man, a descendent of the Thungutti mob from the mid-north coast of NSW. He speaks and writes with a potent mind. Every track on the forthcoming EP is about real people and real situations, all of them born from intense real-life stories. Wanting to do justice to the topics while bringing everyone on the journey and simultaneously still speaking the truth was a pressure that weighted heavy. “I was scared to write these songs, because a lot of the topics are challenging,” says Jimmy Kyle. “But that’s how I knew I was onto something. It made me feel nervous.”

“Summer” is one hell of an amped track with a beat that drives so strong it has the legs to keep rockin’ all Summer long. Produced by Jimmy Kyle and Lincoln Le Fevre (Luca Brasi, Wil Wagner, Lucy Wilson), accompanied with an equally charged and culturally strong clip by award winning filmmaker Ben McFadyen and cover art by Wiradjuri, Ngiyampaa woman and Instagram design influencer @coffinbirth this power posse is one you need to be across.

“Summer “finds Jimmy Kyle singing in both English and, for the first time ever, in his native tongue as he explores the horrors of the 1856 Towel Creek massacre. The singer-guitarist delivers the song through the eyes of a grieving Aboriginal Elder, of the story of “Baaba” (Babaang) Jack Scott as a baby; the lone survivor of the Towel Creek tragedy. Incredibly, through a schoolyard incident when he was younger Kyle learned of a close family link to that Elder.

“The song explores white nationalism, colonisation, assimilation and ultimately reconciliation,” offers Kyle. “It asks the question of white Australia to come and reconcile the true history of the country and invites non-Indigenous Australians to see themselves as an extension of Aboriginal people.”

With a strong passion for Aboriginal languages Jimmy Kyle is committed to his culture and his community and has a long history working with First Nations Youth, Elders and community. Further, Jimmy’s cultural awareness training workshops and seminars are in high demand due to the cultural depth his brings to this space. He works with entities such as the Victoria Police, DHHS and other government agencies to help them better understand First Nations cultures and histories. “Only having a little knowledge is dangerous,” he says.

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Source: BadApplesMusic.com

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BARKAA ‘GROOVY’

BARKAA releases her debut single on Bad Apples Music ‘Groovy’, a track that’s waggish, and full of fun yet holds a lot of substance when it comes to the rising artist and her culture.

For the Malyangapa, Barkindji woman from Western New South Wales, now living in South West Sydney on Gandangara land; the song is her feel good track. Her “love yourself” track; the “Get up in the morning and remember who the hell you are” track.

The title of the song is also a dedication to her mother. She says, ‘’I remember Mum talking about the 80s and how groovy it was, how big the Blak movement was in those times, the fight that they fought for us and paved the way for me, my generation and generations to come. It’s also a dedication to the life that I left behind and how a sis got her groove back.’’

Rapping in her language of Barkindji BARKAA says, “I’m really proud to also incorporate my mother tongue into the track, even though I am swearing in language, it feels staunch, it feels tough, it feels DEADLY, it feels right. In the chorus I mention that I’m a monument, which is a shot at the Government protecting statues of colonizers, murderers and rapist instead of protecting the culture and livelihood of my first nations sisters and brothers, I’m basically saying that my spirit has been here for thousands and thousands of years since the first sunrise, 232 years is just a miniscule part in time compared to my spirit, my song lines and history. We are the monuments of this country, monuments with amazing minds and our oppressors can’t get under our skin, even if they tried.’’

BARKAA released her debut single ‘For My Tittas’ this year and has made waves within her community with the Pass The Ochre challenge. Most recently she won the Inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in the Acclaim 2020 All-Stars and has received support for her previously released music on Triple J and community radio across Australia.

BARKAA as an artist likes to talk about contemporary issues as well as her culture. Her music is part of her journey to express herself, the truth and issues impacting upon First Nation people. ‘Groovy’ is just a taste of much more music to come in 2021.

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Source: BadApplesMusic.com

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ALICE SKYE ‘STAY IN BED’

Naarm-based Wergaia / Wemba Wemba woman, Alice Skye, today unveils her latest single and accompanying video, “Stay In Bed” via Bad Apples Music.

