Heralded by many throughout the scene as Australian hip hops next big thing, Spit Syndicate, comprised of MCs Just Enuf and Nick Lupi, have garnered a wealth of hype in recent months. The Sydney duos brand new promotional mixtape, The Futures Bright, showcases the reason for this, presenting a refreshing, high-quality and truly promising collection of music which is sure to only accelerate the buzz.
2 Dogs is a spin-off group created by two of the members of the Brisbane band Resin Dogs, Dave and DJ Katch. Their albums contain a larger variation of both ambient hip-hop beats and also some lyrics thrown in for measure. Prozac Beats, their first album is focused heavily on down-tempo beats and rythms whilst their most recent, D&K Sessions contains both uplifting (Fire in the Belly, Funky 2+1) as well as downtempo interlude tracks.
The Nextmen are critically acclaimed DJs and producers working with a range of hip-hop artists. Dom Search (aka Dominic Betmead) and Brad Baloo (aka Brad Ellis) often express a funk and reggae influence, and they have worked with many urban artists from the UK, US and Jamaica. The two members also run their own independent record label, Custom Records, a joint venture with Fat City Records. Their name is a reference to the Afro-American term "next man", which is explained on Urban Dictionary and can be heard in use in the song Find A Way (lyrics at OHHLA.com).
From label boss, hit producer, World Champion DJ, trendsetter, genre-mangling party-starter, to blogger extraordinaire, Alain Macklovitch, best known as A-Trak, embodies the full scope of the 21st Century musician-entrepreneur model. At the mere age of 26, A-Trak has had two distinct phases to his winding 11 year career. Stage one: after winning the World DMCs at age 15 (in 1997), he spent years as one of hip hop’s most renowned selectors.
Spacifix are a nine-piece band from West Auckland. In 2006 they released their debut album "Much Love" in New Zealand with the accompanying single "Sunshine Day".
La Coka Nostra (or short LCN) is an American hip hop supergroup, comprised mainly of all former members of House of Pain, Ill Bill, former member of Non Phixion, and various other MCs and producers. Founded by Danny Boy in early 2006, La Coka Nostra is a new project that has reunited him, Everlast and DJ Lethal for the first time since House of Pain's split. The group's name is derived from the notorious criminal organization (La) Cosa Nostra, which means "This Thing Of Ours"...
Over the past decade, the hip-hop turntablist has gained immense popularity and mainstream recognition. No doubt, one deejay at the forefront of this movement is Queens-born JS-1. One half of the infamous team with Rahzel, ex-beatboxer of The Roots, JS-1 has released 3 albums, “Ground Original,” “Claimstake,” & “Audio Technician” through Fatbeats Distribution, Bomb Records and Studio Distribution.
Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971 in Long Beach, California, United States), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is a Grammy award nominated rapper, producer and actor. Snoop is best known as a famous MC in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of producer Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. He made his rap debut in 1992 on Dre's debut album The Chronic, and then released his debut album, Doggystyle, to much critical and public acclaim. His mother nicknamed him "Snoopy" as a child, and he took the stage name Snoop Doggy Dogg when he began recording.
Roots Manuva, born Rodney Smith is a British hip-hop artist, who mixes hip hop with reggae and dub as well as electronica, and even some gospel. He grew up around Stockwell in South London. His parents were from a small village in Jamaica called Banana Hole where his father was a preacher and tailor. Spending much of his early years in poverty, this and his strict Pentecostal upbringing clearly had an influence on his music as can be seen in many of his tracks such as "Sinny Sin Sins" and "Colossal Insight".