Elefant Traks is proud to be reissuing a deluxe version of The Last Kinection’s – Nutches album for NAIDOC Week. Dubbed a ‘classic’ by the ABC it contains the beautiful single Balooraman and crowd favourites including Black & Deadly and Commercial Radio featuring Urthboy.
The deluxe version has been beautifully repackaged with new artwork and includes four previously unreleased remixes. The Last Kinection are made up of brother and sister Weno (vocals/producer) and Nay (vocals), belonging to the Kabbi Kabbi people of South East Queensland as well as DJ and producer Jaytee.
They’ve already achieved an impressive tally of five Deadly Awards (‘Best Band’ and ‘Best Single’ in 2011; ‘Most Outstanding Achievement in Hip Hop/R&B’ in 2009 and 2010; and Nay was ‘Best Female’ in 2010).
The Last Kinection (TLK) have established themselves as an empowering lyric-driven group with melodic production and progressive hip hop feel. Led with Indigenous heart and soul, they are fiercely proud of their culture and history.
TLK are extraordinary: uncompromising in their worldview, but with optimism and an outstretched hand. Nutches is available now from www.elefanttraks.com, iTunes and all good record stores.
Introducing Yung Warriors, Australia’s fastest rising Indigenous hip hop outfit. Fresh off the back of dates with American Hip Hop heavyweights D12 and recent US showcase’s in NY & LA, Yung Warriors have just announced the release of their second album Standing Strong, in stores now through Payback Records / Shock.
Yung Warriors is brothers Tjiimba and D Boy. Together they’ve supported the likes of Akon, 50 Cent, The Game and Outlawz, whilst maintaining a regular presence in their hometown of Melbourne. With the albums lead single (and title track) already added to triple j rotation, and national tour dates just announced – the duo are gearing up for a huge 2012.
Nominated for Best Hip Hop Act’ at the 2009 Deadly Awards and taking out the prize for ‘Best New Talent’ at the first Indigenous Hip Hop and R’n’B Bump Awards, Yung Warriors have in-fact been paying their dues and honing their art for 7 years. Produced by Momo from Diafrix, they are very excited to be unleashing Standing Strong. In Tjiimba’s words: “working with Momo was awesome, he taught us a lot about putting music together. We’re really excited about this album as we feel we’ve really improved ourselves coming into it over the last few years. We’ve been experimenting along the way, building and building our sound and this album reflects that”. The album’s title track features Indigenous artists Dizzy Doolan, Sneake1, Dubbzone, Karnage & Robby Knight.
Standing Strong is an album that mixes the brothers hip hop flows and beats with ample splashes of smooth RnB stylings and a sprinkle of poptastic hooks. Though an undeniably indigenous outing it would be unfair to the album to dwell entirely upon that facet of it and box it up as so. Thematically, although often aboriginal in its context the boys lyrics cover everything from culture, pride, family and growing up through to the fairer sex, marijuana and nightclubs – all common lyrical themes no matter an artists individual racial background.
Yung Warriors hail from a long line of proud indigenous ancestry. Their maternal grandfather is Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, one of the most collected and renowned of Australian Aboriginal artists, his paintings are held in galleries and collections all over the world including the National Gallery of Australia.
Outside the studio Yung Warriors continue to actively support their community and lift the standards of the indigenous hip hop movement. Referred to in some circles as “Australia’s leading Indigenous and cultural music ambassadors“, these titles don’t come easy, and the Yung Warriors don’t wear it lightly. As Tjiimba says, hence the name of the album, its Yung Warriors message to their young people; “Keep your head up and if you’re doing your thing, don’t let people pull you down, just stand strong”.
The National Standing Strong Album Launch Tour Thur 7th June – FBI Social Sydney, NSW Sat 9th June – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, NSW Fri 15th June – Track, w/ The Outlaws, VIC Sat 16th June – Workers Club Melb, VIC Thur 12th July – The Front, Canberra, ACT Fri 13th July – The Laundry, Melb, VIC Fri 27th July – The Patch, Wollongong, NSW
The Last Kinection have created one of the most positively energetic records of 2011, the confronting; the passionate; the inspiring Next Of Kin. Fiercely proud of their culture and history, The Last Kinection are extraordinary: uncompromising in their worldview, but with optimism and an outstretched hand.
From the self-assured Find A Way (‘Ngai Wudhim Marigurim Ngai Yirinbu: I am afraid but I’m still strong’); to the commanding Together (‘If you could only spend a day in my shoes, maybe then we could talk, maybe then we could walk together’), Next of Kin is strikingly insightful. It’s the second album from the trio made up of brother and sister Weno (vocals/producer/2nd year medicine student) and Nay (vocals), belonging to the Kabbi Kabbi people of South East Queensland as well as DJ and producer Jaytee.
Created in the aftermath of a horrific car accident in 2008 – where Nay was pronounced dead at the scene before her brother Weno noticed the blanket that covered her move slightly. Ultimately the incident became the subject of a Crash Scene Investigations program. It truly is a tale of triumph over adversity: staring down the utterly devastating prospect of never walking or talking again, to making songs with such a perfect storm of power and melody.