After releasing the graciously raw track “Grand Ideas” earlier this year, Alice Skye again enlists producer Jen Cloher to share one of her most intimate songs to date. “Stay In Bed” was penned after a phone conversation with a friend as they became both a trusted shoulder and comedic relief for one another, realising they both were experiencing difficult times of depression. The song begins with a lullaby-like sway of twanging guitar plucks and steady drumming, as Alice’s ethereal and husk-toned voice carries some of her inner-thoughts and anxieties upwards. Skye’s moving sonic arena of exposed and relatable truths, fast becomes an anthem of uplifting support to herself and those loved ones around her, reassuring them of the light that exists within and nearby.

Alice Skye says on the track: “It is another song about depression and all the things you’re told or tell yourself. But ultimately it’s a love song to my friends and friends going through it together. I wrote it after talking on the phone to a friend. We’d been trying to catch up for months but the times that we both felt able to leave the house just weren’t aligning. We laughed on the phone about how ridiculous we felt for being so sad and it felt nice to make light of how heavy we felt for a bit.

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Source: BadApplesMusic.com

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NOOKY ‘ALWAYS WAS ALWAYS WILL BE’

Fresh from sharing his video for ‘Always Was Always Will Be’, Sydney based MC Nookyreleases today on all DSP’s the single which was inspired by this year’s NAIDOC theme.

The new single is produced by up-and-coming producer Mansus with additional production by iamsolo, who also produced Nooky’s previous single ‘Ere Lah’.

The Yuin Nation hip hop artist says, ‘Always Was Always Will Be’ is one of the first things I learned growing up! It gives a sense of strength and pride when stated, it’s something you can say with your chest and back whole heartedly because this land that we all stand on, is and always will be Aboriginal land and that shit’s undeniable. It’s a reflection of the sense of pride and strength you get growing up with ya mob, it’s also a nod to this year’s NAIDOC theme. The track features our slang and is unapologetically black, it was produced by up and coming producer Mansus with a sprinkle of the sauce from iamsolo. This shit right here is the new NAIDOC anthem, f*ck it new Australian anthem.’

The official video for ‘Always Was Always Will Be’, was proudly premiered during NAIDOC week on Acclaim.com and was directed by Burrows Digital and filmed in Sydney.

‘Always Was Always Will’ Be kicks off Nooky’s new season. It encapsulates Nooky’s mantra of live and die by the spear and along with Ere Lah will also feature on his forthcoming EP Lyrebird Park.

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Source: BadApplesMusic.com

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SWIDT “GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES”

To coincide with the release of their “Good Things Come In Threes” 3 single pack today we are excited to announce New Zealand’s SWIDT are now part of Bad Apples Music in Australia.

The multi award winning rap group SWIDT are a 5 man collective who hail from the boroughs of Stoneyhunga, 312. The members are SmokeyGotBeatz, SPYCC, INF, JAMAL & Boomer Tha God. Their impressive catalogue boasts “SWIDT vs. Everybody”, “STONEYHUNGA, STONEYHUNGA BOOTLEG EP” & “The Most Electrifying EP”.

In their short amount of time on the scene SWIDT have garnered a cult following through their infectious music, wild live shows, colourful fashion, and their charismatic personalities. Although the content in their music is very local, their quality is international.

SWIDT have been nominated and have won many awards over the past four years at the VNZMA, PMA, Silver Scrolls & New Zealand Music Award for Critic’s Choice Prize. They have also been the supporting act of a number of international artists namely Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Wu-tang Clan & Post Malone.

“I linked with SmokeyGotBeatz from SWIDT on my first trip to NZ. I watched their show loved the energy of the guys and what they represent for their home and their culture. This is a great step for Bad Apples Music and SWIDT; to open opportunities & pathways here to NZ, between First Nations, Black & Brown artists.” – Briggs

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Source: BadApplesMusic.com

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KOBIE DEE ‘ROLE MODELS’

Introducing “Role Models”, the latest track from Sydney-based hip hop powerhouse, Kobie Dee

From the very first bar, Kobie grabs the listener and draws them into a lucid vision of the driving forces that power the cycle of poverty and drug use in Sydney’s disadvantaged suburbs. Over a moody beat that mirrors the deep themes of the track, Kobie reflects on his role in breaking the cycle and empowering the upcoming generation.

