Thank Guard Magazine

2018 is KAIIT’s year. The Melbourne-based singer has given Australian music fans a lil more of what they truly crave from local artists. “OG KUSH p.2” floats KAIIT’s zealous vocal on a deep funky instrumental, driven by a straight-up nostalgic rimshot and complemented with sporadic jazzy keys & guitar.

Burn-city trappers GS PHANTOM & TOPBOI just dropped a classic. “BACK2BACK” immediately stands out from a lot of their previous fire.

This one's filled with punchlines and references to all kinds of random hilarious shit. The cadence and flow they use feels very authentic, original and refreshing. Not many rappers have that going for them.

This one time when we were shooting for our upcoming LIVE AS FUCK video series at THE FITZROY CLUBHOUSE we heard someone randomly blasting a RIHANNA song out of a little studio room. We burst in to find it was actually MANUXELLA working on her debut single with the homie JAYE.

Melbourne rap-outfit 3K jumped into the scene in the freshest way possible this year. These guys have been involved in Melbourne’s hip-hop culture for ages now, doing their thing with the MONTANASA crew and also just being the happiest motherfuckers turning up at section 8 etc.

Last Saturday they launched their debut EP DON’T PANIC! to a packed out SAINTSIDE deep in the heart of the 3K CBD. The audiovisual experience was enhanced by support from AGUNG MANGO and a room full of the next-gen of Melbourne’s street creatives.

This EP flips the Soundcloud-era banger on its head. 3K bring warmth, enthusiasm and friendliness? to a typically staunch, bad vibes only, xanned-out, moody, dystopian sound. You listen to these tracks and legit feel like your in the room with them, having a sesh… watching some dumb shit on youtube and talking smack.

Even “CHRIS PRATT” feels happy to me. Some of it comes down to the vocal processing… or lack thereof. Minimizing that saturation, auto-tune and reverb really highlights each member’s unique voice, flow and lyrical swag, giving the EP a semi-live feel.

ARNO FARAJI aka one of the mans who signified TRIPLE J’s timely sonic evolution has been delivering on the musical front in the lead up to his foray into the world of official releases.

EVERYBODY has love for ARNO. REMI & SENSIBLE J showed some major support to the young talent, which was felt by the wider community of teenage dreamers who no doubt lived vicariously thru the smile on his face during the recording process of this dream collab.

Melbourne singer MAYA HIRASEDO just stepped into the limelight with her debut video for “COCAINE”.

Director RIBAL HOSN and MAYA carefully crafted an 80’s throwback experience that isn’t corny one bit. Rare.

First up, suss the video for “BAG”. This ECO track which features OCEAN & PHANTOM bangssss.

Melbourne rappers GS PHANTOM and ECO$YSTEM could blow up off their outfits alone. To outsiders, that’s the first thing they notice. But the real ones recognise they have true musical talent, flexing flows and sensibilities reminiscent of American trap influencers like Ugly God, Carti, Tay K & SOB RBE.

Here’s PHANTOM’s “GS PHANTOM DRIP” video - a RIC FLAIR REMIX showcasing the mans trademark sexually explicit punchlines delivered with a soothing icey coolness.

Three days ago ECO dropped the video for his new new “GELATO” which flaunts a fast-paced, yet subdued flow. The crisp visuals feature a maturing ECO$YSTEM, telling it straight in a grocery store.

Western Sydney MC KWAME recently premiered the energetic and vibrant music video for “WOW” on Triple J Unearthed.

The visuals portray a highly relatable KWAME and feel undeniably Australian. Other rappers might prefer to shoot in American-esque locations, this guy chooses to flex in his own backyard. With the first single off his stellar sophomore EP ENDLESS CONVERSATIONS (which is available on Spotify & Apple Music), KWAME used an acrobatic and bass boosted beat produced by himself to flex his muscles with an almost effortless flow and braggadocios yet relatable bars like: HOMIE YOU A BASIC / KNOCK YOU THROUGH YOUR MIRROR JUST SO YOU CAN REALLY FACE IT

KVKA never sleeps. The New Zealand rap-pillar and his STAY SAVAGE crew always have something cooking. Whether it’s a mixtape, video or tour, their output is never half-assed and always bangs. We’re proud to premiere their latest drop - the video for “ENEMIES (ft. RHYS RICH)” - directed by FRANKIE BERGE.

In it you’ll find your favourite Kiwi mans rocking FUBU & turning up with some ancient-greek amazon style dancers. That red and black color scheme grabs you immediately and really evolves throughout the vid to great effect.

KVKA & RHYS RICH nailed the track too. They both shine on their verses, weaving together a combination of wavy melodies & hard-hitting bars that sound world-class.