This is a record of defiance, laughter and reflection – beautifully articulate voices bringing an Indigenous experience into sharp focus with a blazing set of banging hip hop. Already they’ve achieved an impressive tally of five Deadly Awards (‘Best Band’ and ‘Best Single’ in 2011; ‘Most Out- standing Achievement in Hip Hop/R&B’ in 2009 and 2010; and Nay was ‘Best Female’ in 2010).
Guests on the record include some of Australia’s most lauded MCs, including Trials (Funkoars) and Briggs from the Golden Era label, Ozi Batla from The Herd, Rival MC from Impossible Odds, Lotek and Omar Musa. Simone Stacey, Nay’s former partner in Shakaya, appears on the lead single Are We There Yet?
Make no mistake; this is an important Australian record.
Tracklist
1 Introduction 2 Find A Way 3 Together feat. Omar Musa 4 Burning Bridges feat. Briggs 5 Millions Of People 6 Talk About It feat. Trials 7 1995 feat. Ozi Batla 8 The Strong Remain feat. Impossible Odds 9 Yawar-Gu (Interlude) 10 Are We There Yet? feat. Simon Stacey 11 Prove Them Wrong 12 Happy People feat. Lotek 13 So Bad (Interlude) 14 So Good 15 Do This 16 Small Stuff 17 Undone
Album Next Of Kin drops 28th October. Video directed & produced by Joel Wenitong.Produced By Jaytee for Hazard Productions & Weno for Blackchilli Productions / Lyrics written & performed byNay, Weno & Simone Stacey / Guitar & Piano performed by Gareth Hudson
No strangers to the music industry, The Last Kinection have had significant success and experience for years before the group formed. Naomi (MC Nay) was one half of R&B Pop group Shakaya and signed with a major multinational label at the age of 16, quickly climbing the ARIA charts and selling platinum singles and a debut album.
Joel Wenitong (Weno) and Jacob Turier (Jaytee) were on the rise as part of the infectious group Local Knowledge (Music Oz’ Best Indigenous Artist in 2005; Best Group in the 2005 Deadly Awards) before it folded. Disheartened and frustrated, all three quickly moved on to form The Last Kinection, and the adventures of the inspired trio began. Naomi and Joel come from a large family belonging to the Kabbi Kabbi people of South East Queensland. At a frighteningly rapid pace they were losing their elders to the cycle of life. This reality was the reason behind the group’s name. The Last Kinection’s debut album Nutches (Pronounced Nu-tches ‘u’ as in Put), was released in 2008 and featured heavily on triple J and community radio across Australia. The band established themselves as a serious lyric-driven group with melodic production and a progressive hip hop aesthetic. Whilst tackling the big issues facing Indigenous (and non-Indigenous) Australia has become part of the group’s mantra, their knack of easing tension with great humour and captivating entertainment is what gives TLK’s personality such charm.
It’s this attention to entertainment and stagecraft that has resulted in an explosive live show. They’ve played The Peats Ridge Festival, The Dreaming, Groovin’ The Moo, Field Days, Sydney Festival and many more. After being invited by Paul Kelly to appear on the Cannot Buy My Soul – Tribute to Kev Carmody compilation, they played an important role in the triumphant shows at the State Theatre and Brisbane’s River Stage. TLK won legions of new fans after being invited by The Herd to be main support on their soldout national tour of 2008.
It was the morning after the last show of that tour that may be TLK’s defining moment. They were involved in a horrific car accident after the car they were driving was forced off the road resulting in a near death experience. Nay was assumed dead at the scene. They’ve since been profiled by TV show Crash Investigation Unit about their lucky escape. With spirit and determination the group rehabilitated and returned to support Public Enemy in early 2009 and have not looked back. The Last Kinection have a close connection to the community, running music workshops covering music business; production; singing; MCing and DJ techniques; songwriting and performance. In these workshops the aim is to encourage, guide and give confidence to upcoming artists; allowing them to express themselves in a positive way; or to assist them in healing.
In 2010, The Last Kinection teamed up with Elefant Traks and their second album The Next of Kinwill be released through the label in the second half of the year. Elefant Traks congratulates the Last Kinection for taking out Best Single and Best Band at the 2011 Deadly Awards, held the other night in Sydney. It coincides neatly for the Indigenous group as their brand new single ‘Are We There Yet?’ was also added to triple j rotation the other day.
Are We There Yet? brings the urgency of Indigenous survival into sharp focus with a collision of straight-shooting and infectious melody. Moving beyond simple sloganeering about equality, The Last Kinection speak from the head and the heart when Weno asks “How are we going to get there, we don’t even have boats? And how are we going to get there when we’re not winning votes?”. In turn Nay raps “Statistics say, that I won’t make / The predicted day of life expectancy / Compared to the average Aussie that grew up next door to me”.
Are We There Yet? is a deadly piece of pop culture existing both as a beautifully hooky hip hop tune and a heart-wrenching question of just how far we have to go as a society that believes in a ‘fair go’ for all. Special guest on the song is Simone Stacey, Nay’s former partner in R&B group Shakaya.The Last Kinection’s second record Next of Kin on October 28.