Role Models is filled with the raw honesty, hope and determination that has made Australia sit up and listen closely to this remarkable Gamilaroi artist.

The track was written by Kobie and long-time collaborator Papertoy, over the course of one session. The theme of the track had come to Kobie as he walked to the studio. When he arrived he wrote the verses and chorus as Papertoy wrote the beat.

Kobie says of the track: “I thought up Role Models on my way to the studio after I overheard a conversation my mum was having with her friend. She’d caught her kid drinking with his mates down at the same park me and my mates used to drink at as well at that age.

It took me back to when I first smoked pot and first started drinking – and just how we thought it was all fun until the drugs got more addictive and it became more of an escape rather than fun. It made me start thinking of the role models we had growing up and really the people we looked up to were the ones we’d see on benders, or the ones selling the drugs, or the ones pumping houses or stealing cars. Now I’m a role model and I have to hold that responsibility to the best I can for the next generation.”

“Role Models” is the third single Kobie has released in 2020. It joins a growing catalogue of powerful tracks that have garnered over 7 million streams to date and firmly cemented Kobie as one of the most important voices in the Australian Hip Hop scene.

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Source: BadApplesMusic.com

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BRIGGS ‘ALWAYS WAS’ EP

Australian Hip-hop pioneer, comedy writer, actor, best-selling children’s book author, and Yorta-Yorta man Briggs is finally releasing his long awaited new 6 track EP ‘Always Was’, now available on all digital platforms through Island Records.

‘Always Was’ is Briggs’s first solo body of work to be released since 2014’s ‘Sheplife’ and the acclaimed 2016 A.B. Original ‘Reclaim Australia’ album. It was written in writing rooms between Los Angeles, Sydney and Adelaide featuring tracks produced by Trials and Jayteehazard.

The artwork features a series of geometric patterns designed by interdisciplinary artist Reko Rennie, and a photograph of Briggs’s own tattooed hand proclaiming ‘Always Was’.

The most recent single ‘Go To War’ features guest vocalist Thelma Plum and is a song that is fundamentally about fearlessness when you get pushed too far and you’re backed into a corner and there’s very little recourse. ‘After every avenue is exhausted and every word has been said, every bridge has been crossed or burnt, ‘Go To War’ is about ‘having it up to here’ and asking yourself, ‘is this where you want to be?’.

The video clip touches on the challenge of living in-between traditional and colonial worlds with a cast including the Muggera Dancers, Thelma Plum, Barkaa, Nooky, Kobie Dee, and Scottie Marsh. Watch ‘Go To War’ Here

The first single ‘Extra Extra’, was produced by friend and collaborator Trials, and says enough about the work ethic of the quadruple-threat from Shepparton. ‘Extra, Extra is how I live. No days off. Everything I do is Extra – you can check my resume for that. A lot of people know me for a lot of different things – but this is back to the fundamentals of who I am as Briggs.’

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Source: BadApplesMusic.com

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BIRDZ FEAT. FRED LEONE “BAGI-LA-M BARGAN”

Rising hip-hop artist Birdz returns today with his new single, “Bagi-la-m Bargan feat. Fred Leone” out via Bad Apples Music.

Written and recorded for National Indigenous Television (NITV)’s new documentary Looky, Looky Here Comes Cooky (premiering tonight at 8:30pm on the channel), Birdz co-wrote the song with Trials and Fred Leone. Director Steven McGregor captured snippets of the recording of Bagi-la-m Bargan at Audrey Studios (Melbourne), as part of the film.

Premiering on triple j Good Nights, Bagi-la-m Bargan was inspired by the story of the Butchulla people seeing James Cook sail past Kgari (aka Fraser Island). Birdz was approached by Steven to write a song from a young warrior’s perspective defending his country. When presented with this concept, he immediately thought of his cousin Fred and the idea it needed to be a family collaboration.