Man, this is why we still write articles instead of getting a real job. Posted HAWI & MARS like last week and it got heaps of love. The Perth high-schoolers were quick to capitalise and somehow managed to put together the perfect visuals for their lowkey classic “FIFA”.

AGUNG MANGO really came out of nowhere, so we sat down with the man for a proper introduction to the world. If you still haven’t heard the Melbourne rapper, check out “WITH AWE I SEE (ft. CD)”, or any of his videos. All of his stuff oozes creativity & that soulful style has the potential to reach a lot of Australians one day, even those not that into rap music. Here's his new single "24hrs". Shit is crazy.

WHAT DOES YOUR NAME MEAN?

Agung is my Balinese family name & Mango means ‘man on the go'.

WHERE ARE YOU BASED & WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

I grew up in the Western suburbs of Melbourne in an area called DEER PARK. After the age of 10 My family moved to Caroline Springs my home town. I’m a west-side boy.

YOU HAD A GREAT SET AT MONTANASA'S NEIGHBOURHOOD FUNK PARTY. HOW WAS THAT SHOW FOR YOU?

The Neighbourhood Funk gig was an event to remember. It was so dope seeing everyone come out and show love from all ends of Melbourne. Shout out everyone who came through & shout out to MONTANASA! That’s family.

THE "AWE I SEE" VIDEO IS EASILY ONE OF MY FAVOURITE LOCAL VIDS OF RECENT MEMORY. HOW DID THAT COME TOGETHOR & WHAT LED YOU TO CHANGE YOUR TRADEMARK VHS LOOK?

Appreciate it bro! “AWE I SEE” came about when me and BELUGA from the 3K decided to start our own production team called SHADY TREES with “AWE I SEE” being our first big project. We worked our asses off for that vid. We had to figure a way to hang me upside down without fucking me up (laughs).

HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

Hahah we just used some random tradie harness we found. It was a mission though.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO DO THE MAKEUP FOR THE ARROW IN YOUR EYE?

So my home girl Alex came in everyday for 4 days at 7am to do the make-up which took an hour every time. She would bounce to go to work so I had the arrow in my eye from 7am till 5pm or later for those 4 days. I’ve never hated something so much in my life (laughs) that shit was the worst. Also cause she had work in the morning I had to wait for BELUGA to finish work at around 11am to start shooting. So for most of the days I spent around 4 hours each morning just waiting by myself with this arrow thru my eye. It was the worst. Just imagine losing an eye for 4 days (laughs) my sense of balance was out the window.

YOUR MUSIC IS STRIKINGLY DIFFERENT TO MOST MELBOURNE RAP. WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE?

Damn this is always a hard question to answer. To be honest man I don’t know what inspires me to make the music I make, I like all types of music so it’s hard to pin down. But usually movies help me write so I gather inspiration mostly from movies.

WHAT LEGACY DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE ON THIS SCENE?

I just want to inspire people to get out n’ make shit. From music, to videos, to whatever man I just want to inspire.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FORM YOU IN THE FUTURE?

I got a project dropping soon and it’s content packed, musically & visually.

Neil Morris is a Yorta Yorta man who raps under the moniker DRMNGNOW. On “INDIGENOUS LAND” he calls for widespread cultural knowledge regarding the history of Indigenous people in Australia and the legacy of the failed white fella policy that still affects his community to this day.

Dropping at the beginning of reconciliation week, MORRIS opens the song with some spoken word, “EVERYWHERE WE WALK UPON IN THIS WORLD, ONE INDIGENOUS GROUP OR ANOTHER HAS ONCE LIVED THERE BEFORE FOR THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF YEARS. WE GOTTA RESPECT THE WAYS TO INHABIT THAT PLACE”. Throughout the track, DRMNGNOW delivers a tight staccato rhyme scheme brimming with skill and pace over hard-hitting trap production. His flow is impressive. Theres a bunch of sick little vocal flairs he throws in at the end of that second verse after he spits… “LEST WE FORGET THE FRONTIER WARS AND THE GENOCIDE BLUEPRINT THAT DOES LIVE ON” Aside from being musically relevant in 2018, the energy and emotional depth of this track really carries through the feeling of the words. The most powerful moments being when MORRIS raps in his native language. Here the tone and vibe of the words match perfectly with the hard production, manned by NARAYANA JOHNSON (producer from indie electronic duo WILLOW BEATS) who’s been making trap bangers on the sly as RIVER BOY. “INDIGENOUS LAND” features JOHNSON’s signature fluid style with moody arpeggios, evolving flute melodies and harmonically rich, thumping bass.

We may have come across PAPI before, but didn’t realise he was an Aussie. TBH the only clues to his nationality: one of the 4 people he follows on Soundcloud is KUDZAI a sick burn-city singer/rapper and that on his “FINESSE” freestyle he raps “and I’m reppin Melbourne city in case you forget”.

