Adelaide get down The Gov tonight for Purpose’sWhere It Starts album launch. Tonight he unveils his new live show in what is shaping up to be a big night for independent Australian music. Tickets are still available, get em’ by following the link below.
Special guests include Prime, Koolta, Mase N Mattic, Grifters Inc. and JP & DJ Sanchez. Doors open at 7.30pm, $12 per/$15 at door. Get your tickets here. Purpose recently performed at the Clipsal 500 alongside Drapht, Hilltop Hoods, Pez and more.
Purpose will be launching his album in Melbourne tomorrow night, so get down to the Laundry Bar if you’re around.
Featuring visual artists, hip hop MCs and a full live band, Sketch The Rhyme is a brilliantly unique game show where freestyle rapping meets fast paced illustration and live animation in a number of hilarious improvised games, inspired by Pictionary, Celebrity Heads and Mr Squiggle. Sketch The Rhyme is a fresh, fast and funny interactive hip hop game show where speed drawing meets freestyle rapping to the sounds of a live band.
Inspired by Mr Squiggle and Pictionary, this game-show-with-a-twist is made up of a series of playoffs between the artists and the rappers. The artists speed-sketch pictures relevant to a theme, topic or clue and project them onto a large screen for the rappers and audience to see. The MCs then freestyle their response in rhyme, whether its improvising a story, guessing the catch-phrase or trying to deduce the identity of the dead celebrity drawn before them. The audience plays the vital role of judging the rounds – their cheers letting the rappers know they’ve guessed correctly.
Big Village is proud to present the first East Coast tour and Adelaide Fringe Festival season of Sydney-based live art hip hop gameshow Sketch The Rhyme. The strikingly entertaining show pits teams of artists and rappers against each other in a fast-paced, MC-driven battle of wits, played out with the accompaniment of a live band, and not-so-serious nods to famed drawing duels: Pictionary and the legendary Mr Squiggle.
Conceived by Big Village Records MC, label manager and creative director Rapaport, Sketch The Rhyme was developed during the 2008 Underbelly Festival, Carriageworks, through collaborations between esteemed visual artists, freestyle MCs and improvising musicians. Spurred on by the sheer fun and creativity of those initial brainstorming sessions Sketch The Rhyme has gone onto to feature at Edinburgh Fringe Festival [2011], Woodford Folk Festival [2009 & 2010], Melbourne Fringe [2009] and the Sydney Comedy Festival Great Debate.
Bringing together Big Village MCs Rapaport, P.Smurf from Daily Meds and Jeswon from Thundamentals Sketch The Rhyme teams the label mates with artists Claire Nakazawa, Duckman, Sam Clouston, Edgarr and Mie Nakazawa, whose expertise in a range of visual disciplines from street art and graffiti, to comics, cartoons and painting creates one hell of an engaging hip hop show.
Adelaide MC and producer Koolta has just announced final dates and supports for his upcoming Possessions single tour in early February. 2012 was a huge year for the hip-hop favourite, releasing his debut album The Extraordinary Average Joe, supporting the Hilltop Hoods, opening the Adelaide leg of the national Parklife Festival tour and being awarded the MRC’s Clip It! Initiative.
Taking in four dates only, Koolta is bringing some of his mates with him, with support nationally from Sydney’s Electric Elements crew, along with DeathStarrs (BRIS), Prime (ADL), Ry (MELB) and Mute MC & Kit Complete (Big Village – SYD). Tickets to all shows are $10 presale and $12 on the door. All pre-sales come with a free download of an exclusive EP courtesy of Koolta.
Tickets are on sale now.