Birdz says, “While the song itself is character driven, it’s also a family affair and that’s what makes it extra special. As well as being cousins, Fred’s like my big brother and mentor, and Trials is like my brother too, so the whole process of writing the song was mad organic and one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had in my career so far.”

Fred Leone is one of the Butchulla Song-men and his part of Bagi-la-m Bargan which is sung in language, is originally a Butchulla yawar wirray (Song and dance) dreamt by Fred several years earlier and only sung and danced in public on 5 occasions.

Birdz explains further, “I told Fred about this project and he showed me the Butchulla song. This is how the creative process of “Bagi-la-m Bargan” started. My verses are written from a character perspective of a young Butchulla warrior whose home, people, and overall existence is under threat. Tapping into the mindset of someone preparing for war.”

“The dominant narrative of Australian history neglects the fact that there was active Aboriginal resistance against European invasion. The song is inspired by this resistance.”

As a proud Butchulla man raised in Katherine N.T., Birdz is renowned for his unique brand of hard-hitting hip-hop embodying strong messages of hope and self-determination. The unapologetic rapper’s debut album ‘Train Of Thought (2017) was received with critical acclaim and deservedly won the Australian Independent Record Label Associations – Best Independent Hip Hop Album, was shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize, nominated for Music Victoria’s Best Hip Hop Album and was loved by community and national radio, and digital service providers nationally.

In May 2019, Birdz released his most impactful project to date in the Place of Dreams Ep, featuring world class collaborations with the likes of Mo’ju, Ecca Vandal, Serina Pech and A.B. Original’s Trials on production. The project has since ticked over 900,000 streams on Spotify alone, received high rotation on triple j and community radio nationally and is continuing to grow throughout the country.

Birdz is currently in the studio working on his second full-length album and is scheduled for release in the final quarter of 2020.

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Source: BadApplesMusic.com

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BRIGGS FEAT. THELMA PLUM ‘GO TO WAR’

Australian Hip-hop pioneer Briggs has announced the release of his newest single ‘Go To War’ which will be out this Friday August 7 through Island Records. Featuring guest vocalist Thelma Plum, ‘Go To War ’is the second single to be lifted from the forthcoming EP and the follow up to ‘Extra Extra’ released earlier this year. This latest single is the precursor to his long awaited new 6 track EP ‘Always Was’, which will be available on all digital platforms on Friday August 21.

On the song itself Briggs says, “After every avenue is exhausted and every word has been said, every bridge has been crossed or burnt, ‘Go To War’ is about ‘having it up to here’ and asking yourself, ‘is this where you want to be?’. l wrote this in the booth, with producer Jayteehazard, over one day in the studio. I’d imagined Thelma being on the song when I was cooking it up, and we threw some ideas back and forth and knocked it out over another day. The song is about fearlessness. When you get pushed too far and you’re backed into a corner and there’s very little recourse”.

The video for ‘Go To War’ tells another story about Indigenous Australians having to exist in two worlds and how exhausting that can be.

Briggs explains, ‘It talks to the idea of the ‘palatable black’ and the way Australia looks fondly at having dot paintings in their house, and ochre’d Aboriginal people dancing and practicing traditions but looks down their nose at Blackfullas in the street because they don’t fit their absurd notion of a ‘True Aboriginal’. You can’t reduce someone’s identity and connection to culture because they’re not wearing the suit you associate them with’.

Co-directed by Tristan Edouard and Selina Miles, the clip features an almost entirely Aboriginal cast including the Muggera Dancers, Thelma Plum, Barkaa, Nooky, Kobie Dee, and Scottie Marsh.

The forthcoming EP ‘Always Was’ is Briggs’s first solo body of work to be released since 2014’s ‘Sheplife’ and the acclaimed 2016 A.B. Original ‘Reclaim Australia’ album. This comes after an already massive year for Briggs, the newly published author topped the Best Seller’s list last month with children’s book ‘Our Home, Our Heartbeat’.

Briggs will also be making his live stream performance debut since the COVID-19 outbreak on Thursday August 20 as part of Inside Sets. Appearing with his band, see them deliver their powerful and commanding live show for the screen. Tickets are available at tiered pricing to stream the show and buy a position in the virtual audience.

Source: BadApplesMusic.com

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