Credit: Cole Bennetts
Omar Musa is a Malaysian-Australian rapper and poet from Queanbeyan, Australia. He is the former winner of the Australian Poetry Slam and the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam. He has released three hip hop albums, two poetry books (including Parang), appeared on ABC’s Q&A and received a standing ovation at TEDx Sydney at the Sydney Opera House. He is currently working on a play, Bonegatherer. His debut novel Here Come the Dogs was published by Penguin Australia in July 2014. Here are five albums he’s loving right now…
The OmARIAs — Omar Musa’s top five Australian hip hop albums of 2014
The biggest music awards in Australia are the ARIA awards. Hip hop is underneath the umbrella of “Urban” (a retrograde, silly name if you ask me). From the early years where surprises such as Koolism and a young Daniel Merriweather were given the gong, the Urban category is now fairly predictable, and seems to mostly reward and nominate the highest sellers of the year. As a result, I have decided to make my own top five Australian hip hop records of the year, the OmARIAs. Australian hip hop has grown into an eclectic beast, so hopefully the list reflects that.
5 – Geko, Real Heads Don’t Listen: In a hip hop landscape littered with cookie-cutter choruses and 16 bar verses, an album like this is a welcome anomaly. Long, vivid verses are interspersed by off-kilter movie samples. There are barely any hooks, but the arrangement, as well as Phil Gektor’s moody charisma and clever wordplay are more than enough to keep it engaging. A Melbourne rap version of film noir, this album is menacing, paranoid and cinematic.
4 – Joelistics, Blue Volume: Blue Volume is a combination of risk-taking musical choices, storytelling and poetic raps. Lyrically, Joelistics runs the gamut between world-weary and buoyant, showing a willingness to pick personal scabs (Nostromo is painfully beautiful) and talk politics in a way that is never preachy. Music-wise, we are just as likely to hear Paul Kelly influences or guitars, as reversed samples, Autotune and synths. The result is not unfocused — it’s daring. Joelistics was the first Australian MC I ever saw live and it’s great to see him at the peak of his game so many years later.
3 – Remi, Raw x Infinity: This record heralds the arrival of a special and unique talent. With a nonchalant delivery and steez for days, Remi is here to get your feet moving and sneak a message in while he’s at it. With Dutch and Sensible J providing the weed-scented funk, Kapitan Rem paints a portrait of a young man taking influences from both his Melbourne surroundings and his Nigerian heritage. He writes about race in a way that is cool but pointed. I expect him to make a big impact internationally as well as locally. Remi is hot property for a reason. To infinity and beyond.
2 – Thundamentals, So We Can Remember: With the most commercially successful album on this list, Thundamentals combine future beats with pop sensibilities to create their best album yet. DJ Morgs and Poncho provide a vivid backdrop for Blue Mountains representatives Tuka and Jeswon to run rampant on, getting political, party and personal in equal measure. This is a progressive-sounding record, but make no mistake — the boys can still rap their arses off, with Jeswon’s razor-sharp multis balanced well by Tuka’s more mercurial flow. So We Can Remember is a big moment for a scene that has become comfortable in its own skin.
This year, the OmARIA goes to…
1 – Briggs, ShepLife: A listener can tell immediately when a musician has put their life on the line to make an album. The big, bad man from Shepparton, Victoria, has delivered the record of his life with this one. While maintaining his uncompromising flow, Briggasaurus shows a willingness to delve into a wide range of topics and emotions, from having his first child, to the loss of a loved one, to a failed relationship, to being a mouthpiece for disenfranchised people while trying to reject the boxes people try to put him in. Late Night Calls gives the listener chills, while Bad Apples is an important song not just for Australian hip hop, but Australian music — full stop. ShepLife is brave, defiant and takes no prisoners.