Friday Feb 1 – Rhino Room Adelaide
Saturday Feb 2 – The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Friday Feb 8 – The Jubilee Hotel, Brisbane
Saturday Feb 9 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney
The last two months have been momentous for the Adelaide MC and Producer Koolta. In July, he released the eagerly anticipated debut album The Extraordinary Average Joe (Obese Distribution), sold out his Adelaide album launch, and won over a crowd of 6000+ when opening for the Hilltop Hoods at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
In August, he was announced one of the winners of the JJJ Unearthed Parklife Competition and the MRC’s (Media Resource Centre of SA) Clip It! Initiative. And now, the beginning of September marks the release of the impressive new single, Poison. Musically, the song is incredibly catchy, with it’s double time hook, punchy drums, hard bass, crunchy synth and driving keys.
Lyrically, it’s intriguingly dark. It’s this juxtaposition that makes Poison so compelling. Poison features Soulmate Records’ (360, Pez)Prime. The MC’s guest verse shows why he is renowned as one of the finest lyricists in the country.Poison is available to the public for free download here. Credits: Produced, mixed, recorded and written by Koolta. Guest verse written by Prime.
Canberra producer Ghosts In The Room unleash his debut production album. Having assembled a team of Australia and America’s finest, this release will be sure to surprise listeners with its diverse soundtrack of soulful, dark and often unexpected collaborations.
In Its Your Life – Ghosts In The Room has teamed up with one time Dr Dre portage Bishop Lamont, Briggs and Armageddon for an inspirational track to motivate its listeners.
In Where I Come From the legendary Kool G Rap teams up with battle rappers Iron Solomon, Okwerdz and 360 who makes a return to his hip hop roots. In Timeless New York group Timeless Truth team up with Maundz who delivers a classic verse proving again that he is one of Australia’s best MCs. The album also features tracks with Chaundon, Newsense, NJE, Solomon Childs, Unda Dwella, Amor Jones, Omar Musa, Joe New, Mr Fab, Big Pooh, Prime, Has-Lo, Block Mccloud, Tornts, Fluent Form, Havoc (Mobb Deep), Willis, Cheap Sober and Dribbles. Ghosts In The Room drops September 14.
Track Listing Ghosts In The Room (Intro) – Chaundon Flow Motion – Timeless Truth & Newsense Its Your Life – Bishop Lamont, Briggs & Armageddon The City – Kool G Rap, Nje, Solomon Childs & Unda Dwella The Way It Use To Be – Amor Jones, Chaundon & Nje Home (Interlude) – Omar Musa Where I Come From – Iron Solomon, Kool G Rap, Okwerdz & 360 Timeless – Timeless Truth & Maundz City Of Gold – Joe New Live Your Life – Mr Fab, Big Pooh & Prime My Gun – Has-Lo The Night Hides Shadows (Interlude) – Omar Musa Dark Streets – Block Mccloud & Tornts Out Of Sync (Xanax Rap) – Fluent Form All About You – Havoc, Willis, Cheap Sober & Dribbles Feel – Cheap Sober A Feeling (Outro) – Omar Musa
Koolta’s long awaited debut album. Since winning the Hilltop Hoods Initiative in 2011 ($10 000 grant from APRA and HH to help in the release of a debut album) this young MC/Producer from Adelaide has hit the ground running.
Having already released two well received independent EPs, Koolta continues his DIY ethic handling all production, writing, recording and mixing on the new album.
The Extraordinary Average Joe is not your standard local Hip Hop album. This is music that lives up to this bold statement. Koolta has crafted multi-layered instrumentals with the use of live instrumentation and synths, rather than sampling. The lyrics are not the typical bragging so often found in the genre, but rather deep introspective lyrics examining the self and greater society.
From the socialist critique of excessive wealth on Possessions to the confronting family issues on Let Me. Koolta demonstrates a maturity beyond his years, and provides an honest poetic voice for the voiceless. Guests on the album include two of the country’s best lyricists, Prime (Soulmate Records) and national slam poetry champion Omar Musa. Koolta has got the tick of approval from hip hop legends the Hilltop Hoods and will be opening for them at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on their Speaking In Tongues Tour in July 2012.