The mans music already has hundreds of thousands of plays which is no surprise. From that "FINNESSE" freestyle which gets crazy in the middle, to his emotional raps over SHILOH beats, to this MIAMI style trap remix of MICHAEL JACKSON’s “BILLIE JEAN”, PAPI is the gift that keeps on giving. "IMMA PISS ON ALL THESE NIGGAS IM R.KELLY" - say no more.

He’s clearly inspired by XXXTENTACION & SKI MASK THE SLUMP GOD who are probs the only two rappers rocking a flow that feels significantly fresher to hip-hop than the MIGOS style currently reaching maturity.

“WHY AM I WAITING” his first big hit, shows the first signs of a voice & love-laced lyricism that wouldn’t sound out of place on Triple J one day.

HAWI & MARS are a couple of 17 y.o’s from PERTH with hella potential. When we first heard their track “FIFA” we couldn’t get it out of our heads for a week. That vibey summertime production reminiscent of “HERSIDE STORY” (aka one of the best rap singles dropped in the last few years) is dope, but it’s really the genius lyricism and youthful swagger that make this track soo good.

WE WAS COOLING PLAYING FIFA // WHILE OTHER NIGGAS CHILLING PLAYING DUMB BLOWING THAT REEFER // GOT THAT HSP FOR DINNER… SOME THINK THAT WE ARE BOZOS // BUT WHEN WE UP AND SHINING DON’T BE CALLING US LIKE EY BRO. Every male high-schooler in the country can defs relate to these lyrics on a truly spiritual level (bogans just change the HSP to a sausage roll or something). That’s HAWI you’re hearing on the chorus and 1st verse. His earlier track “EATIN UP” is also dope. Not only is the hook about hanging out at HUNGRY JACK’s, but he is spitting straight facts…

I HAD A DREAM LIKE MARTIN // AND I AINT MISS MY SHOTS NIGGA YOU CAN CALL ME HARDEN // I WAS SOBER AT THE PARTY // THEY ASK ME DO I SMOKE I SAID HELL NO I AINT RETARDED // FUCK BEING A FUCKING FIEND // I SEE ALL OF THESE TEENAGERS LOOKING LIKE DEMONS ON THAT LEAN // NIGGAS BE BUSTING OUT WITH GUNS // IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE NIGGA THEY STUPID OR THEY DUMB. MARS is the G on that second verse that is so good that you completely disregard the fact that his UK accent is a joke.

His latest dancehall hit “LIKE THAT” has already racked up close to 18,000 plays on Soundcloud. "LATELY” off his debut EP shows moments of true pop/r&b potential.

THE STRANGER SUITE are vying to be the next big jazz/soul ensemble to come out of Melbourne. On their latest singles “WITH YOU” & “SELFISH”, the gang enhances their sombre brand of suburban jazz with a stream of truly intimate raps.

Those horns on “WITH YOU” will pacify you, pull you deep into a warm blanket of sound, ready for GABRIEL LCR & LEVASA’s contrasting baritone flows. These two go back and forth like the experienced live performers they are, sporting flows that tread the line between nostalgic & contemporary vibes. This one doesn't run out of steam either. Legit peaks in the outro. That sax solo is mint.

We picked up on the quality of FREAK’s bars earlier this year when he dropped “KITCHEN”. There’s something really alien about this guy.

Both his aesthetic and musical persona are so shamelessly over-the-top. You really come in expecting another rapper who’s all talk. But this mf delivers every single time. His flow is so sharp that he can pull off anything.

On his brand new mixtape T.N.T, FREAK gives the people exactly what they want and more. For me personally, this tape is already an Aussie underground rap classic. It’s pure entertainment. Quality music. Get around it. STANDOUT TRACKS: “STUPID & LAME”, “POTIONS (ft 4RENZIK)” & “GOTTA KNOW”.

FREESOULS are a Southwest Sydney rap crew who can get results. Years of hustle have turned them into a well-oiled machine that can produce complex hip-hop tracks and world-class visuals. They really earned a lot of respect when they dropped the video for “KINGS” in 2016.

Their most recent finished product is “VOODOO CHILD” off their MODERN DAY SLAVES EP. Imagine if the MIGOS took a bunch of psychedelics, stopped caring about chains and started searching for deeper meaning. This is pretty much what that would sound like.

“I remember when I wasn’t woke // living with ego that shit is a joke // if you acknowledge the spiritual goals // then maybe you’ll finally manifest gold”. The one thing that stands out about this track is that constant stream of quality lyricism slayed out thru contemporary flows, all recorded crisply with no auto-tune. It almost gives them an old-school feel at moments, like on some BONE THUGZ & HARMONY tip which is dope.