Canberras hip-hop scene (or lack thereof)

[Optimus Rhyme]

Does anyone know of any hip-hop nights at any clubs, any open mics???
My friend saw a "freestyle" battle, and quoted me lines of the winner (which were the exact lyrics to a freestyle by some wu-tang member)... thats just crap.... Ive heard of somethin at Aree Bar that sounded cool... anyone got anything to add?

[RuffnReady]

Dude - pity you weren't around last year! The 4 Story Empire crew had jams every Friday night in the BakBar at Heaven - it was AWESOME!!! Earlier this year there was a night at East on West but that died about mid-year.

Now it's Step Forward at Mombasa 1st Thursday of every month (normally Goldfinger starts at 10, then Nick Toth followed by Danielsan - sometimes they have guests, open mike, etc.) - worth a look for Goldfinger alone. Oh and, just quietly, Toth is a DECK GOD!!! Australia's best hip hop DJ? If he's not I don't know who is. The guy is incredible!!! They're having a 'special edition' on X-Mas Eve, but I won't be here unfortunately. Oh, and Latryx from the US are playing Habana this Thurs.

Hope that helps.

Come find me sometime (my piccie will be in the bma released in 2 weeks) and we'll talk tunes!

[Optimus Rhyme]

Ooohh a canberra hip hop head im excited!

Yeah I'll be at Latyrx, no question....I might check out that mombasa thing, it sounds cool, goldfinger is nice and Toth is awesome!

[Alistair]

Optimus! Cant believe you diddnt know about step forward... actually, for the last few months canberras been doing heaps well (comparitivly) for hip hop - the anthropologetic partys ive heard are well wicked (bringing down newcaste crews etc) and i read that step forward canberra was now every fortnight! Plus with Ugly Duckling and Latyrx this year, i reckon weve got it going on nicely...

On the downside, the dickheads who tagged the ANU the night of ugly duckling almost got any type of dance event banned from the ANU forever, and definatly the word is No More Hip Hop at the anu ever... a real shame that people who like such wicked stuff can ruin it for themselves... tagging has its place, and that is not all over the walls of people who are doing you a favour...

[calico]

yeah nick toth is pretty awesome, but there are way more great aussie hip hop djs around and groups around - locally there's koolism and present tense - in sydney there's the elefant traks and parallax view guys, bris has the whole resin dogs scene, melb has mnemonic ascent, ransom etc... man there's so much fantastic aussie hip hop around at the moment! anyway see you all at latyrx.
calico

[Optimus Rhyme]

The thing I hate about aussie hip hop is how all the MC's feel the need (and they say this, im not making it up) to exaggerate their accents, cuz it just sounds bad, frankly.... i hate it when aussies imitate american accents, but u dont gotta exaggerate the @!#$ out of your australian accent to "represent ya country".... The illest hip hop group in Australia is phonetics, out of melbourne, they just rap how they talk without exaggeration...

I did hear about that step forward thing a while ago, i doidnt realise goldfinger and toth were playin tho, that got my interest

[RuffnReady]

Al - "anthropologetic partys" - huh???

As for the guys who tagged the ANU, Ugly Duckling show was at Gypsy... after party was at ANU??? How are the two related?

UDs rocked da house, love those guys!!!

My first ever gig was Ice-T and Public Enemy at the UniBar in '91 just after "Enemy Strikes Black" - awesome!!! Although Ice-T was even better, which I hadn't predicted before the event. That was the night the PE minders stomped some guy on their bus or something...

[Optimus Rhyme]

I woulda loved to see PE, I was2 young back then but I'd love to see em now...that woulda been sick... Ive only gotten to see BEP and De La Soul..... De La Soul were awesome, theyre my fav group, BEP was a very cool show but they aint never had any real mic skills but they still put opn a good show

[Lee Lee]

Lets not forget guys that J5 are coming to Australia soon. This will be nuts. Anyone who has heard them will understand...

[RuffnReady]

Don't 'spose J5 are comin' to Canberra though?

Bloody Pharcyde are only doing shows in Sydney, Melb, Perth... I wish these guys'd talk to UDs and find out what a rockin' hip hop town this is...

I reckon we oughta start a petition to get De La to do a "small venue" tour of Australia, then send it to their website. Never know, they just "turned up" out of the blue to the JJJ X-mas party, they might just do something wacky like an Oz club tour? And one to get ATCQ back together and do the same! And Digable Planets! How about that - an Australian club tour featuring De La, ATCQ (reformed), Pharcyde, Digable Planets and the Jungle Brothers (saw them last year in Sydney - they rock da house!)... aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's all too much. I'm just going to have a lie down. ;)

[calico]

yeah whatever! there are just as many great hip hop bands happening now!

check out atmosphere, anticon, infesticons, aesop rock!!! for fantastic recent releases that are up there with any of those old schoolers you guys are hyping.

also i sorta agree on the aussie rappers sounding so damn aussie it's irritating - but they're not all like that - seriously check out the album by the herd on sydney label elefant traks for some fantastic beats/hip hop. also if you get the chance check out new sydney band upshot featuring sleeping monk for some fantastic jazzy hip hop flows.

calico

[Optimus Rhyme]

Aesop Rock is f-ckin awesome... I have Float but i Neeeeeed Labor Days....

Im not feeling anticon any more, the only @!#$ of theirs I lsten to much is Buck 65's Vertex... Sage Francis is the greatest but he's more of an affiliate...Sole is getting shiter and shitter...

and J5 will go off!

[Optimus Rhyme]

And yall need to buy "speech recognition" by Melbournes Phonetics

[Pimpamon]

I've heard about a hip-hop night at the wig & pen, not sure what night though, you could look into that... I dunno if its a once a week or month thing.

[calico]

i'm interested in organising some sorta regularish night around canberra somewhere before too long with hip hop, breaks, beats etc on the playlist... anyone interested in helping drop me an email with ideas

[Lee Lee]

There is a weekly hip hop night starting on Thursdays at habana. I think that 4se are putting it on... Not sure if its them, but there is one going on as I have seen flyers around for it

[calico]

sounds cool - is it live or djed ip op?

[Alistair]

its djs... free entry, djs goldfinger, weapon, kaos and nathan according to the flyer... thursday nights...called hype i think...

[Lee Lee]

Im pretty sure that it is open mic too.

[sirravesalot]

the herd???? if you are talking about the same group who rap about 'flying scallops' and a '3 dollar forty bag of fresh hip hop with da lotza flava on top...' in about the ozziest accent ive eva heard.....hmmmmmm

(sorry about the lateness of the msg, im just doing hella forum activity today)

[livian]

Someone definitely needs to bring Resin Dogs down to tha 'berra again. Missed them last time (@ Heaven), but apparently they were fantastic. Did anyone catch Good Buddha at XXL?? (I think they played there) How did they fare?
Hip hop is definitely on the up and up in Australia. Nothing shabby about that.