Track Listing: Chapter 1: Birth Chapter 2: Piece Of The Puzzle (Featuring Gabrielle Hyde) Chapter 3: Poison (Featuring Prime) Chapter 4: Ying Yang Chapter 5: Sore Thumb (Featuring Omar Musa) Chapter 6: Intermood Chapter 7: Four Seasons Chapter 8: Possessions Chapter 9: Let Me Chapter 10: The Extraordinary Average Joe Chapter 11: Think Tank Chapter 12: This Year Chapter 13: Death
Koolta - The Extraordinary Average Joe will be released July 13, 2012.
Amidst the mayhem that was touring with Australian sensation, 360 and heading straight back on the road with label mates Seven and Mr Hill, Vegas Aces have managed to craft an EP touted as ‘next level’ by the local hip hop scene.
The Departure is VA’s coming of age, both lyrically from emcee 4th and in the production from Cam Bluff, who is fast becoming Australia’s man to beat behind the boards. The two clearly set out to craft their own sound in making The Departure, a title directly related to a change in sound since their debut, VA All Day. The boys called on Adelaide stalwarts and fellow up and comers, Prime and Purpose as the only features for this release on the futuristic Nebula. Following Day Dreams (feat. Kaysie Rowe), the second single taken from The Departure is All That Shines.
Proven to be a success live, All That Shines is a raucous portrayal of 4th’s view on his standing within the Australia music scene. VA celebrate the launch of their website with The Departure EP, available for free download NOW. Tongue in cheek as always and accompanied by world class production, Vegas Aces truly are the next benchmark of local hip hop.
Born Fresh Records is hosting one hell of a block party and you’re invited! This weekend, June 16, Coniston Lane in Fortitude Valley will be hosting the very cream of the Brisbane hip hop crop with sets from Rainman, Seven, Mr Hill & Rajconkas, Crate Creeps, Vegas Aces, Prophet Rayza along with many other special guests. Tickets are on sale now.
Get ready for round 2 of Versify – bringing together spoken word stars and rappers for an evening of lyrics and rhythms that will shake you out of those winter doldrums. Featuring the mesmerizing tones of Omar Musa, Mighty Joe, Luka Lesson, Alia Gabres, Social Change and K21, winner of the Hilltop Hoods Initiative. A cappella rap and spoken word to bring you out of those winter doldrums.
Joe Kim A.K.A. Mighty Joe was born and raised in the East Bay, California. Long the breeding ground for independent hip hop artists, the Bay Area’s street smart, often socially conscious sensibilities are represented powerfully in his music. His complex, poetic rhymes are reminiscent of Talib Kweli and an era of hip-hop often thought to have been lost. What began as an immersion in music as a means of expression evolved into an avenue for education and critical commentary about the struggle of the disenfranchised. This interest in social empowerment led to him earning a degree in Psychology and Social Work at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2006, his song What If was featured on the soundtrack for the internationally released video game, College Hoops 2K7. The featured song brought him recognition from all over the U.S.A and in the UK.
He has since recorded with diverse rock veteran Geoff Stanfield (Sun Kil Moon, Black Lab), Bay Area producers Germ and Redell, and Marc Griffin of pop-rock band 2am Club. Mighty Joe released his debut album The Golden LP in 2010 and went on to tour in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. He is now a member of international hip hop duo MoneyKat with Omar Musa. They have released their debut self titled album MoneyKat available now.
Omar Musa is a rapper and poet from Queanbeyan, Australia. He has won numerous awards for poetry and music, including the Australian Poetry Slam and the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam. He has released a book of poetry and two hip-hop albums recorded in the USA and has toured throughout Asia, Europe and Australia, doing writers festivals and hip-hop shows, including tour support for Gil Scott-Heron in Germany.
Social Change is Australia’s Hip Hop supreme team, featuring the emcee who goes by the same name, renown music producer Funkwig, and champion turntablist DJ Snair. With a distinct brand of heavy duty production, razor sharp turntablism and authoritative lyrics, Hip Hop group Social Change makes true music with universal appeal. In 2007 Social Change released the critically acclaimed E.P titled V.High.E.P and in 2008 they dropped the classic single REAL plus the video for underground favourite Lifted. Social Change put out the Double Banger Promo CD in 2009 which featured Black Text and Putting In Work from the upcoming full length Social Change album, and in 2010 Fat Pockets (Funkwig & Snair) released the Butterthief Phat Tape which features exclusive music by Social Change, K21, Dialect, Crossbred Mongrels and Chris Bass. Social Change also recently featured on the Dialect and Despair album The Vortex on which Funkwig blessed five tracks with basslines. With a live show that incorporates everything from freestyles, MPC routines and turntable showcases thru to performing with a full piece band, Social Change have played shows Australia-wide and supported numerous Australian and International acts, headlining and hosting events both locally and interstate. They are now preparing to release their long overdue debut.
Luka Lesson the current Australian Poetry Slam Champion, conscious hip-hop artist and Co-director of The Centre for Poetics and Justice based in Melbourne. Luka has been active in community development work utilising hip-hop and poetry as a form of self-determination and raising awareness for young people for many years. He has taught Indigenous Studies at Monash University for the past two years and holds a first class honours degree in the same field. Luka has just finished touring Australia, China, the United States and New Zealand over the past few months both performing his work and conducting workshops with young people in every country. Luka has also been invited to perform at the Beijing Bookworm Writers’ Festival, Auckland Readers and Writers’ Festival, Sydney Writers’ Festival, the Ubud Writers’ Festival in Bali and the Hong Kong Writers’ festival in 2012 alone. Four-time USA national Slam winner Taylor Mali states: ‘I’m not really into hip hop—I’m too old, I guess—but Luka Lesson is a sonic literary genius, and that is what I love. So if he is hip hop, then I guess I love hip hop after all.
Alia Gabres is a Co-director of The Centre for Poetics and Justice (a not-for-profit organisation focussed on using poetry as a form of literary education and social engagement). She was recently a part of the Global Poetics Tour 2011, where she toured and performed alongside international wordsmiths Shane Koyzcan, Ken Arkind and Mahogany Brown. Alia also curated of a Spoken Word explorations series entitled ‘Tell it Like it is’ at the Footscray Arts Centre and is currently undertaking an Artist Residency at the City Library.
In the lead up to his appearance at the sold out Come Together Festival this weekend in Sydney, Purpose teams up with fellow PE member and Soulmate Records latest, MC Prime for an exclusive track titled Get Em High.
To all the lucky folk quick enough to snap up a ticket, get ready as Luna Park will become host to one of the biggest events on the local hip hop calendar. Headlined by undoubtedly one of the biggest names. A man who needs no introduction, multi award winning, 360 will close the day in the only way he knows how – absolute chaos.
Not to say the roof won’t be raised from opening doors, with Bam Bam kicking off the ceremonies, shortly followed by Purpose, with some very special guest performers. We’ve been sworn to secrecy – but organisers suggest you get there early, as this is one performance not to miss! The rest of the day and night will unfold with the cream of local hip hop, Skryptcha, Thundamentals, Koolism, Seth Sentry, plus Elefant Trak madness with Hermitude and Horrorshow.
The SA Writers’ Centre is excited to kick off its regular series of spoken word events with acappella performances from five celebrated and award winning rappers. Let Mighty Joe, Omar Musa, Prime, Dialect and Koolta take you on a journey through one of the most dynamic and diverse lyric forms to sweep the globe, with words, rhythms and tales of life, love and politics stripped bare.
If you’re a fan of slam, spoken word or hip hop, or just love words and their possibilities, you won’t want to miss this. The event kicks off at 7pm, Monday March 5. Tickets are $10 at the door. The Atrium, SA Writer’s Centre 2nd floor Malcolm Reid Building, 187 Rundle St. Enter up the stairs next door to Brunelli’s Café, or access via lift at rear entrance 26 York St.
